the hunter's head toward him. She seemed only halfway conscious, her eyelids fluttering as the occasional sob escaped her lips. He brushed her disheveled braid off her neck like a lover, caressing her skin with cold fingers. The thirst screamed from every inch of his body, demanding that he drink his fill, but he held it at bay. Holding the helpless form of Cora Oglesby in his arms was intoxicating, sweeter than the taste of any blood. He wanted to savor the moment.
Finally, he gave in to the demand and lowered his face to her neck. Her skin popped beneath his fangs like gossamer. The ecstasy filled his being, spiraling through his limbs, and he surrendered to it. No mortal sensation, no matter how powerful or beautiful, could ever approach the pleasure he now felt.
Lost in his delirium, the vampire didn't hear or feel the shattering of glass against his forehead. A moment later, the bliss in his veins evaporated, replaced by a searing pain that tore across his scalp. The sensation was so alien that for an instant he remained motionless, trying to understand it. Then his instincts kicked in, and he gripped his head in both hands. The pain spread to his palms, and he cried out. Rolling away from his victim, he rubbed his hands on his suit, trying to wipe the unseen fire away, but still it burned.
An impact in his side tore open another torrent of pain. The scent of his own searing flesh filled his nostrils. He rolled onto his back and squinted through the agony at the form of the hunter standing over him. Her brown eyes bored into him with seething hatred.
"Enjoy the pain while you can, you bastard," she said. "It will seem like bliss after you get to where I send you."
Cora's spurs chimed in a brisk rhythm as she left the room to reclaim her weapons. Her head still swam, but she forced herself to remain on her feet. Her saber gleamed a few yards away where it had fallen. She grabbed the hilt in her fingers, relishing the feel of the cold steel against her palm. This sword had been given to Ben during his days in the Confederate army. It was only fitting that it would behead his murderer.
Gripping the saber with white knuckles, Cora smiled. She could already feel the impact of the blade on that bastard's neck and hear the sweet crunch as it bit though the bone. More torture would be in order first, though. Another vial of holy water to the face, perhaps, followed by a few more kicks from her silver spurs. She would see the mighty vampire beg for death before Ben's sword pierced his unholy heart. Cora stormed into the dark storeroom, ready to administer her holy justice.
Her determination quickly turned to confusion. The room had filled with a thick white mist, and the vampire had vanished. As she stood dumbfounded, the mist flowed around her ankles and out the door, forming a river of white cloud down the hallway. Before she could react, it vanished down the stairs, leaving her alone.
Cora stared after the cloud for a moment before turning back into the room. She searched through it, but only found the body of Wash Jones and the vampire's coffin. She gave the pine box a few kicks with her boot before the sword fell from her shaking fingers. She collapsed to her knees and held her face in her hands as powerful sobs shook her body. The memory of Ben's eyes filled with contempt and murderous rage filled her mind. She kept telling herself that it hadn't really been him, that it was just his image being used like a puppet by that monster, but that thought only reminded her that he was gone. His sweet words, his banter, and his smile had been stolen from her, and she would never find them again.
After a few minutes, the storm subsided, and she struggled to her feet. Metal rasped in the silence as she sheathed her saber and walked back into the hallway. Her pistol still lay where the apparition of Boots had thrown it. She slipped it back into its holster, wiped her eyes, and began a slow descent down the stairs.
Halfway down the stairway, a thought brought her up short. What if the vampire had been lying? Maybe Ben wasn't really dead after all. She hadn't found his body when she'd gone through the room, and she