∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 23

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• Luna •

Soon after Ethan left, Luna closed the door and turned to Amir. "Well, that was entertaining."

"I just hope he lives up to his word," Amir said, standing against the counter. "I can't get over his speech."

"You too, huh?"

He nodded. "It sounded too precise and firm like he knew what to say and how to say it."

"Do you believe him about BARDA and the media? Society is still living life like nothing is happening around them?"

"Ironically, I do. I've seen news reports at the house, and there are protests and uprisings. But some groups seemed . . . casual."

She arched a brow. "How so?"

"When I was in the kitchen, I'd caught an image on TV of a large hang-out at a local park. Across from them was a group throwing bricks and stones inside of a hardware store." He paused for a second, and then shifted his weight. "The cops weren't trying to stop them."

"That's because they're not supposed to do anything, I suppose," Luna said, glancing down.

"The club Titus hangs out at surprised me."

"I know."

"I mean, I didn't think bars and clubs would open during a crisis like this. Who goes to a strip club in the middle of a war?"

"True. But it's not their fault. Not really," she said. "The government and BARDA play a role in all of this. They control what is revealed and what they can cover up."

Amir pressed his lips into a thin line. "All I know is that we're going to work with Ethan to get my family out. No offense to Jamal, but they're all I care about."

"As they should be." Luna walked up to him and brought her arms around his waist, then laid her head on his right shoulder. "I take it you weren't cool with me practically wearing nothing when we go see Titus?"

His brows furrowed. "Heck no. I don't care how they run that club. My wife will be wearing something more presentable than what they want."

"Good," was all she said, and then let go, stepping away toward the window.

As Amir stayed still, quiet, watching her take down a white curtain, he finally opened his mouth. "What are you doing, Moon?"

She chuckled. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to make a hijab."

Bringing the curtain to the table, she looked around for a pair of scissors and the sewing kit she spotted earlier. When she looked up, she noticed Amir hadn't moved and continued to stare in her direction. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're about to make a head covering out of a curtain," he uttered slowly.

She smiled. "Why not? Since they don't provide any at the main house, and I can't go to the city for one, I'll create one myself. It's cheaper, anyway."

When she wasn't looking, he caught her by surprise and scooped her up, then placed her on the couch. Leaning forward, he gave her a fiery kiss, a kiss that left her quivering under his touch.

As she stared back at him, his eyes glowed a soft caramel color, and she knew, just like their heartbeats, his emotions mirrored hers.

He wanted her now.

"Baby, ahem, there is a window open," she said, and he laughed in the crook of her neck. "Anyone could see inside, and that's not something we want."

Glancing over his shoulder, and then back at her, he said, "Let's go upstairs." He wiggled his brows.

"What's . . . what's with you suddenly?"

His neck arched. "Don't you realize it, yet? You're the most extraordinary person I've ever met. Here you are, about to create hijabs out of curtains. I applaud you."

"What's so astonishing about that?"

"Moon, you care about how you look in public. You told Ethan hell no to wearing something skimpy for a club. And now you want to wear something from my culture. You amaze me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Well, I love them, and I respect who you are. I haven't worn one since we were on the highway."

"You . . . you wore a scarf?" She nodded, and he continued. "I saw the video images and didn't see one on you."

"Oh, that's probably because it didn't stay on me for long. We were pushing people out of our way trying to get to somewhere safe."

"Oh, right."

"It's okay, baby. Your memories will come back to you. Just have to give yourself some time."

He chortled and cupped her cheek. "If they don't, that's okay. As long as I can remember us like this, not letting go of what we have."

One hand was over his chest, and the other roamed along his shoulder. "Never."

"Never," he repeated.

He moved forward and eased between her legs.

Her breath was coming in short gasps. "It's getting a little hot in here."

"Uh-huh. And you know why," he insinuated, a small grin appearing on his lips. "I can feel it. Your heart is . . . ahem . . . racing."

And he was so right.

But was sex something they should be doing right now? She wasn't sure. She just knew there were so many things happening and her mind was still on making her head covering. She didn't want to go out to an unknown place and wear something revealing. That would be a disgrace to their marriage, and she couldn't bear it.

