Taboo (A Tale of the Talhari Book 1) (17 page)

“For now. And how does Saul fit into all of this?”

“There was a breach,” the SG said.

“A breach?” Paul asked, incredulous.

“How many escaped?” Sydney asked.

Sighing, the SG looked at her. “Two dozen.”

The table erupted, everyone talking at once. Alaric had to slam his fists on the table for a good thirty seconds before order was restored.

“Two dozen blood thirsty Talhari and undesirables escaped after receiving embeds and nobody thought to tell me?”

“We were tracking them. We had the situation under control.”

“Under control? These are the creatures who have been running rampant throughout the city. Twenty-four people may be dead.” He slammed the table again. “Or worse. How can we know that they’re not out there multiplying? I cannot believe nobody thought to tell me. And you know what we’ve been facing out there.”

“I thought it was under control,” the SG said.

“Where did the Talhari subjects come from?” Sydney interrupted. “Were they from other motherhouses? I ask because nobody has said anything about missing friends.”

The SG straightened in her seat. “This was a trial testing. We couldn’t insert embeds into any of our own—”

“You used the newly turned?” Alaric said. For a moment, he sputtered. “How could this kind of testing be done on novices? There’d be no way to predict how they’d react.”

“We couldn’t risk our own,” she said again. “There are vampires in Lynchburg. True bloodsuckers who kill without regard for human life. We’ve watched and we’ve—”

“You took their victims,” Joshua said.

“We saved their lives.” The SG sounded defensive. “Without us they would have died. We brought them to the motherhouse and restored them. We gave them blood and looked after them.”

“Two dozen escaped,” Trina said. “Two dozen.”

Rhonda looked from Trina to the SG. “This is something that has been in the works for a while. How long have you been collecting bloodsucker kills?”

“Seven months,” the SG said. “In that time we’ve monitored the subjects, weeded out those with violent tendencies. We did nothing lightly.”

Alaric dragged a hand through his hair. “Yet two dozen escaped.”

“That’s not all,” Sydney said. “You believed you did what you did in secret. You thought nobody knew you were collecting bloodsucker kills, but your activities didn’t go unnoticed.”

“What do you mean?” the SG demanded.

“Saul knew. I don’t know how soon he knew, for all we know he could have had a plant among the newly turned. When they escaped, he was ready. I think he was the cause of the breach.”

“And he’s told them to satiate their bloodlust,” said Alaric. “That’s why so many people have been murdered. The first kill is Saul’s objective. Their transfer from Talhari to bloodsucker. You gave him a ready-made army.”

“But why?” the SG said. “Saul is timeless, why worry about our embed test subjects?”

“I think Saul means to take the Talhari down,” Sydney said.

Chapter Sixteen

It was close to two in the morning and Sydney was exhausted. They’d spent the last four hours making sure the motherhouse was secure. Knowing attack was coming put them on high alert. Basement windows and doors were bolted and fortified as well as all windows and doors to the outside. Some of the creatures had wings, after all.

She stood at Alaric’s door. Knocked softly. She’d been going over how she’d start this conversation all day. Now that the moment was at hand, she was tempted to slink off and return to her bedroom.

But she refused to do that. Alaric had pushed and she’d started to feel something for him. She hadn’t felt anything for anyone in a long time. She owed it to herself to see what this was and if it could go anywhere. She thought, without the intrusion of Saul and Alaric’s memory of Lavinia, it would have.

Alaric opened his bedroom door, then stood at the entrance, staring at her. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I think we should talk.”

He didn’t move, he didn’t motion for her to enter. “About what?”

Meeting his eyes, she set her hands on her hips. “I don’t deserve this. At the very least you owe me an opportunity to say what’s on my mind.”

“But that’s just it. There’s nothing to say. Nothing can be done. We just have to accept what is.”

“I’m not her!” Sydney was surprised by the sudden swell of anger that had her shouting at him. “And I won’t be punished by the actions of someone else.”

Alaric sighed. “Trina and Rhonda.”

“Yes. Even though it’s you who should have told me.”

Sighing again, he stepped away from the door. He didn’t welcome her in, didn’t offer her any kindness, but she entered anyway.

If she’d thought her bedroom lavish, Alaric’s was downright luxurious. He had every modern convenience and amenity money could buy. At present, was playing on his stereo, setting a relaxing mood that Sydney didn’t feel.

He settled himself on his bed, folded his hands and waited.

“You come into my life, practically force your attentions on me, and at the first sign of trouble go running for the hills. You have no right to come into my life and make me feel things for you, then run away just because of Saul.”

“Did they tell you how she died?”

“They did. You did what you had to do. And I’m glad Paul and Umberto rescued you.”

“I’m not putting myself through that again,” he said, beginning to sound angry.

“And you don’t have to. What happened to giving a person the benefit of the doubt? I’ve been tempted by Saul and I’ve rejected him every time. Don’t I get a little credit for that?”

“I cannot do this again.”

She threw her hands in the air. “You know, Alaric, this isn’t even about you. I’m the one who was attacked, I’m the one who lost her best friend, and I’m the one who was targeted because of you. And I’m not losing my soul because some vendetta between you and Saul. I have my whole life ahead of me. That may not mean anything to you, but it’s everything to me. I didn’t ask to be a target, my association with you made me a target. Now, you have the audacity to treat me like this is my fault. How dare you.”

“Sydney, I don’t think this is your fault.”

“You have a strange way of showing that.”

