∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 6

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• Luna •

Luna sighed heavily, letting her head drop. Tears welled up in her eyes as her throat closed up.

Amir had a delicate warmth to his voice, and it had been so long since she'd heard that tone from him. His current condition put a deeper edge around his words. They didn't come out sharp or dull, but she could sense the sorrow he felt deep inside. She could tell that some days his sadness was a mild lisp. It barely scratched the surface of his sound, but in that moment melancholy had waged a full-scale assault on his vocal cords.

"Luna?" he whispered. She didn't speak for three whole seconds before he tried again. "If I'd said something wrong, please tell me."

She shook her head. "You didn't."

He adjusted his legs and cupped her cheek. "I know I've upset you. You're quiet."

"You didn't upset me, Amir. This predicament you're in has upset me."

"I'm sure there's more to it than that," he said, looking into her eyes. "I don't have any memories of you, and it stings. It stings for me, too. I want to remember what life was like with you. I want to remember us and who we were as a couple."

"Yeah."

He sniffed and nodded, then brought his attention back to the TV. The news was showing a disturbing image of a fight among a crowd looting a grocery store in downtown Atlanta.

"I want to . . ." he mumbled, choking on his words. "I need to remember how all of this went down. I need to understand why we caused this. No one should be savaging for food or supplies."

There was so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't. She didn't want to reminisce about anything that could shatter her heart even more, but she did need to know the answer to a question she's had for a while. "What . . ." she started, and then cleared her throat. "What is the earliest you remember?"

He met her gaze. "Just my birthday last year. I don't even remember accepting a job in the States."

"So, you don't remember Faisal explaining to you about your lineage?"

"I remember that day. I'd met Cassie. But anything after that is . . . is gone."

"Wow." That explained everything for her. Amir only remembered his conversation with Faisal, but nothing more. "You probably don't recall moving into your own home, then."

His brows pulled together as he whipped his head back around to face her. "I moved into a house?" She nodded, and he continued. "We were already married?"

Luna gulped, keeping an uneasy feeling from creeping up her spine. Not only did he forget who she was, but he believed he'd followed his family's tradition of moving away after getting married. His mind was a complete . . . blank.

"No."

His eyebrows creased as he pressed his lips into a thin line. "I'm confused."

"You moved into your home sometime before we'd met. You decided that you wanted your own space whenever you met your partner."

"But I wouldn't have moved out of my parent's home without a wife. I'd promised them that I'd move out when I marry first, and I've never broken a promise. That's not like me."

Luna reached over and folded a hand over his. "Things were different for you. You are responsible, and your family knows that."

"What about you, Luna?" He paused for a moment, shuddering under his breath. "Have you met my family?"

She smiled. "Your mother and father have welcomed me with open arms. Even Adnan. They love Sarah and me."

"Sarah?"

A cold, tingling numbness quickly spread across her forehead, into her mouth, and her cheeks. She couldn't speak because the muscles in her mouth were paralyzed. No one in the house has told him about who Sarah was and what she meant to him, and that news splintered her heart in two.

She glanced down at her shaky knees, feeling her stomach opening up into a sickly, empty pit. She was on autopilot but eventually got her mouth to work again. "You . . ." She was surprised by the hoarseness of her voice. "You don't know who Sarah is?"

He shook his head. "No. Is she your . . . your friend?"

Luna sniffed. "No."

"Hold on." Amir swallowed and then adjusted his back against the couch. "She's the patient they're searching for, right? She's one of the defectives?"

Luna jerked. "No! Sarah is not defective!"

She hopped up and crossed her arms over her chest, willing the gnawing ache forming underneath her skin to settle. She knew the house wanted Sarah, but she also knew they were using Amir to help find her. He was told she was a young patient, and things were starting to become grim. She knew she needed to tread carefully from now on.

"I didn't mean to imply anything about her. I know the staff is out searching for defectives because they have dark abilities. Sarah's name has been brought up," he explained, narrowing his eyes.

