Taboo (A Tale of the Talhari Book 1) Read Free

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