∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 25

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• Luna •

Luna's stomach dropped. She kept rubbing her eyes with a dirty fist, trying to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Shooting her gaze toward a Defective's gold necklace, it froze on the nape of his neck as his body was hunched. Her breath pawned at her chest, not quite making it out.

I stopped time.

That was me.

Panic and power rushed through her, leaving her breathless. Anxiety raced down her spine as her eyes traveled the backyard. Droplets from a sprinkler were stuck in midair. And the garden that was settled behind Dr. Kim's home was no longer beautiful because a body was thrown into it. Tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose, and her heart raced. Their battle was literally a fight to the death, and she and Amir's lives were in danger.

"Luna!" a voice yelled from behind her back.

Her eyes widen, and she turned, hoping she wasn't imagining hearing someone speak. Everyone within a ten-foot radius was frozen, except for one person.

Lily came running forward, her brown hair falling around her face. Her aura was calm and sweet, not at all sadistic.

"Oh my God," she huffed, looking over Luna's injuries. "You're okay."

She stared at the scene, her eyes wide with shock? Fear? Excitement? Luna didn't know. Her friend stepped to the side and lifted her gaze.

"How did this happen?"

"I'm not sure," she said, helping Luna up. "But I think it may have something to with you saving the little girl earlier."

Luna whipped her head toward the garage and then back to her. "You saw that?"

She nodded. "The second I sensed Dark Souls in the area, I cloaked myself."

"Dark Souls?"

She cleared her throat. "The people who attacked you are the dark ones. There were around two hundred of them at St. Matthew's and they escaped the facility shortly after you exposed yourself." She took a breath and glanced at the guest house. "This was Dr. Kim's compound. He had several of them inside."

"Jesus."

"This rivalry has been going on long before you were born. Maybe even before Amir's time."

When the sun peeked through thick clouds, Luna asked, "How are you walking around and not frozen like everybody else?"

"Probably because of this," she said, pulling her hair to the side to reveal a silver infinity pin on her collar. "It has tellurium in it. It's a type of element that shadows Tethered Souls' abilities."

"So, it can make you immune to another person using their powers?"

She chuckled. "Something like that. I was in Dr. Kim's daughter's bedroom when they came rushing in, and I panicked."

Luna's nerves jumped. "They didn't sense you?"

She shook her head, eyes narrowing. "If I wasn't wearing the pin, they probably would have. Max gave it to me before he left, and I've kept it hidden."

"You . . . you know Max?"

She nodded. "I sure do. Staff Sergeant Max Gardner."

After Lily confirmed Luna's question, she realized who she was. "You're his spy?"

"Yep. For eight years now."

Luna's jaw dropped. "You mean to tell me you endured brutal pain because you were spying?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes we have to go to great lengths to get the answers we need."

"Wow," Luna whispered, watching Lily circle Amir's frozen body. "You're brave to put up with them all this time."

"If it wasn't for Max," she began, "I wouldn't have made it. My heart stopped one time, and only he revived me while he was working as a soldier."

"That's crazy what they're doing to everybody," Luna said.

"It is. And they're the ones giving ordinary people superhuman abilities."

Walking around two Defectives, she turned to Luna and murmured, "I've seen people use this kind of power before."

"To freeze people?"

"Yeah. You don't have much time if you want to get out of here alive. Your ability will wear off soon."

"Well, I'm not leaving my husband."

"I didn't say you had to," Lily said, overlooking the Defective next to Amir. "All you need to do is touch him, and he'll move."

"What?"

"Just hold Amir's hand," she insisted, pulling at her arm. "You're paired. He should wake."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes. You need to do it now before it's too late."

Luna walked over to him and reached for his hand, then closed her eyes. A heartbeat later, she opened them and met Amir's stare. "Moon?"

Throwing her arms around his shoulders, she yelped, "Oh my God. I was so scared it wouldn't work."

He let out a nervous chuckle as he wiggled himself away from the Defective who had a grip on his collar.

Glancing at the scene, Amir murmured, "How . . . how . . . how . . . ?"

"Baby, I'll explain later," she said, and his gaze slid to Lily. "But we need to hurry."

