The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance Book 1)

by Dianne Duvall

  What do I do if someone sees me? Lisa asked as she flattened herself as well as she could across the back seat and clutched the weapon.

  We’re located on the edge of this lot. Aside from Walker’s team, the soldiers all appear to use a path down the middle. Hopefully none will venture this way. If they do… the windows are tinted and your clothing and hair are dark, so you’ll blend in with the dark seats as long as you stay down. If anyone does see you and approaches the vehicle, call to me immediately and I will divert their attention.

  Don’t do anything crazy.

  He would do whatever it took to keep her safe. Use the weapon if you have to.

  Taelon…

  Walker left the keys in the vehicle. If you must flee to protect yourself and our daughter, do so.

  I’m not going to leave you here!

  Do it, Lisa. Please. I need to know you’ll be safe.

  When Agent Walker and the other man headed for the main building, Taelon fell in line behind them.

  Just be careful, she implored.

  I will.

  Two soldiers slipped ahead of the group as they approached a pair of double doors. One soldier retrieved a small, flat white card from a back pocket and touched it to a dark electronic screen beside the doors. A beep sounded, followed by a thunk.

  The men then opened the double doors and waited for the rest to pass before slipping in behind them.

  Because they couldn’t see him, Taelon barely managed to keep them from stepping on his heels.

  The inside of the building was the complete opposite of the outside. While the exterior appeared old and worn, the interior was sleek and modern and full of what constituted advanced technology for Earth. More soldiers strode about. Most nodded at Agent Walker’s group and didn’t give Taelon a second look. A couple eyed him curiously but said nothing.

  Walker approached a wide desk with a shiny stone surface behind which a dozen armed soldiers sat, staring at monitors. “Is Mr. Henderson still in his office?”

  “No, sir,” one of the men replied. “Mr. Reordon wanted to have a sit-down with him and sent the Celtic immortal, Aidan, to retrieve him.”

  “Are there any immortals currently on-site?”

  Taelon frowned. Immortals? He had not been aware that there were immortal beings on Earth.

  “Yes, sir. Eliana is. She’s been lingering in the area since the big dustup and brought some vampires in just as dawn broke, said they appeared to be newly turned and might be worth saving. By the time they were settled, the sun had risen, so she opted to stay the day.”

  That just confused Taelon even more. Who exactly did these soldiers work for? Vampires or immortals?

  “Where?”

  “Down in sublevel 1’s infirmary.”

  “Thanks.”

  Agent Walker turned away from the desk.

  “What are you thinking?” one of his men asked.

  “I’m thinking I’ll ask Eliana to check out the motel once the sun sets instead of calling Roland again, unless Mr. Henderson returns and decides otherwise.”

  The others nodded.

  “See you in a few.” Walker headed for a wall manned by more soldiers with weapons.

  When he pressed a glowing circular button, two flat panels in the wall parted, revealing a small furnitureless room. Taelon followed him inside and watched as Walker retrieved a flat white card similar to the other soldier’s and touched it to a dark electronic panel beside a row of numbered buttons. A beep sounded. The doors slid closed. Walker pressed a button marked S1.

  The floor beneath Taelon’s feet vibrated, indicating movement.

  Ah. It was a transport then.

  Walker turned his head slightly.

  Taelon stood behind him, to one side.

  Frowning, Walker twisted and looked back as though sensing his presence. But Taelon made sure he saw only an empty transport.

  A beep sounded.

  Walker grunted and faced forward. As soon as the doors slid open, he strode down a hallway.

  The soldiers they passed all nodded at Agent Walker. Some nodded to Taelon, too, casting him curious looks.

  He followed Walker into a room that was clearly a medical facility, though only a couple of medics appeared to be on duty. Fearing his presence would more likely spark questions with so few in the room, Taelon hid his presence from both, allowing them to see only Walker when they entered.

  One side of the room boasted what he guessed was an area designed to deal with emergency injuries. The other boasted a neat row of beds, only one of which was occupied.

