ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 40

━━─── • ───━━━

• Luna •

Luna's palm shot out ashy black shadows with a yellow light at Greer's shoulder. He flew and screamed as he fell into a tree. She then curved her palms up. When she pulled him closer to her, Greer jerked and wailed.

The man survived.

For now.

"Stop!" Angel hollered. "Stop it right now, Luna!"

"No."

Angel walked closer to another agent, standing across from him with his boots sunk deep into the wet soil.

She clasped her fingers tight to increase the wind while she focused on Angel. Two more people fell through the ground after it jolted and opened in seconds.

Greer wiggled near Angel, and she shot.

Angel drew near, his lips peeling back into a perfect grin. "Luna, it's Amir. I'm your husband. I need you to stop this."

She strengthened her grip, splitting a tree a few inches behind him.

As he continued, a hole started to appear along the knee of his jeans. He shook with his chin up. "I'm here. Moon, focus on me."

She wondered how Angel was standing. She didn't know how he was there or why his voice was covering the man pleading with him to take her down.

Angel's front shirt was torn. His pupils were white and his chin had dark crimson bloodstains.

Voices shouted in her head, causing anger. Angel's shirt nearly ripped apart when he swerved back. He gave in. He was recognizable from his bent shoulders, white eyes, and taut mouth. He dominated.

And he was practically a god.

A god was beyond her. She stopped.

Angel coiled. "Stop," he winced. His neck was strained. "Please stop."

Luna smirked. "You're. A. Threat."

"No!" Angel barely held himself up as the veins under his skin turned white after he pounded a hand into the surface. His forearm then drilled into the loose dirt while he kneeled forward.

"Luna Khan!" He cried.

She panicked and backed off. Her focus faded. Energy flickered.

Luna Khan.

That was Sarah's mother and Angel's wife.

The images of multicolored butterflies floated in her mind.

Images of her watching them with her daughter one afternoon in a forest.

For a long time, they had been dealing with a corrupted organization, and she . . .

Realization dawned on her.

This angel of a man was her husband.

Pinching his lips, Amir raised his head again. "It will be all right. I've got you."

Luna shook. That was familiar to her. He'd told her that. A promise . . .

"I'm here," he whispered.

She shivered again. His promises. She saw beautiful pearls turning dark brown in his eyes. She stared at him. Her heart surged. Chestnut eyes. She understood. Dreamed of them. Had missed them. Shed tears for them. Believed in them.

Grumbling, Luna released her wrath, which was cutting through the trees. Her animalistic nature was engraved in her bones, skin, and muscles.

She was born with this power. The power to destroy any living creature in her sight.

Lightning rocked trees. She squatted and moved forth, resting her cheek on the cool leaves. The ground rattled.

Her mind was not empty.

She regained control of her body.

Consciousness took hold, and she rolled inward, then began remembering. Her name was Luna. She was known as Moon. Her husband's name was Amir Khan. The chilly rain struck her body while she attacked Greer and Zander.

And she was on the verge of killing her partner.

Oh, God.

What was the matter with me?

How could I have done those things?

When hands touched her, Luna whirled around. Her body quivered.

"Luna," a faint voice said. Amir. The man she was tethered to. And her daughter's father. While soft breath brushed near her ear, his fingers scooped back wet hair. "Moon, open your eyes. I need to see you."

She refused. She didn't want to see what she did to him and others.

"Baby, please," he pleaded. "You're going to be fine."

"I'm sorry," she said softly, her eyes tightly closed. "I can't believe I did that. I'm a monster."

"No, you're not," he said, lifting her from the wet ground. "Nothing was in your control."

"That doesn't make it right," she said in his embrace. "I hurt you."

"No . . . look . . ." He beckoned her to face him. "I'm okay."

She shrugged and attempted to distance herself since she was still broken and dangerous.

"You're fine," he assured.

Luna scoffed. "Men are buried. I did that. I turned into a Trojan."

"It's not your fault." Amir held her cheeks. "You were triggered."

"Triggered? I almost murdered you! And our friends!" She shuddered while his lips caressed her brow. "These men threatened me!"

"You're back now. Everything is okay." He kissed her. "We're fine. Look around you."

Luna did as Amir asked, taking several deep breaths. They weren't the only ones. Greer and Zander were standing several feet apart, their chests rising and falling. Greer didn't seem thrilled that she was okay.

"He'll be all right," Amir answered, directing her attention to him. "Stay with me."

She stared at him.

His eyebrows showed slight pink lines where his skin had started to peel. Even though Amir appeared to have been burned, Luna could still see him in her imagination, skin ripping and giving way in small pieces.

