‘The ardeur made me a sort of living vampire who fed off sex, but with the downsides came some interesting upsides.’

Jason is a werewolf. He’s one of my best friends and sometimes a lover. And right now he needs me, Anita Blake – not to be a vampire hunter, or a Federal Marshall, or a necromancer, but because his father is dying. I can help make him look like an everyday guy, help him say goodbye to the abusive father he’s never loved. How hard can it be?

Really, by now, you’d think I’d know better. Because this is the weekend that Marmee Noir, ancient mother of all vampires, picks to make her move. I’ve got something she wants – and now she’s going to take it.