“What happened, Bonnie?” Cassidy asked, pushing the little girl away from her slightly so that she could look her in the eyes.
“The bad men,” Bonnie replied, her eyes wide with fear. “The bad men came.”
“What?” Cassidy asked, not sure what she could mean. Perhaps she thought the Guardians here meant to hurt her. That would make sense if she’d seen them fighting the other Vampires who had apparently staged some sort of breakout. “No, honey. Not bad men. Good men.”
“No. Bad. Very bad.” Her eyes narrowed, turning from the steel gray Cassidy was used to a darker black. Her pale skin illuminated slightly, and red rings formed around her eyes.
“We are here to help you, Bonnie,” Cassidy said, alarmed. The child’s countenance shifted. Her fangs protruded from what had been perfectly formed, thin, pink lips, and her cherublike features morphed becoming gaunt as her skin appeared to thin. Blue veins protruded around her cheek bones and down her neck.
“Bonnie…” Cassidy began. “What’s happening?”
“Cassidy…” Faye stuttered, her voice thin. “R—r—run.”
Glancing over the child’s shoulder, Cassidy could see the insistence in Faye’s face and began to realize what must have happened. She shifted her eyes back to Bonnie’s eyes, and in them, a flood of memories sprang to life. The warning from Faye was repeated, but it was too late. Bonnie’s lips drew back, and she unleashed the hiss of a serpent as she brought her hand up, tearing at Cassidy’s neck.
Nimble fingers scraped at her flesh as Cassidy struggled to pull her hand away. A searing sting penetrated to her esophagus, but just as quickly as she’d felt the finger latch on, they were off, and using Cassidy’s shoulder as a springboard, Bonnie launched herself up into the air.
A flicker of recognition connected as Cassidy continued to read the child’s thoughts even though she could no longer make eye contact. “Tara!” Cassidy screamed. Dax inserted himself between the Vampire and the Hunter, but Bonnie was far too powerful for the novice Guardian, and she sent him careening into the wall to her left, an array of toys and tables flying up into the air as she did so.
Tara had her gun up but failed to pull the trigger, not that it likely would’ve mattered, and Bonnie knocked it aside as she tore into Tara’s shoulders, knocking her flat on the ground as she did so. By the time Cassidy was able to get up off of the ground and take the two steps to grab the child from behind, Tara was already bleeding profusely from her neck and left shoulder. She was making the same gurgling sound as the Guardians in the foyer, but this time, Cassidy knew it was much more serious because, unlike the Guardians, Tara could die.
Cassidy grabbed ahold of Bonnie, and with all the strength she could muster, she managed to pry her off of Tara. The exertion sent them both tumbling backward onto the floor, the Glock wedged behind her. Bonnie clawed viciously, trying to wiggle free, but Cassidy refused to let go of her, knowing the only way Tara stood a chance was if she could keep the Vampire off of her.
Despite her height and weight, the child was unbelievably strong. Her ability to twist herself about like a fish plucked from the water made holding onto her all the more difficult. Cassidy brought her legs up and wrapped them around her as Dax approached. He attempted to grab the child by her ankles, but she kicked him hard enough to knock him back across the room even with the limited amount of leverage she had, considering the grip Cassidy had on her.
Out of options, Cassidy rolled so that she was on top of Bonnie and attempted to pin her to the floor. Her hands were slippery with blood, the child having scraped her way to the bone, and Cassidy felt that she was about to lose this fight. As if sensing her weakness, Bonnie began to flood her mind with more pleasant memories from her past—Bonnie and Mina strolling through a field of wildflowers, the ocean at sunset, riding bareback through a pasture.
Cassidy fought off the sudden urge to let the child go. The realization that Mina had taken advantage of her the night before, had used her sympathy to lure her into bringing the child here to wreak havoc on headquarters, was evident now. As much as Cassidy had felt perhaps she was more Vampire than Hunter since the hunt the night before, now she was quite certain who the good guys were and who were the “bad men.”
Under the circumstances, there was only one thing to do. Blocking the pictures flickering through her mind, Cassidy brought her knee down hard on Bonnie’s right leg, pinning that side of her as she let go with her right hand. The blood on her palms made securing a grip difficult, but she pulled the Glock from her waist and brought it around.
“Mama! Mama! No! No! No! Please!” Bonnie screeched, reading what was coming in Cassidy’s mind. “You promised! You promised to keep me safe!”
Tears mingled with her own blood as Cassidy pressed the Glock against the Vampire’s chest. The little girl’s eyes were wide and her body continued to wiggle beneath her, but Cassidy had no choice. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she held her breath and pulled the trigger.
Bonnie’s body went still, but there was no ash, no smoke. Nothing. Confused, Cassidy tilted back slightly on her heels. “Bonnie?” She shook the child, who was as still and quiet as she would expect a human child to be after such an event. But still no ashes.
“Is she…” Dax said right behind her.
Cassidy turned her head as if to answer and then felt a rush and went flying backward as the child stepped on her neck and took off toward the door.
