∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 34

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• Luna •

Samuel Davidson.

The name bounced around in Luna's head, first in disbelief, then in shock, and finally, in anger. Her nerves trembled, and her legs crumbled beneath her.

She stared down at the broken shards of glass from the bottle Amir had thrown. The amber liquid began seeping over papers littering the floor. Some looked like junk mail from when Belle Chasse was a bustling town. A brightly colored advertisement for a new shoe store opening across from the high school. Large and small envelopes with the words special offer stamped on them. A pack of white coupons never opened. All were confirmation of the private life everyone lived.

Had others come by and check out this area? Were any of them implants for BARDA?

She wasn't sure why she was thinking about those things. General Davenport's home was none of her concern, but it was like her brain had shorted out after hearing his name.

Sam.

There was a funeral for him. His friends and family were there. And Luna had, along with them, sobbed after his passing. She never fully recovered from that moment, and she had envisioned his spirit so many times afterward. Was any of that real?

It had to be real.

Sam's ghost was as real as the sky. It was as real as the time she watched his death happen on camera. That scene could not have been fake or orchestrated by the organization for him to die in front of her tethered partner seven years prior. He couldn't have been the man the general was implying him to be. He couldn't have been a decoy.

The Biological Research and Development Agency.

A private organization that existed in remote regions across the world, one that secretly experimented on Tethered Souls long before the public was exposed to them. Their unique biological attributes were studied because they were resistant to human illnesses, and the company sought to use that knowledge to strive for a better tomorrow. But all of that wasn't working in their favor. They were slowly losing their battle for control.

She had no idea how to come to terms with any of that, and she didn't think she'd ever be able to. But the fact that she and Amir were planning to bring them down had comforted her.

Just a little.

Her mind had shifted back to the part Davenport explained that she was something different. A Trojan, an assassin that couldn't exactly be classified as an Origin, or even a human.

But now, that little factoid was sitting idly in the back of her mind with the latest are you freaking kidding me news.

A man she thought was dead was responsible for Amir's memory loss.

A dull ache pierced the middle of her chest, and she shook her head. She hoped that she didn't misinterpret the general's revelation about her daughter's father, but her brain was on overdrive with all that she had learned. And holy crap, it was a lot of information for her to digest. 

Sam was alive, and that wasn't even the most messed-up part. He was a man who had missed out on seven years of watching his child grow up. He was supposed to be six feet into the ground, but he was now a man working with the enemy. Her brain couldn't cope with that.

"Impossible," a low voice growled.

Heart thrumming against her chambers, she looked to her left. Amir stood beside her, not just any Pure Soul—a child of two people who were paired together—but one who was powerful and rugged and ready to demolish anything in his path.

Amir Khan—an innocent soul who had become another victim of this organization.

The irises of his eyes were the color of jeweled rhinestones and his pupils swirled like crescent moons. A white glow surrounded the lean shape of his body. The angles of his jawline hardened as tense lines sharpened his full lips.

What illuminated around him was the energy from the serum he was given; the Alpha serum. It had the power to heal others, and he'd healed her once. Neither of them understood much about it, but they knew it was potent.

"I remember him." Amir's voice was thick and ragged with absolute power swirling inside him. "Sam fell, and I tried to revive him. But his heart stopped."

"You don't think the organization made it look like that is what happened?" the general countered, facing them. He was an older man, maybe in his late fifties with blond hair cropped close to his skull. He was a man who spent most of his life serving his country and should be on a holiday enjoying the sun. Instead, he was in this community, helping a special group of superhumans from being eradicated. Everyone was a refugee.

"That they didn't have their reasons for putting Sam in Pakistan on the day of his daughter's birth?" he continued, staring at Amir as his brows furrowed.

Her husband's went utterly still, and Luna's body shuddered in response. He closed his eyes and inhaled a breath. "Sam was there because they set it up."

Davenport's jaw flexed.

"I was given his case. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma." Amir's voice was soft. "He couldn't have survived that."

"Are you even sure that was the right diagnosis?" the general suggested.

"You must think I'm foolish," Amir replied, turning toward him. "Or naïve to not study someone's file properly."

"I don't think anything," Davenport clipped out. "I know you're smarter than that."

"Good to hear. I'd hate to have to show a side of me you haven't seen." Amir moved forward a foot or two or three and stared at him. "It never crossed my mind they were always one step ahead of us even before we knew about them. To bring a sick man over two-thousand miles away from his home to seek treatment for an illness he doesn't have. That's insane."

