Disclaimer: I do not own the Morganville Vampires in any way, all rights to Rachel Caine.

The moment Claire descended the old wooden staircase leading down into the underground laboratory, she knew something was wrong. It was pitch black and eerily quiet, with no sign of Myrnin anywhere. The usual humming of machines or the bubbling of a liquid, which had always brought a sense of comfort to her as she was surrounded by the sounds, could not be heard. She squinted through the darkness and slowly slid the strap of her backpack off her shoulder, reaching inside for her weapon hidden beneath the books.

Claire gripped the wooden stake tightly in her hand, turning her knuckles white and she lowered the backpack onto the floor. Blindly reaching her other hand out, she searched for the light switch. Eventually, her fingers brushed across the switch and she hurriedly flicked it upwards, instantly brightening the lab. Her eyes adjusted and scanned the room which was completely torn apart. Shards of broken glass littered the floor, doors of cupboards hung open, books with ripped pages lay strewn around the lab and in the centre of it all was Myrnin, kneeling with his arms wrapped around himself.

A small gasp escaped Claire's mouth and she dropped the wooden stake, hearing it land with a dull thud. Panicked thoughts filled her head as she meandered around the teetering stacks of books and avoided the shards of broken glass. She collapsed onto her knees beside Myrnin and gently placed a hand on his quivering shoulder, comforting him and in an attempt to get him to face her.

Suddenly, he turned and pinned Claire to the cold, hard floor. He gripped her wrists in his hands with a painfully tight hold and held them above her head. Slowly, Myrnin raised his head and his crimson eyes locked with her own wide, brown orbs. Her entire body froze as he leaned towards her and pressed his lips against the warm flesh of her neck at the point where her pulse was the strongest. Myrnin pulled back slightly and sighed, his cold breath ghosting across her skin, sending shivers crawling down her spine.

"You should not have come here...fy cariad." He spoke, his voice low and husky.

Claire was consumed with fear and when her lips parted, no sound escaped. She watched with terrified eyes as Myrnin's gleaming, deadly sharp fangs appeared with an audible snap. He leaned towards her neck again but Claire snapped out of her daze and struggled beneath him, her attempts feeble compared to his strength. A feral growl erupted from him, making her gasp and freeze, unable to fight against him.

"Myrnin...don't you recognize me? It's Claire, your assitant." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Of course he had heard her clearly and she watched as he pulled away from her and blinked a few times, expression changing to one of understanding. His crimson eyes slowly returned to their normal shade of deep brown, with flecks of gold around the pupil, Claire noticed. His dark brown curls bounced as he quickly glanced around the laboratory, shock seeping into his facial features. After a quiet moment, Myrnin gazed down at Claire, realising their position and he jumped away from her, rising to his feet before carefully helping her up.

She stumbled slightly but strong arms wrapped around her waist and steadied her. She averted her eyes from Myrnin and attempted to control her shivering but it was useless. Being pinned beneath him, defenseless, had been terrifying. It was a side of him that she never wanted to see again, despite the fact that he could not control himself.

"Forgive me, Claire. I'm very sorry...I shouldn't have attacked you..."

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his, shocked to see the glistening of tears. Myrnin's arms were still wrapped around her body and he gently pulled her to his solid chest, his face buried in her hair. Claire's arms hung limp at her side, but she hesitantly raised them after a moment and gripped the silky fabric of his shirt, while he whispered apologies into her ear. And in an instant, she forgave him.

"Please, Claire...forgive me." Myrnin whispered, his voice broken.

"It's ok, Myrnin. I forgive you. But you need blood."

He nodded and pulled away from her, inhaling her sweet scent one last time but froze, his vampiric instincts rising up again, trying to control him. It had been days since he last drank blood, a foolish thing to do but he had been caught up in his experiments. He needed blood and now, he was craving it, longing for it. Myrnin could clearly hear the repetitive thumping of Claire's heart with each beat inside her chest. He imagined sinking his fangs into her soft, warm flesh and drinking the delicious liquid, savouring the taste.

Unaware of his actions, Myrnin had tightened his grasp on her and she squirmed in protest, bringing her hands up to his chest and pushing him away. "Myrnin! Let go!"

"I can no longer resist you..." He whispered, blowing gently on the skin of her neck as he leaned closer.

Claire froze when his lips ghosted across her jawline and travelled down her neck, pausing at her pulse. She trembled with fear as his fangs grazed and pressed dimples into her skin. He obviously needed blood and she knew, that if he bit her, he wouldn't be able to stop once he began. He would kill her. She couldn't run from him and it would only make entice him more, making it a game. With a shaky breath, Claire placed her hands flat on his chest and tilted her head slightly, exposing her neck. Myrnin paused, staring at her in question, mind not completely gone yet.

