Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

{Book Three} 170 | Battlefield

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

Chapter 44

━━─── • ───━━━

• Luna •

Too much emotion was swirling inside Luna. Like a typhoon, she was about to wreak mayhem. Noise and sensory stimulation made her feel out of control.

Windows broke seconds earlier.

Her mother died.

The Earth's axis tilted. All because of control. It was nothing new. Nothing different. She could wager that everyone in the world would think it was crazy, ridiculous control, and was used to it like her. Control changed everything.

There was no genuine reason behind it. It was irrational. Tahir was also resentful.

She chastised him.

He ran toward the front door without blinking. Luna pulled the modified Glock's butt behind her. It happened so fast. She aimed as men around her shouted.

She knew they couldn't catch Tahir if he crossed the front door. They'd have to restart their search since he'd never be held accountable.

She didn't know the monster. She wasn't interested. Amir's memories had shown her his sliminess. The unfriendly man judged her husband's lifestyle a year before. He ordered Amir to create "miracle formula" serums for BARDA. Tahir hid his true self from everybody.

Luna pointed the gun toward Mr. Malik's head with her thumb on the trigger. A pop followed her squeezing.

It was over in two seconds.

Tahir Malik fell on the floor face first.

Dead.

She learned too late that someone else shot him. Elizabeth's death would have been slower and more painful. She muttered, "Tahir was lucky." In a flash, he wasn't breathing anymore.

She only noticed Amir glancing at her and the strange men turning to face them through their shields when she laid down her weapon.

Her enemy died.

She was pleased.

Superhumans died differently. Tahir died without a light show. He died on Earth like the souls he hated—the soul he was. He had ancestors who were tethered. Did he hate himself? Did Luna really care? It didn't matter now.

She gasped. Her body froze and heated.

One guard turned and touched his helmet. After static, he said, "I see them."

She discovered he wasn't talking about the two dead bodies inside the house as the halo flashed from the outside, directly at them. She wasn't sure who these men were or if they were part of Legion. All she knew was that they came in the nick of time.

"Let's go!" screamed a SWAT member.

Several soldiers passed through windows. She tried to show them the door with her hand, but Amir snatched it.

Backing off, Luna grabbed the weapon.

"Moon . . ."

She looked at Tahir to her mother's body as shouts came from the yard. Early morning light seemed to hit at an angle. Amir murmured while looking between her and everybody else. He stared at her and the others.