"And that's what they love," Davenport said, stating the obvious. "Having power and making people believe anything they want. Including the physical and mental health of patients."

The gnawing ache in Luna's stomach returned as she glanced outside for a long moment. "But what did they do to him?"

The general exhaled a long, exhausted breath. "What they do best, Luna. Manipulate."

"I'm confused. Sam wasn't sick?" she asked.

"He was diagnosed with a tumor, and the organization convinced his father and stepmother to treat him at one of their clinics. They agreed and paid for his care. He started improving within weeks. However, when it came to making him seem like his treatment was failing, they caused him to fall ill the day he met Amir. Then his family got word of his passing."

"That doesn't explain how he supposedly survived," Amir shot back.

That was a damn good point, one she couldn't wait to hear explained, but she suddenly felt . . . nauseated. Queasy, even. Like she had eaten five bowls of cereal and was close to letting it all come out of her mouth.

Putting a hand to her lips, she glanced around for something to be sick in but couldn't find anything. Then she pushed the odd sickening feeling aside and focused.

"Do you recall seeing Sam's body being placed into an ambulance?" the general asked Amir, shoulders sunken and weathered face drained. "No, you don't remember because that never happened. He was lifted into a white van with BARDA's scientists."

"His heart stopped. That I can remember, General." Amir's hands curled into fists. "I tried everything to save him. People was telling me to stop, but I didn't. I kept trying to revive him."

"Did you go to the morgue?" The worn leather couch cracked when Davenport adjusted his waist, his legs stretched and comfortable as he met Amir's stare fearlessly.

Amir didn't answer for a long moment, and Luna could tell he wanted to say something when his lips would twitch, but no words would come out. Then he finally opened his mouth.

"I remember that I wanted to go there, but my family was with me that day." His chin dipped, head tilting to the side. "I did contact the attendant, and he explained that they spoke to the patient's family." His eyes shifted to Luna. "There's a vague memory of me talking to someone on the phone from Texas. His doctor."

"You immediately felt connected to Luna even before you two met physically." The general jerked his gaze in her direction.

They knew we were paired before we did.

That was what Davenport had told them. That the organization had a hand in them meeting the first time when she was in Pakistan. They knew about the loophole between paired souls and how they wouldn't become ill if they'd met before their powers had awakened.

They've been controlling things since the beginning and even had a hand in Vikram and Liberty coming together, or Cami and Faisal forming a close bond.

It made sense that the organization would anticipate Amir doing whatever he could to make sure Luna was safe. He'd go to war for her, regardless of what memories he has or doesn't have.

He'd never do anything that would harm her. She knew with every fiber of her being that he would rip his hair out one by one before doing something terrible to someone he loved.

But she . . .

Oh, God.

Sudden clarity scattered through her like frigid wind. Her next breath could strangle her. One day, she could hurt him. Badly. If she didn't get a grip on the new abilities she has, she could tear Amir into pieces. And the organization was preying on her emotions.

They brought Sam back, cured him somehow, only to have her face him again.

They monitored her life with Sarah and Chase, and now her and Amir, making sure she was stable until they decided to flip her switch. Her life was never her own, and that knowledge threatened to destroy the good parts of her, the parts that helped her stay balanced.

Sickened, she squeezed her eyes shut, even though it did nothing to stop the images of Sam's eyes rolling into the back of his sockets as his body fell to the ground. That was an image she'd never forget, a moment she didn't know was planned.

The mere idea of losing Amir to Chase and even Sam burst open a door deep inside of her and out came a mess of emotions. A cyclone of panic and fury rose, drenching every part of her soul.

She would destroy herself before she allowed everything to be ruined for her again.

'No more,' she mumbled internally.

Her gaze shifted to Amir. Energy burst into the atmosphere as he tapped into her thoughts, something that she had gotten used to even when it annoyed her.

"You will never lose me," Amir vowed, with a surge of energy radiating off him and slowly diminishing until there was no glow around him. "They won't take me away from you."

But she didn't know what they were going to do, not when she had one psychotic ex who could wake up at any minute, and one ex who resurrected from the grave. She never thought that was even possible, and she didn't—

"Don't think about it." Amir was suddenly standing in front of her, his warm hands folding over hers. Skin against skin. Like always, the contact sent a wave of emotions powering down her skin and dancing through her veins. The hazy black lines of his irises and pupils became clearer. "Just because we have more despicable people to deal with doesn't mean they'll ruin what you have. You're strong, you're Luna, and you're my wife."

