claim our lives should we take but one false step. All this because they refuse to accept the truth."
"What truth?"
"That we are the future," Glava said. "It may take a thousand years or more, but we will overcome their pitiful weapons, their paltry schemes, and their powerless gods. We will assume our rightful place as rulers of the earth."
The golden eyes flashed at Wash's upturned face. "Do you wish to have a seat among us on that day, Washington Jones? Will you cast aside the weakness of your humanity, your mortality, and embrace true power?"
Wash jumped to his feet. "Yessir, I will!" His blue eyes were bright with lust. This was better than he could have imagined. He would never grow old, never die of pneumonia or tuberculosis. He would be free to do whatever he wanted, and eventually, he would become a king. Maybe these nosferatu would let him rule over Colorado or even all of the West. He could have the best whiskey, the finest cuts of beef, and all the women he wanted.
A smile spread across Glava's handsome face, revealing a pair of pointed teeth. "So be it." The vampire's cold hand clamped onto the back of Wash's neck. Glava pulled him close, twisting his head back to expose his neck. "Prepare yourself for the taste of death."
Wash felt the man's teeth punch through the skin on his neck, and fear seized him. He flailed his arms and legs, trying to break Glava's grip and escape, but he might as well have been trying to pry open a grizzly's jaws. Searing pain coursed through him as his lifeblood flowed out of his body. A scream erupted from deep within his lungs.
The burning in his limbs began giving way to a warm haze. His muscles relaxed, and he even managed a smile, his eyes closing on the last light he would see as living man.
Fodor Glava let the corpse fall to the floor with a thud. He pulled a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped lingering beads of blood from the corners of his mouth. As he tucked the handkerchief away, he sneered at the fallen gunman.
"When next you wake, Washington Jones," he said, "you will be one of us. You will share our power and our lust." He crouched down next to Wash's head, black locks framing the pale skin of his face. Leaning over his victim's ear, he whispered, "And you will share our curse."
THIRTEEN
Cora leaned back in the saddle and surveyed the motley bunch assembled before her. The men slouched in their saddles, shoulders hunched against the cold wind blowing down from the mountain. Snow swirled around them in silvery whirlwinds, catching the sunlight like a thousand glass shards. Next to her, James Townsend sat atop a brown stallion, looking unhappy.
Sighing, Cora lifted her Colt from its holster and dropped it back into place. She didn't like bringing this many men, but it couldn't be helped. They were riding against a small army of vampires; they needed all the help they could get. Standing up in her stirrups, she pulled the bandana down to her chin.
"All right, gentlemen, this is how it is," she yelled over the wind. "We're about to charge into a dark, dusty mine that's filled with undead monsters." The men exchanged glances. "I know King George here filled you all in on what's going on up there, so don't act like you ain't in the know. I see your crosses and your garlic, so I know you're prepared.
"The good news is you ain't going to be doing much of the fighting your own selves. That's what me and George are here for. All you boys need to concern yourselves with is keeping them from rushing us all at once. Ben here will stay with you and show you how it's done, so keep your wits and you'll do fine.
"But," she added before the men could relax, "that don't mean it ain't going to be dangerous. We're riding into a nest of demons, and maybe not all of us will be riding out. Stay frosty, stay loose, and above all, stay where you can hear me." She looked each of the ten men in the eye, one at a time. "As far as you're concerned, I'm the Queen of England. What I say is law, on account of I know what I'm doing and you don't. I'm the big damn hero here, and don't you forget it."