no squaws. Ain't natural, if you follow me. You, now, is perfectly natural. Just the sight of you makes me wish I hadn't been turned."
Despite her resolution, Victoria felt herself shrinking away from him. "What do you mean, turned?"'
"Into what I is. I wasn't born this way, you know."
"What are you?"
"A god." He laughed at her look of disgust. "Ain't that hard to believe, is it? After all, you seen for yourself what I can do. Ain't no ordinary man has my strength and speed. I don't got to eat, I don't never get sick or cold, and I ain't never going to die. If that ain't a god, then I don't know what is."
"Enough of your waste, demon." Startled, Victoria turned. The strange woman stood a few feet away. Black hair cascaded down her shoulders in waves, framing a round, broad-nosed face. Even in the moonlight, her eyes still glimmered like an animal's. Her skin was a grey shadow, darker than Victoria's. Simple hide trousers and a tunic covered her body but left her arms bare.
"Who are you?" Victoria asked.
"What matters, Victoria Dawes, is who I am not." Her face betrayed no hint of emotion as she spoke. "I am not your friend, and I am not your enemy. Return to your country with the woman hunter."
"I already told you," Victoria said, "she won't come with me."
"You must force her, then," the woman said, "for your own good. If you do, I will be your friend. If you do not, I will become your enemy."
Victoria swallowed. She hadn't expected this. "Why do you want me to take her with me?"
"You do not need to know. Know only that you must."
"Just like that?" the man said. "No funning or nothing?"
"Yes," the woman replied. "She can be useful."
A glimmer of hope sparked to life somewhere deep in Victoria's being. "So as long as I take Cora Oglesby with me when I depart, you'll let me go free?"
"What if I says no?" the man asked.
The woman regarded him placidly. "You have no word in this, demon. You will do as I say."
Blue eyes blazing, the man stepped forward. "I ain't about to let no squaw tell me what to do."
"You will," she replied. "You will also take Victoria Dawes back to the white town, and you will not harm her in any way."
They glared at one another, inhuman eyes locked in a battle of will. Victoria could almost see the tension stretching from eye to eye, flickering and flashing in the moonlight. She gave brief thought to the idea of using the opportunity to flee, but a hiss from the creature behind her made her reconsider. Another glance at it made her stomach lurch, and she looked down at her bare toes instead.
The man was the first to break, his eyes blinking as he drew in a breath. His gaze dropped to his boots and he gave a single nod. The Indian woman showed no outward sign of triumph or relief as she turned back to Victoria. "He will take you back to the white town."
"Might he...just point me in the right direction?" Victoria asked. "I'm sure I can make it on my own."
"You cannot," the woman said. "We are far from the white town, more than you could walk in a day and a night. This demon can run like the deer without stopping for rest. Be sure you do not slow him down, as the sun will soon rise."
"Why does that matter?"
She didn't reply. Victoria looked at the man, bracing herself for the journey ahead. Her skin crawled at the thought of touching him, but if they were really that far from Albuquerque, she would need his help getting back. A dressing gown, an overcoat, and bare feet were hardly well-suited to traveling through the desert, and she had no supplies at all. As much as she hated the thought, she really was at his mercy.
"You must start soon." This was directed at the man. "If you do not, you will not be safe by sunrise."
The man nodded, turning his blue gaze at Victoria. "You ready, darlin?"
"Yes," Victoria said, "but I will not be carried like a babe in arms. You will carry me on your back."
"Well, ain't you little miss queenie all of a sudden-like," the man said.
"Do as she says, demon," the woman said, "and send your creature away. I do not like to look at it."
Shocked, Victoria looked at the ghoul. Its lips pulled back from its