Anita Blake Crimson Death Read Online Free
PRAISE FOR SUCKER Dial
"Blake's 20-seventh outing (after Serpentine) is a crafty murder mystery wrapped in plenty of fur and fury. Fans of the serial will exist pleased to encounter Anita Blake's return."
—Library Journal
"Well written, very descriptive, and a fast-paced read."
—The Reading Buffet
"Deliciously evocative, compelling, and a well-rounded story!"
—Fresh Fiction
"Laurell Yard. Hamilton continues to deliver an original, fast-paced, captivating story. It is edgy, twisted, suspenseful, and touches on quite a few emotions."
—Literati Literature Lovers
"A very nice new novel. . . . I had a great time with this book!"
—Betwixt Dreams and Reality
PRAISE FOR LAURELL K. HAMILTON AND THE ANITA BLAKE NOVELS
"Hamilton remains one of the most inventive and heady writers in the paranormal field."
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris
"If y'all've never read this series, I highly recommend/strongly suggest having the Anita Blake experience. Vampires, zombies, and shifters, oh my! And trust me, these are non your daughter's vampires."
—Literati Volume Reviews
"A sex-positive, kick-ass female person protagonist."
—Starburst
"Number one New York Times bestseller Hamilton is still thrilling fans . . . with her amazing multifaceted characters and intricate multilayered globe, a mix of erotic romance, criminal offense drama, and paranormal/fantasy fiction. Her descriptive prose is gritty and raw, with a mosaic of sense of humour and horror to tell this complex, well-detailed story. But it's her enigmatic stable of stars that continues to polish, managing their improbable interpersonal relationship dynamics."
—Library Journal
Titles by Laurell Thou. Hamilton
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Novels
Guilty Pleasures
The Laughing Corpse
Circus of the Damned
The Lunatic Cafe
Bloody Basic
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Claret Noir
Peel Merchandise
Flirt
Bullet
Hit Listing
Kiss the Dead
Disease
Jason
Expressionless Water ice
Blood-red Death
Serpentine
Sucker Punch
Rafael
Merry Gentry Novels
A Kiss of Shadows
A Caress of Twilight
Seduced by Moonlight
A Stroke of Midnight
Mistral's Osculation
A Lick of Frost
Swallowing Darkness
Divine Misdemeanors
A Shiver of Light
Specials
Beauty
Dancing
Wounded
Anthologies
Strange Candy
Fantastic Hope
A JOVE BOOK
Published by Berkley
An banner of Penguin Random House LLC
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2021 by Laurell K. Hamilton
Penguin Random Business firm supports copyright. Copyright fuels inventiveness, encourages various voices, promotes complimentary speech, and creates a vibrant civilization. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by non reproducing, scanning, or distributing whatsoever role of it in any class without permission. You are supporting writers and assuasive Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
A JOVE Volume, BERKLEY, and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
ISBN: 9780593332917
Ebook ISBN: 9780593332924
First Edition: Feb 2021
Comprehend art by Shutterstock
Cover design by Jeff Miller/Faceout Studio
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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So many of you told me that yous wanted Rafael, Claudia, and all the rest of the wererats to take a volume where they were center phase; well, this one's for you and all the other readers who told me they wanted more stories faster. Write faster, you say! And so here'south the next book just in time for the Year of the Rat! Equally the old year slips away and the Year of the Ox begins, may it be full of promise, happiness, practiced health, and prosperity for the whole world.
CONTENTS
Cover
Praise for Laurell Grand. Hamilton
Titles by Laurell M. Hamilton
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter i
Affiliate 2
Chapter iii
Chapter 4
Chapter five
Chapter half dozen
Chapter seven
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Affiliate 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Affiliate fourteen
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Affiliate 18
Chapter 19
Affiliate xx
Chapter 21
Affiliate 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Affiliate 25
Chapter 26
Affiliate 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Acknowledgments
Almost the Writer
1
I WAS WORKING out in the weight room with Claudia, who was a more serious weightlifter than I would always be, but she was teaching me how to trust my new supernatural strength. In the movies y'all become a vampire or a werewolf or whatever, and you just automatically know how it all works. In existent life it wasn't automatic, or at least it wasn't for me. In all honesty, lifting some of the weights scared me, which meant I couldn't lift them, because my listen convinced me it was incommunicable, which was why I'd started spending function of Sabbatum in the gym with Claudia. She was helping me piece of work through my nerves and had patiently explained that a lot of people had the same problems when they first became shapeshifters. I wasn't exactly a shapeshifter, merely close plenty. What were nosotros talking about between lifting heavy objects? Men. You tin can take the human out of the girl, simply you tin't take the girl out of the wererat, or something like that.