Her breath hitched. "They can forget about finding her. My daughter will not become one of their guinea pigs. Hell will freeze over before I let that happen."

He rose to his feet and stepped closer to her. "She is your daughter?" She nodded, wiping her wet cheek while he took all of this in. "Then, that explains it. She's gifted."

Luna didn't want to admit anything, just in case, this was a scheme orchestrated by Chase or the others. She knew they screwed up her husband's mind, and they were using whatever leverage they had in their arsenal against her. She wasn't going to fall for it again, and it penetrated her insides to know what they were doing to her.

"You don't have to answer that. I'm sorry if what I said came out wrong."

Stepping around his side, her lips quivered. "Sarah means everything to me, to us. I won't let them get their hands on her. I won't."

"I was told she was one of the younger defectives who had escaped from a hospital in Texas. I didn't realize she was your daughter."

Turning around to face Amir, Luna's eyes searched his. "She isn't just my daughter. She's your daughter, too. She always has been."

He exhaled a deep breath and plopped back down on the couch. "Of course. She's my stepdaughter. Wow, I'm a step-father. This is wonderful."

"No, Amir. You're her father. You've never treated her like she wasn't your own, and that's what made you remarkable in our eyes. You . . . you loved her. You loved her with every fiber of your being, and you were much more of a father to her than my ex ever was. So much more."

"Were you still with him when you and I met?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did I ruin your relationship with your daughter and her father? Did I break up a happy home?"

Luna shook her head quickly, her eyes scattering. "You had nothing to do with that. He did that all on his own. He . . ." She trailed off, controlling the fury she'd held deep down from coming out.

She didn't want to reflect on what Chase has done to her and continued to do. She had to get a grip on herself before she let the darkness inside of her destroy any chance at freedom and a chance at rescuing Amir from his mental prison. She had to stay strong and fearless in the face of danger.

"It doesn't matter what happened between me and him," she said, settling down. "My ex is nothing to me. He can go to Hell."

"Do you . . ." he began, taking a glance at the TV that showed a line of cars trying to get out of Chicago into Canada, "believe your ex is out there, living in one of the damaged cities?"

Luna gasped, clearly fathomed how he didn't remember anything about her ex. What?

"He's out there," she mumbled, slightly gnawing on her lip. "Were you not told anything about him?"

Amir shook his head. "No. Only that you had left him and admitted yourself into St. Matthew's."

"So, you don't even know his name?"

"No, I don't."

"Oh God," she whispered, jumping up from her seat and dashing toward the bathroom. "Just give me a minute," she told him, closing the door behind her.

She couldn't believe her husband was working with the enemy, who was also her ex-fiancé, and he had no idea. Neither Chase nor the staff had explained anything to Amir. They've only told him lies. Lies that were unbelievable that if he did have his memories back, he'd know they were fake. She couldn't comprehend what their game was. Why deceive her even more?

Chase was right. He had them both exactly where he wanted them, and he had no intention of letting them go. He had the upper hand, whether she liked it or not.

A soft knock sounded on the door.

"Are you all right?" Amir asked on the other side. "Should I get somebody?"

Staring at her pale complexion, Luna sighed. The image she saw in the mirror was a woman whose glow had faded in a fraction of a second, a glow she once had a moment ago just being near him. This heartbreak was cold like concrete had dried up in her chest. It was unexpected, as heartbreaks normally were, but this one was like somebody had literally punched her directly in her stomach. Chase will always have power over her, no matter what she does.

"Luna?" He tried again, this time with a little more force. "I'll leave you alone. I'll come to check on you before dinner. I hope you feel better, and I'm sorry if I hurt you again."

Pulling herself together, Luna yanked the door open as Amir stayed frozen in his spot.

After taking a deep breath, she said, "Amir, there is so much you don't know and can't remember. But the one thing, and the most important thing, you should know is that my ex is out of my life. He won't leave me alone, unfortunately, but there's nothing I can do about that. He is no longer in my heart. You are in my heart and always will be, no matter what."

He nodded, brushing his fingertips over the faint pink marks that circled her wrist from fighting with the restraints they put on her the other day.