Not thinking anymore or worrying about what tomorrow will bring, her hands were now on his lower stomach. His muscles were firm underneath his shirt. Sliding her fingers to his sides, she grasped his smooth brown skin. "Mmm, both of our hearts are pounding."

"They're in sync."

She smiled and nodded at his touch, holding him to her chest.

"God, looking at you is like looking at a beautiful canvas of art. I can't look away."

Snorting and not meaning to, she replied, "Those are some crazy pick-up lines."

He scoffed. "It wasn't a pickup line, Mrs. Khan. It was the truth."

Before she could respond or even give thought to what she wanted moments ago, their lips met. Her brain clicked off as her fingers caressed his body, and . . . and oh, God, his kisses were deep, scorching her lips as his hands cupped her chin, pushing himself toward her.

"Being with you," he said, breaking the kiss, "is like winning the lottery and getting millions of dollars immediately. My heart and soul collided with an iceberg, and instead of bringing me down, it has kept me afloat."

She smiled at his admission as he pulled her against him.

He kissed her like he was a man starving for oxygen, taking long, breathless drafts. His teeth caught her lower lip when he attempted to back away. But then, he moved in closer, coming back for more. A heady mix of emotions fluttered inside her. Their connection was growing by the minute, and there was no use in avoiding doing what they wanted. Even though she wasn't comfortable with an open window, she still couldn't help herself. When his hand inched under her shirt, it was as if he reached deep inside her soul and healed her entire body, filling every dark space within her with the warmth of a single touch.  

Brushing up against him, kissing him, was like having a fever. Her soul was on fire. Her body burned, and the world around them was in flames. Sparks flew as his body was on hers.

She moaned deeply.

There was a POP! and a CRASH!

The smell of burnt sulfur filled the room. Amir hopped up quickly, breathing heavily. Over his shoulder, she saw thin strips of smoke wafting from the microwave area where a package of popcorn sat. Her stomach turned, realizing their powers had expanded. "God, is that going to happen every time we kiss?"

He straightened himself, then offered a hand out for her. "I hope not."

She gathered herself and dashed over to the kitchen, spotting a fully popped bag of popcorn. "I can't believe this. I always burn the popcorn."

He chuckled at her joke and leaned forward, pulling the bag apart. "It's not that bad," he said after taking a bite. "I think I could live on anything you burn."

She shot him a dirty look, scowling. "I'm glad you can. Get used to it."

As she grabbed a towel to clean the mess, he reached for her hips and lifted her onto the edge of the counter, easing her down gently. "Is that so bad, baby?"

She raised a brow. "No, but I will warn you. You'll need to keep up with me. I can be a little . . . high maintenance."

He snickered. "I'll remember that."

"But seriously, though. That scared me."

"It . . . scared me, too," he admitted. "I thought for sure they threw something into the kitchen."

"They didn't, it seems." She glanced around just to be certain. "But something did crash. I heard it."

His brow raised. "Do you think we . . . did something?"

She shrugged. "Probably."

"It sounded like it came from upstairs," he said, his eyes shifting toward the railing.

"Why don't you look around down here, and I'll go check up there," she suggested, and he nodded.

Taking three steps at a time, Luna stopped at the bedroom and peered her gaze toward the corner. There wasn't anything inside the bookcase aside from the Bible and a vase with flowers in it.

Glancing downstairs, she yelled, "I found it!"

"What was it, Moon?" he replied sounding like he was near the front door.

"The bookcase!"

"Seriously?" he said, making his way up the steps. Halting at the doorway, he spotted it and busted out laughing. "When I heard that our abilities were merged, I didn't think we could cause bookcases to fall over."

Strolling toward the bookcase, she leaned down to lift it back into place.

Rushing forward to help, he said, "You know, you don't have to move it by yourself. Someone else is here."

"I need to, Amir. If I'm ever in a situation I can't get out of, I need to try things for myself. It's the only way we learn."

After settling it against the wall, she wiped her hands on a nearby towel. "So . . ." she whispered.

"Yeah . . ." he murmured.

"Welp, this is us, baby. A pair who can move a bookcase without actually touching it." She smiled a little, and then turned to him. "That's normal, right?"

