Excerpt of Reveka's Return by James Hoch

Miranda lay quietly in her tub. The water was no longer warm and soothing. It had turned viciously cold. The glass containing her favorite nightcap was empty.

Reveka had been feeding slowly on Miranda for the past hour.

I am almost there, Reveka thought. The transference of my spirit into this creature is nearly complete. Oh, how I have longed for this moment.

Miranda's will to live slowly began to emerge. She tried to wake herself, but instead felt herself slipping slowly below the water line of the bathtub. Reveka controlled matters now, pushed her down into the water and consumed the remaining essence of Miranda's life force.

Minutes passed, the water became totally still.

Suddenly, the eyes of the body in the water snapped open and a slight grin formed on its mouth.

Reveka sat up, took her first breath slowly, and relished the moment. The experience was unlike her kills as a vampire in the past. Having her spirit invade a person, drain the life force, and overtake the body infusing her spirit within, was more power than she had ever sampled and she reveled in it.

Reveka emerged from the bath and walked calmly to the full–length mirror positioned on the door. She stood for the longest time admiring her new body. Tilting her head from one side to the other, she studied her features. She thought Miranda's breasts were a bit smaller than her previous pair, but decided they would be fine. She liked the perkiness and youthful appearance. It was the hair that Reveka found unacceptable. She did not want to be blond, too many bad jokes she had discovered from Miranda. A vampire possesses many abilities and changing one's appearance was something a skilled, mature vampire was capable of doing. Reveka disliked shape shifting into other creatures and only rarely found occasion to do so. However, the hair had to change. Gradually, the mousy blond lackluster color of Miranda's hair transformed into a rich, luxurious jet–black color.