Taboo (A Tale of the Talhari Book 1)

by Heather Elizabeth King

  She wanted to say something. Beg him to reverse what he’d done to her.

  “You’re immortal now. And you’ll be strong and even more beautiful than you were before. You’ll be irresistible to humans, just like me. And Alaric will hate you; and he’ll hate me. And he’ll renew his vendetta to destroy me, which is exactly what I want. Distraction at its finest. He’ll try to stop you from feeding, but I think with my blood running through your veins you’ll be too strong for even him to stop. So feed. Embrace what you are.”

  He got to his feet.

  She felt herself lifted. He’d lifted her from the floor. He carried her to the bed and laid her gently across the comforter.

  “For now, you will sleep. When you wake, the world will be a different place. Until we meet again, Sydney. And fear not, we will meet again.”

  Chapter Nine

  Sydney sat up. She was breathing heavily. She’d had a dream. An awful dream.

  She looked around and saw that she was in her bedroom, in her bed as she had been when the dream had started.

  Relief washed over her. It had been a dream. Just a dream.

  She’d started to lay back, then paused. Something was different. Her vision was blurry. She rubbed her eyes, opened them, but the blurred vision remained. She rubbed again, so hard that her left contact lens popped out. When she opened her eyes, saw the contact lens on her knuckle, she swore. Now she’d have to get out of bed to put it back in.

  She paused. Oddly, her left eye’s vision wasn’t blurry anymore.

  She removed her right contact lens and gasped. She could see perfectly.

  What was going on?

  She scanned the room. Everything was crisp and clear.

  On her nightstand was a bag of trail mix. She’d only registered it because as she scanned the nightstand she’d begun reading the fine print on the back of the package that listed the ingredients. How was that possible?

  “Peanuts, sesame sticks, wheat flour…” she read, stunned.

  She could see perfectly. Scratch that. Her eyesight was better than perfect. How was that possible? She had a minus seven point five prescription.

  Alaric appeared in her doorway, bringing her upright again.

  “You’re back,” she said, relieved.

  “You’re awake,” he said, at the same time.

  Behind him, Joshua, Trina, Rhonda, and Paul appeared.

  “You brought the whole team back with you?” she asked, staring from face to face.

  Alaric came deeper into the room. “Do you remember what happened?”

  She continued to look at their faces. Gone were the smiles she’d seen earlier. There weren’t any remnants of the determination she’d seen on their faces as they worked, either. Determination had been replaced by worry.

  Why were they worried?

  “What’s going on?” she said, still looking from face to face. “Something’s going on. I don’t have my contacts in and I can read the ingredients on the back of my trail mix. I shouldn’t be able to do that.”

  “Do you remember what happened?” Alaric asked again.

  She thought of the dream.

  “It really happened, didn’t it?” she said, maneuvering in her bed so she could lean against the headboard.

  “We’re not sure what happened except that you were bitten by a vampire.” Alaric came further into the room and sat on the edge of her bed. “And were turned.”

  He stared into his lap at his hands.

  “What happened?” Rhonda asked.

  Again, Sydney looked from face to face. “Saul is here in Lynchburg,” she said at last. He came as soon as you left, Alaric. He came to kill me, but when it came down to doing it he changed his mind. He said it would hurt you more if he made me into the thing you hate most.”

  Still, he didn’t look at her.

  “So he bit you,” Trina said.

  Sydney nodded. “Then forced me to drink his blood. I tried to fight him, but he was so strong. I felt like a toddler trying to fight a grown man. I was no match for him.”

  Rhonda came and sat beside her on the bed. “Of course you weren’t. He is the first.” She put an arm around Sydney’s shoulder.

  Sydney couldn’t help wishing it was Alaric who was trying to comfort her. Instead, he was sitting at the foot of her bed, not looking at her.

  “He said his blood is pure, so I’d be strong…if I survived. And he said Alaric would hate me. And I can see it’s true. He can’t even look at me.”

