Cerulean Sins Chapter Twenty One

Dottie's chapter is here 

How many times has Anita fainted in the span of twenty very short chapters? At least twice, I think, because I'm pretty sure she also fainted after Asher bit her. This is just laziness. It's the sort of thing an author uses when they don't know how to close a scene. I mean, sometimes sure. People pass out. It's a thing that happens. But this often? I'm giving your skills the side eye, LKH.

Tammy Reynolds is here. She's a witch. In a very superficial way she was the inspiration for the urban fantasy I'm working on now. Because, come on! Isn't that a cool idea? A witch who works in law enforcement! Rest assured it will be squandered here.

There's some bullshit about how Tammy is tall and works out so the other cops "read: male" won't give her grief. I think we all know that patriarchy is a thing, but assuming it's usually displayed with all its flags flying is naive at best. Patriarchy is often subtle which is what makes it so pernicious. If it were that easy to identify at all times, we wouldn't have half the trouble we do with getting rid of it. The fact that neither Tammy nor Anita can ever interact with law enforcement without some hideous man child waving his dick around strikes me as unrealistic, even if they do live in a crapsack world. It's lazy and childish.

So Tammy has been putting cold rags on Anita's head to make her feel better, since Anita is sick. But Anita "heals like a lycanthrope now" so she runs hot when she heals. Cooling her off messes up her healing. Wat.

Tammy is pissed at herself for passing out, since only she and Anita did at a scene full of men. This I find sort of realistic, compared to Anita's clumsy attempts to discuss sexism. Anita manages to take a shot at her faith though, because it wouldn't be an Anita book without a tall glass of haterade to drink with the meal. See, Tammy is a follower of The Way, a Christian witchery path. They're all zealots for some reason, even though I have known a fair number of Christian witches in my life, none of whom felt the need to prove their piety.

Tammy thinks now is the perfect time to tell Anita she's pregnant.

For some reason Tammy then assumes that because Anita vomited and passed out, she too is pregnant. 

Anita doesn't know how to explain that her beast and Asher's bite are fucking her up, even though this is a world where supernaturals have always been a known quantity. Despite Anita being an animator and a supposed vampire expert. Despite Tammy herself being a fucking witch. 

Tammy is super pissed because she thinks Anita is lying to her about being pregnant. What the hell?

Tammy walks out. Anita obviously needs help but nope, Tammy takes complete leave of her senses and punishes Anita for 'lying' to her. I am having real trouble wrapping my mind around this one. Does Tammy live in a weird shadow world where every time a woman gets sick and faints, she's pregnant? Anita did just see a human being put through the biggest Vitamix in the world. Just maybe that's the more likely reason?

Jason shows up to carry Anita outside and presumably take her home. Once again, Anita wonders what's wrong with her even though we've established that it's her beast and the reaction to Asher's bite. She even thought this exact thing not three paragraphs ago!

The crowd of reporters "closed like a fist around us" because this is one of the only analogies LKH knows.

Oh something extra special is wrong with her. Of course. Jason takes her towards wherever the oard is. Anita faints for the third time in as many hours.