  A lovely woman with long, dark hair lay upon it. Like Roland, she wore black pants with many pockets and a black shirt that hugged her slender form. A long black coat had been tossed on the bed beside hers. A multitude of weapons with gleaming metal blades rested atop it.

  Was this Eliana? Walker and the others had referred to her as an immortal. Did that mean Roland, too, was immortal? How did immortals differ from vampires?

  Walker started in her direction, then stopped.

  Legs crossed at the ankles, hands linked on her flat stomach, she appeared to be sleeping.

  He glanced at a female doctor in a long white jacket similar to the ones the butchers had worn at the base.

  “She’s asleep,” the woman whispered. “Did you need to speak with her?”

  Walker nodded. “It can wait. I’ll just catch her before she leaves to begin tonight’s hunt.”

  Hunt? What did she hunt?

  “She might be leaving earlier than that,” the doctor said. “I heard her call Rafe and ask him to teleport in and take her to David’s home in North Carolina.”

  Taelon’s interest spiked. North Carolina was where Roland and Marcus lived.

  “Do me a favor and have her call me before she and Rafe leave, okay? There’s something I’d like them to check out.”

  “Okay.”

  This time when Agent Walker left, Taelon didn’t follow him. The doctor—oblivious to his presence—crossed to a desk and sat with her back to him, peering at a computer screen. The other medic disappeared into an adjoining room.

  Taelon moved closer to the slumbering immortal warrior. Eliana knew Roland and Marcus. She visited them in North Carolina. So she might also know where Amiriska was being held.

  Staring down at her, he drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly, then focused on trying to break into her thoughts.

  Lisa chewed her lower lip.

  What was taking so long? Had Taelon been wrong? Had he walked into the den of soldiers and immediately been identified as the enemy? Had they hurt him? Captured him?

  Anxiety rose. Each minute ticked past as slowly as an hour.

  They hadn’t killed him, had they? She hadn’t heard any alarms sound. Nor had she heard gunshots ring out inside the building.

  Though the voices of soldiers periodically carried to her through the closed windows, all remained distant. Taelon had been right. This area didn’t seem to see much traffic. So as long as she stayed down, she should remain safe.

  More long minutes passed. The interior of the car began to heat up a little despite cooler autumn temperatures.

  When she could stand the waiting no longer, Lisa reached out to Taelon mentally, hoping he would hear her.

  Taelon?

  She waited for a response but heard only silence.

  Taelon? Are you okay?

  Nothing.

  Was he not close enough to hear her? Was he too preoccupied with keeping Walker and his men from seeing him? Was he hurt?

  The baby chose that moment to move and kick.

  Her belly tightened with a cramp.

  Hissing in a breath, she smoothed a hand over the large mound and waited for the pain to pass.

  It didn’t. Instead it worsened. As did the baby’s kicking.

  Shit! This would be a really bad time to go into labor.

  The pain continued to increase until she was panting from it.

  A shadow fell
across her. The driver’s door jerked open.

  Fear sliced through her as a man in black seated himself behind the wheel and slammed the door.

  “It’s me.”

  She wilted with relief, or would have if her body weren’t so tense from the pain. “Taelon. Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” His voice sounded strained.

  Frowning, she shifted.

  “Stay down,” he ordered as he started the car.

  “Do you even know how to drive?”

  “Yes. I watched you do it.”

  Crap.

  The car jerked backward.

  Lisa threw a hand out and braced it against the back of the driver’s seat so she wouldn’t roll onto the floor.

  Then the car moved forward, pressing her back against her seat. Judging by the jostling of her body, they were headed back the way they had come.

  “Be very quiet,” he instructed, his voice strained.

  A faint buzz sounded as his window rolled down.

  Glancing up, Lisa saw the guard at the gate approach the window.

  “Leaving again already, sir?” he asked genially.

  “Yeah,” Taelon replied. “You know how it is.”

  “Yes, sir, I do.” He moved back out of sight.

