Disclaimer:
Any scientific names, reactions, and information written in this story are completely fictional. I credit fantasynamesgenerator.com for helping me with fictional diseases and the conditions associated with them. I'd recommend using text-to-speech for pronunciations of words.

∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 13

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• Luna •

"It's strange," Amir was saying sometime later. He and Luna were lying in bed, neither of them talking much as he roamed his fingers through her hair. After adjusting her body, she used his chest as a pillow. One big hairy pillow. She'd been lying so comfortably, not willing to move an inch, even when her bladder felt like it was ready to burst. "Sex is strange," he added. "I mean that in an interesting way. It's like my brain feels familiar with it, but it's having a hard time processing it. It doesn't change anything, but it enlightens everything. That probably doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense." She smiled because she'd felt the same way. Her husband had experienced sex for the first time on their wedding night, and now he got to relive it again. His mind, body, and soul were going through changes, and she was here to guide him. "When we were intimate before, it was like . . . like we were on a different plane of existence. We wanted to keep going and never stop. It had brought me closer to you, and I'd known what true love was when you came into my life."

"Do you still feel that way?"

She lifted her head so she could see him. "Of course, Amir. I feel comfortable and completely free when I'm with you. We're two halves of the same puzzle." Her gaze searched his in the dim light. "How do you feel?"

"Different."

She laughed. "Different? That's all I get?"

"It was better than I could've imagined. I know we've had sex, but this time felt cosmic. Like an atom bomb had took up residence in my body and exploded," he answered, and she snickered. "I wonder if it was the same feeling as before."

"I don't think it was."

He raised a dark brow. "You know how I felt?"

Exhaling, she replied, "No, but I have a pretty good guess as to how you felt the first time. Our souls stayed connected throughout the whole act and had never broken apart. That was an added perk."

He grinned.

"Does it bother you this wasn't our first time?" Her voice was soft.

"Honestly? It does, but not because I didn't enjoy it. I guess I wanted both of us to be on the same page."

"I understand that." She smiled as he touched her cheek. "Losing a part of who you are has taken a toll on you. Everything must be . . . overwhelming."

"It is, but I'm adjusting to what feels familiar and what I know in my heart." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "We're here now. We'll make new memories together. As one."

Her smile returned, and she stretched up, kissing him. "As one."

"I wished we could stay up here all day and never have to go downstairs."

Her smile faded. "How long have they been gone?"

He inhaled, and then exhaled as she laid back down on her side. "It's afternoon and almost everyone, aside from a few staff members inside, had left around nine. I think they went to get more transportation vehicles."

Her neck popped up. "What for?"

"They're planning to transport everyone from here to St. Matthew's Hospital. There are approximately ten patients in the house, and the electricity has been faulty."

She sucked in a deep breath. "Patients are . . ." She lowered her voice, fathomed at how twisted Dr. Kim had to be to bring people to his home. She didn't think he'd do something like that, but it didn't surprise her. He was just that evil. "Do you know what they're doing to them?"

Amir's brown lashes lifted. "They're playing God and performing illegal experiments on sick patients. Some of those procedures have proved to be a success."

Wow, she thought, itching to do something horrible to both Dr. Kim and Chase. Those two men were on the top of her hit list. "That's why they won't stop?"

"Dr. Kim believes he's found a way to help others," Amir said. "But he's not helping anybody by injecting them with illnesses, hoping that the treatment plan works. He's not God."

"Damn him," she muttered, and then caught herself. "Not God, but Dr. Kim." She would mention Chase, but Amir didn't remember who he was to her. So she kept mum.

"The doctor has no morals."

"You can say that again." She adjusted her legs and rolled onto her stomach. "What did you learn about them? You never got to tell me."

He let out a deep breath. "Dr. Kim showed me two rooms that have cancer patients. Those people are given a strand of DNA from a Tethered Soul, treating their illness."

"Wait." Something else had just crossed her mind. "I know what you're talking about. Tethered Souls are immune to diseases."

"Yes, we are, but our species are also vulnerable to certain substances. Things they have been created to weaken our kind."

Her brows perked up. "There are things that can harm a Tethered Soul?"

