∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 11

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• Luna •

As she rose from a heavy slumber, Luna was
first aware of the cool air and a sweet-smelling fragrance. The sound of birds chirping was strong, and the feeling of a soft breeze hitting her skin relaxed her. She couldn't recall falling asleep.

As she glanced around at her surroundings, she realized she wasn't in the same room as before. She was lying in what looked like a king-sized bed, with white silk sheets and several large pillows. It was a different bedroom. Where could she be?

Rolling onto her side, she struggled to keep her eyes open and hoped her fuzzy brain would clear. Her body felt like it had been pumped with heavy medication, and she couldn't focus on anything she'd set her eyes on.

Bright sunlight spilled in through the open glass windows with lacy, beige curtains dangling playfully. A soft sound echoed from the wind chime, and she brought her legs over the bed, then placed her feet on the floor.

Oh crap. 

Gasping, she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to recollect what had happened the night before.

Amir was with her, but he wasn't here now. Then she began to panic, thinking he was probably hooked up to a machine and Chase was doing whatever he wanted to him. Yesterday had now come back to her in a rush — running off; he had said he fought someone off of her, and that he discovered what this organization was up to. He declared that he'd never leave her side, yet, here she was alone.

Are they doing something to Amir? Was he reported? Her nerves went into overdrive. There was no telling when it came to Chase or Dr. Kim.

Her cheeks burned at the vague memory of a man's hand roaming over her breast, doing something to her. He'd definitely slipped something into her water bottle because she couldn't move or speak. That medication had kicked in moments before Amir barged through the door, then she heard an argument between them until it was brought out into the hallway. She wanted to stay awake and fight alongside her husband, but she couldn't. Her limbs were too weak.

Opening her eyes, she thought about her family. She wondered how they were doing. She wondered about their friends and allies and how things are going in this war-torn world. Vikram and Faisal had both confirmed they were planning a strategy to extract them, but she couldn't see how that would be possible. The organization had them where they wanted, and she was sure they'd —

"Good morning, Luna."

She figured she must've been in a heavy slumber after hearing Amir's voice. But then she was shocked when his dark head walked around the corner and smiled at her. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast." 

Her heart tripped.

I'm dreaming.

In her dream, her husband was in the kitchen. She felt pampered, but also confused. 

How could he be cooking without an audience?

Wouldn't people be observing his every move?

"Come on, before your coffee and food get cold," Amir insisted, causing her brows to furrow. 

He had a point, and there she was, standing like an idiot. She wanted to enjoy this moment with him, even though he was a figment of her imagination. They were Aluna. He wasn't real, but he was the closest thing to her Amir. She'd missed him dearly.

She pulled her robe tightly around her waist and darted around the corner, gazing at him.  He was wearing a hunter-green apron and dark trousers underneath. 

Nice.

As he took her hand, she locked their fingers together and she gazed into his soft, caramel-colored eyes, then proceeded down the steps. These stairs were unfamiliar to her, but she didn't let them phase her. She only cared to be with him.

Once they entered the kitchen, he reached for a tray with an arrangement of food and two glasses of orange juice. Slightly nodding his chin to the side door, she followed him out to the back patio.

Sitting down, he crossed his legs and threw on a pair of black shades, making him look like a sexy God with barely anything on him. He then reached forward and organized a plate for her that comprised nihari, curry, and fruit. A few moments passed, and he brought a large white mug up to his lips. She was sure he was probably waiting for her to sit down, but she didn't know how to act. She wanted her Amir and not this dream-like version of him. 

A dark-colored brow raised above his shades. "Are you okay? There are plenty of chairs to choose from. I wouldn't mind you sitting next to me, of course. I won't bite. Well, unless you want me to." He brought down the shades and winked, causing her heart to flutter. 

She chuckled, then took a step forward and sat down next to him. She wished she could have made herself more presentable. She didn't want to have a bad case of bedhead and hated that she didn't make time to brush her teeth first.

Why in the hell was I worrying over my appearance? she realized, glancing at him.

"I made the coffee thirty minutes ago," he said, reaching for another white mug across the table and laying it out in front of her. "If it's cold, I'll make another pot."

She smiled and picked it up, then took a sip, slightly burning her tongue. It was surprisingly still warm. "Thank you, Amir."

He gave her a soft smile.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, his eyes narrowing down to his plate of fruit. "When I woke up, no one was around. I guess they left the plantation." 

"Maybe." Since she was sure this was a dream, the organization had to be around somewhere; they couldn't get away from them that easily. "I slept well, but I have a slight headache. I'm sure it'll go away once I eat something."

He nodded and reached for her hand, squeezing it.

"So, is this why you are dressed that way? No one is monitoring us?" she asked playfully.

Glancing down at his apron, he chuckled and almost ended up choking on his mouthful of lettuce. "Since we have the place to ourselves, I wanted to make something special and bring you breakfast in bed. But it was beautiful out here, and I figured having breakfast on the patio would be more enjoyable."

Her lips tipped up. "You think of everything, A."

"Was I like that before?" he asked, catching her off-guard. "I mean, did I surprise you before my memory was erased?"

A tear slipped down her eyelid, and he moved quickly to brush it with his thumb. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you cry, Luna."