  The clanking of the gate opening reached her ears before Taelon’s window rose.

  The engine hummed as the car carried them forward. He made a turn.

  Long minutes passed.

  “Okay. We’re clear,” Taelon announced finally. “I’m going to pull over. You’ll have to drive.”

  Lisa sat up as gravel crunched beneath them and the car rolled to a stop on the shoulder. When she leaned forward to look at Taelon, a cry escaped her.

  Copious blood coated his upper lip, his chin, his neck, and saturated the top half of his shirt.

  “Taelon!” Scrambling out of the car, she yanked open the driver’s door.

  His eyelids drooped as he stared up at her.

  “What happened?” Her hands shook as she cupped his face.

  He curled the fingers of one large hand around her wrist and turned his face into her touch. “I read her mind.”

  Her panic increased. Reading someone’s mind had caused all this blood? “Whose mind?” And what had it wrought inside his head? Had it caused a brain hemorrhage? A ruptured aneurism? She knew nothing about brain injuries, but this much blood…

  It terrified her.

  “The immortal,” he muttered, his words beginning to slur.

  Immortal? Did he mean vampire?

  “Taelon, honey, we need to get you to a doctor.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll be okay.” Releasing her, he lurched over into the passenger seat, then slumped against the window.

  Hands shaking, Lisa slipped in behind the wheel and closed the door.

  “I know where she is,” he muttered, his eyes closing.

  “The immortal?”

  He shook his head. “Amiriska.” He released a weary sigh. “North Carolina. Head for North Carolina.”

  “Taelon—”

  “I’m okay.” He rallied a moment and met her gaze. “I’m okay, Lisa. Just need to rest for a bit.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a credit card and some cash and thrust it at her.

  But he wasn’t okay. There was so much blood on his face and neck and chest.

  Wiping his blood off her hand, she took the card and money.

  “Make sure you eat something,” he murmured. “You’n the baby need… nour’shment.” His eyes closed. His body relaxed.

  “Taelon?” Tears welling in her eyes, Lisa stuffed the card and cash in one of the cup holders, then reached out and pressed trembling fingers to his bloody throat.

  A sob of relief escaped her when she felt his pulse. For a moment she’d thought…

  Clumsily rising onto her knees, she reached over him, pulled a lever, and lowered his seat so he was mostly lying down. Then she urged him onto his side, facing her. If he was still bleeding, she didn’t want him to choke on the blood. She opened the glove compartment in front of him. 9mms. Ammo. A first aid kit. And sterile hand wipes.

  Grabbing the wipes, she cleaned his face and neck. His nose still bled a little. But by the time she finished cleaning him up, the trickle stopped.

  Settling herself behind the wheel, she adjusted the seat, pulling it as far forward as her tummy would allow so she could reach the pedals. After repositioning the rearview mirror, she pulled back onto the road and started forward.

  Taelon shifted, then reached out and rested an arm across her lap. His hand clasped her belly. Sighing, he drifted into sleep.

  The pain in her belly eased. The baby quieted, as though her daddy’s touch had lulled her to sleep, too.

  Lisa increased her speed.

  Before she did anything else, she needed to figure out where the hell they were.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lisa turned into the parking lot in front of a huge Walmart and found a space between two SUVs. Cutting the engine, she swiveled to face the passenger seat. Taelon had not moved in the half hour it had taken her to reach the sprawling supercenter. The baby hadn’t either, as if sensing the gravity of her father’s condition.

  Fear coiled in Lisa’s gut. Reaching out, she drew a hand over Taelon’s forehead and brushed his hair back.

  Why did the world have to be so fucked up? If things were different, she could take him to a hospital and get him the help he needed.

  Then again, if the world weren’t so fucked up, he wouldn’t need help. He never would’ve been tortured like this and wouldn’t be killing himself trying to find his sister, who had probably been subjected to the same torture.

  Curling her hand into a loose fist, she drew her fingers down his stubbled cheek. “Taelon?” she called softly.