"Stop." Amir caressed her cheeks. "I'm all right. Can't you see? Moon, we're okay."

She muttered, "But I hurt people. I wanted to kill everyone."

"The only thing that matters is that you stopped."

Luna wasn't convinced. It wasn't just important to stop. She still caused others pain. What if she couldn't stop it again? What then?

Amir made this grunt in the back of his throat when he peered into her eyes. "We're here for you, Moon. No one is leaving you."

"But I'm not safe."

He shook his head while touching her lips. "No. Have faith in me. Believe."

She desperately wanted to handle this. She became violent. She turned from him to the bodies on the ground and in the trees. Her mouth fell open. She tried to hurt her husband, the quickest and most powerful person on Earth, but he was crumbling apart.

Luna didn't understand why Amir still held her.

"I don't know how I did that. I saw bloodshed when one of them hit me on my shoulder. It was like a switch was flipped," she murmured, sliding her hands down his arms. "I had a vision of a man telling me to kill several people before they killed me."

"You saw that?" When Amir's palms curled over her cheeks, she looked away from the mutilated bodies.

"I'll keep doing this. Whatever is in my body thrives on the carnage." She gave another shake of her head. "This is terrifying. My urge to kill everyone was beyond my control."

Amir was quiet. "Do you remember what happened to those people you saw in your vision?"

She trembled in his arms. "I slit their throats."

"Good."

Her stare shot to his.

"Is everything okay?" Liberty yelled, coming toward them. "Because we're all wondering."

"Are you all right, Luna?" Amir asked quietly.

Even though she wasn't sure, Luna nodded.

He lifted her while taking her hands. She let him lead her to the others.

To Greer, she pleaded, "I'm so sorry. My mind stopped and I was . . ." Sniffing, Luna stopped talking. "I'm sorry."

He nodded at Amir with thin lips.

Luna was surprised he accepted her apology.

Greer looked at Amir, and there were a thousand vague words in his strenuous, unnerving expression.

"I know," Amir said, acknowledging Greer's thoughts. "We'll talk about it later."

Greer twisted. "That we will."

Luna fought back shame and turned her head away, her eyes wandering over the bodies, some of them were dead or dying.

One agent lay on his side and reached for a pistol still attached to his thigh.

They noticed him instantly. Amir grabbed the agent's left arm. The bone's crack sounded like dry tree trunks splitting. He muffled the man's scream.

Amir held him in midair. The man's complexion darkened, and he spat while fighting her husband's hold. He gripped him like a pack of fresh vegetables while his feet stomped.

"I want to make you suffer," Amir expressed evenly. "The last thing I want you to think about is how priceless that last gasp of breath was because you're finished."

Luna backed up and smacked into a tree trunk. She stared at the burnt, pointed corners, startled.

"Stop," Greer yelled, tossing a tree branch aside. "Amir, stop."

"Why, Greer?"

"He needs to stay alive. He knows things we don't," Greer remarked.

Luna licked her lips and inhaled. "Yes, A. This man could explain to us why they want me and maybe expose who they work for."

The man's eyelids swelled after Amir increased neck pressure. She thought of Zain. She wouldn't mind if her husband continued squeezing the man. She understood, even though she wanted to know who hired them.

After carefully removing his fingers from his throat, Amir dropped him. The man sputtered and gasped when he crashed against the uneven ground.

Selena sprinted across the lawn. "If you don't want everyone's revenge, give us the truth."

He coughed after looking at her sideways. "Noted"

"Are there any more teams coming?" Luna asked.

"No." He wheezed. "We were the only crew, but they'll know something is wrong if we don't radio in before sunrise."

Zander saw Greer but focused on Amir. Luna knew Greer would support Amir killing this man instantly. After a few minutes, Amir released the agent, but she lingered. His resentment threatened vengeance.

"What is your name?" Amir asked.

Gasping, he toppled. "Noah. Noah Clark."

Amir stared into his eyes. "You're going to talk, Noah, so maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to function a little better after that."

Luna figured he would fight since he appeared strong. In every film she had seen, Noah's lookalikes revealed secrets after much persuasion and abuse.

Not Noah Clark.

He sang like a parakeet.

"We didn't want to cause you guys any trouble. Really," he squealed.

"I seriously doubt that." Amir grabbed Noah by the front of his shirt, disgusted. He pulled the man up by his collar and handled him like a kitten. "Look at what you caused. This is because of you."