He got to his feet, then sat back down. “I just…I don’t know what to do. And I’m sorry. I’m handling this horribly. I never stopped to think what this was like for you.”

“I don’t know how things went down before, but I think instead of acting like there’s nothing between us, we need to stand together. Fight him together, with your team.”

Alaric looked down at the rug and shook his head. “But what if he turns you.”

“He won’t.”

“What if he does?”

“I’m not letting that happen. Not for you, but for me.”

He rubbed his eyes and rolled his neck. “I’ve been a jerk, haven’t I?”

“Yes.”

He got to his feet and crossed the room. He reached out to touch her, then paused.

“I’m not her,” Sydney said.

Taking in a breath, Alaric lifted his arms and reached out for her hands. “You’re not Lavinia. I know that.” He looked into her eyes and swallowed. “Can we start again?”

Chapter Seventeen

Alaric was pacing, as usual, giving orders into his cell phone.

“No, the outside perimeter. I want it watched at all times. The interior is covered.”

He’d been on his phone for the last twenty minutes.

They’d made up, true, but she didn’t feel as confident about deflecting Saul as she’d let on. She needed to get the image of Saul, naked, out of her mind. She was too drawn to the bloodsucker. He was her sire, but was it like that for all novices with their sire? Despite what she’d told Alaric, Saul made her breathless, he made her want him, even though she knew he was the last thing she needed. Saul was disaster, but there must be some kind of connection between them. When she’d first seen him she knew he was attractive, but all she sensed from him was evil. Once he’d bitten her, that had changed and she didn’t like it. She wanted Alaric.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

She shook her head to clear it, realized Alaric was standing at the end of the bed.

“It’s been a crazy day.”

“You must be exhausted.”

“I’m afraid to sleep. I’m afraid the cross won’t work.”

“It will work. Trina knows her stuff. What else happened in your dream today?”

If it could have, her face would have turned beet red. “That’s about it. He tried to get me to drink, to murder, and I tried to get him to divulge what he knew about the creatures.

“You know,” she said, “he told me what he knew like it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t like that.”

“I don’t like it either.” He crawled onto the bed beside her. “But we’ll think about that tomorrow.” He stared into her eyes for a moment. “Can I kiss you again, Sydney?”

The question, so sudden and so naked in its desire nearly undid her. Unable to speak, she nodded.

His lips were soft, searching, and sweet. She wanted to lose herself in the feel of him. Lose herself and forget everything that was happening around them.

“You’re lovely,” he said, “do you know that? So very frustrating and so very lovely.”

“Not half as frustrating as you.”

“I don’t know if I can keep you safe tomorrow. If they’ve been procreating there’s no telling how many there may be.”

“I know.”

He stared at her again, his lips inches from her own. His eyes were a beautiful, fathomless, sea green. And the press of his cock, now against her thigh, flushed out the memory of Saul as nothing else could.

“Stay in your room where it’ll be safe. I’ll check in with you throughout the day.”

“If Saul’s blood makes me so strong I should be out there with everyone else.”

He stared, unmoving. “I don’t know how this could happen, but—”

“Saul’s a lunatic, that’s how.”

“No, not that. Us.”

“Oh, you mean—”

“I’m falling in love with you.”

She blinked.

“I don’t want to scare you away.” He shrugged. “But that’s how I feel. When Saul bit you I was terrified. Then watching you run in the streets last night, watching you become something new…I can’t help myself. I’m falling in love with you. We’re both immortal now; we could have an eternity together.”

She looked at him, not sure what to say first or how to say it.

“You don’t have to say it just because I said it. That’s not why I said it. I just want you to understand why I’ve been such a jerk.”

“No, I feel the same way. We’ve only known each other a few days.”

“A few extraordinary days.”

“Yes, but still only a few days. I don’t know when I started falling for you—I think it was when you picked me up and ran me home after Cora’s death—but I did. Saul is nothing compared to you.”

She wanted him to kiss her again. Was desperate for him to kiss her.

And then his lips were on hers.

She met his kiss, nearly swooned. It was the most exquisite kind of pleasure and it was nearly too much. When he slid into her mouth she closed her eyes and let go of all the reserve she’d held onto for so long.

She lost herself. She tangled her fingers in his hair, roved his body. She stroked the hard muscles in his arm, squeezed his buttocks, and dipped her hand under his shirt so she could feel his flesh. And he reciprocated, touching her everywhere. The touch of his fingers on her nipples through the cotton of her shirt drove her positively wild.

He levered himself up long enough to rip her shirt open. “I’ve been wanting to do this since I met you.”

And hadn’t she wanted the same thing.

The buttons of her shirt popped free and scattered across the bed and floor. For a moment she watched them roll and bounce along the wooden floorboards. She was caught up again when she saw he was removing his own shirt; standing so he could free himself of his pants. A moment after that, her pants and panties were gone too.

The room had seemed warm a moment ago, but suddenly it was scorching. The delicate skin between her thighs was slick. She was perspiring and moist. She hadn’t been this excited in…actually, she didn’t think she’d ever been this excited.

Alaric stood before her, his erection bobbing. Then slowly he crouched toward her.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said in a husky voice. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

In response she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close. “Hurt me. Please, hurt me.”

That was the only permission he needed.

He pulled back, his gaze hungry, then he came forward and sank inside of her. She reared up, clutching him and gasping for breath. But he was pulling back again, so slowly she wanted to scream. When he sank deep again, she cried out.

He groaned.

He planted his arms on either side of her head, sucking in air and trying to catch his breath. Then slowly, he pulled back.