Hello again! Well, I must say that I was extremely disappointed with the amount of reviews I received last chapter. Granted, it wasn't particularly interesting, but still - shame on you! There, rant over, please continue reading, and feel obliged to review afterwards! Thank you very much to all those who have reviewed or added this story to their alerts so far - I love you all! xxx Hope you like this chapter, thank the WIFI for the quick updates! Hahaaa :D

'New Heights Are Short Lived'

'Claire's POV'

Claire was running late. She was supposed to have been in the lab five minutes ago, but she hadn't even left the house yet. The problem was that she really didn't want to go. She didn't want to have to see Myrnin and she didn't want to have to deal with the feelings that rose to the surface every time she looked at him.

Her cellphone rang suddenly, making her jump, and she fumbled with it as she got it out of her pocket, almost dropping it.

"Hello?"

"Claire? Where are you?"

Myrnin. Claire knew she was in trouble when even the sound of his voice was sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. She swallowed.

"I-I'm at home. Sorry, I'm just leaving, but it will take me twenty minutes to walk to the lab."

There was pause on the other side of the line, and Claire heard a microwave ping, followed by some very ostentatious slurping noises. Gross.

"Ew." She murmured faintly as she heard Myrnin smacking his lips. Did he have to be so obvious about it?

"Don't be silly, Claire. I'll open a portal to your bedroom." Myrnin said, continuing their conversation as if nothing had happened.

Claire found it a bit disturbing that Myrnin could open a portal straight into her bedroom, but pushed that thought aside.

"Ok."

"Good. I'll do it now. See you in a minute, Claire." Myrnin hung up before she could reply.

Claire sighed heavily. She didn't like how much she was looking forward to the day ahead, but she couldn't help it. She loved spending time with Myrnin. In fact, she could truthfully say that there was pretty much nothing else she would rather be doing then spending her days tinkering in the lab. With Myrnin. She sighed again, not liking the direction her thoughts were taking again. Isn't there an off button or something for intrusive thoughts?

A portal flickered into being on her bedroom wall, and she jumped up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

Myrnin was at a table, bending over a microscope with his back to her. He was wearing an outfit that would have looked slightly comical even if he didn't have a fez on as well. Great big billowy pantaloons, customary flip-flops, and a blood red vest over a white shirt.

She walked over to where he was standing, and peered over his shoulder at the microscope slide. It was smeared with what looked like blood.

"What is that?"

Myrnin didn't raise his head from the eyepiece, but fiddled around with the dial a little, magnifying the slide.

"You're blocking my light." He murmured. Claire stepped to the side, and went to sit opposite him across the table, sitting on a chair that was high enough for her legs to not reach the ground. They dangled in the air, swinging back and forth like a kid on a swing.

She tried again. "Myrnin. What's on the slide?"

"Hmm?" Myrnin glanced up at her, dark eyes making her stomach flutter, and something inside her go 'oohh'. Shutup, she told it sternly. "Oh. Nothing, nothing." He waved his hands airily, but she noticed he slipped the slide in his pocket. She frowned.

"Was it blood? Whose blood was it?" She pressed, irritated for some reason that Myrnin wouldn't tell her.

"It doesn't matter." He said, his tone taking on edges, but his face remaining soft.

He smiled at her faintly.

"Ok." Claire said slowly. "So what are we doing today?"

Myrnin looked surprised for a second, and then laughed. "I don't know. I forgot that we were starting something new today...what with everything that's been going on. You finished the books I asked you to read?" It wasn't really a question; since when had Claire ever failed to do something he had asked her to do?

She nodded.

Myrnin looked a little stumped for a minute, then gestured to the lab around them.

"Well, I suppose that you could just pick something to read from here. Anything I have will help you in the end."

Claire looked pointedly at his battered copy of Dracula lying on the side. He grinned, and Claire was slightly stunned by how pretty he was. She couldn't help staring at his lips, and she knew he'd noticed when he went completely still and quiet.

"Um..." Claire couldn't think of a single intelligent thing to say. Her mind was completely scrambled. Her heart fluttered a little, responding to a sudden rush of desire coursing through her veins. She dragged her gaze up slowly to his eyes, to see those feelings reciprocated there.

Shit. Claire knew there was something she was supposed to remember here, but her mind was as full of Myrnin as her vision was. And Myrnin was all she could see.

