“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...