The silver blade slashed across Simon's forearm before he could react. Pain exploded at the contact—sharper, deeper than anything he'd experienced as a half-turned. Simon hissed, his grip loosening just enough for Reuben to duck away.
"Hurts more now, doesn't it?" Reuben wiped blood from his lip, circling Simon with the silver knife in one hand, gun in the other.
Simon glanced at his arm. The edges of the cut sizzled slightly, the tissue around it turning an angry red.
Reuben lunged again, but this time Simon was ready. He caught Reuben's knife hand, twisted until bone snapped, and tore the blade from his grip. The gun, however, came up between them.
The shot rang out, deafening in the enclosed space.
Simon stumbled backward, a burning sensation spreading across his side where the silver bullet had grazed him. The pain sent him to his knees.
"You see?" Reuben stepped closer, aiming for a killing shot. "In the end, you're just a vampire. And vampires need to be destroyed."
"Simon!" Charlie's voice cut through the haze of pain.
Reuben shifted his aim toward the sound. "Perhaps I'll eliminate your little pet first. Make you watch, the way you watched your mother die."
Simon tried to stand, but the silver's effect had spread further than he'd anticipated. His muscles seized, the wound refusing to close. He reached for Charlie through their bond, trying to urge him to run.
Instead, he felt something snap tight between them.
A surge of intent so bright it burned.
The next moment, a small brown rabbit crouched at the edge of the room, ears pinned back, eyes glowing red. And then he moved, darting at Reuben while Simon heard a war cry in his head. Reuben barely had time to process what was happening before the world's most furious bunny slammed into him.
Reuben stumbled, his shot going wide, embedding in the wall. The rabbit that was Charlie didn't stop. He ran straight up Reuben’s leg, launching himself onto the hunter’s chest with enough force to knock the air out of him.
“GET—” Reuben choked, stumbling backward. He spun, trying to shake Charlie loose, but the rabbit held fast, fighting as if he was predator rather than prey.
Finally he bit down on the wrist holding the gun.
Reuben cursed, dropping the weapon. "What is this thing?" he spat.
It was all the distraction Simon needed to gather his strength. Fighting through the silver's burn, he forced himself upright while Reuben was still struggling to dislodge Charlie. The moment he managed to shake the rabbit, he lunged for his fallen gun, fingers closing around the grip.
But Simon was faster.
He slammed into Reuben, driving him into the wall. The impact cracked the concrete, and Reuben slumped to the floor, dazed but conscious, the gun spinning away across the polished tiles.
Simon retrieved the weapon, standing over the man who had manipulated him for a decade.
That was all going to end now.
He pressed the barrel against Reuben's forehead.
"Simon, wait." Charlie had shifted back to human form. "Don't kill him."
"Why not?" Simon's finger tightened on the trigger. "After everything he's done?"
"Because if you kill him now, you'll never be free of him." Charlie moved closer, placing a gentle hand on Simon's arm. "And I want you to be free."
Simon's jaw clenched, every fiber of his being wanting to end Reuben's life. But Charlie's words penetrated the red haze of his rage. Freedom. Wasn't that what he truly wanted? To break the chains that had bound him since he was fifteen?
The door burst open. Viktor entered first, weapon drawn, followed by Brent, whose wide eyes suggested he was still processing everything he'd witnessed tonight. Noah came last, his expression unreadable.
"You're late," Simon said, not lowering the gun.
"Looks like you had things under control." Viktor surveyed the room, his gaze lingering on Reuben's slumped form. "Mostly."
