ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 26

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• Amir •

Amir didn't want to leave Luna during a time like this, but he could sense there was a threat near the area. He wanted to take the person out before the enemy had the chance.

He stood quietly on the other side of the motel door, silently praying that their group would escape whoever was after them and arrive in Chicago. When he felt Luna finally relax, he took a deep breath and stepped away from the room.

"Amir!" Greer yelled, running toward him. "I was about to come to your door. I think there's somebody out here."

Amir nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I can sense them, too."

"Damn. We need to go."

"No, not yet," he said, looking at Greer. "Let me check this out first."

"Where's Luna?"

"In our room," he replied, turning to face the tall trees in front of them. "Stay with her and keep her in your sight."

"What about you?" Greer asked.

Amir quickly shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be back."

"I'll go with you," Greer offered.

"No," Amir urged, and more movement from the bushes was shown a few feet away.

He shifted his eyes to Greer, then said, "Listen. Take Luna and follow the directions to Chicago if I don't come back in ten minutes. Got it?"

Greer nodded and began skipping backward toward the room Luna was in.

Amir turned around, his teeth clenched.

It was time to hunt.

Moving faster than the wind could carry him, he found himself on the other side of a lake, deep in the thick woods of Yeader Creek Park, and close to whoever was out there.

Slowing down, Amir moved silently when a man emerged from between two tall elms, dressed in camouflage as if he was trying to disguise himself.

"Hey there," Amir said.

The dark-skinned man whirled around.

His face was flushed with surprise. "Amir Khan."

"Defective," he mimicked. "Great. We know our roles."

"Did you just refer to yourself as a role?"

Amir nodded, staring the man down. "Yeah, because I eat people like you for dinner."

The Defective seethed through his teeth. "How could I not sense you?"

Amir's brow furrowed. "You couldn't?"

The Defective moved forward. "I can't believe you're standing right here."

Amir admired the man's audacity.

"I should be able to detect you," he continued. The pupils of his eyes began to glow brightly. "How is that possible?"

Amir cocked his head to the side. "Even if I had the desire and the time to go into it, I wouldn't."

He didn't want to go into detail about the abilities he and Luna had merged. She served as a shield, and it had nothing to do with this man.

The Defective's pupils were now as bright as rubies.

The man cast a glance behind him toward the children's park before returning his gaze to Amir. "What brings you here, so close to one of our outposts? You'd never go somewhere you'd almost certainly be captured. You or that sexy wife of yours."

"Hey!" Amir warned. "You better watch how you talk to me!"

Squaring his shoulders, the man snarled.

Amir dared to go wherever he damn well pleased, but that was beside the point. "I've got a question for you, fella." He moved an inch closer. "What brings you here? So close to me?"

"You want to ask me questions?" In a rage, the Defective's skin began to shimmer. "You're a tool—a bottom feeder in comparison to us."

Defectives were such arrogant pricks.

And Amir was tired of him.

Either this man pretended to be surprised by Amir's presence, or there was a reason he saw him in the first place. Amir reasoned that it was the latter because it would make sense if the man was waiting for BARDA to go after Luna.

Then again, he wanted answers.

"I'm going to destroy you, and—"

"Blah, blah, blah, shut up," Amir reacted, snarling. "I've heard it all before, and the ending is always the same. You speak. We fight. I kick you around. You die. The end."

The Defective raised his hand, preparing to attack. Shadowy light lit up the vibrant wilderness, and the man's shape spun forward, brightness pulsing with energy.

Amir smiled, ready to finish him.

Throwing out his arms, Amir slipped his physical form into his angelic aura. When the Defective raced toward him, the air crackled. He turned to the side, drawing reflections toward him, amplifying Amir's shape and resilience while the Defective's glow partially obscured himself beneath the trees.

A flash of light shot through the branches, straight toward Amir.

He slid back and slammed his fist into the ground. Soil floated into the air just as a shock wave billowed straight ahead, picking up and tossing his opponent into the atmosphere.

Amir reared up, catching the man as creamy, white smoke blew off of him, highlighting himself brighter than the sun.

He whirled, tossing the Defective like a sphere.

The Defective collided with a shrub and fell to the ground, but quickly climbed to his feet.

White light tinged in red trailed behind him, like a meteor's tail. The Defective let out a sadistic battle wail as he launched another nuclear power's worth of energy into the air.