  At that, Alaric looked up. “He set a trap and I walked right into it. He wanted me to leave. He created that diversion precisely to get me to leave. I should have stayed with you.”

  “How could you know?” Trina said. “We didn’t even know he was here.”

  Alaric sighed. “Now…” he sighed again. “…I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this.”

  “But we don’t need to fix this,” Trina said. “She’s not like him, not yet.”

  Joshua stepped into the room. “Trina’s right. Sydney isn’t a true bloodsucker until she makes her first kill, you know that. After that, there’s no going back.”

  Sydney sat up, hope springing within her. “Is this true?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But how?”

  “It’s simple,” Trina said. “As long as you don’t murder, your soul remains intact. You keep your humanity and your connection to God.”

  “But after you make that first kill,” said Joshua, “all bets are off. By killing you give the demon power. It will take you over. The Sydney you are today, the Sydney you are at this moment, would be lost forever.”

  “But that’s fantastic,” Sydney said. “All I have to do is not kill anyone. That’s easy. Does Saul know about that provision?”

  “He does. And he knows that it’s not so easy,” Alaric said. “You’re not human anymore, Sydney. Your body has died. To live you need blood. In the same way you used to get hungry for food, you will get hungry for blood. Food no longer gives you strength, you find strength in blood. But the hunger is far more intense. It’s not so much a hunger as it is a need. That need will drive you to kill.”

  “Does it have to be human blood?” Sydney asked.

  “No,” Trina said. “But nothing will satisfy you as fully as human blood. But there is even a loophole around that. You could drink human blood, but not kill the person you drink from.”

  “And I would keep my soul?”

  “Yes,” Trina said. “But make no mistake. Saul is timeless. He’s smart. If he sought to make you into a bloodsucker he won’t give up so easily. He’s your sire now. He’ll try to seduce you into the kill.”

  “He won’t get near her,” Alaric said in a near growl. “And he won’t live long enough to try.”

  He rose from the bed, but Sydney grabbed his arm. She pulled him, not expecting him to move, but was surprised when he came down on the bed so hard he actually bounced.

  They looked at each other.

  “I guess she’s got the strength,” Rhonda said.

  “Good.” Sydney clasped Alaric tighter. “You can’t go. That’s what he wants. He said he wants to distract you. Said all of you had become nuisances. The creatures are his. But I don’t know for what purpose.”

  “He’s not going to get away with this.” Alaric pulled free and got to his feet again.

  “She’s right,” said Joshua. “You can’t react to him. You can’t do anything. We have to think this through, make a plan. We have to be smart. Saul is up to something. He has a plan. He wants you to react without thinking.”

  “We can’t afford to make any mistakes,” Rhonda agreed.

  Sydney looked at Alaric. “Please don’t run out after him. You’re emotional. You’ll need your wits about you if you plan to fight him.”

  Alaric stared around the room, then focused on Sydney. “He’s taken you Sydney, taken all of your beauty and made you into a monster.”

  His words were like a slap. She reared back
, stung. “I’m not a monster. I’m still me. I still feel like me.”

  “Right now you do, but you will kill. His blood is too strong.”

  “We won’t let her kill,” Trina said. “And she’s right. She’s still, Sydney. She’s not a monster.” Trina looked at her. “You are not a monster.”

  “Maybe this isn’t the worst thing that could happen,” said Rhonda. “I mean look at us. She’s a historian and now—”

  Alaric turned on her. “If you think I’m letting her go out with us on our patrols you’ve got another thing coming.”

  “You can’t decide that all on your own,” Rhonda argued.

  “This is my team, so it damn well is my decision. She’s strong, and she’s dangerous.” He looked at Sydney again. “You’ve recently had Saul’s blood, so you’re not hungry, but you will be, and when you are you will pose a threat to every person you come across. And you cannot drink.”

  “She can drink,” said Rhonda, “But she can’t murder.”