"Yes." Tightening his grip around her waist, he continued. "There's a chemical called Phycyne that was developed by scientists who work with them. It's a compound that was derived from a rare animal, and it is concentrated into a white, spicy-smelling powder that can be disguised within other substances. When handled carelessly, it can absorb into the skin and cause a skin rash. And it only takes a small amount for it to be effective."

"Oh my God," she gasped. "It's lethal?"

He nodded, meeting her stare. "It can cause a slow, painful death for any Tethered Soul who comes into contact with it. It damages the cardiovascular system and the person will start to sweat profusely, then develop a urinary tract infection." He paused and took a breath, loosening his grip on her hip. "Not long after being exposed to it, their heart will stop, and most of the time the person cannot be revived. It's a terminal diagnosis."

"That's almost like the poison people are given before being executed," she whispered, her eyes scattering. "This is complete madness. This organization has gotten away with this for a long time."

He nodded. "They have. I was looking over Dr. Kim's notes, and he's injected Tethered Souls who didn't comply. The first trials were conducted in the early 70s."

Pushing up, she shook her head. "This is too much. So basically, they've given Tethered Souls a weakness."

"Sadly, yes."

"Is there an antidote?" she asked, and he looked away. That told her the answer she was looking for. "He's spineless."

"That's not all, Luna." Amir cleared his throat. "There are other elements they've created that can wipe out Tethered Souls completely."

"M-more?" She gulped.

"Hisyl is a substance that came from a rare plant. It's a pink, odorless liquid that's undetectable within other chemicals. It takes a moderate amount for it to be effective, but repeated exposure can build up and cause a rapid death. It destroys the bones and kills the liver. The person will experience shortness of breath and later have hearing loss."

Lifting, she wrapped the blanket tightly around her chest and shuddered, wiping a tear from her eyelid. This is crazy, she thought, her lips trembling.

"Chemnisol," he continued, "is a drug that came from the seed of a common plant. There's no antidote, and it's formulated into a turquoise gas. It can cause someone to have temporary blindness after breathing it in, and there only needs to be a small amount of particles to be effective. The person's bones can easily break, and their kidneys will eventually fail."

The horror of what they've conducted shot through her. "How can they get away with this?"

Amir moved forward and brought her body close to him, running a hand up and down her spine. "Is that all of them?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

He shook his head, a dark strand of hair covering his eyebrow. "Just one more. A gel called Hellion came from the DNA of a butterfly. And it's difficult to destroy. It can heal sore muscles, but by doing that, it also dissolves the sensory organs. The patient will experience dehydration, headaches, toothaches, and stomach ulcers within a few hours. It's not lethal, but it is painful."

Scoffing, she said, "And let me guess. No known cure, right?"

He didn't say anything for a few moments, just gazing at her. "I've actually been working on a possible antidote for it. I can't work on any others, because they'll notice, but the formula for Hellion is coming along nicely."

"Well, that's a relief. But don't get caught. Who knows what will happen if you do."

Tugging her gently, he replied, "Don't worry about me. The staff is too busy with what the other scientists are conducting to bother with what I'm doing."

"I trust you," she whispered, and then turned toward him, laying a soft kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad you told me. I can prepare myself when they use any of that stuff on me."

"No. Don't talk like that. I will not let them harm you."

"I don't want you to get hurt. I'm . . . I'm just scared."

"I'll take the pain, Luna," he said, caressing her skin. "I'm scared, too."

She curled her arm around his waist, laying her head on his left shoulder. "Let's talk about something else. We don't have much time before we're interrupted."

He chuckled and twisted her hair around his finger. "I think we can find something else to do that is more . . . sufficient."

She lifted her head again, no longer thinking remotely about any new formula. "I guess you hadn't had enough."

He bit his lip. "I wasn't meaning that, Moon."

"Oh? Then, don't hold back, A. I've got to hear this."

He smiled at her sarcasm. "I was thinking about something earlier. Since we can connect telepathically, can we communicate that way, too?"

"Hm. You're right. We did in the past."

"I want to see if I can hear your thoughts," he said, looking incredibly cozy with his arm tucked under his head.

"I don't know if I want you in there."

"I think you do." He tilted his chin toward her. "Don't you think I can sense how sensual that made you feel with the thought of it?"

He had a point. She was only teasing, but he called her out. "I'm writing my erotic love poem to you right now. You should take a peek."

