ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 45

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• Amir •

Amir couldn't remember if he slept with his eyes opened or closed. He believed he had napped. He only remembered Luna sleeping.

Her cheek felt tingling from lying on his arm while she snuggled. Before bed, she put on an old robe. It fell down her shoulder, revealing her gorgeous figure.

He liked her complexion while caressing her shoulder and circling her collarbone. Doing that took half the night. She sometimes rested her leg on his.

Amir cared about how well she was doing.

Really worried about her.

After learning what happened to her mother yesterday, his wife remained calm as she listened to Tahir Malik's rant about what he had done to the world and watched their allies come. Luna ran away because she was scared she would explode and create more destruction.

But she was in control as Enzo's crew went through a neighborhood a few miles from her home, causing minimal damage before proceeding to Los Angeles to face more enemies.

Liberty, Vikram, Faisal, and Greer cheered late at night after Enzo and his team killed most of BARDA and their people. Luna smiled. Yet there wasn't enough time for Amir to comfort her or discuss it.

She didn't feel like sleeping in the bed she shared with Chase for many years, so both of them slept in the spare bedroom. Amir's hold wasn't enough.

Never enough.

He was upset because they had lost Elizabeth and knew her untimely and cruel death would affect Luna and her family for a long time. Luna lost her mother. Her dad's wife was gone. Amir killed his wife's mother because she tried to kill them.

He was astonished and couldn't believe Luna still forgave him.

She had said, "I don't blame you," before falling asleep. After all that, Luna still felt that way.

Like many other things Amir wished he could change, they had to endure this tragedy together. She was racked by a feeling of utter desolation.

Luna brushed up against him, curling in a way that reminded him of the nickname he'd given her. Crescent moon. She grinned when her lashes opened.

Sleepy eyes met his. "Husband."

"Wife."

Her hand flattened against his heart when she stared at him. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long."

"So, you've been watching me sleep?"

His lips twisted. "Something along those lines."

"See who's creeping now."

"Call me anything—I don't hate." Amir's thumb stroked her lower lip. "I spent hours protecting my world."

Luna blushed. "I'm staying put."

"You better."

"We're going to make it, A." She patted his shoulder like a good guardian angel, and he ignored the parts of himself that promised a satisfying outcome. She looked around before returning to him. "Did we really . . . win?"

Amir held her, ignoring the tingling in his limbs. "I assume so. In general, at least. Change will come, but the war is over."

When Luna bit her bottom lip, her lashes dipped, seducing him. "It's . . . over. But we still have to be careful. Chase is out there."

"He's not coming near any of us," Amir murmured, bringing her close. "I'll end him."

"What now?"

"Anything we want."

Rolling onto her back only went so far. "Good. We could visit my studio."

Amir stared at her. "The one downtown?"

Luna nodded.

"Why?"

"Just to look at it. We can bring someone."

He shook his head. "No need. No one else should be hurt if anything goes wrong."

She smiled when the kitchen downstairs clattered. "I guess everyone else is up. My sister has always been a night owl."

Amir laughed. "I heard the group moving around and talking. The kitchen was, surprisingly, fully stocked," he continued, her brows knitted. "Liberty and Vikram slept in Sarah's bedroom, Faisal slept in your room, and Greer slept on the couch. They also cleaned everything in the house. Picked up the broken glass and smashed doors."

"Wow. I guess I don't have to pay for a housekeeper," she murmured, earning a small chuckle from Amir.

"No, but all of us have it covered, Moon. We'll get your house back in tip-top shape."

Luna laughed a little as she rested on his shoulder. "I just have to ask . . . does it. . ." she breathed, "bother you staying here? You know, where Chase and I lived?"

Amir kissed her forehead. "No. I respect your past. Always have." She relaxed as he massaged her shoulders. "You and Sarah's old photos are amazing. Our daughter turned out beautiful."

Luna beamed. "I wanted to stay in her room last night but knew you'd kick me out of her tiny bed."

He furrowed.

"You're a mammoth of a man."