  “If she drinks she won’t be able to stop herself. She’s too young. You have no idea what it means to be what you are, Sydney.”

  “Neither do you.”

  Alaric looked to Paul and Joshua to back him up.

  “What about daylight?” Sydney asked before either of them could speak.

  Trina came to the bed and sat on the edge. “You can walk in daylight. You can go into churches, you can touch crosses. You haven’t been cursed yet. That doesn’t happen until you murder.”

  “So I have the strength of a vampire without the weaknesses of a vampire?”

  “You say that like it’s insignificant. You have no idea what the hunger is. When it comes on you it will be strong. Alaric is right. You’re dangerous. I don’t think you should be among humans. At least not until we have a grasp on what this transformation means for you; what having Saul’s blood and surviving means. This has never happened in my lifetime.”

  “Let me get this straight. You expect me to sit around in this house for days while King Saul is here in town trying to do God only knows what?”

  “It doesn’t have to be a death sentence.” Alaric began pacing. “You’re still a historian. Do what you do best. Find out why Saul is here?”

  Again, she looked at each of them.

  If she thought about it, really thought about it, she’d have to admit they were right. She didn’t understand what she was now, or what she could do. And she didn’t know how dangerous she was to other people. She didn’t want to hurt anyone.

  Sighing, she reclined, once again, against the headboard. “Okay. You’re right. But I don’t even feel hungry. I have no desire to drink……” she shivered at the thought, “…blood.”

  “But you will,” Alaric said.

  “So what now? What time is it?”

  “Going on nine.”

  Sydney jerked upright. “I was asleep all day?”

  “It’s understandable and perfectly normal,” said Trina. “You did, after all, kinda change species. You’re not human anymore. It’s like you died and your body regenerated. Actually, it’s not like that, that’s exactly what happened. Your body expelled unneeded fluids and wastes, Saul’s blood mixed with yours—”

  “Wait a minute. Back up. My body expelled what?”

  Trina waved this off. “It’s all part of the process. Rhonda and I were looking after you. We cleaned you up after the physical aspects of the change were completed. The presence of fangs is typically the indicator that the transition is complete.”

  “This sounds gross.”

  “But perfectly normal.”

  Sydney ran her tongue along the line of her teeth. “I don’t feel fangs.”

  “They retract until you feed. Look at your nails.”

  Sydney looked down at her hands and gasped. “My nails are nearly twice as long as they used to be.”

  Trina nodded. “Don’t worry, your nails will retract. They’ll only get like that when you feed. You’re basically a killing machine now. You’re strong, you’re fast, and you’re deadly. You’re a predator and you’ve adapted aspects that will keep you alive.”

  “Can I fly and read minds?”

  “Hollywood.”

  Sydney frowned. “Oh well, you can’t have it all.”

  “For now,” Alaric said, “we need to patrol. Trina, you stay with Sydney tonight.”

  “I thought you were staying,” Sydney said.

  “If Saul is here I need to be out on the streets.”

  The four began to file out of the room.

  “I’ll check in with you in a few hours, Trina,” he said, then he was gone without so much of a backward glance at Sydney.

  “Why don’t you try to get some sleep,” Trina said.

  She looked at the empty spot where Alaric had been then shrugged. “I’ve been asleep all day. I’m not sleepy anymore.”

  “It’s an exhausting process. I’m sure you could use a little more rest.”

  “No, not so much. What I need is to move around. To get up and—I don’t know—do something. I’m restless.”

  She stood and walked to her bedroom door. The feel of her body as she moved across the room was strange. She couldn’t say exactly what it was, but she did feel different. Powerful somehow.

  “I’ll be in my office,” she said over her shoulder, continuing out into the hall.

  Sydney sat in her office, staring at the monitor of her laptop. Her present condition was, in a word, inexplicable. She’d always been drawn by the lure research, discovering something new. She loved her work, but at present she couldn’t drum up enough desire to even boot up the laptop. She wanted, no, she needed to see what she could do. But more than that she wanted out of the house and into the night. Just for a little while.

