Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter in Guilty Pleasures – Issue 6

Dead Dave’s is a bar owned by a vampire who used to be a cop. Luther, the bar tender, tells Anita that Valentine is apparently responsible for Phillip’s being a vampire junkie. Valentine attacked Phillip when he was only a child. When Anita asks Luther for Valentine’s daytime resting place, he refuses to give her the information, both to protect himself and Dave, and to protect Anita from going to prison for killing a vampire without a warrant. Ronnie Sims calls Anita to tell her that a human group known as Humans Against Vampires (HAV) may have formed a death squad that could be responsible for the vampire murders. Anita tells Ronnie about the Freak Party and goes home to get ready. Inside her apartment, Anita finds evidence that Edward has returned, leaving her a present of a sawed-off shotgun, and a note informing her she has 24 hours to divulge Nikolaos’s resting place. Anita picks Phillip up and lets it slip that she knows about Valentine. Phillip isn’t happy, but his revenge is that Anita has to pretend to be his lover while they are at the Freak Party. Anita manages to piss off several people at the party before learning that Edward is at the party, masquerading as a freak named Teddy. Phillip, meanwhile, is being pawed by all the women at the party, and when he verbally lashes out at them, he drags Anita into the bathroom. She offers to leave with Phillip so that he isn’t tempted further, but Phillip refuses. He also refuses to divulge the name of the vampire giving him orders. Realizing that they are being watched and Anita hasn’t exactly been acting like a lover, Phillip moves in for a kiss.