To Walk the Night

by E. S. Moore

  And even if he did hold up his end of the bargain and release me, how could I ever trust him not to do to me what he planned to do to Count Tremaine? He had turned against everyone he had ever sworn allegiance to. What was to stop him from doing it again?

  I still couldn’t figure out how it would benefit him. If he were to swear the Oath, he would become subservient to me. I could kill him any time I wanted and he couldn’t raise a hand against me. It made no sense. What did he get out of it?

  “You really have no choice,” Adrian said. “Either you join with me or you will suffer unbearable torment. I will tell Tremaine who you are, will make sure he understands what tainting your blood would really do to you. If you refuse me, tomorrow night will be your last.”

  “Then when tomorrow comes, I’ll be sure to let Tremaine know what you really think of him. I’m sure he would be interested to hear how you are interested in bedding his captive to secure your own powerbase.”

  Adrian snarled and leaped toward my cell. I never even flinched. He slammed his face up against the bars, wrapped his hands around them as if he were going to tear the cell door straight from its moorings.

  I waited for him to cry out, to flinch from the silver bars, but he held on as if it didn’t bother him in the slightest.

  “I will tear your heart from your chest,” he said. “You do not know who you are dealing with. I am capable of doing so much worse than anything Tremaine could ever dream of. I always get what I want.”

  I hardly heard what he was saying. I should have been thrilled to finally get a real reaction out of him. I just couldn’t focus. I stared at his hands, at his face pressed against the bars that should have scorched his flesh, left him writhing in agony. There wasn’t even a hint of pain on his features.

  I should have known it wouldn’t have bothered him. It was his wolves that seemed impervious to my silver, so why should he be any different?

  I had to admit, I wasn’t on my game. Getting stabbed in the back with your own weapons tends to do that. I really needed to get past all of that or I definitely wouldn’t be getting out of here alive.

  Adrian eased off the bars and took a step back. His face was whole, his hands unaffected by the silver. He took a deep breath and composed himself.

  “I gave you a chance,” he said. “Two chances, in fact. Your pride stands in the way of common sense. You are a vampire. You need to live like one and quit acting like you are human. It is a shame you will not live long enough to reach true enlightenment.”

  He turned and stormed out of the basement, slamming the door behind him. I watched after him, stunned into silence.

  Time passed. The temperature in the basement dropped. The rain outside had picked up. Even in the basement, I could hear its patter. The Purebloods cowered in their cells, curled into balls, trying to keep the warmth from leaving their bodies. Some of them wouldn’t survive the night.

  I was cold to the bone, though it had little to do with the plummeting temperature. I was trapped down here with what was clearly a madman holding his secret close to his chest out of some insane belief that in doing so I would join him and become his mate. If he ever thought I would go through with it, he was even crazier than he seemed.

  I sat and pressed my back against the cold stone wall. I had no idea how I was going to get out of this. What I really needed was a miracle.

  I pulled my knees to my chest and did the only thing I could do.

  I waited.

  28

  The morning came and went. I could feel the sun through the heavy stones and the soft earth separating me from freedom. My strength waned and then gained force as the sun began its slow descent. I searched every corner of my cell, tried to claw at the walls, use my vampire-enhanced strength to tear at the stones, but it was no use.

  No one else came to see me during the day. I was left alone with the Purebloods who moaned and begged me for help. I didn’t know what they wanted me to do, trapped as I was. It was all I could do to keep from screaming myself.

  As the sun finally went down, to be replaced by the full moon, I felt myself giving way to my baser instincts. Blood covered my chin, pouring from the wounds inflicted by my incisors pushing from the gums. My breathing picked up, and at first, I had no control over myself. If anyone would have been in the cell with me, I would have torn them to shreds.

  It took a good long time for me to calm myself enough to think. I knew it was the moon playing on the taint in my blood. I could control it. Barely.

  The door at the top of the stairs opened and I rose to my feet. It was time to meet my fate, and I was going to do it standing. If by some miracle they made the mistake of coming in after me without pacifying me first, I would make them pay. Tremaine had better have sent a dozen wolves and vamps to contain me.