"I know." Noah shook with his fractured arm hanging abnormally. "We didn't get a vote. It was our duty. You all interfered. We had one mission, and that was it. Those were our commands. Once Luna was activated, we could return to our stations."

• • •

Zander dragged Noah back to Zain's body. Dragged the man by his feet, making his head hit the many stumps in the yard and bob forcefully on the porch steps. Amir stayed close but said little. Not until everyone was inside and Greer and Selena came back.

"Were they taken care of?" Zander exhaled when they nodded regarding the few agents that rushed off. He looked at Amir. "Let's handle this dirtbag."

Luna followed Liberty, but Amir grabbed her arm. "Nope. You shouldn't be there when we torture him. We're going to stay out here for a minute."

Liberty held her sister's hand and tugged her. Luna acknowledged her concern.

"It's okay," she said, wanting them to get answers any way they could. "But if the agent says anything I need to know . . ."

"You'll hear all about it," Amir finished.

She gaped at him.

"We won't shoot him," he promised.

"Won't?" Liberty asked for her.

Amir looked around and added, "Yeah, and Noah Clark is going to suffer a beating from hell. He's earned it."

Selena's lips twitched when she glanced. "Come on, Liberty. Help me find something to tie this asshole up."

Luna sighed heavily and raggedly after the group left. She barely noticed Amir's anger. She realized how much he had suppressed until he was confident she wouldn't shift again. After the woods, she knew he was afraid of that.

"I'll try to stay calm, but I need to get this off my mind because I might combust if I don't," he told her.

She crossed her arms. "Say what you want."

"You won't like it," Amir grumbled when he moved next to the rail. "I'm afraid if I speak up you'll start hating me."

Luna blinked. "That sounds ridiculous."

Amir walked toward her so fast she couldn't react. He cupped her cheeks, tipping her head back. His mouth was on hers in a whimpered heartbeat.

Her body naturally reacted to the deep, pure kiss. She gripped his shoulders, pressing into his collar. His kiss lit her soul.

Instead of hearing his worst fears, kissing him was better. He kissed her as if they were about to die, which was reality. Zain was killed in an instant, and their time together was limited.

By the time he breathed again, Amir's chest was silently rising under his hands. He rested his forehead on hers without moving. Not even her eyes were opened. When the rain started again, they stood still.

"You need to understand that I didn't expect you to act like you did when they took you away."

"Neither did I," she admitted.

"That's worse. I wasn't sure I'd make it to you." Amir's words made her shiver. "I thought it was the last time. The final time I'd ever see you. No more miracles or bargains."

Moisture and trees filled her lungs while she opened her mouth. "It wasn't."

"It could have been, Moon." He shifted his palms from her cheeks to her shoulder blades. Her eyes widened when he stepped away. "Don't agree to anything like that again. Do you hear me? Nobody is getting you."

"I had to go. There was no other choice."

"We could have taken care of them." Amir's eyes become more intensely brown. "There was enough manpower to handle the matter. To keep us safe, I would have done anything."

"Amir, Zain was killed right in front of us." Luna's voice broke. "Since they wanted me, they planned to kill everyone. I couldn't let that happen."

"You must do whatever it takes to survive, Moon, even if it means stopping and complying."

She stared. "Are you for real? You can't be."

"No, I'm serious."

"You'd be dead!" She took a step back after getting free. "Everyone would have died. No matter how special we all are. We're vulnerable."

"Except Greer," Amir added, making her frown. "And you were reckless."

Luna halted, wiping her face. "I understand my actions were risky. I know that leaving with them could have killed me. But that decision didn't come lightly."

Amir scowled. "It was irresponsible, dangerous, and foolish. I would have handled it differently."

"By risking our friends' lives? Liberty's life? Would you have done that?"

Her husband's lips were firm.

"We have no idea when our time on Earth will end. We must move fast, without thinking," she said, seething through her teeth.

His shoulders stiffened. "I'll consider anything if it means saving my wife, our child's mother."

Luna knew it was silly to fight over it, but she couldn't stop. "You want to protect me, but I'm not a baby. And we are not heartless people. We can't kill everyone in that room." She fought to remain calm by pushing her wet hair away. "I made a choice. It was tough, but I did."

"It was risky." Amir's voice was angry. "I'll say it again for your benefit. I don't remember much about my life before coming to America, but one thing's for sure: I didn't come here to be with you only to have you throw our love away!"

Luna groaned, balling her fists. "I wasn't throwing our love away. I wanted to save our friends and my sister. If you think I would have stood by and watched someone else die when there was an easy solution, you're mistaken!"