Affirmation: THE STARS THAT BIND US, #4

By Asali Wilson

Caught in a fusion reactor explosion, Moira is paralyzed from the waist down. But her memories are also not the same. Is she who she thinks she is? Moira Pearce is an artist and sculptor. Covert operations involving keycards, ear mics, and contact lens; cameras are definitely out of her wheelhouse. But when her sister needs help, she doesn't hesitate. Angie works on highly sensitive projects at Innovate Corp, military-grade technology. When she collapses at her desk, it's time to move on. Still sick, Angie sends Moira to her office to retrieve some classified documents. It's time to find a new job. But when a fusion reactor explodes with Moira in the lab, her life changes forever. Moira wakes up days later in a hospital to find that she is paralyzed from the waist down and that some aspects of her life are not quite as she remembers them. Is she even who she thinks she is? Can Moira discover the truth before it's too late for Angie and her? Will she ever recover from her injuries? Order your copy now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Asali Wilson
• Release date: Oct 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393763987

Asali Wilson

Asali Wilson writes fiction centered in the contemporary, surrounded by fantasy and the paranormal. Fueled by long nights and whirlwind days, we have this story to devour. "Somehow, in the sleep-deprived haze that is being a working mother, I found the time to write my first book." As a child, Asali voraciously read crime and sci-fi literature, inspired by the likes of JRR Tolkien, Arthur C. Clark, and Terry Brooks. "Through the years, I have escaped in the wonder of the written word; reading helped me to cope with the challenges of life and dream big dreams." Asali lives with her family in Oslo, Norway. When not writing, you can find her dabbling in film, and investing, and, of course, investigating the newest advances in AI.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Miss Pearce.

I heard my name called from a distance and turned to find Bay across the street from my apartment building, leaning against his grey hatchback. He waved casually at me, checked for oncoming traffic before jogging across the road and stopping at the bottom of the steps where I had been searching through my handbag for my keys.

What are you doing here? I hissed, a little flustered at being accosted at home. This was supposed to be my safe space, even more so than the community centre.

I took a page out of your playbook, he said with an unexpected coy smile, some things are best left off phone calls.

I would have returned his smile if I had any energy left in me but, after the day I’d just had, all I wanted to do was take a long hot shower, crawl into bed and hug myself to sleep. The only reason I was standing there and not tucked away at Angie’s place was because I was worried about the harm I could potentially cause Marc if I stayed with them. If I was absorbing tantalum, I didn’t know if I was also emitting it and I didn’t want my nephew to suffer the consequences.

Well? I asked irritably, turning and taking a step towards the building’s glazed entrance door. What do you want? I thought you weren’t keen on helping me anymore. As far as I was concerned, whatever Bay had to say was probably inconsequential compared to all I had learned from Preya. Unless he knew of a way to safely cause another radioactive explosion.

I think you might be in danger.

I had been expecting another silly accusation from him and certainly not that piece of information, so I spun around to ask him what he meant. My movement was so sudden, I missed my footing on the step I had just climbed onto and felt my body teetering backwards as I tried in vain to steady myself. Just as I was sure I was going to hit the ground, Bay lunged forward and caught me, pulling my body against his for support.

For a moment, I let him hold me against his chest as I caught my breath. I couldn’t remember the last time a man had held me so closely and, to my shame, I found myself enjoying the warmth of his firm body against mine just a tad bit too much. Surprisingly, Bay didn’t let go even after a few seconds, so we stood there, feeling each other’s heartbeats pounding against our chests. I realised the longer I leaned against him, the more a sense of serenity seeped through my body.

That thought forced my eyes to snap open. The calming effect washing over me had to be because of the proximity of the tantalum in his jaw. Like the bracelet, close contact with it must have been messing with my system. Remembering what happened after I had worn the bracelet for only a few minutes, I reluctantly pulled away and tried not to blush at the unmasked heat in Bay’s eyes. He certainly hadn’t been holding on because of the tantalum; I doubted the effect worked both ways. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how long I would have let him hold me if my memories hadn’t snapped me back to reality.

Thank you, I said, taking a guarded step back as I wondered how to make the situation less awkward. Good thing you’ve got great reflexes.

Are you okay? he asked quietly, instead of entertaining my small talk. You look a bit pale.

I’ll be fine, I just need to sit down for a minute.

I could come back at a better time, he offered, although he looked uncertain.

Not if you think I’m in danger, I insisted, really curious to hear why he had come all the way there.

I’m sure it can wait…

Or you could come in with me. Even as the words left my lips, I had no idea why I offered to let him in. In spite of everything that had transpired between us, he was still a stranger. Yes, he knew far too much about my life, but he was a stranger nonetheless.

The stunned expression on Bay’s face was proof he had also been caught off guard by my offer. It’s fine, I should have…

"It’s really okay, I’ll put a kettle on and you can tell me what’s on your mind. Surely, it’ll