Turning to her, with bodies standing in a circle looking like they were about to sing "Kumbaya," Luna asked, "What's the quickest way out of here?"

Amir stayed quiet, his eyes trailing the horrid scene.

"The only way out is through the front gate," she said. "I'll run inside and grab the keys to one of the vans parked out front. They're in good condition."

"I'm still trying to figure out what's going on," Amir uttered, thrusting a hand through his hair. "How were we able to shoot electricity from our hands?"

"You're Pure Souls," Lily answered. "You can absorb anyone's abilities without even thinking about it. Plus, Luna had a little taste of it when she and Chase fought. Your abilities are strengthening, and if both of you want to leave, you need to go now."

Luna and Amir nodded as they sprinted toward the front, keeping an eye out for any movement.

"You only have a few minutes," Lily explained, making her way to a black van. "Once you're on the highway, your ability will fade," she added, looking at Luna.

Luna sniffed as Amir proceeded to check out the back of the van.

"There is something you could do," she commented.

Luna turned back to her as Amir walked around to the front.

"What is that?"

"There's a safe haven I know of that's hidden. Tethered Souls who live there have never been spotted. Not in twenty-five years."

Luna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're saying that we could stay with this group until we meet up with our friends and family?"

Lily nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Yes. They would accept both of you."

"Okay. Where is it?"

"That's the thing, Luna. I could tell you, but you will need to bring something of value to them."

Luna gripped the back of her head, suddenly not liking where this was going. "Let me guess. These people want something more than jewelry or money. Am I correct?"

"Something like that," she said, turning her stare toward the front door. "Chase Marquette."

"Oh, no. You're out of your ever-loving mind if you think we're traveling with Crazy," she remarked, her stomach clenched. "He shouldn't be saved."

"Chase is in his coma and won't wake anytime soon. That'll be your ticket inside if you want to stay somewhere safe. I guarantee you that both of you wouldn't be found there."

"How do you know he won't wake up while we're on the road?"

Lily's lips tipped up, her smile growing darker.

"You took him out with your power. He's not going to wake for a few more weeks or so."

"Oh," Luna whispered.

"Knowing all the shit he's done to others, it was about time someone got him," she added. "Anyway, will you take him to the community?"

Golden rays of sunlight peeked through the remaining trees. Luna didn't want to take Chase anywhere, but it seemed she had no other choice. She and Amir needed a place to hide for a while and that was the best option.

Bringing her gaze back to her, she nodded.
"Yeah. We'll take him."

"Good," Lily replied.

Amir then step forward and asked, "Take who?"

Luna's heart bounced, knowing he wasn't going to be okay with this. "We're going to a safe place for Tethered Souls, and we need a key to get in."

"Okay," he murmured, his brows knitting.

"That means we have to bring Chase with us."

The three of them stayed silent for a moment until Amir stepped backward and shook his head. "Absolutely not."

"Baby, baby," Luna whispered, rushing quickly toward his body and reaching for his hands. "Listen. Chase is asleep. He can't hurt us. We need somewhere to stay and hold out for a bit until our people come. Cami said they were planning to make a trip down here, so this is our best option. Our only option."

"If we take him, then we would have to take Evil, too, and that's even worse."

Lily chuckled. "Who's Evil?"

Luna glanced back at her. "Take your pick. They're all evil." She laughed a little as Amir brought his hands behind his head. "We're talking about Ethan Trent."

"Oh," she murmured. "Why do you need him?"

"Because Ethan knows information about my family," Amir said, gritting the words under his breath.

"But Chase knows where they are," Lily uttered. "He knows everything."

Luna groaned. "He's unavailable, and we need answers now."

"Right," she said. "Then take both guys. Use the ambulance car instead."

"I'm sorry, but I am not lifting Ethan Trent anywhere. He can stay wherever he is," Amir said, biting his lip.

"I'm pretty sure he'll wake up before Chase will, and both of you can get it out of him about your family, Amir."

He kicked the ground, causing dirt to float into the air. "Lily, I can't . . ." When he spoke, his voice was cracked. "Where is he?"

"Ethan is unconscious in the bathroom near the kitchen, and Chase is . . ." She stopped when he shifted his facial expression from being irritated to don't-even-finish-that-sentence.