"But Rafael is literally tall, dark, and handsome. His business firm is beautiful, and the pool is so squeamish I'chiliad outset to want one. He's polite, well-spoken, a gentleman."
"All that is true," Claudia said.
"Then why doesn't he have more lady friends?"
"Ask him," she said, and lay down on the weight demote and started to wrap her dark hands effectually a truly frightening amount of weight. She was six feet, six inches tall and already had enough muscle visible around the sports bra and double shorts that I knew she c
ould elevator it. I'd seen her elevator that much before, but it still sort of scared me for shoulder press. I'd endemic cars that didn't weigh equally much as she was about to lift on the specially reinforced bar. If she were merely human and it fell on her cervix, she'd have a crushed larynx and be dead earlier medical aid could make it. If it landed on her chest, I might exist able to call for help earlier she suffocated from not existence able to expand her chest enough to proceed breathing, but I couldn't elevator it off her. I could non spot her at these weights. I'd pointed that out to her, and she'd replied with, "This is the weight I'd be doing if you weren't here." She had a bespeak, then I let it go.
I thought I lifted respectable weight for being five human foot three and female, but trying to lift in the same room with Claudia always fabricated me experience sort of puny; of course, the Hulk might feel kind of puny trying to keep upward with her, and so I guess I shouldn't worry nigh it.
She got the weight clear of the bar. Lowered it slowly and with perfect control. The only sign of strain was the mode her muscles corded and the sound of her breath equally she did a sharp exhale and pushed the bar upward once again. I knew we were doing pyramid sets, and then she'd be doing 3 to 5 reps on this last weight, but function of me only wanted her to put it back on the rack and be done. It wasn't that I thought she couldn't handle reps with information technology, I only wasn't sure my nerves could handle watching her do information technology.
She did five reps, her muscles working smoothly, showing no effort except for her jiff being a petty more serious at the end. She set up the weight back in the rack, and I realized I'd been holding my breath, because information technology came out in a whoosh, as if I'd been the 1 lifting.
She sat upwards and smiled at me. "Y'all know I'm not in any danger when I lift. If I thought information technology was dangerous, I either wouldn't do it, or I'd have someone in here to spot me."
"I know yous're very safe conscious in the gym, but I don't know if I'll ever get used to watching you and the other shapeshifters lift so much more than than human-normal."
"You can lift more now, too," she said, reaching for the towel she had to the side of the rack. It was just adept manners to wipe off the demote afterward yous were done.
"Yep, but not that kind of weight."
"You're smaller than me."
I laughed. "Most of the male person guards are smaller than yous."
She smiled, a fierce baring of white teeth in the deep brown of her face. "Your turn," she said with that grin that was fierce and happy at the same time, as if a panther could smile like a person, though that wasn't her flavor of wereanimal, but somehow rat just didn't convey the dangerous beauty of Claudia.
She let me help her put most of her weights back on the weight racks because I insisted on helping, only information technology was a workout only to do that office. I let her help me put my weights on the bar considering it was fair. "Just and then you know, I wouldn't lift this past myself without someone to spot me."
She gave that fierce smile again, with a small deep chuckle. I'd but recently learned Claudia was a throaty alto when she sang, and that she could sing. Information technology had been worth going to karaoke only to hear her.
I lay dorsum on the bench and centered myself under the bar. I hadn't been super strong long enough to really believe it all the time. I looked at the weights and thought, I'one thousand about to printing three times my body weight, which was ridiculous, except that I'd done it earlier. Claudia put her hands over the bar, fix to help if I needed it; without her there I would take been scared to practice it.
I wrapped my hands around the bar, using the roughened office of it to help me decide on paw placement, and then I couldn't put it off anymore. Lifting this amount of weight off the rack wasn't well-nigh strength actually, information technology was about believing information technology was possible. I'd learned that I couldn't await too hard at the weight on either side of the bar, because information technology made part of my head start screaming, Incommunicable, I tin can't elevator this! I could practise the inhuman weights for well-nigh of the exercises and just curiosity at it, but the chest press and the squat rack both spooked me, considering if they went wrong, I could end up crippled or dead, if I'd been human, and of class that was the other office that rattled effectually in my brain. How human was I? How much did the metaphysical connections to the vampires and the shapeshifters assist me hither? They made me stronger and harder to hurt. They helped me heal faster than homo-normal from cuts, stabs, bullets, a brain injury, but did they cover being crushed? Did I really want to discover out but to elevator in the gym? Maxim information technology that style made it audio stupid.
"Y'all can do this, Anita, you know you can," Claudia said, leaning her face a petty more into my line of sight.
I looked upward into her true brownish eyes, the utter surety in her face. She was right, I knew she was right. "I can practice this," I said.
She gave that fierce grinning once again and leaned over to whisper, "Nosotros got company, make me proud."
