• Luna •

[ P A R T  F I V E ]

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Slowly opening her eyes as she felt her head jerk to her left side, Luna groaned. Looking around, she noticed she was in the inside of a white van, with her limbs bound to a gurney. She could feel the prick of a needle in her right arm and peered her gaze upward, spotting an IV. Her eyes trailed the back as they landed on the one person whom she never wanted to see again. Chase.

He'd caught her in the forest. He must have known they were running there. She wanted to get away; she wanted her friends and family to be safe, and she wanted to escape from his wrath.

Amir.

Sarah.

My family?

She tried to remain calm and relaxed as best as she could, knowing he was right beside her legs. On the other side of him were Dr. Kim and Nurse Smith from St. Matthew's. 

Oh Lord, I'm back to the insane treatments and shock therapy. Kill me now.

Chase sat with one knee hooked over the other, hands folded together as he grinned at her in his polished black suit. The nurse was in the same uniform Luna last saw her in. And does Dr. Kim ever change his clothes? He just looked perfect in a creepy china-doll way.

A fine sheen of sweat covered her forehead as she glanced toward the ceiling, knowing she was about to get more shocks any moment now. She wondered how everyone was and if they had gotten away.

"You're probably wondering where we're headed, Luna." 

Her tolerance of him was eating her alive.

He chuckled in his seat as she stayed silent.

Shifting her eyes in his direction, Luna glared as she met his gaze. There wasn't an ounce of emotion in his cold stare. "No. I know where."

A soft smile pulled at his lips. "You couldn't possibly think you could get away from me, did you, baby?"

"Don't call me that! That right belongs to my husband! "

"Ah, yes, Amir Ibrahim Khan. You know, when I met him the first time, he didn't know I knew who he was. He was shaking so badly as his eyes stared into mine. I could sense the agony his soul was in when he couldn't pound into me. So I returned the favor, to insult his intelligence, by picking on him for speaking English. That really rattled him. It was quite funny."

The van jerked to a stop and then sped off quickly, and all she wanted to do was shove him out of the back door and let someone run over his body. "You are nothing but a big asshole and a narcissist."

"Oof. Like that hurt my heart. You don't know what went on."

"Yes, I do. You aren't the only one who can tap into someone's mind."

"Yes. But I am curious about something, Mrs. Khan. Why did you break the rule and fall in love with Amir?"

"Because he knows how to give me what I need, unlike soulless jerks like you."

"Okay, well, that doesn't hurt me a bit. It's alluring how your connection to him has developed like this," he said, hovering over her waist. "I am curious as to what made you want to be with him?"

"He has an anaconda in his pants."

"But you were feeling something for him before sex," Chase murmured. "I looked into his history. He was a virgin until you two got married by — I might add — my close informant. You two did the deed many times in the house and not once have gotten sick. It's odd."

"No. It's odd that you're badgering me about my sex life with my soulmate."

"Soulmate. That is what you two call yourselves." He unhooked his leg and moved closer. "You should know that oath you and Amir did was the worse move you could have ever made."

"It was the perfect move." Luna thought it was the best move. It connected her and Amir for eternity.

"We know that you love him," Dr. Kim said.

"I do. I always will."

"And do you believe he loves you like truly loves you?" Dr. Kim patted down his tie.

"It's not that I don't believe he loves me, but rather I know he does."

A moment of silence passed as they rode over a bump, making her gurney shift.

Then Chase laughed deeply.

"That's cute, sweetie," he said after a moment.

Okay?

He smiled and chuckled again. "You lie there so confident and yet, you have no idea his true feelings for you." 

She stared and held her breath, wishing she could go to sleep because he was trying to get to her.

But Chase continued as she looked up at him. "You developed feelings for someone whom you're paired for. And being a Tethered Soul, we aren't supposed to fall in love with them. There are consequences, and you broke the rules. When human anomalies are paired with someone, love shouldn't take place. It's an abomination."

"You know what an abomination is? That's you, Chase. You're an abomination."

He chuckled like he couldn't care less what insults she threw at him. "I just wanted to make sure you knew that. Tethered Souls have one purpose: never meet and work together telepathically. When two souls fall off course, that becomes my business, and it is my job to straighten them out."