  I watched the stairs, waiting to see whom he had sent. Since it was the full moon, it was unlikely the wolves would be coming for me. Not unless he wanted them to ravage anything they could sink their claws into. The Madness would have its teeth in them by now.

  Nathan appeared at the foot of the stairs, causing me to start in surprise. His face was concealed by the darkness shrouding the room. I could just make out his form, his features, so I knew who he was, but I couldn’t quite make out what kind of expression was on his face. The full moon did that, weakened some of the basic senses, fueling baser instincts instead.

  He hurried over to my cell. “Hurry,” he said, producing a set of keys from his pocket. “They don’t know I’m down here.”

  “How?” I asked, stunned. I was so happy to see him, yet afraid at the same time. Nathan wasn’t exactly one of my favorite people.

  Nathan got the door open with a hiss of pain. It was somewhat a relief to see someone else affected by the silver after Adrian’s show the night before.

  “I took the Oath,” he growled, his voice deeper and darker than usual. “Tremaine is conceited, so full of himself, he thinks that it is all it will take to ensure our loyalty.”

  I stepped out of the cell the moment the door swung open. I was so happy to be free, I just about hugged the big man.

  That would have been a mistake.

  Nathan stepped back from me, eyes wild. Now that I was closer to him, I could see he wasn’t quite himself. Sweat rolled down his face, his cheeks were bushy, as if he had grown a full beard in a matter of hours. Actually, that wasn’t too far from the truth. Dried blood speckled his new beard. I could see his sharp, pointed teeth every time he opened his mouth.

  The change was upon him. It was only a matter of time before it took complete control of his senses.

  “We have to get moving,” he said. “I don’t have much time.”

  “What’s the plan?” I asked, moving toward the corner where my things lay. My back itched when I turned it to the big wolf. If he lost control now, I was as good as dead.

  My sword, both my knives, and my gun were all in the corner. My belt and shoulder holster had been tossed on top of the pile, but my coat and packets of silver dust were missing.

  “I know where Simon is,” Nathan said. “You get him and I will get Jonathan. We kill Tremaine and get out of here before the place erupts.” His voice sounded decidedly animal-like now.

  “What about them?” I motioned toward the caged Purebloods as I slipped on my shoulder holster. Its weight felt comforting.

  “They are safer in there than they will be out here.”

  One more look at Nathan and I knew he was right. He was barely holding on to his humanity, and I knew that most of the wolves around the city wouldn’t be trying to exert so much control as he was. Letting them out would only be condemning them to death. Nathan would last minutes more, if that. The Madness would soon consume him, and I would need to be as careful of him as I would Tremaine.

  And I was feeling it, too. I could feel the hunger in me fighting to get out. If one of those Purebloods was bleeding and I came too close ...

  I snapped my belt around my waist and sheath
ed my sword. I checked my gun and found, to my surprise, they hadn’t removed the bullets. I jammed it in its holster with a satisfied smirk. My spare magazine was in my coat, however, so I would need to be careful with the remaining bullets.

  “Let’s go,” I said, nodding to Nathan. The Purebloods could wait. Once the fighting was over, I would make sure they were freed and safely escorted back home, even if I had to do it myself.

  We started for the stairs, Nathan in the lead.

  “They are holding Simon upstairs. He is in the last room on the top floor. Count Tremaine sent me to gather him and I came here instead. I will deal with Tremaine myself. You shouldn’t have too hard of a time getting Simon out of here while I have him distracted.”

  I grabbed him by the arm, stopping him halfway up the stairs. He spun on me, eyes flashing animal yellow. Course fur sprouted around his ears and he looked so feral, so ready to kill, I took a step back.

  “What about the Oath?” I asked. “You can’t go up there and kill Tremaine. The Oath won’t allow it. How do you expect to get Jonathan away from him if you can’t fight him?”