"I don't know if I could handle something happening to you. To us." The pain she felt inside was twisted inside her along with all the serums she'd been given, and her soul couldn't take another heartbreak. She had enough of it.

"And so do I, Moon."

"Amir."

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Your thoughts are loud sometimes. It's becoming my favorite thing to listen to."

A strangled laugh broke through. "Are you sure about that? I know many things I could imagine to make your head spin."

"Yeah, well, as long as we are spinning together, then I'm all set."

"I've got to get used to my hubby being corny."

'Tethered Ones, remember?' Amir lowered his head, stopping when the bridge of his nose touched her. 'You have nothing to be worried about. We're in this life as one.'

One.

When he said that, it reassured her that they can get through whatever the organization had planned. Hearing his determination to not let anyone get to them made her heart swirl, and she was once again thankful for being paired with him.

Of all the Tethered Ones on the planet, Amir and Luna were chosen for one another and no one was going to tear them apart. They could try, but their love would always be unscathed.

Genuinely curious, Luna asked, "Why aren't you worried? Apparently, Sam wants you out of my life."

"Because he means nothing to me. That goes for Chase, too."

She stared at him.

"I have faith in us, in myself, and Allah." His head tilted, and she felt his nose run along her cheek. "I know you won't turn into a mindless minion because of Omega." He paused. "Well, unless we host a costume party, and then you could dress up as one." His lips curved up into an even bigger grin. "I wouldn't mind seeing that."

Amir was being silly now.

"You're horrible, you know."

"Hey. I saw a memory of you when you were dressed as Big Bird for Halloween. You were six, and I thought I'd suggest something different," he said, and Luna's nose wrinkled. Amir slid a hand back, curling his fingers around her neck as he gently guided her toward his chest. "You're my Moon. I won't let you lose control, nor let anyone take me away from you. Do you know why?"

"Why?" she whispered.

"Because we have come a long way together. We escaped a hospital and survived an ambush." He grinned a little, his eyes never leaving hers. "We can get through anything."

Emotion swelled inside her chest, and when she blinked, her lashes were damp. His words shook her spirit, but also soothed the sting. She nodded as some of the fear had died.

"Remember. They can't break us, Moonlight."

"Never," she whispered, sniffing.

"Geez. Give me a break. If I wanted to watch an episode of The Young and the Restless, I'd go to the infirmary and turn on the TV," General Davenport remarked dryly. "You two must have forgotten I was in the same room."

Luna looked over at him, and Amir's hands were now cupping her cheek. "Honestly, I did."

The general snarled. "Well, both of you can take it somewhere else. There are more important things to discuss."

Amir didn't respond as his palm made another pass down her spine.

"Sam isn't the one to watch. He's just another puppet," he explained.

"I thought you said he erased Amir's memories," Luna said, twisting her body in his direction. "If that's the case, then he's the enemy."

General Davenport's eyes grew colder when she met his stare. "It was under their orders."

She cursed, and the world shifted under her feet. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "They've brainwashed him?"

"I can't answer that." Davenport dragged a thumb along his chin. "I just know whatever they say, he does it."

"Then, Sam is not in his right mind." Luna's hand curled into the front of her shirt. "If he is alive and well, as in, health-wise, he doesn't know what he's doing."

"But that doesn't change the fact that he's with them," Davenport added. "He could be under a simulation. You would need to break him free from it."

"Did Sam visit me in St. Matthew's?" she asked, and the general met her stare. "Or was that a hallucination?"

"During that timeframe, he was in another part of the state," Davenport answered. "He didn't visit you."

Pressing her lips together, she briefly squeezed her eyes shut. What if Sam doesn't remember our past?

"He probably doesn't, Luna." Amir's voice was tender. "The organization has done things to his mind." His eyes searched hers. "We know how they are."

"They have a strong hold on him. That's for sure." Davenport tipped his head against the couch.

Amir's gaze sharpened on him. "Then we do something about it."

"We?" Luna questioned.

"Yes, Moon. When we locate my family, we'll also find out where Sam is."

Her stomach turned. "You want to help somebody who took your memories away?"

Amir cupped her cheek. "It's not his fault for what they have done to him."

"You're right. They are at fault." And that was the truth. It hurt her to think about what BARDA could be doing to hundreds, if not thousands of people across the globe. There were a ton of scenarios that played in her head, and one of them was how corrupted the organization truly was. Placing a hand over her grumbling stomach, she considered something that could make this situation even worse. "What if . . ." Throat dry, she tried again. "What if he doesn't know about Sarah?"

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