Inching to the side, the bolt fizzled out when it zoomed between Amir's legs.

Amir laughed, and in angelic form, his voice carried like a whisper straight into the mind of the Defective. 'You must be insane to go after me.'

'Go to hell.'

'No, I'd rather stay here and fight with you if that's okay.'

When Amir reached out and pulled everything that wasn't rooted to the ground upon the man, the Defective reared back, ready to deliver another nasty blast. He was like Amir's own pothole; he could toss him in and be done with him.

Amir would benefit where the Defective would attack, and both of them were humanity's twisted opposites.

The Defective, unable to resist Amir's force, skidded forward, flinging mud and loose rocks. When Amir reached for him, he let go of the branches he was holding and reverted to his physical form, letting him drop to the ground.

The Defective stared at him, his dark aura slipping away, his eyes wide with fear. His arms flailed at his sides while he struggled to escape Amir's grip around his neck, changing back and forth between a human and a cloaked figure.

Amir paused momentarily and swept his enemy's legs out from under him. His knees were then pressed into the Defective's chest as he leaned atop him a moment later. From the Defective, fear emanated, his gloomy stench seeping the area.

"Please—" the man gasped, unable to finish his sentence.

Amir's hand pierced his chest in the middle, going through muscle and skin to integrate itself deeply into his heart.

The Defective yelled as he threw his head back.

'Shut the hell up, you're not going to die.' Moving closer to his face, Amir tilted his neck. 'You chose the wrong damn day to pick a fight with me. I'd already taken out half of your guys earlier.'

Under him, the Defective was sputtering in and out and breathing erratically. Even though it wasn't a fatal wound, it hurt just as bad.

'F—fuck you,' he muttered. 'One . . . one man was . . . my brother.'

Yeah, Amir didn't care. The Defectives were after him and his group. He breathed in, growling at the Defective when he felt him squirm in his arms.

The Defective could do nothing but writhe and scream in place.

"Now, I'm going to try to ask again." Amir placed his other hand on the man's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "Why are you here?"

The Defective screamed, his arms outstretched, but Amir was only annoyed by his sound. He took hold of the man's sore while pushing him down and felt his energy's scorching burn course through the man's chest.

Amir growled, "Is that where you hurt?" with a grave expression. "I can keep going if you don't answer me!"

The Defective moaned and then flickered into his physical form, saying, "I came for all of you."

His eerie shadow erratically pulsed and flared. Until he was still, Amir shook his body. "I was instructed to follow you guys wherever you go."

"To do what?" Amir seethed.

The Defective's entire body quaked. "To observe."

Amir's anger twisted around the pulsating energy surging within him. "Who gave the orders to follow us?"

The man had to take a few more blows to his wound before speaking. He could only retain his physical form for short periods by that point.

"A member of the base's defense. Your rebellion. I followed your car to West Des Moines but ended up losing you."

Amir groaned when the man didn't answer his first question. "Who gave you the authorization to go after us?"

He squeezed him once more when the Defective didn't speak up. "Tell me now before I do worse things to your body!"

The Defective spasmed everywhere. "I didn't speak to them personally. I was sent here by BARDA, but under specific instructions by a Resistance fighter."

"Was it just you lurking around this area?"

Amir lifted him off the ground and slammed him against a large tree. "Tell me!"

"Just me. They know you're in this town, but they're not sure where. One of you used your abilities."

That didn't make Amir any less jolly. "Did you tell them anything?"

"No." The Defective's eyes widened while his body shook. "I was contacted directly by my employer, but someone on your team is out to get you and Luna. Greer is labeled as a traitor, and they want you all dead."

Amir said nothing. The Defective was stupid to think he could compete with him. Did a member of the Resistance truly believe that teaming up with the enemy was a good idea in case rivalries between everybody didn't go as planned?

The Defectives' face started to turn horrified. He shook when he came to his senses. "I told you what you needed to know."

Amir shrugged a shoulder. "So? You want brownie points for that?"

"I. . . I thought you would let me go."

He shook his head. "You thought wrong."

The Defective continued to struggle, thrashing and flailing in Amir's arms, but he was weaker than before, and Amir was one of the strongest of them both. Restraining him took very little strength, and as the Defective's screams rattled the trees, Amir fried his brain.

He did not want whoever was after them to learn what the Defective knew. He was now nervous to trust anything or anyone, including the underground crew they were meeting.