  Not a single eyelash flickered.

  She pressed her fingers to his neck, holding her breath until she found a pulse.

  Heaving a sigh of relief, she rested a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Taelon,” she called, louder this time.

  His eyes opened. Blinked. Blinked again. Then squinted as though the light were too bright.

  She glanced around. It was pretty bright, even with the tinted windows. The sun was high overhead, and not a single cloud hid it.

  As soon as his gaze found her, he stiffened and rolled onto his back. Pain rippled across his features as he gripped his chest.

  “Easy,” she said softly. “Take it easy. You’re okay. We’re okay.”

  It seemed to take him a moment to gather his thoughts. “Where are we?”

  “Austin, Texas.”

  Lips tightening, he sat up. “I stole this vehicle from the vampires’ soldiers.”

  “Yes.”

  He glanced around. “Have they found us?”

  “No. But I’m pretty sure they’ll come looking for us as soon as they realize it’s missing.”

  Though he nodded his agreement, he seemed to be having difficulty thinking.

  Worry resurfaced that he had hurt himself by pushing too hard to read whomever’s mind. Or that maybe his wounds were catching up to him.

  Reaching across, she helped him find the lever that would raise his seat. “We need to ditch this SUV and find new wheels.”

  Again he nodded.

  “I have an idea how to do that, but I’m going to have to leave you for a bit and wanted you to be alert so you can skedaddle if a bunch of black SUVs suddenly swing into the parking lot.”

  “You can’t leave.”

  “I have to.”

  “Then I’m going with you.”

  She held up a hand. “I’ll be fine on my own. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

  When he shook his head, he winced and lines of pain formed beside his eyes. “I won’t leave you unguarded again, Lisa. I have to keep you safe.”

  She cupped his cheek in one hand. “You have kept me safe. You’ve been strong for the both of us all this time, protecting me and shielding
me. Now let me be strong for you. Okay? I know what I’m doing.” Leaning forward, she pressed a light kiss to his lips. “I need to keep you safe, too. And I know you’re hurting.”

  When he looked as though he would deny it, she shook her head. “Let me do this. I’ll explain everything when I get back. I just need you to be alert so you can keep an eye out for trouble.”

  He stared at her a long moment. Reaching over, he cupped the back of her head in one large palm and drew her to him for a long, deep kiss that carried so much emotion tears burned the backs of her eyes.

  Breaking the contact, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Come back to me.”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I will.” Grabbing the credit card and cash he’d stolen, she tucked it in the back pocket of her leggings and opened the driver’s door.

  “Be safe,” he said, drawing the fingers of one hand down her back as she turned away.

  Lisa stepped out into the sunshine. “You, too.”

  Closing the door, she headed for the store.

  As Taelon watched Lisa stride away toward a large market, every instinct clamored for him to go after her, to keep her close, protect her from any and all threats. But he had read in her eyes that she needed to do this, whatever it was. And she was right. He was hurting. His head felt as though someone had blown a hole the size of his fist in it with an energy blaster. His vision was even a little bit blurry.

  He gently rested a hand on his chest and winced. His shirt stuck to him when he tried to pull it away, glued to his skin by the blood that had poured from his nose while he’d combed through the immortal Eliana’s mind in search of information on Amiriska.

  Drawing the sticky fabric away from his flesh, he peered down at his chest. Not only was the ugly incision still not healing, whatever he’d damaged in his head reading the immortal’s mind seemed to have sapped whatever was left of his natural regenerative capabilities, because the skin along the incision’s edges looked red and inflamed.

  Releasing the shirt, he glanced around.

  The bright light of the sun pierced his eyes like needles, increasing the pounding in his head.

  Minutes ticked past.

  Earthlings—or humans as Lisa preferred to call her people—shuffled by on occasion, empty-handed going into the store, pushing carts or carrying bags when they exited. Vehicles came and went. A shiny black SUV like the one he inhabited pulled into the parking lot.