Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 11-15 - Laurell K. Hamilton [896]
I wrapped a cross in silk, put that in a velvet bag, and that inside a pillowcase. It seems to be working. No more bad dreams of Marmee Noir. No accidents for my vampire lovers, or me. I’d send Merlin a thank-you note if I had an address.
Sampson is staying in town so I can fulfill my promise to try to bring his powers over. He’s letting me recover my strength, and my nerve for it. Nice of him. I made Auggie take Haven home to Chicago. My hands ached to touch him. So dangerous. The local werelions are trying to find me someone else, but I miss Haven. He’s a dangerous thug, but I miss him. My lioness misses him. He would be such a bad idea to keep.
I wasn’t pregnant, yea! But while I thought I was pregnant, I had unprotected sex with Nathaniel, Jean-Claude, Micah, and Augustine. No one handed London a condom when I fed the ardeur off him. But I’ve managed to dodge the bullet on those, too. Thank God. Pregnant by one of my boyfriends is one thing; pregnant by Augustine would be a disaster I could not deal with. I think I’ll just start taping condoms to my body. Emergency sex comes up, you rip a condom off, and you’re as safe as you’re going to be. I’m safe from disease because my lovers aren’t human, but pregnancy, that is one disease that I’m not safe from. My period is still AWOL. My doctor says there’s nothing wrong with me. It could just be stress, or, there is literature about female shapeshifters having interrupted periods until their first full moon. Or, as my doctor pointed out, I am like a metaphysical miracle on two legs, so maybe it’s something else. Maybe it’s something we haven’t even thought of. He recommended I take folic acid because there are birth defects that have nothing to do with werewolves and vampires. I did what he said. He also suggested a therapist, or a vacation. A vacation? Me? Where would I go, and what would I do? Hell, who would I take with me?
I try not to think too hard on the fact that my “vampire powers” gave me Nathaniel and Micah. Hell, gave me to them. Why didn’t it work on Richard? Jean-Claude thinks it’s because he does not know his own heart’s desire. You can only get your wish when you truly know what it is you want. Maybe someday Richard will truly know what his heart needs. He’s dating humans exclusively. I’m the only preternatural he’s seeing. Richard has informed me he’s shopping for his white picket fence.
I’m happy behind my black wrought-iron fence. The one with the pointy spikes on top. White never really was my color.
THE HARLEQUIN
THE HARLEQUIN
LAURELL K. HAMILTON
BERKLEY BOOKS
NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)
Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India
Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0745, Auckland, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either