Taboo (A Tale of the Talhari Book 1) (13 page)

Sydney nodded. “I know. You’re right. But I want to understand what I am.”

“He doesn’t have the answers you’re looking for.”

They left the room, leaving her alone with Alaric.

She looked down at the chain.

“You need to sleep. It’s been a long night,” Alaric said.

“I’ll keep sleeping at night?”

“There’s no reason why you won’t. You won’t be harmed by daylight.”

Sliding under the covers, she nodded.

“Stay with me.”

“I can’t. I’m working.”

He stepped away from the bed, walked to the door, and left.

Chapter Eleven

She was mildly surprised when she awoke in the morning as usual. She had expected to remain in a coma like state.

Sydney slid out of bed and went into the bathroom to look at herself. She was startled by what she saw. Her hair shimmered with health, her skin looked vibrant, her eyes were bright. She seemed enhanced. She was pleased that the basic color of her skin hadn’t changed. She could only imagine that had happened to Saul because the concentration of his transformation. But she looked like herself, just an enhanced version.

Should she go to work today, like usual, or call in? What does one do when one becomes a vampire? But it was Sunday, she remembered. Work was a problem she could leave for another day.

She tiptoed into the office where Trina and Rhonda were sleeping and retrieved her laptop. She booted up, wondering if coffee was a no-no now. She didn’t feel like drinking coffee, or orange juice, or anything else for that matter. No hunger, either, so far. Having more of Saul’s blood probably gave her more time before she had to worry about that.

She sat in her backyard on a chaise lounge and tried to figure out why Saul was in Lynchburg. She lost track of how much time passed as she plugged into libraries, searched the net, and read local papers, but she couldn’t find anything relevant. When Alaric appeared in the doorway leading to her kitchen, she was surprised to see she’d been out there for well over an hour.

“Get dressed,” he said simply.

This got her attention. “Am I off house arrest?”

“The motherhouse has given me the okay to bring you today. As soon as you’re dressed we’re taking you over.”

In the foyer of the motherhouse, Alaric slipped a wristband over Sydney’s wrist. It was the first time he’d touched her since last night, but the touch held no warmth.

“This tells everyone that you’re an approved visitor.”

She nodded, then swallowed down her nervousness. She was so tense, but she wasn’t sure why. Well, for one thing, she had a much different perspective on this place than she had the first time she’d been here. Now she knew that all of the inhabitants were vampires; that Talhari simply meant a vampire who doesn’t murder.

They walked into the main vestibule, then into a room so large it boggled her mind. The room was open to the fourth floor, each floor enclosed by a wrought iron railing. There were books on every level. Thousands and thousands of books. This was a historian’s dream library.

“This is our library,” Alaric explained, leading Sydney out the far side and down a hall to the left.

They went up two flights of stairs and down another hall until they reached a door at the far end.

“This is the Superior General’s office,” Alaric explained.

“He’s like your president?”

“Something like that. She’s going to decide if you can stay permanently or not. Today, she just wants to speak with you. Very informally.”

“She.” Sydney grimaced. “How sexist of me.”

“You ready?”

Sydney nodded.

“Right now?”

In answer, Alaric knocked twice on the door, then pushed it open when a voice from within told him to enter.

Sydney stepped into the room behind Alaric. A large mahogany desk dominated the room, while mahogany bookcases, overflowing with books, sat opposite. Large picture windows looked out onto the rear yard and the mountains beyond, giving a view that was breathtaking. Everything in the room, from the knickknacks to the plush oriental carpet, told Sydney that the Superior General had expensive tastes and enjoyed the finer things in life.

The Superior General herself was an older woman, probably in her sixties, with perfectly coiffed salt and pepper hair. She wore light makeup, but in all honestly didn’t need any. Sydney could tell that in her heyday, she’d been a traffic stopper.

She was dressed fashionably, going for vibrant colors instead of boring navy blues like many women in her position may have done. This alone made Sydney like the woman at once.

“I’m Clarisse Stone, but most people here refer to me as The SG. Please, have a seat.” She indicated a leather sofa to the right of her desk. “Alaric tells me you’ve had an interesting few days.”

Sydney smiled. “To say the least.”

“Would you like anything to drink?”

Sydney considered. “My drinking tastes have changed over the last day or so.”

“I understand. You know, you can eat and drink regular food if you need to blend in. It won’t harm you.”

“But if my body is no longer human, if my digestive system isn’t working anymore, how can I?”

“Oh, it works,” she said simply, then pressed a button on a small box on her desk. “Jessica, we need three drinks.”

Sydney looked at Alaric, seated beside her, who merely inclined his head.

He looked relaxed so she figured she could relax, too.

“Tell me about your experiences,” the SG said.

The door opened and a young woman who Sydney guessed must be Jessica, appeared with a tray. Three crystal glasses sat atop it, each glass filled with a red, viscous fluid.

Jessica offered the tray to the SG, who took a glass, then she offered it to Alaric. Alaric took the remaining glasses, passing one to Sydney. “It’s okay,” he said.

“Blood?” she asked.

“Blood,” he agreed.

“You have so much of it that you serve it in crystal glasses?” Sydney asked. “Where does it come from?”

“A pure nature,” the SG said. “Perhaps there’s promise for you.”

Alaric drank from his glass then indicated she should drink from her own. Neither answered her question.

Seeing no alternative, she lifted her glass to her mouth and tipped it toward her lips, slowly, almost afraid of what would happen once the fluid reached her tongue.

