Myrnin sat, collapsed in a pile on the cold stone floor of his lab, lost among shattered glass, an array of what one might loosely call 'tools', and scatterings of cogs and springs.
"Oh, dammit Claire, WHY. WON'T. THIS. THING. WORK!" he cried, banging the device on the floor as he accidentally sliced open his finger and.
He had spent his entire day trying to fix Claire's contraption that magnified a person's emotions. As he sat now, nursing the small pool of dark blood, already coagulating, he cursed himself for even trying to mend the thing. It seemed silly really, but he wanted her to take it to Boston with her, working as she'd planning it to. Taking a small piece of the lab and Myrnin with her as she left them both behind. It was hopeless. Even Bob agreed, but it didn't stop Myrnin from working away at it for a few more hours, his lab becoming more cluttered and confused with every passing minute.
He was so lost, tirelessly working away that he failed to hear Claire calling outside the lab, so seamlessly slipped into primal hunting mode as he heard echoing footsteps approaching from the top of the marble stairs. His dark brown eyes shifted to a deep, hungry red, fangs slipping down as the scent of blood, a sweet perfume radiating from a young a girl, drifted down towards him. He lurked by the stairwell, enmeshed in shadows. Waiting.
As the young girl's foot hit the bottom step Myrnin lurched forward, leaping up onto the steps behind her, seizing her wrists, holding them both tight behind her back with one hand, placing his other haggard hand over her mouth. A chuckle rumbled through his chest as her warm quickening breathes hit his hand and her body shook beneath his grip. He could smell the fear dripping off her. Oh how he'd missed the hunt.
"Shusshhh, child. There's nothing to fear, it will be quick and painless, I assure you." he cooed, stroking her cheek with the hand that he held plastered over her mouth. "Well," he spoke through a smile "Not too quick, that would be far to mundane. Don't you agree? We must savour the finer things in life, it's so rare that I get a visitor I can sink my teeth into."
His laughter reverberated off the walls as the stranger began to struggle and squirm, screaming against his marble hand. Releasing her hands momentarily, he thrust her head to the side, revealing her smooth pale neck, throbbing as the blood rushed through her veins. He inhaled deeply, savouring the scent of her panic and terror. Content that his snack was adequately terrified, he sank his fangs deep into his guest's neck, lapping up the sweet sticky blood that hit his tongue. Strange. Familiar. A syrupy, mellow twang of honey-like sweetness spread through his mouth that he only recalled ever tasting once. His eyes snapped open as cold realisation rammed into his chest, tearing through his ribcage.
Claire.