• Luna •

[ P A R T  S I X ]

━━━─── • ───━━━

Fighting her way through the fog of unconsciousness, Luna's brain was slowly coming back to life. Lying still for several minutes, she was surprised she could sense Amir was close by as if the serum she was given hadn't destroyed their connection. A faint sensation was running through her body, but it was there.

A dull ache settled in her elbow, and a faint throbbing was staggering in her forehead. Confusion and worry swirled inside her as she replayed those terrifying moments with Chase. 

Her heart sped up as she remembered seeing Amir, standing on a hill, looking down below at her, and then getting hit by a dart, one that could have been laced with anything as he was loaded onto a gurney. But then . . . everything was blank after that. She'd woken up next to their shared nemesis.

Does Chase have him? She hoped not. However, knowing him, she couldn't put it past him.

Just thinking that he was in Chase's stronghold made it feel like a fist had seized her heart. She knew deep down, in the back of her mind, that he was ready to experiment on both of them. 

Sarah . . .

Taking a deep breath, Luna sprung her eyes open and immediately turned to her side. Two gray eyes stared back into hers, framed with false lashes. All at once, she was brought back to her first day at St. Matthew's, the morning she realized her ex wasn't who she thought he was—when he'd pushed himself on her, despite her saying no. She'd woken up to find Nurse Julia Smith writing something in her notepad.

Just like now.

Perched in a rocking chair next to the bed, she sat with her legs pinched together and the notepad in her lap. A curtain of brown hair fell over her shoulders in tiny curls. 

Julia gazed over at Luna, emotionless, the same way she had many times before. But something was different about her. She seemed . . . pretentious.

Throat dry, Luna swallowed. "Nurse Smith." 

Eyebrows arched. "Luna."

Unease rose at the thought of what was coming next for her. The sound of the nurse's voice didn't settle well, as it was colder and flat. Luna's instincts warned her to tread carefully with her next move.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were injected with the wrong serum," Julia said. "Because we wouldn't want that to happen." 

"What serum did you think I received?" 

"Oh, I don't know. We have a sleep serum, a serum that is susceptible to mind control, and my favorite, a memory serum." Her lips curved into a devilish grin with the last one, and Luna's stomach turned. "I thought I had accidentally given you the sleep serum. You hadn't woken for days." 

Blinking slowly, Luna glanced around at her surroundings. She didn't recognize the tan walls or framed photographs of 18th-century figures. None of the furniture seemed familiar, but she still released a sigh, realizing she wasn't in a hospital. 

Moving her legs up and away from Nurse Smith, she tried to swallow as she glanced at the opened door beside a large antique dresser. "I'm . . . I'm thirsty." 

"And?"

Luna's gaze shifted back to her, snarling in her view. 

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Her eyes rolled as she crossed her legs and made herself more comfortable in her seat. "You expect me to pad down to the kitchen and get you a drink?" She laughed, and Luna's eyebrows pulled down. "You'll live." 

"I thought you were assigned to give me a cup of water and pills? They must not be on the menu today. Yay." 

She faced Luna, her nose wrinkling. "Not now. You smell like roadkill. That's what happens when you haven't bathed." 

Luna's brows shot up. 

"It's really repulsive." She paused, staring down at Luna's dirty ankles. "Just saying."

Oookay. Luna slumped back on the puffy pillows the bed provided. "Did you not take your PMS pills?" 

"PMS pills?" Nurse Smith laughed. "Luckily, I am not on my period." 

"Well, then, you didn't get laid." 

The nurse clapped her hands, staring at her. "Congratulations. Someone is on a roll. Good for you, Luna." 

"I don't understand you, Julia." 

"Of course you do. You're not stupid, Mrs. Khan. And you know what else you are?" 

Luna groaned. "What?"

The woman's lips transformed into a venomous smile as she rose from her seat, inches away from Luna's face. "You're not—" 

She launched toward her, her hand shooting forward, but Luna reacted quickly. Nurse Smith's left arm snapped up, and she caught her neck before her forehead connected with hers. 

Pulling herself free from Luna's grip, the nurse backed up, huffing, "You're also not fragile." Fixing her hair, she continued. "So you can sit there all you want and look at me like you can't do anything for yourself, but we both know you're capable of anything. We don't have time to play around, especially since it appears Amir is still connected to you." 

Luna lifted her gaze. "Is . . . is he here?"

"Yes."

"Where?" 

Nurse Smith turned on her heel at the door and stared back at her. "I'm waiting." 

"Fuck you, bitch!" 

"Ooh . . . So frightening. I never got to have this much fun with my favorite patient at the hospital. Once I get ahold of Cami, we'll have a grand ole reunion, and then let the fun really begin." 

Luna snarled. "Bring it."

Her heart turned over at the thought of Sarah and Amir. Two of the people she missed dearly. Forget Nurse Smith and her psychotic mood swing or the fact that Luna apparently had a nasty odor coming from her. Like she could waltz into a bathroom and take a shower without any quarrels from anyone. She didn't even know where she was. She just needed to see Amir, if that was possible.

Flinging the blanket off her body, Luna swung her legs over the edge of the bed, discovering she had no socks or shoes. But she was used to it, so it didn't matter. "Where is my husband?" 

"I don't know." Sighing, Nurse Smith pulled back the curtain on the left side, then peered behind her shoulder. "But the last I saw him, he was working with Dr. Kim in one of the bedrooms they have set up for a lab." She worked on opening the other curtain in front of the window, then added, "Creating . . . formulas." 

Luna stilled. 

She could tell it was light outside, but her world had just become darker.

