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• Amir •

Amir hoped Luna wasn't feeling uncomfortable. He should have made sure the condoms were tucked away. They were in his pants and must've fallen out. He wasn't planning on anything happening between them, but he thought it would be stupid if they got to that point and he wasn't packing anything. 

He hoped she didn't think he expected something from her because he didn't. She always knew he'd never been with a woman, but that didn't stop them from becoming who they were. They were connected for a reason.

He held her waist as they left in the warm July afternoon sun. The smell was fresh and the streets were busy. He knew it would be scorching later. This time of year was sweltering in the south.

Sergeant Decker walked by, his eyes staring down at what Amir was holding in his hand. "Nice package."

"Go away," he replied.

Amir saw the guys' vehicle when they rounded the motel corner. "Whose Hummer?"

Once Faisal changed shirts, the men opened the doors. "It's a rental. It suits us, right?"

Luna smiled and nodded while inspecting it. "Did you bring this car from the safe house?"

Sergeant Decker chuckled. "No. We rode to a local Enterprise and rented it under a different name. For safety reasons."

Yeah, Amir had a feeling Sergeant Decker's renting was the same way they rented the truck at the hospital. Liberty and Vikram's vehicles were tracked. That made him realize they were riding in a stolen Hummer.

Amir went around the back door and opened it for Luna. "Need help climbing this?"

She shot him a naughty look and winked. "I'm good. I have no problem with . . . climbing."

He smiled as she lifted herself with the handlebar. Being courteous and friendly, he helped her adjust inside.

Reaching around to help her with her seatbelt, Luna shook her head, giggling. "I can buckle up."

"Just making sure you'll be safe. I want my woman secure."

Amir kissed her temple, relieved she wasn't in pain. She hugged him, holding Aluna and Ibrahim. "I'll take this car if you don't," he said Sergeant Decker.

He laughed from the driver's seat. "Hell no. This is a good one. A gas guzzler, but I may keep this one. Change all the tags and put it in my alias."

"Sit back and relax, folks," Vikram murmured from the passenger seat. "You may want to wear your sunglasses. Today is bright, but we'll travel through rural areas. There isn't much to look at."

"That's all right." Amir had his girl beside him.

After readjusting his legs, Amir gazed at the front seat and then at his cousin. He tapped his fingers on the window frame with his arm propped up, staring out. He then wondered if he should trust Sergeant Decker. Chase followed Luna and Sarah. Has the sergeant changed? The sergeant could direct them to the place Cami was scheduled to be sent to before she escaped.

Colin drove them into a busy highway. Amir's fears lingered. Later, he planned to call home and cancel anything in his name, then arrange his property. Farooq would help him with anything, and he and Luna were hiding from hunters. He never knew there was such a thing. This expedition worried him.

Faisal turned his eyes to Amir, speaking to him telepathically. 'I think we can trust Colin. He and Vikram are best friends, and we trust Vikram.'

Amir's eyes narrowed as he kissed Luna's forehead. 'True, but Colin could still turn on us.'

'I understand your concerns.' Faisal cleared his throat and sat up straighter as he looked at both guys talking about sports in the front seat. 'He risked his life and reputation to help everyone. His wife and son are one of us. They're everything to him.'

His cousin had a point. But this could still be a setup like it was with Chase. Faisal or Vikram may not know anything, and Colin Decker was sketchy.

'Colin isn't like Chase. He wanted to get away from that place just as bad as everyone else did.'

Amir had no words. He was cautious. As he looked out the window, several small houses and signs along the road blurred.

He relaxed as he saw the big structures when they drove into Interstate 10 toward downtown New Orleans. Luna sat next to him, immersed in thought like they were on a romantic getaway.

Luna was so beautiful.

"Did you guys see that sign about a haunted tour of a cemetery?" Amir asked, trying to bring humor into the quiet car. "Sounds fun."

Faisal snorted. "Forgive him, guys. We don't get the pleasure of experiencing these tourist traps in Pakistan."