One side of his lips quirked up. "My wife is challenging me. I think I like it."

"We wouldn't be the couple we are if you didn't." She rose to an elbow, adjusting her frame over her husband's chest. "We're one of a kind."

"I can tell," he said, kissing her forehead.

We're a powerful duo, he thought.

"That, we are, Amir," she replied, causing his brows to perk. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"You just heard my thoughts," he told her, running a finger around her forehead.

"No way. I heard you say that we are a powerful duo."

He gave her a cheeky smile. "But I didn't say it with my mouth."

"So, we're able to reconnect now?" Her mind was whirling with everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours, and connecting to his mind was the last on her list of ways to communicate. "How is that even possible?"

"From my understanding, when Tethered Souls are paired, they can share everything."

She smacked his shoulder playfully. "You know that's not what I meant. We were separated. Could our abilities be strengthening?"

He looked at her for a second, and then his lashes lifted. Possibly.

"That's great news, then."

"Luna, I just thought, 'possibly,' and you answered as if I'd spoken the word out loud."

"But I saw your lips move."

He shrugged. "Maybe they did, but only to kiss you."

All she could do was stare at him. Her first response was to deny their connection getting stronger, which was definitely possible, but there was a huge part of her that believed it couldn't be real. Not this fast. She also knew both of them were not an ordinary tethered pair, and what Colin Decker had said once before came back to her mind.

A Pure Soul's powers will magnify greatly.

"Maybe they are," Amir said, one dark eyebrow raised.

"What?"

He grinned. "Our powers magnifying."

"I didn't say that."

"Not from your mouth, but you thought it."

He'd heard my thoughts. Holy crap!

"You really heard me?" she asked.

He nodded. "I did, Moon."

"Well, then, I think I should test out another ability."

"And what would that be?"

Telekinesis, she murmured internally.

His brows furrowed, and he shook his head. "I don't know about that."

"I didn't say anything."

He laughed.

"I meant, from my mouth," she added.

"Telekinesis a dark ability. Should you play around with it, Luna?"

His question was fair, but she shrugged anyway. It didn't bother her. She still needed to get a handle on it, just in case she ever lost control and caused an even bigger problem.

"It's supposed to be dangerous, but I need to try it out. Slamming somebody," she paused, reminiscing the moment she threw Chase to the other side of the room with her mind, "wasn't okay." She struggled on those two words. She enjoyed giving him a beat down.

"What if you unlock something darker?" His lips trembled. "I don't want to lose you. I've finally found the person I was always meant to be with, and I can't stomach the thought of you . . . I don't know . . .  becoming destructive."

She moved forward and shook her head. "That won't happen, A. I'll start with something small. That's it. It'll be over."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded and gazed around the room, looking for a test subject. Her eyes landed on the dresser, and she spotted his half-empty glass of sweet tea. He was never much of a tea drinker, but maybe that was all they had available. She was just grateful he'd brought her something to drink.

After concentrating on the glass, she didn't have to get up as the beverage floated to them, and Amir caught it. She squealed as he snickered, and then took a sip.

"Thank you, baby," he said between two gulps. "It's like you read my mind."

She laughed. "I can't believe that just happened."

"You know how I feel," he replied.

"About you harnessing your abilities?" she asked, and he smiled at her. "I think I do."

He motioned with his eyes toward her glass, and she nodded, concentrating on bringing it to her.

Before she knew it, the glass hovered a little too quickly and ended up missing her hand, falling on his chest. Her tea was all over his skin.

"I. Am. So. Sorry."

His answer was to grab her by the hips and pull her down, tickling her. "You're so gonna get it."

She giggled and pushed back. "Seriously. I'm sorry."

"Why? I'm not. I probably taste extra sweet."

Her body flushed hot. "I'm pretty sure you do."

His lips touched hers, and then there wasn't any more talking, not vocally or telepathically. It was just them, lost in each other, slowly igniting a potent force within. Their time was limited, and they were enjoying now. Not worried about anything happening outside.

Bliss.

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Just a quick Tethered Recap:
Phycyne, Hisyl, Chemnisol, and Hellion (all fictional) are new chemicals that can harm a Tethered Soul. Their species are not as safe as they believe they are. Dr. Kim and Chase need a taste of their own medicine. We shall see where their fate lies. Thank you so much for reading.