  He snarled at me in what I took to be a grin. “The Oath might stop me from killing Tremaine myself, but it won’t stop me from killing his wolves. And who is to say what will happen once I fully succumb to the Madness. Not even the Oath can stop me then.” Saliva dripped from his jaws. “I suggest we get upstairs and separate before then.”

  I couldn’t agree more. I motioned for Nathan to keep going and we continued up the stairs. The caged Purebloods didn’t even cry out for help as we left them behind. They weren’t stupid. They knew their freedom wouldn’t mean much if they were torn apart the moment they were free of their cells.

  The game room looked empty at first glance. It took my eyes a moment to adjust, and when they did, I noticed the blood on the walls and the pair of bodies lying crumpled under the card table. Their throats had been torn open. Their blood covered a vast majority of the floor.

  Nathan, I supposed. I glanced to where I had last seen him, but he was gone.

  I moved to the stairs, checked once to make sure no one was there, and took them by twos, keeping my body low. A scream erupted from somewhere deeper in the house. None of the servants were within sight. Hell, no one was. I wasn’t so sure that was a good sign.

  I paused for an instant to consider my options. I could go find Simon like Nathan wanted me to and hope that he was heavily sedated. He was a werewolf. The full moon was going to affect him just like any other wolf. He would kill me whether I was there to help him or torture him.

  I could also go after Tremaine. Nathan couldn’t take on the vampire himself. Not with the Oath. If I found Tremaine, I could plant a bullet between his eyes before he even realized I was there. As far as he knew, I was still locked away in that basement cell. From there, it would only be a matter of making sure the crazed wolves didn’t get me before I could escape.

  Or I could run. The front door was just down the hall. This wasn’t my fight. I could leave Nathan and Jonathan to take care of Tremaine. They could kill each other off, and I could clean up the remaining mess later.

  Cursing, I turned toward the second-floor staircase. Maybe it was the bloodlust that did it. I didn’t know Simon from Joseph. What did I care if he survived this or not?

  But he was the reason I was here, whether I liked it or not. I might have come along just to kill some vamps, but Simon was the true goal of this mission. I couldn’t betray Jonathan and Nathan by turning my back on them.

  Then again, maybe I just wanted my coat back.

  As soon as I set foot on the second floor, a vampire stepped out from an open doorway. He was dressed as though he were preparing to go out to dinner at some fancy restaurant. His suit had been pressed, its lines sharp and clean. A rose was pinned to his lapel.

  I didn’t hesitate. I drew my sword and slashed at his neck. He had only enough time to flinch before the silver blade bit into his throat. That flinch saved him from being beheaded, but it didn’t save him from receiving a mortal wound.

  The vampire grasped at his throat. Blood spurted between his fingers in gushes. His eyes twitched and a glazed look came into his eyes. He crumpled to the floor, twitching. The silver had done its job, and all he could do was lie there and watch as I stepped over him and headed farther into the mansion.

  I ran down the hall, keeping my eyes peeled for any more company. Most of the doors were open, their rooms empty. The few closed doors I passed could contain a wolf or vamp, but as long as they didn’t get in my way, I needn’t bother myself with them.

  I turned a corner and saw another staircase at the end of the hall. I flew up the stairs as more screaming came from below, followed by a spine-chilling howl that had all the hairs on my arms standing on end.

  The next floor looked to have come straight from a museum. Paintings and statuettes ran along the walls. The doors were lined in iron, and I knew I had found Tremaine’s safe floor, though leaving such valuables out in the open seemed silly considering a rampaging wolf could easily destroy everything.

  I moved quickly down the hall, ignoring most of the doors as I passed. Like below, almost all of them were open and empty. I didn’t have to linger long to see that. Mirrors lined every wall, giving me a fun-house look at every room as I passed. It was almost surreal.

  The door at the end of the hall was closed. A rose dripping blood was etched into the design of the door. I hastened to it and tried the doorknob, fully expecting it to be locked.

  It turned easily in my hand.