• • •

• Luna •

Luna deliberated while walking the length of the bathroom. Thirty minutes had passed, and still no Amir. Greer had informed her that he was urged to take her and keep going if her husband didn't return. But she couldn't leave him behind. She was agitated because she was stuck in a room, and she had never felt more helpless.

Correction: She felt pretty damn helpless when she was inside BARDA's stronghold. But this time was different.

A shiver danced across her shoulders as she resumed her pacing and found herself standing in the bathroom's door frame.

Greer stood outside in the front, keeping watch.

When she forced herself away from the door and approached the panel of glass, she let out a shaky breath. She could see straight into the parking lot after she nudged the shade to the left, but the bright sunlight pierced the broken glass on the vehicles.

The clock continued to tick.

She turned away from the window and padded back into the bathroom, her heart pumping.

The minimalistic black and white paintings were old but in good condition.

She needed to do something if Amir didn't come back in an hour. She couldn't possibly stay inside and not try to help . . . if he needed assistance. And if he'd surrendered to the organization, they'd be after her.

She stepped back, smacking the counter.

Her heart began to beat so fast that she didn't feel like she had enough oxygen in her lungs. She wanted to relax because panicking wouldn't help.

Luna frantically searched her psyche for something else to focus on before the tension gained strength. She found herself thinking about the trip—her dream. Or had it been a dream? She wasn't sure. Because she swore it happened when she awoke with her legs propped up in Amir's lap while he caressed her skin. That he sat next to her the whole way to the motel.

Or maybe that's what she wanted.

They'd been on this road trip for far too long, and she yearned for just a few minutes alone with the man she loved, even though they were all on a quest.

The click of the lock turning from the room door threw her off balance. Hope swelled like a balloon, but she searched for a weapon just in case. Her luck had been terrible lately, and she'd foolishly left their ammo in a drawer inside the desk.

She'd use her powers as a backup if necessary; she just hoped she didn't set off any tracking auras or whatever Amir was talking about.

She didn't know if Greer had been seized, either, so her mind skyrocketed.

Spying a plunger—a very clean one—she picked it up, ready to swing it like a baseball bat.

Amir swaggered inside, slowly opening the bathroom door and moving very cautiously inside the threshold. One brow furrowed. "Moon . . ."

Ignoring his witty tone, she scanned his face and body for signs of a fight.

Nothing got on his shirt or jeans. His hair was a little ruffled, but his flawless bearded jaw was untouched. In amusement, his lips were full and slightly curved at the corners.

But he didn't feel the same.

His cheekbones were slightly rosy, with a fresh glow. He appeared to have been in a wrestling match and was prepared to go again.

And his eyes . . . they were still brown, but the hue was sharper, less creamy, and more striking.

She had a strong intuition. He fought with someone and won. And he probably killed them.

"Are you going to toss that at me?" he questioned. "A plunger?"

Luna's heart rate accelerated when she locked her eyes on it, and then at him. "I wasn't sure if it was you or not."

"It's me." His gaze swung to her while he cocked his head to the side. "Everything is fine now."

She panicked. It was persistent.

"You're still scared."

"Of course, I am. I . . . I haven't heard or felt anything since you left," she said.

"No one is out there now. You can put down your . . . ahem . . . weapon of choice."

Luna wanted to smack Amir's shit-eating grin off his face, but instead, she turned her head.

She forced herself to put down the plunger while her hands shook when she smoothed them over her thighs. She tried not to be affected by the fact that he'd just tortured someone, but if he hadn't, they'd most likely be dead. It wasn't the first time, but it was still haunting.

"Where is Greer?"

"He's loading his luggage into the car and will then come for ours. We need to get moving soon," Amir explained.

Luna huffed, her hands squeezing her arms.

He stepped forward, and she instinctively took a step back. "Don't worry, we're fine," he assured her. "I think you're more scared of being caught and seeing me messed with your head."

The urge to lie was too strong. "That was nerve-racking. I had no idea what had happened or if you were all right. You had been gone for a while and—"

"You don't have to be afraid," Amir said, reaching for her hand. "Just relax, okay?"

"How can I relax? You locked me inside like I was a pet."

"Is that why you're mad?" he asked, his brows furrowed.

Words died on her tongue. She was mildly perturbed by him.

What husband or wife wouldn't be? But it was more fear of what would happen to her and them.

