Rafael (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #28) - Laurell K. Hamilton Page 0,44

crowd.”

“I was okay with it, because in theory I agree with the idea that if you’re not good enough to get through a crowd that is just trying to bully and intimidate you, then you aren’t strong enough to be a leader of any group,” Micah said.

“Is this because Anita is technically Nimir-ra?” Nathaniel asked.

“Or the lions’ Regina to Nicky’s Rex?” Micah asked.

“I said I wanted Anita to sit beside me in the queen’s throne, that it had been too long since it was used. I thought it would be nostalgia and . . . I don’t know what I thought, but I opened the way for them to say if she is our queen, then she must abide by our rules, which means she might have to fight her way to the stands.”

“What do you mean, might?” I asked.

“A lot of the wererats like you, Anita. They remember that you saved us from Nikolaos and the Master of Beasts. They may say hi, or thank you, but they won’t attack you,” Claudia said.

“But others fear you,” Rafael said, “they fear how it feels when you feed on them through me. They think it is evil. They may take this opportunity to hurt you if they can.”

“Define hurt,” I said.

“No, Anita,” Micah said.

I looked at him because he didn’t tell me no very often. “You think I can’t do it?”

He took a deep breath and then held it and let it out slowly. I could almost see him counting as he did it. Trying to center and calm himself before he answered. “I want to say no, but honestly if you have blades and are allowed to use them as ruthlessly as you would as a preternatural marshal, then I think you could.”

“If I can do it, why are you so worried?” I asked.

“They can’t kill you, but you can’t kill them either, Anita. You’re small like me, but on top of it, you’re a woman and no matter how much you hate it, that does make a difference. You don’t train to wound, you only train to kill. I’m worried that your training will take over and you’ll kill someone.”

“What happens if I accidentally do?”

“Then the rules change,” Claudia replied.

“Change how?” I asked.

“If you kill one of us in the melee, then they can kill you,” Claudia answered.

“That’s why I’m worried,” Micah said.

“I’ll be acting as your guide tonight since it’s your first time; if it happens, I’ll fight with you,” Claudia said.

“I will be at Rafael’s side, so I cannot be with you, but I will send help if it happens,” Benito added.

“So you’re not afraid that I can’t defend myself, you’re afraid that I’ll be overzealous and kill someone else?”

“You don’t train to save lives, Anita, just to take them,” Micah said.

“You train to kill rivals, how is it different?”

“I also train to discipline people when I don’t have to kill them. Your version of that is to stab them with blades that have no silver content or use lead bullets and let them heal.”

“Do I take in non-silver blades?” I asked.

“Do you own any?”

I blinked at him. “Not really.”

“And that’s my point,” he said grimly.

“You bought non-silver blades for Fredo’s classes,” Claudia said.

“I think of them as practice blades for class, and in regular kali, practice blade means aluminum or plastic with no edge and lighter weight than real blades,” I said.

“But for the invitation-only classes, practice blade means non-silver with an edge,” she said.

“It would be a live blade anywhere else,” I said.

“But for tonight, it will cut and wound, but they will heal, and it’s almost impossible to kill one of us without silver.”

I nodded, but added, “I’m going to take a few blades with enough silver content to cause wounds that won’t heal instantly, just in case people need the reminder.”

“I agree,” Claudia said.

“I would like you to dress as my queen tonight, Anita,” Rafael said.

“Define dress?”

“Sexy dress, heels,” he said with the vague answer that so many totally straight men give when pressed for clothes suggestions.

I shook my head. “You know I can’t dress like that and carry blades. Hell, I can’t fight in heels, or at least not as well. If you want me all dressed up, you need to give me enough bodyguards to make me feel secure.” In my head I thought I still wouldn’t have wanted to dress for anything but the fight, but that could just be my nerves talking.

“Would it be too much to ask for

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