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

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.”
    He met her gaze and nodded. “I wish we would have gotten there sooner.”

Chapter Three
    Sydney woke