Her body stiffened. The van ride bumped over another pothole, jostling the gurney against him. She felt like a cat who was caught by Animal Control. A tiny cat in a cage. Her heart was pounding so badly, that she was sure everyone else could probably feel it.

"Your job," she snorted. "Okay."

"I want to know more about what you can do," he said. "How can you light up like a street on the Vegas strip?"

Luna didn't respond.

Maybe Amir and I are one of a kind. 

Chase shook his head, passing her a humorous smile and glancing at Dr. Kim on the other side of her. Before she could take a breath, the doctor reached for a syringe filled with some kind of clear liquid and picked up her tube to insert it. A jolt of panic shivered up her sternum as her eyes widened. It could be poison for all she knew, and right then, she knew she had taken her last breath.

He leaned on his knees, spreading his legs apart. "I want this transport to be easy, with no problems. You know I am a soul hunter, and I can make life a living hell for you. Just answer my question."

Luna glared back at the doctor and the nurse but kept her mouth shut. Chase kept talking, and she could sense herself lighting up inside, but she didn't want to. She didn't even know if she needed her partner or not. They'd only found out about their new gift earlier if it was still the same day. She didn't even know what day it was.

"It's only been an hour since you and your gang of Aluna Army, as you all call yourselves, were captured. If you want to keep them alive, you better value your life, especially for your husband's sake. That oath was orchestrated by me. When you combine the bloodline, he will die if you die. And vice versa." His tone sounded like he was telling her what he watched on TV. "Understand?"

Luna nodded, even though she was ready to spit all over his suit.

A speed bump later, and Chase scooted back. "Now, moving on. How did you light up?"

She hated giving him what he wanted, but seeing as she didn't have a choice and she was strapped down against her will, she'll comply with as few details as she could.

"I'm not sure. All I know is Amir and I were holding hands and somehow able to light up brighter than a light bulb. That's all I can give you."

Every muscle in her body ached when his hand touched her leg. She just wanted to bite it off. "Keep going," he murmured near her left side. "I know things that you don't know."

"Because you orchestrate everything."

The nurse laughed softly. "Well, aren't you the smart one?" Her fingers busied themselves while she jotted down God knows what in her journal. "For your own sake, I wouldn't keep messing around."

Luna drew in a long breath. "Amir and I are Pure Souls."

"And what do Pure Souls do?" Chase asked.

As much as she wanted to turn from his eyesight, she kept her gaze on his. "I can sense other souls whose powers have not awakened. I can seek pairs and help join them together. He and I have powerful abilities—"

"Abilities?"

"Some." Luna sucked in a breath as Chase ran his hand down her arm. That snake. "We haven't discovered all that we can do. I know we can shield ourselves from other souls."

Chase listened as the transport van rolled on. "Hmm. Interesting, love. I'm glad to find out all that you know."

"And we needed to know what you know," said Dr. Kim. "We've discovered Pure Souls can do everything other Tethered Souls can, however, they are more powerful than the immune ones running around. Once Pure Souls combine their blood, it combines everything. It's truly astonishing. Amir is the good part of you two, whereas you are the evil part. Good versus evil. We will have fun working on you two."

Luna balled her fists and flicked her gaze from him to Chase and back to Dr. Kim. He spread his arms back in his seat and looked like he was getting all kinds of comfortable. She wanted to knee him in the groin where it hurt. "We're stronger when we work together."

Pressure seized inside her chest as she got a really bad feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

"How powerful?" Dr. Kim asked.

Chase tsked. "Is there more you'd like to share with us?"

"There is." The nurse smiled softly, drawing a finger up Luna's arm. "Oh, wow, so when you and your husband are intimate, you can literally be one. That's amazing."

Oh, no.

"Really?" Chase asked, amusingly.

"Yes, Chase. One body. Their souls fuse when they are . . . together. And that's not everything," the nurse said, looking over at Chase and the doctor.

"Keep going," Chase grinned.

The nurse's finger trailed over Luna's forehead. "There's a TSI among them."

"Oh dear," Dr. Kim murmured.

Luna stared at them, her brain trying to figure out what a TSI meant.

