Wicked After Midnight (Blud)

Read Wicked After Midnight (Blud) Online

Authors: Delilah S. Dawson

BOOK: Wicked After Midnight (Blud)
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Praise for the second novel in Delilah S. Dawson’s scrumptious Blud series

WICKED AS SHE WANTS

Winner of the RT Book Reviews Seal of Excellence

“No sophomore series slump here. . . . Delightfully edgy with hidden charms. . . . Dawson is on the fast track to the top of the genre!”


RT Book Reviews
(Top Pick!)

“Fantastic writing through and through. . . . You’ll find any excuse not to put the book down.”


Paranormal Haven

“Dawson has created one of the most original and refreshing worlds in a time when I thought it had all been done before. . . . If you are not reading the Blud series, you are missing out!”


Under the Covers Book Blog

“Amazingly creative and original.”


Bitten by Paranormal Romance

“This book has it all . . . vampires, romance, murder, revenge, steampunk, and a special secret. . . . Amazing.”


Dark Faerie Tales

“A most interesting world filled with fantastical creatures. . . . Dawson is a gifted storyteller.”


Fiction Vixen

“Ahna and Casper are full of passion, which makes for a red-hot romance that adds to the brilliant storytelling. . . . A supernatural adventure that’s hard to put down.”


Romancing the Dark Side

WICKED AS THEY COME

“As good as it gets!”


New York Times
bestselling author Nancy Holder

“A wonderfully fresh new voice splashes onto the scene. . . . In Criminy Stain, Dawson has created a delightful rogue with a dangerously sexy edge. Join the adventure; you won’t be sorry you did!”


RT Book Reviews

“Mesmerizing . . . holds the reader spellbound from its opening line until its last. . . . This reviewer recommends you make a trip to the fascinating Sang immediately.”


Bitten by Books

“I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s like every genre I love so perfectly blended together. If you want to fall in love with two great characters plus an entire new world, this is your book.”


Badass Book Reviews

“A wonderful start to a new series that had me dying to find out more. It is a dark macabre tale that Tim Burton would only wish to dream of. . . . Many a midnight hour was burnt with me not wanting to put it down.”


Book Chick City

“A complex and interesting book. . . . If you are looking for something new, different, and fresh I would encourage you to try this book.”


Fiction Vixen

“Dawson has a wonderful voice that hooks you with humorous sharp dialogue, smooth pacing, and descriptive details. An enchanting mixture of steampunk, fantasy, and paranormal romance.”


Smexy Books

“I was completely engrossed from beginning to end and could not walk away from this book for a moment. It is utterly enchanting.”


A Bookworm’s Haven

“The novel flips from the familiar to the fantastical effortlessly. . . . It could have followed down the rabbit hole of previous vampire or Steampunk tales, but it takes the high road, with humor and insights into life.”


Heroes and Heartbreakers

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For my flower twin, for the Red Door, for Team Capybara, for the Bludbunny Brigade, for the YELLING ON TWITTER IN ALL CAPS. For the readers and writers and trollers of darkness. YOU GUYS ARE THE WIND BENEATH MY WINGS AND WHATEVS. Thanks for making the world less lonely.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

About Delilah S. Dawson

Acknowledgments

Oh, I owe a lot of cupcakes this time around. Big thanks, hugs, and baked goods to so many.

With so many people to thank, I know I’ll forget someone important. But rest assured that the love and gratitude are there. As this is the last book (that I know of!) in the Blud series, the thanks list got a little out of hand. NO REGRETS.

First of all, many thanks to everyone who helped with the
Wicked as She Wants
launch party, especially Seth and Leah at the Red Door Playhouse in Roswell, Georgia. To my amazing friends in the Red Door Writers Group, who put up with my not-so-subtle manipulation of writing prompts into scenes for this very book. To the Fabulous Foxes of FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA, for joining us at the book launch party and selling a ton of books—and for making sure that there’s a way to order signed and personalized copies of all things Blud. To Ericka Axelsson for coming up with the book launch party’s signature drink, the Tsarina’s Kiss—it’s Prosecco and lingonberry syrup from Ikea, in case you want to try it, and it looks just like blood mixed with champagne but tastes a lot better. To Andrea for taking pics at the party and Elizabeth for helping with setup and Jim for bringing the unicorn head and Meghan for playing the role of the Goblin King. To Cakes by Darcy for another delicious masterpiece—red velvet with almond buttercream, of course. Thanks to everyone who joined us to party!

To my amazing husband, Craig, who has been my favorite person since the year 2000. To my magical children, Cleo and Rex, who make every day brighter and weirder. To my parents and grandparents, who always support me. I’ll dedicate a book to y’all, some day—but not a vampire romance.

For music and the playlists that keep me editing, thanks to Chris Casatelli, Thomas Strickland, Ken Lowery, Karina Cooper, Becky Zemansky, and Adam Christopher. You can hear the playlist for this book at Spotify under DelilahSDawson.

To the generous beta readers who helped steer me in the right direction for “The Three Lives of Lydia,” “Love Song of the Lizard Boy,” and “The Damsel and the Daggerman,” thanks to Stephanie at Fangs, Wands, and Fairy Dust; Brent Taylor, Austin Lewis, Stephanie Constantin, Ericka Axelsson, Debbie Pascoe, Beth Ho, Allie Charlesworth, Lindze Merritt, Charis Collins, Kathy Epling, Kevin Hearne, and Andrew Schaffer.

For using mad graphic skillz to whip up emergency swag faster than a speeding bullet, Jon Plsek.

To my beloved agent, Kate McKean, who always steers me true and without whom this entire series wouldn’t exist. Because when we were on The Call, she asked me what I was working on next, and when I said something along the lines of “a
Buffy
-inspired steampunk adventure with kind-of vampires and clockwork monkeys and then there’s a Kraken and lots of kissing,” she just went with it.

To my awesome editor at Pocket Books, Abby Zidle, who turns my coal into diamonds and marshmallows and treats me to duck confit and takes me to butterfly gardens, even though I almost got us thrown out. And to Parisa Zolfaghari, who not only took care of me through
almost this entire series but also took me to STREB Extreme Action in New York so I could finally knock “flying trapeze” off my bucket list. (For real. There’s a video on my blog.) To Wendy and Nancy and all the copyeditors who keep me from looking like an idiot. And to Stephanie, Marla, and everyone else at Pocket Books, too. I’m so glad my first books were with y’all!

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