"You can drink my blood...but you'll stop when I say it." Claire said, voice shaky but determined. The only reason she was doing this was to help him and to prevent someone else getting hurt if Myrnin were to leave the lab in search of a meal.

"Maddeuwch i mi." Myrnin murmured, lips against her skin, fangs lightly scraping the surface.

He breathed deeply, revelling in her sweet scent and his throat burned fiercer, a ruthless fire. His fangs ached with want and after a still, quiet moment, he bit into her flesh. Claire gasped and hissed in pain, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly between her fingers. A single tear slid down her cheek, followed closely by more, the silvery drops streaming down in thin rivulets.

Myrnin couldn't control the low moan that escaped his mouth at the warm, delicious crimson liquid flowing down his throat, soothing the burning. He flicked his tongue out to incite the blood flow and pulled Claire's body closer to his own. Ignoring the wave of dizziness which washed over her, she clung to Myrnin, leaning heavily on him. Her body gradually weakened so much that she could no longer stand but using all the strength she could muster, she raised her hands and pushed on his toned chest.

His glowing red eyes snapped open and he carefully extracted his fangs from her flesh, licking the remains of her blood from his lips. Claire exhaled a soft breath and suddenly sagged against Myrnin, who quickly gathered her in his arms. He carried her over to the small room in the corner of the laboratory, feeling his guilt swell at what he had done. Carefully balancing Claire in his arms, he reached out and turned the old rusty key in the keyhole. The door opened with a click and he stepped inside the room, walking slowly to the bed so he didn't jostle Claire. He carefully lay her on the clean, crisp blankets and lowered himself onto the edge of the bed beside her.

"Thank you, Claire. I'm sorry, my little bird. I didn't want to hurt you..." He whispered.

She murmured incomprehensible words and a small smile tugged at his lips, though he frowned when he noticed just how pale her skin was now. He slowly reached over and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, hand cupping her cheek. With gentle movements, he trailed his fingers along her cheeks and paused at her lips, which were parted and releasing soft hushed breaths.

Claire stirred at the cold sensation on her lips, eyes fluttering open and locking with Myrnin's. She shivered from his touch, shivers dancing down her spine but it felt nice. It felt right somehow. She groaned lightly at how weak she felt and her mind was hazy, making it difficult for her to even process a coherent thought properly. Despite that, she was relieved and glad that she helped Myrnin, though she would have to find a way to hide the bite mark.

Finally realising that Myrnin was staring at her and had done so for the past few minutes, she averted her eyes, knowing she would have blushed. A cold touch to her chin startled her and she turned her head back, only to have her lips meet with Myrnin's. Her eyes widened considerably, body frozen in shock. He was kissing her, Myrnin was kissing her and she wasn't resisting at all. It wasn't unpleasant although his lips were noticeably colder than her own but they seemed to warm on her's. Myrnin brought his hand to her face, stroking her cheek gently while the other hand pressed against the mattress beside her head, gripping the sheets tightly.

When Claire did not pull away, he kissed her again and she slowly responded, gradually returning the kiss. Her eyes slid close and she lay back into the blankets, hands pressed against his clothed chest. She couldn't even remember when she had moved them there but didn't ponder very long, grasping the fabric of his shirt between her fingers. Myrnin decided to test the boundaries and he parted his lips, pressing the tip of his tongue to the soft flesh of Claire's lips. She jumped slightly in response, surprised but didn't object, allowing him entrance.

The kiss deepened, their tongues caressing and tangling, lips molding together. After a few minutes, they both broke apart, one panting lightly while the other simply admired the flushed cheeks and lidded eyes. Becoming aware of what she had just done, Claire froze and remembered Shane, her stomach twisting with shock at her actions. When Myrnin kissed her again, she soon forgot everything else, ignoring the warning bells in the back of her mind. This was wrong but she could deal with the consequences later.

Myrnin pressed soft kisses across her cheeks and forehead, trailing his lips down alone her jaw line, nipping the skin lightly. He poured his love for her into each kiss, hoping that she would understand his feelings through them. His dark eyes locked with hers and he smiled, knowing that she understood. Although she didn't reply, she didn't have to. Myrnin knew that she did care for him albeit not as much as the Collins boy. Shaking his head, he forced himself not to think about that and kissed Claire one final time before she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, her body too weak to stay awake. He remained by her side as she slept, dragging his fingers through her soft hair, lightly placing kisses on her skin and whispering his love for her in her ear.

"I hope that one day you'll feel the same, my little bird."

The End.