Not knowing where they were heading and why nobody would tell him or Luna anything didn't settle well with Amir. He kept his eyes on the window, looking for any suspicious cars that might be following, or coming too close.

Luna fell asleep near the Superdome after twenty minutes. Amir caught the dolls before they fell and placed them on his other side. She acted like their mother. Her sleeping relieved him. She needed it.

As he saw a patrol car, he tensed up, expecting them to pull them over and offer a lame excuse. They were armed and driving an unregistered car. But none of the police cars paid attention. Vikram and Sergeant Decker fought over a football team on the way to the safe house.

He imagined strange things during the Baton Rouge drive. Some of it was crazy. Maybe it was because three people in the car could see his thoughts and things he didn't want them to. However, Luna was an exception. Amir let her read his mind.

He looked down at her and noticed their legs. Her tiny hand was on his knee and her head curled on his side. He stared long. He focused. That would've made her uncomfortable if she was awake. He had many thoughts. Maybe it was because of where her left hand was? It was only her hand. Something far deeper.

Now he understood. He used to see Chase's diamond ring on her left finger, and it made Amir think. He couldn't offer her a ring, but he could tie a long strand of his hair at the ends and present it to her. He'd pledge his love.

Or give her his grandfather's ring?

He wondered if she would say yes to a life with him. After all, he was confident she would. They wouldn't have to get married right away unless she wanted to. Sarah's approval was more important to him. Without that, he and Luna must decide their fate.

He wanted Luna's parents' agreement. Like her, he valued that. He considered his family. They'd have to agree to him marrying a random person. He knew they'd love Luna and Sarah. They were two beautiful gems in his eyes.

Spending the rest of his life with her was something he desired, but he didn't expect it to be a possibility. Kissing her at the hospital was risky, but he had to. Just one kiss was enough to experience her love. And it worked out. They shared a reflection and are immune to their species' repercussions. Yet, many challenges continued. To be safe, they must endure many battles.

Amir felt Luna's grasp tighten around his waist as they rode over a long bridge across a large lake.

Lake Pontchartrain.

She stirred and brought her head up. "Mmm."

"Hey, sleepyhead. You looked like a queen," Amir told her.

Luna smiled and rubbed her eyes, then sat up straighter and looked at Faisal. His mouth was opened and his head tilted back on his seat, deeply exhausted. She snickered and shook her head. "Did you slip him a sleeping drug?"

"I'm glad you think highly of me, Moon."

"It's not like you've never done it before."

She was right, but Amir didn't mess with his cousin's Apple Juice. Vikram had his head laying on the side of the window, asleep.

Colin glanced around at them and smiled. "Good to see you're awake, Miss. Carlyle."

"You can call me Luna. You've called me by my name before. Nothing has changed."

The group finally got off the interstate onto another highway, and Sergeant Decker swerved to the left lane so he could speed down the road. His driving was making Amir more nervous. He flew over a bump, and now the other guys woke.

"Dang. I wished I had thought about it," Luna murmured, narrowing her eyes.

"Thought about what, baby?"

"Taking a pit-stop at my studio and house. I wanted to grab something inside both places."

"Hmm . . . I wonder what they are," Amir said, teasing her. "They are both monitored, probably."

Vikram twisted and grinned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Amir's Christmas jewelry. "Liberty asked Raul to get it for you. Chase could be lurking. He went through the fire escape."

Luna grasped it, happy and crying. "Thank you. I missed this. I would hug you right now if I could."

"It's fine. Liberty asked me to bring it on our way to the motel."

She turned to Amir and kissed his cheek. "This necklace is my lifeline. I love it so much. Help me put it on?"

Amir smiled and kissed her earlobe. "Of course. You look beautiful wearing it," he whispered in her ear. "What else did you want?"

"Your handsome office photo. I printed it off your Facebook page and imagined sitting next to you and snapping pictures together."