"Your man," he whispered passionately.

She chuckled. "So, after breakfast, we can go to my studio and then meet the others?"

Amir nodded, watching her smile grow. "Whatever you want. I'll do anything for you."

"Nice to know," she said, brushing his cheek.

"Hmm . . ."

Luna dragged his neck forward. He couldn't help himself by this point. He lost control when his wife kissed him.

Luna's compassion changed their kiss. Her leg curved around his calf as her hands traveled down his back, reaching the boxer shorts band from his suitcase and slipping under.

Well . . . hello.

Amir didn't care who was in the house or what was happening since every breathy sound she made stiffened him. He stroked her smooth flesh under her robe as her claws raked his neck. She embraced him. He enjoyed that. They had time now. Afternoon. Tonight. Tomorrow. Weeks, months, and lifetimes. Finally, a future.

She needed him now.

When she stroked his stomach, Amir groaned. Okay. It wasn't long before Luna demanded more.

He pulled away and moved her hands to where he could see them.

She gazed up at him with dark eyes, frowning. He lingeringly kissed her. "How are you?" he asked.

"Um, well, I was wanting to—"

"Not yet." Amir rose to prevent him from changing his mind and acting irrationally toward her. "How are you after yesterday?"

After a minute, Luna closed her eyes and raised her chest. "Okay."

"Moon—"

"Stop." When she moved, she tucked her legs under her. While facing him, Luna held his cheeks. Her words broke his heart. She sighed. "I appreciate what you're doing, Amir, but I'm not ready mentally. Thinking about that makes me want to destroy this house and hide under the bed. I don't want to go through that again." She took a breath. "I want you now. That's all I need since I have to tell my father about my mother and then Sarah. I'm basically an emotional time bomb."

Amir stood up, pulled down his shorts, and jumped back on the bed in front of her after two seconds. "As long as you're comfortable, I'm okay."

After staring at each other for a while, Luna slowly straightened up and raised the robe over her head.

Amir was holding on to the fact that his entire world was there right beside him.

Only his fingertips traced her curves. "Beautiful." He kissed her collarbone. "You're tough." He gave her another kiss behind her ear. "You're the best part of me. You and Sarah."

Amir gave her his all in the expression he'd never forget.

He kept the darkness away by pressing down on her and resting between her thighs, letting her feel just his fingers, flesh, and love for her.

After a relaxing shower, they hurriedly got ready to join the others below to eat the last grilled cheese sandwiches after an hour. Amir didn't mind that the food was lukewarm or that Liberty stared at them like she knew why they took so long to come down. Greer observed the dining room while Faisal and Vikram were outside. Luna's gentle smile while watching them had a trace of sadness, yet she was delighted since Amir gave her what she needed at the perfect time.

After eating, Luna stood. From behind Amir's chair, she kissed his temple. "I'm going to step outside."

Amir wanted to follow her but realized she probably wanted time alone. When she turned, he grabbed her arm and drew her down to kiss her passionately, bringing her back to what happened upstairs.

Greer hiccupped. "Don't worry about me."

"You're excused." Amir let Luna go, and she stared across the room with a red face. Before leaving the kitchen, she waved awkwardly. He looked at Greer and said, "Don't talk."

Greer raised his hands when moved away from the table, picked up the trash, and went straight to the cabinet to put it under the sink.

Amir frowned. "You know Luna's kitchen inside out."

Greer snorted. "Every kitchen is the same. Plus, Liberty and Vikram showed me around."

"How is she?" Liberty asked Amir.

He sighed. "As one might imagine."

She coughed. "I didn't know Tahir Malik was your investor or that he gave our mother all those chemicals to make her one of their projects. If I had known who he was, Amir, I would have said something sooner."

"I know, Liberty." He patted her arm. "Both of you lost your mother, and I'm to blame. I'm sorry for what I did."

"No," she said, staring at him. "You were protecting my sister. I'd go talk to her, but I know how she is after a family member dies. She needs time."