"It's not you," she said. "It's our situation."

Her stomach clenched as she thought of Sarah and how she was missing him, too. He didn't remember her, either.

She cleared her throat and took a small bite of her food. "There's something we should talk about. It has to do with now," she explained, wanting to let him know this moment wasn't real and she was only imagining him. 

He shook his head and threw his shades back on. "We have plenty of time to talk. Right now, let's eat and enjoy what time we have together. I'd even made a vanilla cake for dessert."

"Dessert," she mumbled, and then added, "You were always in the mood for something sweet."

"I'm sure I was." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed as the wind blew his puffy hair to the side, a small smile tipping up on one side of his mouth. "What else did I like, baby?"

She grinned as he called her that. "Well, I would like to tell you everything that strikes your fancy, but then, we'd get into a kinky conversation. We don't need to engage in that now."

"Maybe not," he said, licking his bottom lip. "But as soon as we leave this place together soon, I'll learn about it then. Someplace where we aren't . . . observed."

"Yeah, we don't need an audience. What goes on between Aluna, stays between Aluna."

A half-smile appeared. "I love how our names are put together. Maybe we'll have a daughter and call her that."

She nodded, remembering how they discussed having more children in the future.

Taking his glasses off, he nodded toward her plate. Glancing down, she realized she hadn't eaten much. 

"Please, eat," he insisted. "We don't know when the others will be back, and the food would go to waste."

True. This may be a dream and all, but she wasn't sure if anyone else was part of it.

"All right," she agreed, chewing her strawberry quickly. There was a different energy about him. She loved it. I liked all sides of my prince, she thought, holding back the tears pooling in her eyes.

A heartbeat passed, and she peeled a banana in a taunting way, staring deeply into his eyes.

Then she saw his predator side ease out of him. He looked at her like she was the only answer to his prayers, and somehow she could connect to his heart. It was beating at the same speed as hers, but faster.

Desire swirled inside of her, causing atom bombs to hit her chest hard, leaving her dazed and out of control. 

But tendrils of sadness followed. Even as her body ached for him, she knew deep down this wasn't her Amir. He wasn't the same one who she fell asleep next to. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. She just knew she needed him . . . now.

Luna hopped to her feet and eased herself upon his lap, then slid her hands under his straps and ran her fingertips down his muscular chest. Underneath it, something beautiful existed and only she had the pleasure of connecting to it. She knew that, and their love was always on fire and moved mountains when they were together. 

Sliding a hand around the back of her neck, Amir tugged her forward and leaned up to bite her lip. And that was the moment her brain had shut off. She stopped thinking. Right now was about their feelings and the raw, exciting sensations that continued to shoot to her anatomy, lighting every organ in its path. All she could think about was giving her body to him and feeling his need to satisfy her, his wife and companion.

Slipping her fingers across his hard-rock abs, she felt his silk-like skin. Rocking her rear against the thick muscle under his apron, she closed her eyes and inhaled. God, he was huge, she thought. He was gifted in every way. 

"Luna . . . damn." He took a breath. "I want you so badly," he whispered near her ear, sending a heatwave of emotions down her spine. His tone was hungry, firm, and tender, and his lips moved against her neck in soft circles. He could've spoken those words in his native tongue, and she'd still find him irresistible. He was always irresistible to her.

"I can feel it," he continued. "Our souls are connecting."

She nodded. "They are connecting, Amir. And they always will."

Pressing softly against her mouth, he repeated, "always will."

"As one, Prince," she added.

"As one, Moon."

Soft tears escapes her eyelids, and he kissed them away. "Moon? You . . . You called me 'Moon'?"

He nodded. "Why not?"

"Amir . . ."

She sniffed.

"Luna . . ."

The tension between them built quickly, stealing her breath and shocking her core. She moaned loudly, urging him to take her now. Wrapping her legs around his waist, he kissed the skin between her breast and brushed his fingertips along her thighs.

"You're so beautiful, Luna," he murmured into her ear. "I could never get tired of touching you."

Her hands sunk deeper into his hair, tugging the back of his head, catching him off-guard as she felt him making his way back to her heart. "That's the best place you've ever touched. My heart, Amir," she said, giving him a soft kiss.

Keeping her gaze locked on his, she traced the edge of his hairline and placed a soft kiss on his temple. "You're the best part of me. I will always love you, prince. Just remember that."

As he reached up and cupped her chin, a sound ruffled behind them. Amir and Luna quickly turned around and saw a guard walking toward the house from the forest.

Twisting her neck around to face her husband, her breath caught in her throat. "I knew this was too good to be true."

"What do you mean?"

"That we could have a moment between us. No distractions."

"Well, I don't know about you, Moon, but I wasn't distracted," he said, gazing passionately into her eyes. "I'm enjoying this time with you."

"I am, too, Amir." She sniffed and turned away for a moment, then brought her gaze back to him. "I wished this wasn't a dream."

"But this isn't a dream, Luna." He roamed his hands around her waist and tugged her closer to his chest. "It's real. We're sitting on the back patio of Dr. Kim's guest house."

"Wha . . . what?" she croaked.

"I brought you here last night," he explained. "I don't trust anyone in the main house. And until we're free, I'll be damned if anything happens to you. You can count on that."

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