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threat of danger.
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"And we heard Bill was on a diet of synthetic blood only," said the tattooed vampire. "Guess we heard
wrong, Diane."
The female vampire cocked her head and gave me a long look. "I'm not so sure. She looks like a virgin
to me."
I didn't think Diane was talking hymens.
I took a few casual steps toward Bill, hoping like hell he would defend me if worst came to worst, but
finding myself not absolutely sure. I was still smiling, hoping he would speak, would move.
And then he did. "Sookie is mine," he said, and his voice was so cold and smooth it wouldn't have made
a ripple in the water if it had been a stone.
I looked at him sharply, but I had enough brains to keep my mouth shut.
"How good you been taking care of our Bill?" Diane asked.
"None of your fucking business," I answered, using one of Jason's words and still smiling. I said I had a
temper.
There was a sharp little pause. Everyone, human and vampire, seemed to examine me closely enough to
count the hairs on my arms. Then the tall male began to rock with laughter and the others followed suit.
While they were yukking it up, I moved a few feet closer to Bill. His dark eyes were fixed on me he
wasn't laughing and I got the distinct feeling he wished, just as much as I did, that I could read his mind.
He was in some danger, I could tell. And if he was, then I was.
"You have a funny smile," said the tall male thoughtfully. I'd liked him better when he was laughing.
"Oh, Malcolm," said Diane. "All human women look funny to you."
Malcolm pulled the human male to him and gave him a long kiss. I began to feel a little sick. That kind of
stuff is private. "This is true," Malcolm said, pulling away after a moment, to the small man's apparent
disappointment. "But there is something rare about this one. Maybe she has rich blood."
"Aw," said the blond woman, in a voice that could blister paint, "That's just crazy Sookie Stackhouse."
I looked at the woman with more attention. I recognized her at last, when I mentally erased a few miles
of hard road and half the makeup. Janella Lennox had worked at Merlotte's for two weeks until Sam had
fired her. She'd moved to Monroe, Arlene had told me.
The male vampire with the tattoos put his arm around Janella and rubbed her breasts. I could feel the
blood drain out of my face. I was disgusted. It got worse. Janella, as lost to decency as the vampire, put
her hand on his crotch and massaged.
At least I saw clearly that vampires can sure have sex.
I was less than excited about that knowledge at the moment.
Malcolm was watching me, and I'd showed my distaste.
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"She's innocent," he said to Bill, with a smile full of anticipation.
"She's mine," Bill said again. This time his voice was more intense. If he'd been a rattlesnake his warning
could not have been clearer.
"Now, Bill, you can't tell me you've been getting everything you need from that little thing," Diane said.
"You look pale and droopy. She ain't been taking good care of you."
I inched a little closer to Bill.
"Here," offered Diane, whom I was beginning to hate, "have a taste of Liam's woman or Malcolm's
pretty boy, Jerry."
Janella didn't react to being offered around, maybe because she was too busy unzipping Liam's jeans,
but Malcolm's beautiful boyfriend, Jerry, slithered willingly over to Bill. I smiled as though my jaws were
going to crack as he wrapped his arms around Bill, nuzzled Bill's neck, rubbed his chest against Bill's
shirt.
The strain in my vampire's face was terrible to see. His fangs slid out. I saw them fully extended for the
first time. The synthetic blood was not answering all Bill's needs, all right.
Jerry began licking a spot at the base of Bill's neck. Keeping my guard up was proving to be more than I
could handle. Since three present were vampires, whose thoughts I couldn't hear, and Janella was fully
occupied, that left Jerry. I listened and gagged.
Bill, shaking with temptation, was actually bending to sink his fangs into Jerry's neck when I said, "No!
He has the Sino-virus!"
As if released from a spell, Bill looked at me over Jerry's shoulder. He was breathing heavily, but his
fangs retracted. I took advantage of the moment by taking more steps. I was within a yard of Bill, now.
"Sino-AIDS," I said.
Alcoholic and heavily drugged victims affected vampires temporarily, and some of them were said to
enjoy that buzz; but the blood of a human with full-blown AIDS didn't, nor did sexually transmitted
diseases, or any other bugs that plagued humans.
Except Sino-AIDS. Even Sino-AIDS didn't kill vampires as surely as the AIDS virus killed humans, but [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]