She slipped out of her chair and took an unconscious step forwards before she was aware of what she was even doing. She looked down at her feet in surprise, then back up at Myrnin. For once, he hadn't moved, and was still standing on the other side of the table, pale hands gripping the edge tightly, belying his calm expression. Claire habitually bit her lip. This was dangerous, she knew. He could easily kill her by accident...or on purpose. But she didn't know how much longer she could stand this tension between the two of them. Something had to give. Soon.

"Myrnin..." She meant it to come out strong, but the word left her mouth in a breathy whisper. Claire closed her mouth again, realising that sounding like that wouldn't do much to convince Myrnin she didn't want him.

Her eyes unwillingly trailed down to where his perfect, pale chest was exposed by his open shirt, and her breath hitched in her throat as another shockwave of lust washed over her. She bit down harder on her lip, trying to salvage her new found resolve, but it had disappeared, leaving her standing there with nothing to stop her apart from a table and a few meters of air.

Myrnin must have seen something change in her face, because his eyebrows rose a fraction and he smirked a little, managing to make himself look even more desirable in the process.

Claire felt her heart rate speed up again and closed her eyes, wishing she didn't have to walk all the way over there. She didn't think she would make it before her knees gave out. She leant on the table for support, feeling weak under the sheer pressure of the desire she was feeling. She heard Myrnin chuckle, and in the next instant she was circled by strong, cold arms.

Claire sighed softly and rested her head on Myrnin's shoulder, breathing him in.

His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her closer to him, crushing her against his body. A few days ago, Claire would have panicked, but now it just felt...right.

She lifted her head and looked into dark eyes that were already turned in her direction. If Myrnin hadn't already been holding her up, she probably would have swooned at the expression on his face. It was so full of passion, and he was directing it at her.

Claire wondered if the same expression was on her face. She thought it probably was.

Without thinking, she reached up and stroked the side of his face with the backs of her fingers. Myrnin's skin was cold and smooth underneath her fingers.

He closed his eyes when she reached his lips, and she could tell he was struggling with his bloodlust. When he opened them again a moment later, there was only a dull red glow in them, that quickly faded.

Claire smiled, tracing a soft pattern across his lips. She was caught again in his gaze, unable to look away. He took her breath away and held it just out of reach until she was putty in his hands.

She let her hand drop, sliding down his chest and coming to rest on his arm.

Myrnin watched her carefully as he tilted her chin up, and she saw a range of emotions flit across his face too quickly for her to comprehend. Then he lowered his head as if to kiss her, but stopped just short of her lips. She saw the question in his eyes, and answered it by pulling his head to her and kissing him with all the passion she could muster.

In the back of her head, she knew it was wrong, but for the moment she just didn't care.

Myrnin's arms tightened around her even more as he kissed her back, crushing her even closer to him. She could feel his body, his mouth on hers, his chest under her hands, his cool breath coming in short bursts. Her own breathing became shorter and shorter as the kiss escalated.

His hands were in her hair, cupping her face, stroking down her arms, and...oh... She let out a little gasp as Myrnin's hand trailed slowly and purposefully over the curve of her breast and continued down, sending electric spikes of pleasure through her.

She wanted to be closer. Wrapping her arms round his neck, she tried to hoist herself up. Myrnin chuckled when he realised what she was trying to do, but he obliged without even breaking the kiss, lifting her with ease and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Claire's hands tangled in his hair, and she heard him trying and failing to conceal a moan when she slipped her tongue in his mouth. He gripped her harder, one hand underneath her buttocks, and one behind her head, caressing her neck.

Claire's hands explored his chest of their own accord, stopping when they met the feeble resistance of the one button that Myrnin had hastily done up.

"Off." She murmured into his mouth, tugging at it insistently. He lost no time in helping her to discard the offending garment, literally ripping it as he pulled it off. Their lips stayed locked the entire time, their kiss just increasing in intensity the longer it continued. Claire's hands, now free to roam the planes of Myrnin's chest, did just that, carefully tracing the curves of every muscle.

Myrnin resumed his attempts to pull their bodies closer together than was physically possible.

Neither of them heard the door open - not even Myrnin with his enhanced hearing.

XD Smiley face! That's all I have to say! (apart from, of course, please please please pretty please review!) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Got some (hopefully) interesting stuff coming up in the next few chapters, so don't forget to add this story to your alerts if you haven't already - unless you WANT to miss the awesomeness! :P xxx