I didn't point out that whoever had come into the weight room would take to be a shapeshifter, which meant that they would be able to lift this and more, but as I'd learned in the weight room when I was merely human being, it wasn't always about who was stronger, information technology was near who wanted information technology more. I wanted it, because if the guards who but walked in had been ones she liked, she'd have yelled it out, teased them about me being tougher than them. That she'd whispered information technology meant she didn't similar them, which probably meant neither would I.
I all of a sudden wasn't afraid of the weights; Claudia was there, she could catch anything I could lift, and besides, I wanted to make her proud. She'd started being my weight-lifting partner fifty-fifty though I wasn't strong enough to spot for her. She was educational activity me how to use the new supernatural forcefulness, and without saying information technology out loud she enjoyed having another woman who worked out hard.
I cleared the weight off the rack, took in my breath, and started lowering the bar downwards. My body had a moment of going You're joking, right? when my elbows bent and the bar touched my chest, not resting on information technology, but just touching it. My arms trembled every bit I started pushing upward. The elbow on the side that had the nearly scars hesitated a second, and and then I was pushing up, using my breath to help push button the weight up, as if I could blow information technology away from me. I could feel the muscles bunch and motility in a way that no other exercise fabricated them exercise, or perhaps weights fabricated me more aware of it. I loved the feel of my body fighting to lift it, and and so I was up, all the manner up. I'd washed it! The thrill of adrenaline, the relief, and then the thought Tin I practice it again? I fought my arms to make sure the weight went down steady and controlled. I touched my breast, this time a little more solidly, and there was that moment when the weight didn't desire to be lifted. I pushed and the elbow on my left arm hesitated again like the articulation was thinking near it, so the muscles kicked in and the bar started to ascension. I fought not to arch my back and cheat with more of my body than I was supposed to utilise. There was a little more tremble in my artillery as I got the bar all the way dorsum up. I debated on trying for a third rep, but the fine tremble in my muscles said no. All I had to do now was put it dorsum in the rack. My artillery were trembling visibly now. Claudia started to put her hands on the bar, but I snarled, "No, don't bear on it!"
She moved her hands wide so the room could run into she wasn't helping.
I couldn't seem to sink it on the rack—information technology was like trying to thread a needle that weighed a ton when your artillery were starting to practice the spaghetti wobble. I idea I was going to lose information technology for just a 2nd and really regretted non letting Claudia help me, but and so the bar sank home on the rack with a satisfyingly soft clank. I was animate hard just grinning upward at her equally she grinned down at me. She offered me a fist to bump. It took me two tries to manage with my arms a little wobbly. "Personal best for yous," she said.
"Two reps, that's all she can exercise at that weight, and she's supposed to be our queen," a male voice whined from across the room. It was Kane, one of my least favorite people. Perfect.
"Come up over here and bear witness y'all can do better," Claudia said.
I sat up, careful not to bang my head
on the now safely racked weight bar, and if yous recollect that doesn't happen, you haven't been in enough weight rooms. I saturday on the bench with my arms yet shaky. We'd already done a full round of weights before we started with the pyramid sets, so I'd earned the sweat forth my spine and the noodle artillery. I sat at that place letting my pulse and breathing get under command. The fact that I was breathing every bit if I'd done cardio meant I'd really pushed myself for that personal best on the chest press. Yay, me! Staring beyond the room at Kane, I didn't feel personally victorious, I felt defeated. Kane was a problem that I didn't know how to gear up, and he was right, technically I was about to be everyone'due south queen, and Kane wasn't the but one who thought I wasn't up to the task. He was simply the only one who was this song nigh it. I'd kicked his ass twice, once with magic and once without. I'd put a gun to his head that concluding time considering in that location was only so much I could do against shapeshifters that could grow their own claws and fangs. I was most every bit fast and stiff every bit they were, just I couldn't grow my own weapons.
The other human with him said, "Kane, we're hither to work out, only go out it."
"She's too homo to be in charge of all of us, you said so yourself, Helios."
Helios gave me a wait that was nearly pleading. "I didn't say it to her face up, though. I'm sorry, Ms. Blake, and I'm really sorry, Claudia."
"Why are you sorrier to me than to Anita?" she asked.
"She may be queen someday, but you'll vanquish my ass in combatives." The moment he called fight practice combatives, I knew he was one of the erstwhile military that nosotros'd been hiring every bit guards. Popping hot for lycanthropy—sorry, Therianthropy—was still an automatic belch from all branches of military machine service, which meant we'd been picking up some well-trained talent courtesy of Uncle Sam's shortsighted policies.
"I retrieve Anita could win on the mat," Claudia said.
Helios, who was blond and half-dozen feet alpine, in obvious good shape, grinned. "I didn't say she couldn't win on points, but she can't pound me into the mat, and y'all can."
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