the doorway only to be cut off as Cora shut the door behind her.
Victoria watched the old hunter disappear into the downpour, anger churning inside her like the clouds overhead. No matter what she said or did, Cora seemed to have little regard for her. Even killing the vampire hadn't pried a word of praise out of her. Now, Victoria had managed to fall even further in her companion's esteem by choosing what seemed like a perfectly sensible option. Besides, her part of the bargain with Cora said nothing about helping her kill anything, vampire or otherwise. All she had agreed to do was lead the hunter to the spot where the man called Fodor Glava had been, and she had done so. What sort of person rewarded a favor with contempt?
Victoria shook her head. She was letting herself think on the subject far more than she should. A gust of wind slammed into the walls, making them creak and crack. Standing to her feet, she walked over to the dying fire and set about rekindling it. Cora may have had some unspoken law against warmth and light, but she was off on her own business. Rebuilding the fire with fresh kindling took a bit more effort, but she soon had a small pile ready on the stone hearth.
Victoria had purchased a small book of matches on Cora's insistence, and she pulled them out of her satchel with a brief sense of gratitude. The small flame danced down the match, but it refused to jump to the kindling. Muttering under her breath, Victoria blew it out and struck another.
"Is a bit chilly in here, ain't it?"
Victoria let out a short scream and spun around, the match falling from her fingers. Blue eyes flashed at her from the doorway.
"Of course, I can't tell the difference no how," the man said. He swaggered toward her, planting his boots deliberately with each step. "Rain, snow, or stars is all the same to me. Just one more perk to being what I is."
As he spoke, Victoria rose to her feet. Trying to calm her pounding heart, she worked her fingers around the crucifix in her belt. The wooden carving pulled free, and she pointed it at those wicked blue flames.
The man called Fodor Glava halted his advance. "Hey, now, that ain't no kind of way to treat an old friend, now is it? Here I was expecting hugs and kisses, but you got to get all mean about things. How do you reckon that makes a body feel?"
"Afraid," Victoria said, pulling her revolver free of its holster.
"Well, ain't you a regular bobcat all of a sudden like?" The shadow raised its arms. "Don't shoot me, missie, I ain't done nothing wrong."
Victoria squeezed the trigger. Flame belched out of the gun's barrel as man-made thunder crashed around her. The man called Fodor Glava vanished from sight. For one brief moment, elation swept through her: she had killed the man Cora Oglesby was hunting, proving herself worthy of the hunter's respect.
Laughter filled the room. "Don't go fooling yourself, sweetheart. You ain't nothing but a housecat, and I'm one big old grizzly bear."
"Are you certain of that?" Victoria asked. "From what I'm told of them, grizzly bears don't hide from little girls."
"Oh, we is a sly bunch," came the reply. "Ain't all muscle and fur and teeth, you know. Some of us has the wits of a fox and the speed to match."
"We hunt foxes for sport in England," she said. No matter how he boasted, he clearly feared her crucifix and her gun, or he would have already killed her. The thought gave her courage.
"You ain't never met a fox like me, honey."
Something blue flashed in the corner of her eye. She turned and fired. The gunshot lit up the room, but the man simply vanished once more.
"And here I thought proper gals knew better than to shoot guns at folk. Ain't ladylike no matter how you slice it, though I reckon it's getting me more than a mite randy. What say you and me have ourselves a poke after we get done with our dance?" Victoria shuddered at the thought and was answered by another laugh. "Well, if you is that excited about it, we may just cut the dance short."
Victoria took a step forward, sweeping the Colt's barrel around the room. "You're welcome to try."
"Don't mind if I do."
The voice came from behind her. Before she could turn to face it, something slammed into