vampire sidekick, and puncturing Sainvire’s distracting orbs with sharpened pencils. If she really wanted to, she could kill all of them.
(((
Sainvire gingerly lifted the comforter under the sedated dog, hoping the poor mutt wouldn’t wake up.
As lightly as he could, he floated a foot above ground and glided back to his room. Penny twitched and whined as if stuck in a nightmare. Sainvire’s jaw set hard.
He hesitated before placing the dog down. “Which would you prefer, little Penny?” he asked softly.
At first he was going to set her down on the bed, but he thought Poe might decide to sleep with the dog and injure the mutt further with the movements of the soft mattress. No. Penny would have to sleep on the divan by the bed. Sainvire’s gestures bordered on non-movement. He made Penny’s descent onto the divan a breeze.
Poe was still in the bathroom, her grief not hidden from the vampire’s keen ears by the rush of shower water. At least she wasn’t vomiting anymore. Sainvire chose a leather armchair by the window to sit in and waited for her to come out.
“I’m hoping you’ll make our meeting less awkward,” he told the wiry haired dog.
He was correct on that score. Immediately after entering the room, the young woman kneeled by the dog and whispered, “I’ll get us out of here soon. Then we can start over.”
Occupied with Goss’ dog – hers now – Poe realized that Penny was by far more abused than she.
Penny’s beloved human companion, along with Legs, was gone. Poe forgot about the vampire momentarily 122
Rono/That Which Bites
as she tended to the dog. When she finally did look at him sitting as still as an empty church and watching her, Poe forced a look of nonchalance.
“Sorry I took so long,” Poe began. “I’m, um, not ready for real food, I guess.”
“I assure you, Poe, there’s no need to explain.” He motioned to a leather burgundy armchair across from him. “I quite understand. We really should begin our conversation about your friends since dawn is closely approaching.”
And so began a narrative that left Poe reeling in its intricacy.
123
CHAPTER 4–REASON FOR TERMINATION
TO SAY THAT POE was nervous would be an understatement. Her slouched, constantly shifting figure could not stay still on the slippery leather chair.
Her eyes flicked between Sainvire and the naked Modigliani painting behind him. Calamitously the bandage she had taken from the medical tray and wrapped around her bosom itched terribly.
At least the vampire looked as discomfited as her.
His clear eyes heavy with secrets, Sainvire finally cleared his throat and began.
“Before I tell you what I know, I must first ask you to disclose what I’m about to reveal only to people you trust implicitly.”
For a few seconds all Poe could do was stare incongruously at the master vampire. “Well, um, who am I going to tell? All my friends are dead. The humans here are so obnoxious, they won’t get anything outta me.”
“There’s Megan and Morales,” he said quietly, noting the stiffening of Poe’s spine.
“H-how did–”
“You’ll find out everything, Poe, as soon as I get your promise.”
“Alright. You have it, but on one condition. You have to tell me who killed my friends.” Even if it was you, Poe thought.
124
Rono/That Which Bites
Sainvire nodded his assent, his face not betraying anything.
“I give you my word,” he said quietly.
He looked intently at Poe’s face for so long that the girl was on the brink of developing a much bigger complex about her scar. Then he spoke with a deep, gravelly voice.
“Before the Gray Armageddon, a contingent of vampires was already in search of a new, non-human food source. With the aid of some very gifted scientists, geneticists, phlebotomists, and a brood of other experts who knew about us, we initiated research.
In two years, we made promising progress. But the gray matter came, destroying most of the human population and civilization as we knew it. And to this day, the poison winds still remain a conundrum for which we have many explanations but no definite answers. My personal theory is that we doomed ourselves with germ experimentation that succeeded in wiping out most everyone. Anyway, after the tragedy, vampires broke into factions to fill the power vacuum.
“The Vampire Council that had existed for hundreds of years set up a new working government in the cities with vampire concentrations.” He touched his temple and looked away from Poe’s dark gaze. “The Council in Los Angeles is composed of five very powerful vampires just as lost as the