"I wouldn't go near Amir if I were you. You may get sick this time." Letting the curtain slip back into place, Julia faced Luna with a chilling smile. "Pairs can't meet in person without getting sick. And you, my dear, have been separated from him." 

Tiny balls formed in the pit of her stomach. "Separated?" 

"That's right. You don't know anything about it." Nurse Smith took a seat in her chair. The sound of wood cracking echoed in the room. "You are connected to Amir through the blood oath, so that will never change. But we did manage to separate you two where you aren't immune anymore." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Let. Me. Tell. You. This. Slowly. So. That. You. Can. Understand." 

"Julia cut the crap and talk," Luna demanded. 

"Tethered Souls never get ill."

"Like having a runny nose?" 

She shook her head. "No, Luna. I am talking about ever having cancer. Or ever getting a terminal illness. I'm talking about the Tethered Species never dying from sickness. They live healthy, long lives. A common cold will last for a few hours, but for ordinary humans, it could last for days."  

Luna stayed quiet, swallowing whatever spit she has in her throat. 

"Tethered Souls never have to worry about contracting any diseases, or even dying of old age. However, the consequence of becoming sick is by paired souls coming together physically. It's such a bad choice to be with your partner." 

"But Amir and I have been together. You're not making any sense." 

"Luna, you and your husband are no longer immune." 

She shook her head as her entire being rebelled against what the lady was saying. "No way. You couldn't have done that." 

"Yes, we can. Tethered Souls' DNA is valuable. It's a high seller on the black market."

"You're such a bitch, Julia. You're one of us and I guess your DNA doesn't mean anything, huh?"

Nurse Smith's gaze sharpened as she eyed Luna and scoffed. "It's pathetic to hold on to what was, Luna. Things aren't the way they used to be. The sooner you understand everything, the better. My genetics isn't your concern." She stood to her feet and took a measured step forward, eyeing her. "The only reason you're here with us in our safe house is because of Amir. And not because he wanted you here, because that boat sailed long ago, but you're a link to him, a weak link, that is." 

Luna flinched at her words as the ice grew bigger and spread throughout her veins. "What about my family? Are they here?"

"I guess you'll have to find out. But we need to go. I have to take you to see him." 

"To Amir?"

"No." She chuckled. "It's the next best thing. Dr. Kim."

 • • • 

Passing through a long atrium inside the home, Luna spotted a portrait of Dr. Kim holstered on the wall above the fireplace. He sat next to an older Asian woman in a hospital bed, holding her hand. His mother? Her stomach twisted at the thought of seeing his face. She'd realized she was in his home.

And as she reached the middle, she felt it.

A warm tingle spread across her skin as if Amir was right behind her.

Her heart stopped and then fluttered. He was close, probably behind a set of wooded double doors. She knew he had to be in proximity. And she wasn't at all worried about what the nurse said about pulling them apart, because she had to be wrong. She and her husband will never be separated.

The doors opened once they got close, revealing a medium-sized office she'd never seen before, and her gaze was drawn to a desk sitting between two file cabinets, Dr. Kim sitting behind it. 

There were lab technicians in the room, two males, three females, and a tall woman with dark skin, who almost resembled her friend Sefora. But she wouldn't be there. 

Luna looked at the woman, her eyes dark and fierce, staring back at her. "How do I know you?" 

"Hello, Luna. I'm Alisha Bankole," the woman said in a Swahili accent.

Alisha Bankole. "You're Sefora Bankole's mother, aren't you?" 

She nodded. "Yes. I am her mother. I am from Uganda, and my husband is from Nigeria." She took a breath and looked Luna up and down, then stepped closer. "She did a poor job of monitoring you, I see." 

"What did you say?" 

"Mrs. Bankole, why don't you two talk about this some other time," Dr. Kim said, staring at both ladies. "We need to keep going for the next phase in The Tethered Trials." 

"Yes, sir," Alisha said, stepping back an inch. 

"I want to know what you meant by your daughter monitoring me," Luna said. 

Alisha cleared her throat. One perfectly shaped eyebrow rose. "I gave my daughter specific instructions to monitor you since she bought her jewelry shop near your studio. It took a lot of convincing, but she agreed as long as her father and I gave her the funding she needed. She had failed when she couldn't get you to see Dr. Kim last fall." 

"You're lying. She wouldn't betray me like that," Luna said, her stomach tumbling. "Sefora was my friend." 

"Yes, Luna. Sefora was your friend, but she was also my implant. I've instructed many implants throughout the years to keep tabs on you." 

"But why? You don't even know me."

She snickered, then straightened her back. "I do know you, Luna Carlyle Khan. I know more than you think." 

"Can we please be done with the idle chitchat, ladies?" Dr. Kim said impatiently. "I am eager to begin our latest test." 

Twisting her gaze toward him, Luna fumed, "Screw your damn test!" Then she lunged at him with full force, knocking over the contents he had settled over his desk. 

Shifting in her spot, she felt a pair of strong hands grip the sides of her limbs, helping her up. As she whipped her head over her shoulder, her breath caught in the back of her throat. Amir. 

Their gazes held for a second until he stepped back and he . . . he looked away, as his profile was void and blank. Heart throbbing in her chest, Luna stayed still, staring at him.

"Amir?" she whispered, and when he didn't answer, when he glanced at Dr. Kim getting re-adjusted in his seat, she tried again. "A?" 

Like she was a stranger to him, there was no answer. He was . . . distant.

━━━─── • ───━━━

Ooh, a new story arc that is not in the older version of Tethered Souls. This is a whole new ending. 💫