He chuckled, then threw an arm around her waist, holding her close to his body. A hand graced her cheek as he drew her into a deep and saturated kiss. Their mouths stayed locked, slowly moving toward the bed. Her knees buckled as they hit the mattress. All his other kisses had been sweet, mind-blowing, and hungry, but this kiss was something raw and different. All she wanted to do was keep going, feel his soul urge with desperation from each taste, and give him anything he needed. She wanted him to get her off and feel their hot temptation take over but now didn't feel right. Mostly because of what happened with the popcorn and the bookcase, but also because her mind was cluttered with leaving the property.

She kept thinking, "What if they were put to sleep and didn't wake up?"

She didn't think about that possibility until she saw the bookcase lying on the floor. It made her question how strong her connection is with Amir and what if they cause something else to malfunction. It was agonizing to hold back her desires, but she needed to. She didn't know what else could go wrong.

Amir moved over her, his body adjusting between her legs. She stayed quiet and just looked at him as she grasped his shoulders.

"What is it, Moon?"

She turned away for a moment. "I was thinking we should slow down."

"I had the same thought. I. . . ahem . . . was close to making both of us . . . well, you know."

He laid a soft kiss atop her hairline and rolled onto his side. "The force is strong."

She smiled and chuckled in his embrace.

Moistening his lips, he turned to her. "Have I ever told you I love your smile? Doesn't matter. I'm going to tell you that again and again for as long as I live. I love your smile."

"And I love yours," she told him. "Also, I'm sorry."

Amir rose on his elbow. "For what, milady?"

"For being a tease and ruining the moment."

"Hey," he uttered, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm not complaining. It's all right."

"But it's not, Amir." Swinging her legs off the bed, she met his gaze and asked, "Do you know why I wanted us to . . . stop?"

"Not particularly, but I can guess. And you don't have to explain it. It's whatever you want to do."

"It's because of our abilities, Amir. Something is happening between us and we're growing stronger."

He frowned. "And that's a bad thing?"

"No, but something feels off. Since we've been together, we've never cooked a bag of popcorn like that."

"Or got so intimate and made the bookcase tumble," he added, snickering.

She scowled at his remark.

"I'm kidding."

"I'm not. This is serious, A. We need to get a handle on both of our powers."

"Then, that's what we will do," he said. "As much as we need to hold off on growing closer, we should figure them out as one. That's what pairs do."

Luna nodded and held his hand, then glanced at her feet. On the floor, her eyes spotted the Bible opened, faced down. Picking it up, a sudden tremor spread through her spine as she read the first verse.

'In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.'

"The Book of Genesis," she whispered.

Her fingers tightened over the edges of the book, and her breath caught.

"Baby, what is it?" he asked.

"I just . . . I don't know," she mumbled, barely getting the words out. "When the Bible fell, it landed on the first verse."

"Hm. That's . . . strange."

"No, Amir. It's a sign."

"I'm not following."

"I have this feeling that . . ." She trailed off, trying to figure out what she was missing. It had to be a sign. She was sure of it, but she was unsure what it was.

Turning her gaze back to him, her lips twitched into a smile as his hand ran — A boom, like a sonic clap of thunder, struck somewhere outside, rattling the bones inside her body. It wasn't a normal sound of thunder, but a sound of a cannon going off. Tiny hairs on her arms rose as she threw herself off the bed and darted quickly toward the window, forgetting all pretenses of staying away from glass. 

One after another, trees that once surrounded Dr. Kim's home kept falling, and she was horrified the moment a streak of light lit up the backyard. It was still mid-day, but the light from that beam shone so brightly, that it was like gazing at a star. It nearly blinded her.

Then, a window near the back of the house cracked, and the screams . . . the screams of whoever was inside had gotten louder, snapping with terror as the windows exploded. Shards of glass sprung everywhere, hitting the grass and pavement.

"Oh, God," she gasped, a lump stuck in her throat.

They were everywhere, dozens of them, with black diamonds sewed on the sleeves of white shirts. She sensed their dark aura from the top floor and trembled.

Her mouth dropped as the realization came upon her.

The Defectives were striking.

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And . . . BOOM! Aaah, more revelations to come. Now, about that Bible verse, I solely put it into the story for spiritual and character-building purposes. There is a hidden message behind it, as well as the previous verse portrayed. But I'm not giving them away. Luna was right, though. She trusted her instinct. #charactergrowth. Thank you for tuning in, Tethered Readers! I love every one of you!
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