  I pushed the door open and drew my gun, bringing it to bear. I would hate to have to shoot Simon, but I wasn’t about to let a moon-crazed wolf tear me to shreds just because I was careless. It didn’t even cross my mind to question why the door supposedly holding back a crazed werewolf was unlocked.

  The room was dark, and while my night vision wasn’t what it usually was thanks to the full moon, I still couldn’t miss the large, looming shape that seemed to be coming right at me.

  I just barely stopped myself from squeezing the trigger as I realized the shape wasn’t actually moving. It wasn’t even standing. It looked to be floating there, hovering a foot off the ground. It wasn’t until my eyes adjusted to the gloom that I realized what I was seeing.

  A partially shifted wolf hung from the ceiling, his hands bound by a rope laced with silver dust. His wrists were red and raw from trying to fight against the stinging bindings. His head was down, but I could see dried blood on his muzzle, caked to the fur. His chest was torn open, heart and entrails lying on the floor at his feet.

  I crept forward, my breath caught in my throat. I scanned the room, ready to fire the moment I saw movement. As far as I could tell, I was alone with the corpse. I eased forward, certain I would find Jonathan’s face looking out at me from the dead thing. The head shape wasn’t right, but I just couldn’t get the thought out of my head that it was him.

  I slowly reached out, uncertain if the beast was truly dead. He smelled it, for sure. My fingers brushed the hair on his head and he didn’t make a move. I lifted the dead wolf’s head gently by the hair, bringing his face up.

  The crescent moon of the Luna Cult had been roughly carved into the corpse’s forehead. It had bled quite a bit, so it had been done while the wolf had still been alive. His eyes had been plucked from his skull and stuffed into a muzzle that had partially extended during his attempted shift. My silver dust packets rested in the empty orbs of his eye sockets. They had been slashed open, dumping their contents into his head.

  I swallowed hard as I released his hair. His head fell back hard against his chest. I knew this had to be Simon. There was no one else it could be.

  I scanned the rest of the room, but as far as I could tell, when the room wasn’t being used to display dead werewolves, it was just another bedroom, perhaps Count Tremaine’s own.

  It didn’t make sense. Nathan had been sent up here to retrieve the Denmaster. If Tremaine had eviscer
ated the wolf ahead of time, then why send Nathan after him? Was this some sort of message? Or was something else going on?

  A cold chill ran up my spine, and I knew with a sudden certainty I had made a huge mistake. I ran out the door and down the stairs, hardly paying any mind to the still-dying vampire as I raced past him and back down to the main floor.

  There were no other vamps to stop me. No one appeared out of a dark corner, no wolves came charging at me. The entire mansion had gone deathly quiet. The body had been planted there for Nathan to find. I was sure of it. There was a reason the whole place seemed empty now.

  I skidded to a stop at the foot of the stairs, debating on what to do. I could just turn around to leave, forget about this whole thing. Simon was dead. Nathan was probably dead as well. There were no wolves to stop me, no vampires to fight.

  But I couldn’t leave Jonathan there to deal with Tremaine on his own. It was stupid of me, especially now during the full moon. Nathan had risked his life to come break me free, had most likely paid for it. Could I really turn around and walk out on them?

  “Fuck,” I grumbled under my breath. The full moon had to be clouding my mind, making me do things I would never do without its influence. It was the only explanation for what I did next.

  I hesitated for a heartbeat before I started for the closed double doors leading to the ballroom where this whole mess had started. It was the only place that made sense. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tremaine would be in there.

  It was time to end this.

  29

  A hushed silence fell over the ballroom as the heavy double doors swung open and I stepped inside. They really were as heavy as they looked. I had expected fireworks right away, werewolves and vampires alike lunging at me. Instead, I was met with a wall of silence, of smiling faces, and a whole hell of a lot of fur.

  Count Tremaine stood at the center of the room. He was flanked by four other vampires of the House, each staring at me with knowing smiles. The rest of the mansion was so quiet, I was almost positive everyone still breathing was in that very room.