Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

{Book Three} 154 | Uninvited

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 28

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• Luna •

They've slowly turned you and me against each other.

Luna wasn't sure how to respond to BARDA's plan to follow them, get Amir to fight a Defective named Eric, and try to separate her from her husband. It was unsettling how he spoke about it, how honest and fierce he was. The whole hunting thing had been thrust upon her after she found she could become a Trojan, a human programmed to kill others.

Being around him now didn't feel the same. It was like having a ticking time bomb in the front seat, waiting to go off.

Amir had killed people already, but it was in self-defense. She had faith that he would resist the urge to be destructive, and he had confidence that she would do the same. She just hoped that they could both keep their emotions under control and get past this temporary setback.

Greer woke up from his two-hour nap, and the three of them stopped for a minute to eat before continuing on their way to the cabin. Luna ate most of her food soon after Amir pulled up to the house in the woods, which was part of a large resort. Tall trees. She could see the glitter on the driveway and in the corners of the two-story high rise even at night.

"Tanzanite," Greer chuckled. "Clever idea. Eric brought it in because there are no natural deposits available. It prevents others from detecting us and disrupts their wavelengths."

Stepping out of the car, she looked at the tiny flecks shimmering in the evening light. "They're pretty."

How many times could she have overlooked something like this? When Amir pulled a suitcase from the back, she turned to look at the scattered trees crowding the driveway.

"What are you doing?" she asked, meeting his stare.

"I'm going to get some," Amir replied.

"We could stay for the night since it appears that this area is closed off and the electricity is on," Greer suggested.

After letting go of the bag, Amir shook his head and rested his hands on his hips. "I don't know about that. Anyone could drop by."

"Who?" Greer snickered when he stood under a porch light, waving his arms around. "I'm pretty sure Eric won't be back until the morning, and we won't be able to meet Zander until eight. It's not even midnight."

Luna shifted her gaze to Amir and smiled softly. "I think we should stay. Just overnight. No more."

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head before returning his attention to her. "It's still not a good idea. I gave Eric enough sleeping tablets to keep him down until tomorrow night. I'm sure whoever he contacts will be wondering about his whereabouts."

"I didn't think about that," Luna said. "But we'll keep an eye out for any unusual activity."

"Nobody's here, right?" Greer pointed out, and Amir nodded.

"According to Eric's memories, no one comes out here after sundown."

"Then let's stay for one night. It can't hurt us," Greer continued.

"Yeah," Luna said, nearing her husband and reaching for his hand. "We don't have any other options, and we don't want to risk encountering another bounty."

Amir inhaled a deep breath, then nodded. "Okay. If that's what you want, we should get some rest."

"How do you feel around the stones, by the way?" Greer asked, and Amir's smile brightened.