Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

{Book Two} 92 | Confrontation ⚜

∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

Chapter 22

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• Luna •

Ethan had a confident air about him as he strolled inside once she opened the door. But it was nothing on Amir's predatory stare or the cocky smile he was wearing that instant. It was purely voracious and deadly.

Luna wasn't sure if meeting right now was a good idea.

"Evil," Amir drawled out, gripping his fork.

"I deserve that. Call me evil."

Amir choked on his potatoes. "I thought that was your name. Sorry."

Ethan shifted his eyes, giving him a go-to-hell look. Making himself comfortable across from them, he eyed Luna. "Hi, Moon."

Amir stiffened. A smile was still on his face, but his words were like frigid winds. "You don't call her that. Ever."

There was no stopping Iron Man when he came out to play, but she tapped him on his thigh under the table. Her husband didn't care.

"It's an old habit to break."

"Old habit?" Amir said, drawing her in closer.

She relaxed calmly. "Guys, stop. Let's get on with this. Where are Kai and the Khans?"

Ethan's gaze slid to Amir, and then back to her. "They're —"

A current of energy coursed through her fingers and shot across the table, shocking him in the shoulder. He twitched with a hiss, his eyes narrowing on Amir's plate.

"I hope that's enough for you to give us the answers we need," she said in a deep, scorching tone. "There's more where that came from."

Amir smiled.

"Look, you two, I know. You don't have to intimidate me." Ethan's voice dripped defiance. "You're just wasting your time when we can have a civil discussion."

"Shocking you as much as you shocked me is not wasting my time, sergeant. Payback's a bitch."

Amir squeezed her shoulder and then jumped up, bringing his plate to the sink. He'd only eaten half of his meal and that concerned her. She wanted him to eat everything, but their guest was making things harder to indulge in his food.

When she caught Ethan's stare, again, she demanded, "Where are they?"

"If I revealed that information, I'd have to trust that you two wouldn't chop up my body and bury the pieces in the backyard."

Luna rolled her eyes. "Trust is something earned."

"And we don't trust you," Amir spewed out.

"Touché."

She huffed. "Amir and I can find his family ourselves."

He drew in a long breath. "I don't blame you for not trusting me. I've given you no reason to except for the fact that I haven't told Dr. Kim about his healing abilities."

"And I'm grateful that you've been keeping it a secret," she said. "I still can't get over the fact that your children are their puppets."

Ethan's jaw worked. "I hate it, too. I'm hoping to free them as soon as I can. They also have Jamal, so there are four lives I care about that are in danger."

"Who's Jamal?" Amir asked.

"That's his husband," Luna answered, and Amir nodded.

"They believe they've got me. I drank their Kool-Aid and will do anything for them because the people I love is in their possession. That's farther from the truth."