Cassidy’s eyes flew open, and she parted her lips to speak, but Mina shushed her with ancient lips. “Now is not the time for revelation. Now is the time for mass destruction, child. They will move. They will come together, and as you have seen tonight, they can and will destroy their enemies, just as you’ve seen foretold.” Cassidy didn’t know what she meant by that last part. Seen when? Where? “If you are to end this without eradication, you must not wait. You must find them first. It will take everything you have, and you will be the key. You are physically strong, child, stronger than any of the others. But if you let the fear in, even a little bit, it will consume you. And once it claims your soul, it will not stop until the diabolical contrivance is complete.”
Once Mina had stopped speaking, she closed her eyes, and Cassidy felt the finality of their discussion. She had a thousand other questions but couldn’t ask a single one. Somehow, she felt that all of the answers were located inside of her mind; she’d just have to figure out a way to locate them.
Standing, Cassidy looked around the RV. Mina’s eyes didn’t flicker with the sound of her movement. Her daughter had to be here somewhere. The space was small, and there weren’t many places to hide. Cassidy thought perhaps she was in another one of the motorhomes somewhere, but she was certain this was Mina’s dwelling place, and therefore, the girl had to be here somewhere.
Another sweep of the room brought her nothing, and Cassidy considered asking Mina for some direction when her eyes fell on a closet next to the bed. Careful not to disturb the older Vampire, Cassidy swung her boot around her still crossed ankles and slowly approached the small space.
The door creaked open with just a small push, and Cassidy peered into the darkness. In the bottom, beneath the hems of a half dozen skirts and blouses, there was a small trunk, the kind where prairie families might keep their most precious items or those stored away for a young girl’s dowry a hundred years or more ago. Cautiously, Cassidy kneeled down, aware that at least five male Guardians and her sister were poised to break the door to the RV down and help her at a split second’s notice. The lid to the wooden chest wasn’t even latched, and Cassidy raised it carefully.
Immediately, the sound of weeping filled the air, and Cassidy wasn’t sure if she’d just missed it before or if it had just started. The form of a small girl, folded up in an uncomfortable position filled Cassidy’s line of sight. “It’s okay,” Cass whispered, carefully. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Mama,” the child said, sitting up. Her hair was dark and long for her apparent age. It uncurled around her shoulders as she moved. “Where is my mama?”
Though horribly confused by exactly how Mina was actually related to this child, Cassidy leaned out of the way so that the girl could see. She sprang out of the box and ran across the room, throwing herself onto her mother’s lap. “Mama!”
Unable to reach out to her, Mina only opened her eyes and said, “It’s all right, Bonnie. Cassidy will take care of you now, child.”
“No, Mama!” she cried, burying her head in Mina’s lap. “No!”
“We all have a destiny, girl. This is where our paths diverge.” Mina reasoned. “Mama will always be with you. Now, go with Cassidy.”
The little girl looked to be no more than three, but Cassidy knew she was likely older than that. She hadn’t just been turned. If that were the case, she would’ve been wild, unable to be controlled. This girl’s features were misleading, and the poor little thing knew enough to understand what was about to happen. “Come on, Bonnie,” she said, offering her hand. “Come with me. I will keep you safe, I promise.”
“But the bad men are coming,” the girl protested, looking at her mother briefly and then turning to look at the door.
Hearing her team described as the bad men was a juxtaposition Cassidy had never considered before. She looked at Mina, hoping she would explain.
“You are safe,” Mina replied, finding a smile somewhere deep within her. “You are safe now. Go with Cassidy. No bad men for you.”
Bonnie didn’t seem to trust her mother’s words, but she took a hesitant step toward Cassidy. “What about you, Mama?”
With a loud sigh, Mina said, “It’s time for me to join Papa now, little one. You don’t need me anymore. Go, fulfill your destiny, child. And Mama will always be with you.”
Cassidy felt a tear slide down her cheek. She had no idea what to do. “Bonnie, please. Come with me,” she said again, taking a step forward, her hand outstretched.
“Be strong, darling. Mama loves you.”
Instincts took over, and Cassidy walked over, gathering the child in her arms at the same time the door behind her opened. Cadence, Hannah, and Ashley filled the opening, and Bonnie looked from the women to her mother as Cassidy tucked her up over her shoulder. “Mama?” she called.
“Goodbye, my love,” Mina said, though Cassidy didn’t look behind her. She stepped through the door, surrounded by the other women on her team who’d come to help. Bonnie bucked in her arms, fighting, trying to get away, but Cassidy held on tightly, and began to walk away from the RV. None of the men were anywhere to be seen, but Cassidy could feel them out in the darkness surrounding her. As Bonnie began to scream for her mother, Cassidy continued to walk, quicker now. Aurora and Meagan fell into step with them at the turn where they’d first made their way into the RV park only an hour or so ago. The women secured the child Vampire, carrying her away from the only mother she could ever remember.
In her IAC, Cassidy forced herself to watch as the men she’d grown to trust, grown to love, in just a short amount of time, ripped the head off of the weeping child’s mother and tossed it aside.
At no other point in her life had Cassidy Findley so deeply questioned her own identity