Luna looked out the window and gasped at the beautiful statues in several surrounding yards. The homeowners were prosperous. The community was new to Amir. Every yard had a fountain, hedges, and sculptures. He noticed sparkling particles along the fence. Lead particles.

The whole area was surrounded by it, with security cameras.

Sergeant Decker drove close to an intercom at the front gate. The intercom popped on and he said, "Marco . . . Polo."

Static and then a woman's voice said, "Who are you?"

"The Winchesters of New Orleans," he responded with everyone giggling.

Luna raised a brow at Amir, then giggled to herself.

From the intercom, "The Winchest—"

"We're here to find some demons," Sergeant Decker said.

But they were back at St. Matthew's, Decker.

Everyone in the car laughed, and Amir couldn't contain it any longer. He laughed, too.

Vikram rolled his eyes. "It's us! Okay?" He saw the funny expressions on their faces. "What? I gotta use the gentleman's room."

"I have to use the potty myself," Luna said, narrowing her eyes.

There was a loud huff from the intercom and then came the female's voice. "Seriously? We're in the middle of watching Supernatural."

"Which season?" Sergeant Decker asked, but then Vikram jabbed his arm. "Nevermind. We'll talk inside."

The intercom then said, "Okay. The gate will open. It's slow."

"I can't believe you said that," Amir told him.

"I knew they were watching the show before we left. I wanted to be funny."

"I thought it was funny," came from Faisal. 

But of course, you're a jokester yourself.

"You're easy to impress," Amir murmured toward him.

"I laughed. Now I want to watch Supernatural," Luna said, smiling at the guys.

"I can think of many other things I would rather spend my time watching," Amir told her, whispering in her ear. She flushed.

The gate took a few minutes to open, and Sergeant Decker put his foot on the gas pedal to ease them into the gated community. They passed house after house with big yards and huge decorations outside. The neighborhood they were in completely blew Amir's mind. They were all made of lead in the shape of domes and cameras.

"Are you sure our group is here?" he asked Sergeant Decker.

He nodded. "Yep."

But then Amir started picking up other Tethered Souls who lived inside the walls. This was a safe place for them to live. He couldn't believe it. A whole community of their kind that hasn't been found and is protected. He wondered if anyone was immune like he and Luna were. But he didn't want to question it. He trusted that this community will be safe. In each section, there were security cameras pointed at several places, and then there was lead everywhere. No one from the outside would be able to locate others, so hunters wouldn't be able to hurt them.

When they finally got to the next wall, the gate quickly opened. The house was huge and stood out above the other houses on the block. He knew they were on a hilltop because he could see a busy city below.

"Who lives out here?" asked Luna with awe in her gaze.

The house was over nine-thousand square feet and had four stories. There was a small skydome in the middle and a sign for a helicopter pad in the front. Like the other homes in the small community, it was made of white sandstone cement and had security cameras facing every part of the property. The sides and top of the fence also had pieces of lead in them.

Sergeant Decker followed the winding driveway and stopped in front of a wide set of white steps with a sculpture of a dolphin and a big fountain in the center.

"We're here," he said as he opened the door on the driver's side and got out of the car.

After taking a look at Amir and Luna in the back seat, Vikram opened his door. "Now we can go in."

Amir took a deep breath, took Luna's hand, and kissed her palm. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said, giving him a faint smile. "My daughter is waiting in there."

"I'm sure she's ready to see her mother, who is brave and beautiful."

They climbed down from the Hummer and walked around it. Luna took her tote bag from the motel and placed the dolls inside, making sure their heads were sticking out of the top. Amir gave her a tight hug, and then they slowly walked toward the steps, happy that things were going well.

As the red door opened, they moved closer to it, and a thin figure quickly popped out.

"We've been waiting all day to see you guys, and all you could do was take your sweet time," Liberty said, placing her tiny hands on her hips. Then she turned her head to look at Amir. "I'm Luna's older sister, and it's nice to finally meet you, Amir. I have a million questions for you, but you've earned your place in our family."

Vikram clapped his hands together. "Great. Grill him inside, honey."

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