  And what was going on with Alaric? It was like he blamed her for being attacked by Saul. This wasn’t her fault. She didn’t want this. And now he wouldn’t even look at her. This shouldn’t hurt as bad as it did, they’d only known each other for a day, but it did hurt. He’d called her a monster.

  She had to move, to get out, to do something. She’d go crazy locked up in this house.

  She wanted to be outside. She needed to experience the world with her new senses; see what she could do with her new abilities.

  She wasn’t hungry, so she couldn’t be a danger to anyone right now. She wondered if Saul’s blood inside her was powerful enough to stave off hunger for this long, if Saul himself ever had to feed.

  The lights from the street below cast her office in shadow. It was close to ten. The streets would be quiet and nearly empty. That reason alone should have been reason enough for her to reject the idea as soon as it formed. But instead of remaining safe inside, she walked toward the door.

  She listened for Trina, but couldn’t hear anything.

  Slowly, quietly she opened the door and stepped into the hall. Just as slowly and quietly, she shut the door behind her. In less than two minutes she was on the street.

  She walked the sidewalk in front of her house, shivering with the sensations. Everything was sharper, the colors were deeper, richer, and the sounds were like music. It was all so wonderful and overwhelming.

  She looked back at her house, half expecting to see Trina appear in the doorway. When she didn’t, Sydney refocused on the street ahead.

  She ran to the end of the street, turned onto Rivermont. The street was quiet, nothing moved, all she heard was the sound of crickets. The sound was so wondrous she felt a crazy impulse to dance, as though it really were music. But she wouldn’t dance. At least not yet. They had told her that she was strong now, and fast. Just how fast was she?

  Only one way to find out.

  She set off down the sidewalk. She’d dressed in her running sneakers, yoga pants and running shirt. So if anyone saw her, they wouldn’t find it odd that she was running. Even if it was ten at night.

  She moved at a trot at first, then a jog, and then a run. It was effortless, so completely effortless. T
he first half mile was typically a bit uncomfortable for her as her legs and breathing adjusted, but tonight she felt like she could fly. She felt like she could run forever.

  She pumped her legs faster, and faster still. She increased her speed until the world past by in a blur. Nobody seemed to be looking at her, so she jumped. She was curious to see if she could go as high as Alaric. She didn’t stop to worry about how she would land and if landing would break anything, she simply leapt.

  She went up, sailing past the windows of the houses. Then she was coming down again. She landed soft. As an afterthought she stopped to look around and see if anyone had noticed her. Thankfully, no one had. The road remained deserted. She was stunned to see that in less than five minutes she’d made it to Trent’s Ferry. That had to be two miles at least.

  She’d have to remember next time to bring her pedometer so she could track her speed and miles. But for tonight, miles didn’t matter. She could run again and be back home in minutes.

  She ran down Trent’s Ferry, then leapt. This time she angled her body so she would land on the top of a house. She could see already that three stories was about her limit. At least that was the case tonight. But three stories was pretty damn impressive.

  She landed on the roof of the house and sucked in a lung full of fresh air. She looked out at the city, her city, and almost laughed. She’d just jumped onto the roof of someone’s house. Had actually jumped.

  Could she jump far enough to leap from rooftop to rooftop? She didn’t see why not. And if she missed the next house over, she’d just land on the ground. There was nothing to be afraid of.

  So she ran, full out. When she got to the edge of the roof she leapt into the air. She flew high, felt the chill air around her body, almost like an embrace. She went up and up, then came down toward the next house. When she landed, she realized she hadn’t jumped one house, but three.

  She didn’t pause long enough to look around this time, she kept running and leaping, running and leaping. She knew it was cold evening, but the chilly air didn’t touch her. She wasn’t hot, but neither was she cold. She felt just right.