She shivered a bit at the first contact. It wasn’t bad. Actually, it was good. Not as good as Saul’s blood, but still good.

She drank some more and felt strength she hadn’t realized she’d lost, returning to her limbs.

“This is why we can remain pure,” the SG explained. “We have no need to walk the streets, devouring human prey.”

“But where does the blood come from?” Sydney asked again.

The SG smiled, “All in good time. First, I want you to tell me what happened to you.”

Sydney went over everything that had happened with Saul, leaving nothing out. When she was finished, she didn’t know exactly what she’d been expecting. The divulging of all secrets perhaps, entry into the most secret of places at the motherhouse. Something. What she got was a nod and a thanks.

“I have to think on this. Call the elders to meet.” She regarded Sydney over her desk, her chin resting on tented fingers. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

“What now?” Sydney asked.

“For now, Alaric will take you to a bedchamber where you can rest and get settled in for the night.”

“What about the vampire…” she wasn’t sure how to describe it so she said, “…stuff? I want to know more about what I am.”

She nodded. “In good time you will. Alaric will see to that.” She looked to Alaric. “You say she’s a historian?”

“She is,” Alaric agreed.

“Perhaps she’d make a good replacement for Quinton.” The SG pushed back from her desk and got to her feet. “But for now, let Alaric take you up to your rooms so you can get settled.”

Seeing no alternative, Sydney rose with Alaric and allowed herself to be shuttled from the office.

As soon as they were in the corridor she turned on him.

“So she’s sending me up to my room for more waiting. What is it with you people and locking me up?”

“We’re not locking you up. You’re free to explore.”

“And what will you be doing?”

They returned to the staircase and started up.

“I have to see to things.”

She raised her eyebrow at that. “What exactly does that mean?”

He looked at her over his shoulder. “You’ll be sleeping on the fourth floor.” They walked down a hallway then stopped in front of a wooden door. “This is where you’ll be staying while you’re here.”

He pushed the door open and she nearly fell over at her first sight of the room, or rather, suite of rooms. It was like an upscale, luxury hotel with every conceivable amenity. A sitting area compete with flat screen television, a lavish bed with heavy quilts. He showed her to a room off the bedroom where a gleaming laptop sat on a desk. Bookcases sat opposite the desk, overflowing with books. Every window looked out to the mountains.

“This is gorgeous.”

He nodded. “You should be comfortable here.”

“The Queen of England would be comfortable here.”

He didn’t say anything else, only looked at her in that way that made her forget her own name.

“Where do you sleep?”

“I sleep down on the second level.”

“Why?”

“That’s where all Talhari warriors sleep. We have to be near to an exit. The first floor is comprised of the library, kitchens, dining hall and offices.”

“What floor am I on?”

“This is the floor of the historians and librarians. This is why you have an office with a small library, a state of the art laptop, and research material. There’s a gym on the second floor, where the warriors train.”

“This place is incredible. I can’t believe it’s been here in my city all this time and I never knew it existed.”

“There are many things that have been in your city all this time that you never knew existed.”

“Clearly.”

She saw her suitcase had been placed beside the bed. She stared down at it for a few moments, then inexplicably, burst into tears.

Alaric’s eyes nearly doubled in size. She would have laughed had she not been so sad.

He came forward, then paused. “What? What’s wrong?”

“All of this. It’s all too much.”

“No, don’t do that. Don’t cry.” He slipped his arm over her shoulder, holding her. Needing the comfort, she leaned into his warmth.

“I can’t help it. Everything…my entire world has fallen apart. It’s not even safe for me to sleep in my own house anymore.”

He squeezed her. “It’s going to be okay, Sydney. I promise.”

“How can you promise me anything when you can barely stand to look at me anymore?”

He didn’t have a ready response.

She pushed away from him and wiped at her wet face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me, it’s just everything suddenly hit me. It all just hit me. Cora’s death, the fact that I’m not human anymore, these things in Lynchburg killing. It’s just all so overwhelming and awful. And I’m terrified.”

He pulled her closer again. The good scent of masculine soap and aftershave made her press her face against his throat and inhale the wonderful smell of him.

“You’re safe now,” he said, murmuring into her hair. “You’re here and you’re safe. I promise you.”

“But what about everyone else? All of Lynchburg is in danger. We have to find a way to destroy these creatures. What are they? Where do they come from? We still don’t know anything about them except that they belong to Saul.”

He squeezed her. “Don’t think about that right now. Let me worry about that.”

“How can I not think about it when people are dying?”

He pulled back, gave her a weak smile, then wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Okay. I know you can’t not think about it. That was stupid to say. But try not to worry. We’re going to be all right. A promise. This is what the Talhari does.”

“Stop promising. You can’t make a promise like that.”

“I promise,” he said more firmly.

She sniffled and took in a deep breath.

“And what about you? Since last night you’ve been behaving like I have the Black Death. I didn’t want this to happen to me. Why are you so angry at me?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You are angry. You barely look at me.”

For long minutes he stared at her. Then, sighing, he looked away. “I better go,” he said at last.

“Just like that?”

“There’s stuff that needs to be done.”

She pulled away from him. “Fine. Go.”

And all too soon he was gone.

She spent some time looking around her rooms. She browsed the books, not surprised that most were on the occult, creatures, and folklore. The laptop was truly state of the art. It made her own look woefully inadequate.