Chase tapped his fingers on his kneecap. "Having a TSI around is a big deal, Luna. Did you think having something like that wouldn't expose you?"

"Forgive me if I don't know what a TSI means," she said, swallowing air in her throat.

"It means a Tethered Soul Indicator. Having one around is like having a beacon, and we can see beacons," he said. "It's different from a hunter. It is much bigger than anything on the planet."

"And guess who it is?" the nurse murmured, grinning at Luna. "It's her sister. Liberty. She's an Indicator."

Right then, Luna figured out who the nurse was.

She was a Tethered Soul, reading her thoughts.

But so was Chase.

And not only can they pick up everything she was thinking about, but they can also for everyone who was a Tethered Soul. "Yep," Nurse Smith said, smiling. She brought her mouth next to her ear, her nose scraping along Luna's cheek. "There's no way you're getting out of this, my dear."

The inside of the van suddenly became smaller. "Why?" she gasped out, scared for her friends and family.

"Did you know about Liberty?" Chase asked, throwing his arms over his chest. "Or did she not show up on Faisal's trusty little device he brings with him everywhere? Liberty isn't a Tethered Soul by genetics, but she is an indicator, which means that she can see souls who aren't active. She isn't meant to be a Tethered Soul. Her job is simply to guide Tethered Souls on their path. But she can also do something other souls can't."

"She can eliminate souls before they become active. Just like Vikram, who can remove pain from souls who are hurt, she can remove the power from a Tethered Soul before they even begin," Dr. Kim said, staring down at Luna. "She can eliminate their genes in a fraction of a second by absorbing their powers into her own body." The nurse looked away and jotted something down on her pad. "I think Liberty will become useful for us."

"Now we know she is special, she can help us remove the genes from every Tethered Soul." Chase crossed his legs, and Luna felt the van turn a curve quickly, almost sliding her toward him. "I do have a solution for you, Luna. We have a syringe that has the elimination serum. It will eliminate your connection to Amir."

Crap.

Nurse Smith giggled.

"We need to remove the Pure Souls' genes first. That's our priority. Then Matthew will tell me where Colin Decker's wife and son are staying, and we will continue until we find any other soul who is in hiding. The domes and rings only do so much." Chase smiled a charming smile of his. "But we need to do a little experiment first. We have to get Liberty to harness her power and concentrate to withdraw the genes of an active soul."

The pain Luna felt in her chest was like a hummingbird pecking at it. "You have my sister?"

"Yes. She is riding in a van behind this one, along with Sarah. Both are strapped down and lying on a gurney."

"What did they do to you?"

"It's not about what they did, but what they can do." Chase adjusted himself in his seat. "Sarah has the defective gene in her blood, but she is Matthew's good side, as he is her evil side. They need guidance, and Liberty can withdraw Matthew's darkness from him. But first things first. I have to remove your powers. That way you can't do anything to stop us." He nodded toward Dr. Kim to stick his syringe in her tube. "You won't feel a thing. You'll fall asleep and wake up, then have no powers. It'll be like you were never a Tethered Soul."

"No! Please!" she pleaded, with tears in her eyes. I can't lose Amir or Sarah. 

"Luna, Amir won't be tethered to you anymore," Chase said, reading her mind. "He won't be hanging around and watching me give you food and flowers in your studio. I could sense the agony Amir felt by not being able to give you things himself. I couldn't see where he was, but his soul shattered from across the hallway."

"You're disgusting!"

"Yeah, well, at least I'm powerful," he said, giving Luna an impish grin. "Erasing particular memories from you has been my favorite thing all of these years, especially when you and Amir first met. I can't wait to see what makes your group tick! The thought of using our devices on them . . . oof!"

"I hate you so much."

"And I love . . . nobody." 

"Not even your son?" Luna suggested. "You're pathetic."

"No, I love Matthew, and I also love Sarah. I can't wait until I feel her arms around me, giving me a hug like she used to. I miss my daughter's hugs."

"Sarah is not your daughter!"

"It doesn't matter, Lu. I have you right where I want you, and there is nothing you can do about it."

Chase giggled, but before Luna could respond, her mind started fading, and she was suddenly falling asleep.

In her dream, she was with Amir, her companion, in paradise with Sarah. 

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