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• Amir •

The following morning, shortly after sunrise, Amir was in his room in deep prayer when he heard a faint knock at his door. As he rose to his feet, he rolled up his mat and put it back where it had been.

When he opened the door a little, he saw Faisal, Raul, and the Imam who will perform the Nikah portion of the wedding ceremony.

Then he noticed the next-door neighbor Reverend McDaniels standing in the back.

"Assalamualaikum," Amir addressed the group.

He extended his hand and invited them in.

The men murmured "Walaikumassalam" as they walked by. Each of them sat down on the bed and at the desk the room provided.

Irfan Bhatti, the Imam, was the first to speak up. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Amir chose a chair near the window and sat down. "I'm doing all right. Shukria." He nodded in response.

"That's good," Bhatti Sahib replied. "I don't want to take up too much of your time. I wanted to talk to you about your upcoming Nikah."

"Sure. Thank you for doing this," Amir remarked, looking at Raul and Faisal.

Reverend McDaniels said, "And I'm here to make sure we're all on the same page about everything. A little preparation never hurts."

Raul laughed and turned away. When Amir opened his mouth, he returned his attention to Irfan Bhatti.

"I've never met you before, Amir, but I know both Raul and Mera. They go to the Baton Rouge Islamic Center when they stay in this house. The other day, Raul called me and asked if I would mind performing a Nikah with someone I had never met before."

"I understand," said Amir with a smile. "Luna and I wanted to get married while we are here for a short while."

"That's fair. Does Luna have a preference for faith?" Bhatti Sahib asked, looking straight at Amir.

"She is spiritual and believes in God. But she hasn't committed to becoming a Christian. I know it's not ideal to marry someone who doesn't believe in Islam, but I'm confident she will always accept our way of life," Amir said with a crack in his voice.

He hoped that the Iman would be happy with their union and not refuse to perform the Nikah for them. He and Luna wouldn't be able to get married on the twelfth, which was a chance they couldn't pass up.

The Iman looked at Amir and asked, "Do you think she will follow any faith around you? The reverend will do the Christian part for her, and your marriage will be recognized by the law."

"No. Luna, I believe, will adjust to the way I live. She is already curious about how I pray," Amir stated.

"I can vouch for that," Raul said as he turned to look at them. "My mother has shown her how she prays."

"Well, Reverend McDaniels and I have talked about how we'll conduct the ceremony on Friday. We'll start with the Nikah. I can meet the bride anytime her sister tells me she's free. I'll explain to her the importance of having love and faith in your home. I'll also pray with her. Reverend McDaniels will then speak with her about her views on religion and what to expect in a marriage between people of different beliefs. I've never done a Nikah and Christian ceremony."

"This is new for all of us," Amir said, his nerves shaking. "I've never been to an interfaith wedding before."

"Amir," Reverend McDaniels said. "This joint ceremony will be a piece of cake. After the Nikah, Luna will walk with her wali, Colin Decker. Islamic law says that your marriage will be legal once you and your partner sign the contract in front of everyone."

"Not yet," murmured Irfan. "What about the Mahr? That is a normal part of the process. I put down twenty-five thousand dollars to be given to Ms. Carlyle."

Raul's brows flew up as Faisal's mouth dropped. Both of them couldn't believe that Amir had that much money in a bank account in Pakistan. His job paid well, and he had done several projects for his investors. He saved his money and rarely spent it. He and Faisal rarely discussed their finances, and Amir wanted Luna and Sarah to be taken care of if something happened to him.

"Yes, that's correct," he said, nodding his head. "Did you have concerns about it?"

"No. I've never drawn up a contract for that amount before," Bhatti Sahib said, "so I just wanted to be sure."

"Luna and Sarah should be looked after. No matter what else happens to us."

Amir noticed Faisal gave a nod after saying "happen to us" instead of "happen between us." He was worried about their future, and he knew that if he died, his money could go straight to his family. He wasn't worried that he and Luna would break up or get a divorce. They were connected until death.

• • •

Amir stood in the kitchen, sipped his bottle of grape juice, and looked out the window. The house was quiet, but he knew that Luna was in her room with Liberty and the girls and that the rest of the household was either sleeping or swimming in the pool.

Colin walked through the doorway, poured himself a glass of green tea, and then turned to face Amir. "What's up?"

"Hey," he replied.

"I was thinking about you and Luna," Colin said as he put down his phone. "Are you two going to light a candle or something else? Because I know she wanted to do something for the symbol of unity between you two."

"I'm not sure. We haven't talked about it."

"I have a suggestion, but it's up to you. Someone once told me that when two matched and immune souls get married, there is another way for the souls to be unified.

Amir stood on the other side of the counter and asked, "What would that be?"

"My friend who is linked to his wife said they did something different, but it might seem gross to you."

"Maybe. If it's drinking each other's—"

"No. God, no. Not that," Colin hastily answered, choking on his drink. "It's like a blood oath." As he spoke Amir made a funny face at him. "You have to prick the end of your finger and then put it on her finger after she does the same."

"Oh."

"I know. It's insane. This is what I've heard United Souls do. That is what they call you guys, those who are paired and united. I was merrily suggesting something unorthodox and out of the norm."

"No. I appreciate it, Colin. That is something to consider. I wouldn't mind talking to Luna about it first."