Amir's lip tipped up. "It's understandable. I left my wife in the heat of the moment."

"You say that as if it could happen again," she pointed out.

"If it helps, I didn't mean to."

Irritation rose even though they were only two or three inches apart.

"I'm sorry, but you can't control everything, Amir," she retorted.

He cocked his brow. "If it means making sure you're okay while fighting people left and right, then yeah, I can."

"That's not how a partnership works." When Luna met his stare, she took a breath. "You've never left me like that before."

After Amir inched closer, his eyes were locked on her. "I'm sorry. I needed to figure out who was out there."

"And did you?"

He nodded, his eyes narrowed. "Yeah. There is a lot I need to talk to you about."

"Okay. Then talk."

Amir shook his head. "We'll discuss it in a minute. Come with me."

As much as she tried not to feel it, a quiver began in her stomach. There was something different about the way he walked and looked at her.

"Where are we going?"

He opened the bathroom door and walked into the room. Luna took a deep breath and stepped forward, her spine straight. As soon as she reached the dresser, he pressed against her, picking up a strand of her hair and letting it fall back onto her shoulder.

She was all too familiar with how her body tensed when her husband was very close, his chest nearly brushed with her. He smelled delicious, like lotion and pistachio. Even though her nerves were still vibrating, she didn't mind being this close to him.

While almost out of breath, Luna attempted to get back to the important stuff. "Do they know we're here? Is there going to be—"

Amir drew her mouth to his, clasping the sides of her cheeks. The kiss completely caught her off guard. It was tasteful, addicting, and powerful, but her lips parted quickly. Her skin flushed warm and gentle.

"We don't know how much time we have, Moon. I want to make the most of it."

He moved her against the wall. As his hands skimmed over her arms, down to the tips of her fingers, and to the drawstring on her sweatpants, the length of his arousal pressed along her belly.

"A Defective was looking for us," he explained while he started to unravel the string with fast, skillful movements. "He was a bounty hunter, and he's no longer looking for anyone. I put him to sleep."

As she stood there, the muscles in her lower belly tightened, and her chest rose and fell quickly. "So BARDA knows what we're doing?"

"It seems that the bounty was sent by someone on our team." Amir paused, slipping his fingers under the band of her pants. His gentle fingers rubbed against her skin, causing her body to jerk. "Only this man knew. And he wasn't exaggerating. When I connected to his mind, I gathered his thoughts and memories. Everything he said to me was true."

Luna gripped his fingers and a smile pulled at his lips as if she flattered him. "Someone is really out to get us?"

Amir nodded.

"But why?"

"Because our powers are growing," he said, his breath brushing near her mouth. "We've become a threat."

"Who wants us gone?"

"I'm going to find out." He lowered his head, his lips stroking the curve of her jaw, then dipped to check her pulse. His tongue swept over her lips, causing her to gasp. "Later. I have more pressing matters to attend to."

Luna was struggling to breathe and concentrate. "What if they send someone else? We're not—"

"We're okay." Despite her grip on his palms, Amir's hands lowered over her waist. "Right now."

"Right now?" She gulped, and her mouth was parched.

Amir murmured something and then raked his teeth along the side of her throat.

He slid around to cup her side when her body jerked unwillingly. She whimpered at the coolness of his fingertips, a startling contrast to how warm he felt.

This was too much. There was somebody out there, and Amir went out to do God knows what to them. Her body yearned to be intimate with him, but her brain told her to hold off. Things were already twisted, and she had just learned that their families were in the hands of an unknown enemy. How could Amir be thinking about sex at a time like this?

But being close to him had a scary, dark edge to it. Amir was like a needy lover about to satisfy his partner for the first time, but beneath his layers of sensuality, she wanted nothing more than to give both of them what they craved. This was what she had wished for, and it was becoming a reality.

She couldn't get her mind off the danger that awaited them beyond that door. But she knew it was better to live in the moment and not focus on whatever conflicts they continued to face because they'd never run out of conflicts. Besides, she had no idea how long either of them would be alive to enjoy themselves during this chaotic mess. Did she want to die without exploring their love together while on the road? And if she did survive the war, did she want to walk away from the intense attraction they have right now? And above everything else, she loved her companion as she always did.

She desired him so badly that her body screamed, so why should she deny her urges? She wasn't able to.

Luna willingly surrendered to their desires, allowing the moment to whisk them away.

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