Amir's gaze lowered to his hand after a long silence. Then Liberty spoke up. "I didn't sleep well last night, but that's normal."

He nodded. "I know what you mean. So much has happened."

"Mom . . . She was a wonderful person," she added. "Now we have to arrange her funeral."

"This stinks," Greer said, closing the refrigerator door. "Probably a smart idea to get out of here."

"Well, Luna and I are heading to her studio," Amir replied, hoping his wife would share her feelings. He saw firsthand how sadness and hatred could tear someone apart. "Maybe that would relax her."

"Is it a good idea?" Liberty asked.

Amir inhaled a deep breath and shrugged. "Not really, but Luna is stubborn."

"She is." Liberty grinned at him. "You're an amazing husband. You know that?"

"Thank you," he said. "We'll only stay for a few minutes there. Let her explore. That's it."

Greer scoffed. "Hopefully. Chase and Alisha are still out there."

"Yeah," Amir muttered, standing up. "I'm going to see how Luna is doing."

"Okay," Liberty murmured, clutching her mug.

"We'll stay in here in case Titus calls," Greer said. "And I believe Vikram is in the backyard while your cousin is at the gate."

"Thanks for telling me."

"I believe we're safe right now," Greer continued. "Nothing is buzzing in my head, so that has to be a good sign."

Amir nodded and then left. Walking along the hallway, he disregarded Chase in Luna and Sarah's family photos.

Their Christmas tree photo made him cry. He thought back to a time that he had forgotten. He just witnessed Luna and Sarah open his presents. Sarah swung her new baby doll while Luna held on to her necklace. He always wanted the best for them. Chase wasn't it, but nobody could have predicted what would happen months later.

As Amir opened the front door, he stepped outside to find his wife. His breathing slowed down when he saw her sitting in front of Sarah's playhouse. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she was ripping weeds out of the front of it while on her hands and knees. She nearly yanked most of them out.

He strolled down the steps and Luna looked up. Amir grabbed her, squeezing her.

"Ooh." Her sound was garbled. "Is everything all right?

Amir lifted her off her feet while keeping his hold on her. "Yeah," he said against the top of her head. "I just needed to see you."

"I was sorting out Sarah's house so that we could bring it to her."

Amir helped Luna stand up, but he couldn't explain his recollection or why he didn't want to go into the city. Despite sounding domineering, he had to protect her. That was all he wanted. With everything she'd been through, he didn't want to argue with her, especially since he knew she was trying to imagine a future she hadn't believed to be real. That the war was over.

"You can be strange at times," Luna murmured, smiling when she peered at him. "But I still love you."

"I love you, Moon. Always have and always will."

"You're sweet." She tossed the weeds she was holding back to the ground. "So, what do you want to do?"

This was his chance to voice his fears. Taking a deep breath, Amir took Luna's hand in his. "Listen. I'm not thrilled about going into a destroyed city, but I understand why you need to. You want closure about your studio, and it is as important to you as it is to me." He held her cheeks and looked into her eyes. "After that, we'll come back here and pick everybody up before heading to Sarah."

Luna pursed her lips. "Why doesn't it surprise me you were withholding something?"

Amir exhaled.

She laughed softly. "It's not a bad thing, you know? To open up more?"

"It can be."

Luna cocked her head back for a few moments before speaking. "You used to be so good with expressing yourself, but now you clam up when there's a tiny disagreement." Two bright pink dots formed on her cheeks. "I love bringing it out of you."

It was like a viper had wrapped around his neck. Even though Amir didn't want to admit it, Luna was slowly making him less closed off. Her words were filled with so much truth.

She laughed at his most likely messed-up expression.

"Just five minutes," she said, her eyes focused on him. "That's all I need."

Amir groaned, then nodded. "Two minutes, then we're out."

"Deal."

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The Tethered Trilogy will conclude with five more chapters. There will be many twists and turns, as well as additional memory breakthroughs for Amir. The Christmas memory came from the chapter "Holiday." He finally remembered that moment in time. :)