Taboo (A Tale of the Talhari Book 1) (2 page)

Beside her, Cora stepped back, grabbed onto Sydney’s hand and forced Sydney to move with her. “Run!” Cora screamed.

The creature was quickly closing the space separating them. From this distance Sydney could see that whatever the thing was, it definitely wasn’t human. But neither did it resemble any animal she’d ever seen. It was large and erect like a man, but its back was slightly hunched, its arms swinging straight by its sides as it ran. The skin, if that’s what it had, seemed to glimmer in the lamplight.

No, whatever this was, it wasn’t human.

She turned, squeezed Cora’s hand, and ran. She thanked God when Cora matched her step for step. She also thanked God for all those early morning runs they’d done together.

Sydney stared out ahead, saw the cobblestone street was littered with small rocks and shallow dips.

She looked over her shoulder. The creature was within a few feet of catching them. She could see its face fully now, grotesque and twisted. It had overly large eyes, a forked nose and a mouth that looked like a cross between a muzzle and human lips.

Sydney screamed. They couldn’t outrun this thing. It was too fast.

Almost as soon as she’d had that thought, Cora was jerked away from her.

The creature had gotten a hold of Cora’s coat. Cora was screaming and flailing, trying to free herself.

Sydney wanted to pull the coat from Cora, but Cora’s arms were wind-milling. Sydney couldn’t get close enough.

The thing roared when Cora elbowed it in the face.

That was when everything went to hell.

Chapter Two

Sydney kicked it as hard as she could, hoping to hurt it. But its hand whipped out so fast she couldn’t dodge it. The blow caught her on the side of the face. She felt herself go airborne, then she crashed onto the ground. Air whooshed out of her on impact. Pain shot from her lower spine up to her shoulders. Bits of gravel and grime cut into the palms of her hands where she tried to catch herself.

She was hurt. But the sound of Cora screaming made her force herself to her knees.

The creature had thrown Cora to the ground. The beast bent down and slashed out with its claws. Blood sprayed from Cora’s throat. Cora grabbed for the wound, her mouth hanging open in surprise. But she didn’t scream.

“No!” Sydney said, forcing herself to her feet.

The creature grabbed Cora by the throat, lifted her, then threw her into a parked car.

Bones snapped when Cora hit. Then Cora slid, boneless, to the ground like a rag doll. Her leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, her arm clearly broken.

The thing roared.

“You son of a bitch,” Sydney screamed, then ran at the creature.

The beast cawed.

Sydney ran toward it. Toward her friend. She had no idea what she’d do once she caught it, all she knew was that she couldn’t let Cora die. She’d tackle the thing, kick it, beat it, do whatever she had to. She would not let it kill Cora.

“Cora!”

Cora lay, arms and legs splayed. It was like she was giving herself to the monster.

The creature knelt over Cora, lapping the blood that spilled down her throat.

“Cora!”

Ten feet separated them, then five, then something slammed into Sydney.

She fell to the side and landed on the concrete. Something landed on top of her. It was so heavy she couldn’t move, could barely breathe.

Moisture from the ground wet the right side of her face. It seeped through her coat and into her sweater.

“Don’t move,” a masculine voice said.

Then the weight was gone.

The man who stepped away from her was tall and broad. His hair fell over his shoulders in a golden curtain. In the lamplight his skin seemed as luminescent as his hair. His muscles bunched as he walked toward the creature. He held some sort of weapon, a sword or machete or something, she couldn’t tell. Then he leapt into the air, so high she thought he topped the trees, then he landed beside the beast.

The creature squawked in surprise as it turned on him. “Alaric!”

Sydney sat up and nearly cried out a warning, but the man was ready. He punched the creature.

Sydney blinked. Had she seen that right?

The monster fell back, roaring.

The man followed it, bringing the sword down and across its throat.

The beast’s head flew to the right as its body slowly subsided onto the ground in front of the man.

The man stood there, staring down at the thing. Then slowly, inexplicably, the creature turned to dust. It disappeared. Like it had never been there.

Four people landed beside the man. Landed, as though they’d been flying seconds before. Two men and two women. They were at a distance so she couldn’t make them out, but she could see both men were tall, like the one who’d knocked her down. There was a dark haired woman, who was also tall, and a black woman who looked to be a little taller than Sydney.

“Do a scan of the area and make sure it’s the only one,” the man said to his companions.

“What about her?” the raven-haired woman asked.

He turned to face Sydney and her breath caught at the sight of his face. He was beautiful. He was far too perfect to be an ordinary man. Then she snorted at that thought. Watching him jump twenty feet into the air was as clear an indicator as any that he was no ordinary man.

“I’ll take care of her,” he was saying. “I want this place wiped clean. No one can know what happened here.” He paused. “Anyone else harmed?”

The woman shook her head. “No.”

“I’ll take care of her.” He started toward Sydney. “The girl was actually running at it,” he said over his shoulder, “like she meant to fight it.”

The dark haired female smiled. “A human with spirit. I like that.”

Sydney tried to stand but found her legs wouldn’t support her. So much for having spirit.

“I’ve got you,” he said, bending and lifting her into his arms.

“Who—what are you?”

“I’m Alaric. Where do you live?”

Sydney sputtered.

“Where do you live?”

“Rivermont. But what about my friend?”

“Your friend is gone. I’m sorry.”

“Dead?”

