Page 84 of The Moon’s Fury (Moon & Sands #2)
“ W ell, aren’t you just the picture of domesticity?” a syrupy sweet voice drawled from behind her.
The hair on Layna’s arms rose to attention.
A soul-suckingly cold tendril of dread skittered down her back.
Layna stood and turned.
She already knew who was behind her.
Her sharp eyes landed on Burhani.
It shouldn’t have pleased her so much, but Burhani looked like shit. Her long, black braid was unkempt, her narrow face gaunt. Even her deep, ochre skin had dulled. Her collarbones protruded in a way they hadn’t the last time Layna had seen her.
It was the night she lost control of her power and shot a blast of light at Ebrahim. Burhani’s blue eyes had cut through her, first with fear, then with rage and hatred.
And now her blue eyes were fixed on her again, rife with disdain.
Blistering hot anger surged inside her, an inferno raging within seconds.
Burhani was the reason she had to flee Alzahra.
Why she hadn’t seen her sister in half a year.
Why her mother was dead .
Burhani must have seen the shift in Layna’s expression, the murderous fury in her gaze, because she took a hesitant step back. A flash of fear passed through her eyes before she steeled herself and raised her chin.
Layna stalked closer, lips peeled back in a snarl. Burhani took three more steps back. Fucking coward .
Burhani must have had a death wish because she said, “I’m glad to see you’re enjoying paradise while the rest of us rot on the continent.”
Layna didn’t bother asking what she meant.
She didn’t care.
Crossing the distance between them, she hauled back and punched Burhani in the stomach with as much force as she could manage.
The woman doubled over, breath whooshing out in a sharp gasp. She floundered for air, staggering backward. Layna rounded on her again, punching her in the mouth.
“Stop!” Burhani clutched her bleeding lip. “Stop and listen to me. I need your help.” Layna ignored her, tackling her to the ground with a loud cry.
She straddled her waist, fists raining down on Burhani’s face.
“You. Little. Fucking. Snake ,” Layna seethed, a blow for every word. Burhani tried her best to shield her face, bucking her hips to throw Layna off, but it was no use.
Layna had been trained by a warrior amongst warriors.
“You sent the Medjai after me,” she panted, shaking out her fist between hits. Burhani’s nose was seeping blood, one eye already swollen shut. “I lost my kingdom. My sister. My mother is dead because of you!”
A pulsing fury set every nerve alight, obliterating any rational thought. She was poised to begin pummeling Burhani again, fist hovering in the air, when something large and hard struck her temple.
She gasped, pain flashing across her face as her hand flew to her cheek. Her fingers came back wet with blood.
Burhani seized the opportunity to shove her off and scrambled backward, fingers digging into the sandy dirt for purchase. Her face was swollen and bleeding, the same shade painting Layna’s raw knuckles.
Burhani spat out a mouthful of blood and snarled, “You couldn’t have done that sooner?”
Layna shook off her disorientation and followed Burhani’s gaze.
Her eyes landed on an old woman, her face creased with more lines than a sun-dried coconut husk.
The sunlight glinted off her stark white hair, and her back curled inward like a sagging hammock strung too low between trees.
She leaned heavily on a gnarled cane, its base sinking into the soft, sandy earth.
But her eyes were sharp as they assessed Layna.
“I wanted to see who I was dealing with,” the old woman said, her voice dry and aged, like brittle parchment. “Now I know.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Layna seethed, wiping the blood dripping down her cheek.
“Show some respect, Moon Queen. We’re practically family.” The old woman’s smile was toothy, menacing. “I’m the Sun Slayer.”