Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

69 | Distant

• Luna •

[ P A R T  S I X ]

━━━─── • ───━━━

Fighting her way through the fog of unconsciousness, Luna's brain was slowly coming back to life. Lying still for several minutes, she was surprised she could sense Amir was close by as if the serum she was given hadn't destroyed their connection. A faint sensation was running through her body, but it was there.

A dull ache settled in her elbow, and a faint throbbing was staggering in her forehead. Confusion and worry swirled inside her as she replayed those terrifying moments with Chase. 

Her heart sped up as she remembered seeing Amir, standing on a hill, looking down below at her, and then getting hit by a dart, one that could have been laced with anything as he was loaded onto a gurney. But then . . . everything was blank after that. She'd woken up next to their shared nemesis.

Does Chase have him? She hoped not. However, knowing him, she couldn't put it past him.

Just thinking that he was in Chase's stronghold made it feel like a fist had seized her heart. She knew deep down, in the back of her mind, that he was ready to experiment on both of them. 

Sarah . . .

Taking a deep breath, Luna sprung her eyes open and immediately turned to her side. Two gray eyes stared back into hers, framed with false lashes. All at once, she was brought back to her first day at St. Matthew's, the morning she realized her ex wasn't who she thought he was—when he'd pushed himself on her, despite her saying no. She'd woken up to find Nurse Julia Smith writing something in her notepad.

Just like now.

Perched in a rocking chair next to the bed, she sat with her legs pinched together and the notepad in her lap. A curtain of brown hair fell over her shoulders in tiny curls. 

Julia gazed over at Luna, emotionless, the same way she had many times before. But something was different about her. She seemed . . . pretentious.

Throat dry, Luna swallowed. "Nurse Smith." 

Eyebrows arched. "Luna."

Unease rose at the thought of what was coming next for her. The sound of the nurse's voice didn't settle well, as it was colder and flat. Luna's instincts warned her to tread carefully with her next move.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were injected with the wrong serum," Julia said. "Because we wouldn't want that to happen." 

"What serum did you think I received?" 

"Oh, I don't know. We have a sleep serum, a serum that is susceptible to mind control, and my favorite, a memory serum." Her lips curved into a devilish grin with the last one, and Luna's stomach turned. "I thought I had accidentally given you the sleep serum. You hadn't woken for days." 

Blinking slowly, Luna glanced around at her surroundings. She didn't recognize the tan walls or framed photographs of 18th-century figures. None of the furniture seemed familiar, but she still released a sigh, realizing she wasn't in a hospital. 

Moving her legs up and away from Nurse Smith, she tried to swallow as she glanced at the opened door beside a large antique dresser. "I'm . . . I'm thirsty." 

"And?"

Luna's gaze shifted back to her, snarling in her view. 

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Her eyes rolled as she crossed her legs and made herself more comfortable in her seat. "You expect me to pad down to the kitchen and get you a drink?" She laughed, and Luna's eyebrows pulled down. "You'll live."