But she continued and turned her gaze to Luna. "He's in the first bedroom on the right. It's past the living room."

"I swear if he wakes up while we're heading there, I will not hesitate to kill him," Amir remarked. "I hoped the Defectives got to him and Dr. Kim."

"Dr. Kim is still alive," Lily said, and Luna and Amir brought their attention to her.

"He is?" she asked, and Lily nodded. "There must be around fifty Defectives here and not a single one killed Dr. Kim?"

"You see," she said stepping down from the top step, "they were after the people he held in here. Once they retrieved them, their next plan was to grab the doctor and hang his head on a stake. Then make a video recording of it to show the rest of the Defectives. The whole group of them are in every corner of the world, and they all have a score to settle."

"That's freaking insane," Luna murmured. "Why were they after Origins and patients?"

"Origins are the root of all evil to them. They were born with abilities when they weren't supposed to, and Dr. Kim brought most of his fresh batch of Origins here," she answered. "And as for any patients they found, well, they took extra precautions to make sure no one was alive."

"They're sick," Amir seethed. "They could've killed us."

They were quiet for a few moments until Luna's ability started to wear off. A male Defective from the side of the house moved, and she panicked.

"Crap," she whispered, turning toward Lily. "He just coughed."

"Okay, don't freak out," she said. "You just have to hurry."

"All right," Luna said, holding Amir's sweaty palm.

"I'll run inside and grab a map, and then write down the directions to the estate," she told them. "Amir could come inside and grab the guys. And Luna, you should grab water bottles, can goods, weapons, and anything else you can find, then bring them to the car. You don't have much time."

"How long do you think we have?"

"Probably about a minute. You can use your ability again after twenty-four hours," Lily explained.

"How do you know that?" Amir asked.

"I've been undercover with this organization for a long time, and I've seen things that would make your head spin," she said. "The tests they performed on Tethered Souls who can freeze time were more heinous than you could possibly imagine. One of the tests showed that patients could only keep their ability active for fifteen minutes, and only between twenty-four hours. When they forced them to do more, the Tethered Soul had ended up putting themselves into a coma and sometimes never regaining consciousness again."

• • •

There was only enough time for a quick bathroom and water break before Luna and Amir piled into the front seat of the ambulance car, with Chase and Ethan in the back.

Driving her ex around, again, was something she hadn't done in months. It wasn't the happiest moment of her life, but she sucked it up and put the key into the ignition.

Lily stood at the driver's side window, with a map and a crumbled piece of paper in her hand. "Here are the directions. It's a place called 'Salvation Estate.' It's right outside of Belle Chasse. At the gate, ask for Dominique Hale. She'll guide you in. And tell her I sent you. You have until sundown, and then they close the entrance."

Luna nodded. "Aren't you coming with us, Lily?"

She shook her head. "No. I need to stay here and keep tabs on the organization for The Tethered Initiative."

"What's that?"

"It's the name of our resistance," she said, cheerfully. "It was Vikram's idea.

Clever, Vik.

"I like that," Luna said.

"I do, too," she said. "Here is Dr. Kim's credit card. His four-digit passcode is on the back. Fill up on gas as soon as you can, and remember, whatever you do, follow these exact instructions. Don't veer off the route. Your lives depend on it."

"Okay," Luna said, and then climbed out of the car. "Thank you for everything," she murmured as they hugged each other for a moment. "Be careful, Lily."

"You too, guys. And toss the credit card into the trash after you use it. They could track you."

Luna sighed and nodded.

"We need to move," Amir said, turning his head toward the ladies as he sat in the passenger seat.

"I'll connect to you when it's safe," she told her, and Luna smiled.

She turned around and hopped back into the vehicle and started the car.

Holding Amir's hand in hers, his tightened as they drove past several guards and Defectives still frozen in their place, finally crossing the damaged gate. Each motion took them closer to freedom, and her heart picked up, as did his.

And then they were on pavement, under a deep blue sky. She took a right turn and looked up for a second, observing a few clouds forming over the house, becoming darker. She wanted to cry because they were leaving.

They were finally free.

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