He nodded. Still cradling her, he took a step forward, another step, a third, and then he was running.

The air whipped past her face so fast she had to close her eyes or risk losing a contact lens.

She knew this couldn’t be possible. Nobody could run so fast. The only logical explanation was that she’d hit her head when she’d fallen and knocked herself out. She was probably laid on the ground right now, unconscious. But that wouldn’t have been good either. That would have meant she was a sitting duck for the monster that had come out of the trees.

When Alaric slowed, she opened her eyes.

She cried out when she saw they were in Rivermont. He was standing in the parking lot beside Magnolia Foods. She could smell the delicious aromas rising from the restaurants, see people walking along the sidewalk, talking and laughing. A couple walked a dog. Teenaged girls giggled. It was all very normal for a Thursday night in Rivermont.

“But how?” she said.

“Tell me, where’s your home?”

Again, she sputtered.

“Your home?”

“A few blocks up on Pershing,” she said, pointing straight ahead.

“Can you walk?”

“I can.”

“I’d carry you but we’d attract too much attention and I don’t want anyone to notice us.”

She stared him up and down from his gorgeous face, long golden hair and black tee-shirt and cargo pants to his combat boots. The clothes were snug and displayed a body that would have made Mother Teresa stare. He looked like a model turned para-military soldier.

“You’ll attract attention.”

He frowned down at her then set her on her feet. “Let’s walk. Briskly, though.”

They joined the pedestrians on the sidewalk, walking past restaurants and shops as though nothing odd had happened this night. She could tell he was trying to look normal, like they were out for a stroll, but he wasn’t going unnoticed.

“Hold my hand. It’ll make us blend.”

She offered her hand and he took it.

They moved past the realty office, salon, pet grooming shop. She’d be home soon. Home where she could bolt the doors, lock the world outside, and stay safe.

“What about my friend?”

“She’s gone.” They stopped for a traffic light. “What’s your name?”

“Sydney.”

“I’m sorry Sydney, but she didn’t make it.”

Sydney swallowed, sucking down a whimper of pain. “So what happens now?”

“Do you know what you saw?”

“Of course I don’t know what I saw. I know that whatever that thing was, it wasn’t human. It came out of the trees and ran at us. Just ran at us out of nowhere.”

“You can’t tell that to anyone.”

“Something like that thing exists and you think I’m not gonna tell anyone? You’re crazy.”

“You can’t. No police force is equipped to fight something like that. You saw for yourself what it’s capable of.”

“It was a bloodbath. It ripped her throat open.” She was suddenly out of breath. “It ripped Cora’s throat open. We were at the magazine an hour ago. An hour ago we were in my office and she was alive. I knew there was something wrong. I knew we should have gone back, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“How did you know?”

“Someone…something was watching us. As soon as we stepped into the park, something was watching us. I could feel its eyes on me. That son of a bitch.”

She wanted to punch something, to tear something apart.

He turned her toward him and tilted her face to his. “I have a team in place to handle them. I’m sorry about your friend, but you’re safe now. Nothing can hurt you.”

She stared into his eyes for a moment, wanting to believe him, wishing she could think everything was all right. But Cora was dead. Her best friend was gone. Nothing would ever be all right again.

He released her chin when the light turned green.

They started across the street, but she froze. “Them. You said them. You’re telling me there are more of those things?”

“Yes.” He tugged at her arm to get her moving again.

“In my town? What are they doing here?”

“I don’t know why they’re here, but as I said, I have a team in place. We’re equipped to handle this situation.”

“You’re not really human either, are you?”

“Why do you say that?”

“I saw you jump. I saw the way you knocked that thing back when you hit it. Something that strong and you practically knocked it off its feet.”

“What I am is no concern to you.”

“This is my street,” she said, stopping at the head of Pershing.

“I’ll take you to your house. I want to make sure you get inside safe.”

“What was that thing? Do I have to worry about waking up in the middle of the night with one in my bedroom?”

“I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t seem very smart. Deadly, but opportunistic, feeding on easy prey.”

“Easy prey,” she repeated. She stopped on her front porch and turned to face him.

“Are you going to be all right?”

“I just watched my best friend die. I am so far from all right, right now.”

“Is there anyone you can call to be with you?”

“They’ll asked questions. What do I tell people? How can I explain how Cora is dead and I’m alive? She only went to the magazine today to help me. How can I explain how I wound up back at home and she’s gone?”

“Nobody will know she’s dead, at least not yet. She’ll be missing.”

“No way. No way am I letting her family suffer, wondering what happened to her.”

“What exactly do you intend to tell them?”

“The truth?”

“And you think they’ll believe you?”

Sydney stared at him. “Maybe not, but—”

“It won’t be forever. I promise you. You have to trust me.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“I saved your life.”

And what could she say to that? If he hadn’t come along when he had she’d be dead with her friend.

The thought made her knees go weak beneath her. She nearly slid to the floor.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Just…this is so much to take in.” She paused, then nodded. “Okay, I won’t say anything. For now.”

“Did anyone see you?”

She remembered how empty the street had been. “The street was empty. I can’t guarantee nobody in any of the apartments or condos didn’t see us, though.”

“Okay.”

“This is crazy.”

“Go on inside. I have to get back.”

“Will you tell me what you find out?”

“Please, go inside now.”

She took out her house keys and unlocked the door. She pushed it open and set one foot inside the threshold then turned to look at him. “Thank you for saving my life.”