"You could speak to her before you two drive to the Clerk of Court to file for your wedding license."

Amir nodded. "That's what I'll do. I need to go upstairs to my room anyway and grab my real visa and passport. Thanks, man."

"No problem," Colin said, snickering in his spot. "Good luck."

Amir chuckled as he quickly took two steps at a time up the stairs. As he got closer to Luna's door, he could hear all the women talking and joking loudly among themselves.

"Moon?" Amir whispered.

"The moon doesn't rise for another ten hours, Amir," he heard on the other side. It sounded like Cami. "You'll see it then."

"Shush!" Luna murmured as she approached the door.

Amir smiled when she slowly opened it. "Prince. What brings you by?"

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood and wanted to see how you were doing."

"I've really missed you checking on me."

"Aww. You guys are so cute. Get a room," Liberty said with a smile as she turned her attention to them.

"She has a point, Ms. Carlyle. There are eight empty rooms in this house. Let's go find one. What do you think?" Amir wiggled his brows at her.

"You're intolerable, Mr. Khan. You're like a raging bull who needs to be tamed. Luna-tamed."

"Hm. Luna-tamed. I like the sound of that."

"Of course you do."

"Like I said, get a room," Liberty mumbled, turning on her side.

Amir took Luna's hand as she reached for the handle. "I'll be back soon."

"You've got five minutes, Moon, and then we'll send a search party for ya," Cami said, sitting on the other side of Liberty.

"What's up with them?" Amir asked her as she closed the door.

"Nothing. We were talking about boys. The usual."

"Ah. That sounds . . . fun."

Luna chuckled. "So, what's up?"

They entered a room with a long bookshelf along one wall and a crystal chandelier above a small sitting area. "Some new information came to me about what paired souls do if they marry."

"It's not too bad, is it?"

Amir shook his head. "It's nothing like that. But it's a sort of ritual."

They sat on the couch together, with her legs over his lap and her head against him. "Go o n."

"Well, we're both clean, physically, and we could do something different for our unity symbol."

"What would that be, A?"

"A? I thought I was Prince."

"You'll be whatever I want you to be. I have you wrapped around my finger," she whispered.

Amir smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a hair ring he made.

"You now have me wrapped around your finger," he said, handing it to her.

"This is your hair!"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. I thought about proposing to you with one, but that would be too cheesy."

"Now, you don't want to sound cheesy. It's too late for that."

"Touché, Ms. Carlyle."

"Mrs. Khan."

Amir laughed. "I love how we are starting our new life together."

Luna smiled as the sunshine lit up the room. "Same here. But go ahead about the ritual."

He exhaled a breath and stared into her eyes. "It's a blood ritual. We'll prick our fingers, and then press them together."

"Is that . . . something you want to do?"

Amir laughed. "Wow. My future wife didn't think it was sick. The first thing she asks is how her partner feels about it. You amaze me every second, Moon."

"You amaze me more, Prince."

"To be honest, I like the idea of a blood oath. It gives our relationship the feeling of being . . . unbreakable." Amir kept his voice quiet in case anyone close was eavesdropping. "We're connected, and our union will be legal. We will be married in Holy Matrimony. A blood oath would be equivalent to sealing everything." He gulped while waiting for her to respond. "It's all up to you. We could still light the unity candle."

"That's not too bad. As long as we don't have to consummate the marriage in front of our witnesses."

Amir laughed so hard that he heard Raul grumble in the next room. "This isn't the old days, and if that happened, they'd see how in tune we are. It would show that we are a perfect match. Moon, you are perfect for me."

Luna smiled as he complimented her. "I love hearing you say that."

"You know you do. You and Sarah are my entire world. I'm looking forward to doing everything a family does with both of you."

She asked, a sweet smile on her face, "Do you want to do the oath on our wedding day, or at another time, between ourselves?"

"After the Nikah and the Christian ceremony." The reverend said he will guide us to the candle, and maybe that's when we could surprise everyone."

"All right," she said softly. "It'll be . . . interesting."

"You're amazing, Luna. "I love you."

"Amir, I love you. Before we do the oath, I'll make sure our daughter is escorted out."

Our daughter.

"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"With a Nikah, there's also a Mahr. I can put anything in the documents and you'll be given it in case something happens to me."

"Don't talk like that, Amir. I can't imagine you leaving me."

Amir squeezed her waist and held her close. "We'll be fine. Don't worry about us. I was trying to say that I am adding in the documents to have your studio signed back over to you. I was going to sign them once things settle down, but I decided to add it into the Mahr."

"You don't have to do that. We're together, and that's more than enough for me."

"That's the easiest way to sign it back over to you without dealing with any legal issues. It'll be awarded to you, in case of my death."

"Amir, that is the most generous thing anyone has ever done for me. We are twin flames who share the same soul and live in each other as a whole. I thank my lucky stars you fell into my life. Tethered Souls are paired and linked to humans all over the planet, and the universe chose you for me. And for Sarah. I'm honored to be tied to you."

He caressed her cheek while smiling. "I'm the honored one, Ms. Khan." 

"Ms. Khan. It does have a nice ring to it." 

"It does. Just make sure you don't lose my ring," he said, gazing down at his hair strand. "It cost a fortune." 

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