She hated those marks and prayed for the day they'd completely fade away. Each time she'd see them, she remembered how much it hurt to yank her arms free and realize she didn't have control over her body. They were a reminder that having a special ability had come with a price. The organization captured Tethered Souls like they were animals and could experiment on them until they solved whatever they were looking for.

"I remember seeing these marks on you," he murmured, laying her hand down. "They said you had a habit of trying to escape and you needed them. There was even a restraint they'd placed around your neck, but the marks aren't as visual as the ones on your wrists are."

Nausea rose, and she swallowed. Around her neck? She almost vomited. "Did . . . did you see me often when I was restrained?"

"Only once, but they always have you monitored. They even have me monitored, which I don't understand why?" He stepped aside and turned toward the mirror, glancing at his reflection. "I figured it's because of how the world has changed and they are keeping an eye on us, on everyone."

She knew it was difficult for Amir to make sense of everything without his memories, but there was nothing she could do. He only knew her as a patient and had found out, later on, they were companions. He couldn't recall anything they'd been through together.

Amir blinked and glanced down at his left hand where his wedding band used to be. "Was I . . . Was I a good husband to you, and a good father for Sarah?"

She nodded, bringing herself back to the present. "You were the best thing that has ever happened to us. Sarah and I wouldn't be where we are without you."

"Are you sure?"

She was sure, despite the mess they were in. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll tell you that all the time if I have to. You've been nothing but a great partner, spouse, and soulmate. I love you."

"I pushed you away, Luna. How can you forgive me?"

"Because you weren't you, and you weren't given the correct information you needed."

"Then tell me," he said, tipping his head back and closing his eyes for a moment. "Who are we dealing with?"

In one simple word, Luna said, "Criminals."

"Criminals. I knew there was something wrong with the way they conducted their serums here. I just thought . . ." He trailed off for a second, then exhaled a breath. "I thought they were doing what I was told they were doing."

"What was that?"

"They said they were looking for a cure for diseases. That there was something in Tethered Souls' genetics that can help society. But now . . . now society is ruined. How can I be involved in this? There's no way I'd come to this country and perform those heinous and unethical treatments."

Luna nodded. "Exactly. This organization has always had an agenda against our kind. We were born with abilities that can potentially rule the planet, and they keep people held against their will. We'll never be free unless we fight, and both of us have to fight to get out of here. We'll fight together."

"Together?"

"Yes. You and I are a team."

A small, sad smile appeared on his lips. "You make it sound so easy. I wished we could leave here now and reunite with our families. I'd like to meet your parents and Sarah."

Luna laughed a little and brought her hand up to his chin, running a finger over his prickly beard. "You've met them, and they love you. So does Liberty."

"I hate to sound like a broken record, again, but who's Liberty?"

She pinched her lips into a thin line and shook her head. "It's all right. Sound like a broken record all you want. You're the other part of me, and I'm not letting you go."

He smiled, and then she realized she didn't answer his question. "Liberty is my sister. She thinks you're hot. H-A-W-T, hot."

He burst into laughter as his face became flushed like he'd been in the sunlight for a whole day. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You and Liberty get along quite well."

After hearing movement from the hallway, Luna turned around and faced her door. But before leaving his side, she glanced slightly over her shoulder, then ambled quickly to him.

Heat rose from her stomach to her chest when his lips moved closer to her mouth and her heart skipped a beat. The smell of him became hypnotic beyond reason, which had caused her soul to vibrate. As her lips parted, she then felt him swipe over them like a wave of warmth, curling her toes, unfurling all her senses as the taste of him nearly silenced all her thoughts.

Clinging to him for a moment longer, she wanted to keep their souls connected.

Not walking away.

Reminiscing about the love they shared.

"This is what I miss," she uttered.

For the space of a held breath, there was silence. Then his voice floated over to her from a distant galaxy.

"You're a strong and amazing woman, Luna. You're dealing with so much, and I'm proud to call you my wife. I'm thankful for you. So thankful."

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