Read Online To Walk the Night by E. S. Moore - Free Book Online Page A

could enjoy the day, even for just a little bit. I still would be forced to hunt at night, but that would be a small price to pay for being able to stand under the sun.
    Not for the first time, I wished something would happen, some change that would make all of this seem worth it. While I knew what I did was helpful, it didn’t really affect me personally in any real way. I was putting my life at risk for others. Nothing I did would change what I was, who I had become.
    And that was the thing. Why did I do what I do? I always looked down on those Purebloods who risked the night, putting their own lives at risk, for what? A fun night out with danger lurking around every corner? A chance to play supe without actually becoming one? Or was it more, a deep-rooted wish that a monster would strike out and end some unnamed torment?
    Was it really so different from what I was doing? I was risking my life every time I went out. If someone were to ask me, I would say I didn’t want to die. But was that really the truth?
    I wasn’t sure. You didn’t go walking into a vampire House alone if you didn’t have a desire to die, even a small one.
    I rolled over in my bed and stared at the wall. None of this was helping. I was mentally torturing myself for no better reason than to forget the real problem I was facing.
    The Luna Cult.
    I knew I was crazy to even consider walking into their Den, weapons or no weapons, without knowing exactly what they wanted from me. There were rumors that they had one or more werewolves in their midst, rogues who had managed to escape the grasp of vampire Houses. If that was true, I was in for some serious trouble. No wolf would ever want to deal with a vampire like me.
    I had been doing this for a long time, killing vampires and werewolves, never once considering that one of them might not be as bad as they seemed. I could see no way in which the Cult would ever want to befriend me. It was more likely they wanted me dead.
    And there was only one way I was going to find out.
    By the time the sun was down, I was dressed in my work attire, pacing. I felt constricted in my black leather; but when hiding in the dark, black was the obvious choice. Sometimes I wished I could just wear jeans and a T-shirt when on the job. It would be far more comfortable that way, but the thought of trying to get bloodstains out of blue jeans was enough to keep me from really considering it.
    Besides, it was a fashion statement. I had to look good when I was killing someone. It was only polite.
    I checked to make sure the clip of my gun was full before slamming it into place and holstering the Glock. I had both of my knives hidden in their sheaths at my belt, and my sword was hanging at my side.
    Everything seemed in order, yet I still felt overwhelmingly underequipped. I was taking a risk going to the Den. I felt as though I should be taking far more firepower with me to balance out what would inevitably be a severe numbers disadvantage.
    I slipped three extra packets of silver dust into an inner coat pocket on a whim. The stuff bothered me just as much as it would another vamp or wolf, but at least I would know to close my eyes and look away when the packet was broken.
    I headed downstairs, looking like death in leather.
    Ethan was waiting in the dining room for me. Worry lined his every feature, and he was absently playing at the collar of his shirt as he drank a cup of black coffee.
    “I’ll be fine,” I said before he could say anything. “You know I’m used to this sort of thing. I have walked into rooms full of vamps and wolves and come out of it unscathed. This should be cake.”
    “I know,” he said. “But the vampires and werewolves never know you’re coming. The Cult will be ready for you.”
    “You’re the one who suggested I listen to their messenger.”
    He smiled. “I know that, too, but still ...”
    I patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. It’s just a bunch of Purebloods. They might be