Predator in disguise

Divided

Magnus's room -- if it could still be classified as a room -- was huge. His room was bigger than my entire apartment. My jaw hung open as I stepped through the doorway and looked around in awe. As with the living room, one wall was completely made of glass, displaying the bright colors of New York night life outside. On one side of the room was an office, complete with a large mahogany desk, book shelves, a desktop printer, various other office supplies and three high tech flat screen computer monitors. On the opposite side was a makeshift lab. There was a long solid table, where a body-shaped lump covered by a white sheet was currently residing. Against the wall were rows upon rows of expensive-looking wooden cupboards. Finally, on the last side of the room was a black four poster bed with scarlet sheets and blankets. The lack of wrinkles in the upholstery suggested no one had slept there in some time, but I still felt warmth in my cheeks as my eyes automatically flitted over to Alec. He noticed the expression on my face, but only grinned and proceeded over to the lab table. I followed him, still drinking in the size and contents of the room.

"It's about time you two showed up."

I jumped at the sound of Magnus's voice. As Alec laughed at my unease, Magnus straightened from his crouch on the other side of the table. I hadn't been able to see the top of his head from the other side. The warlock straightened and set a folded piece of black material on the table and reached up to adjust his glasses. He kicked the door of the table cupboard shut with his foot.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

Alec cleared his throat. "We had a slight...altercation with our other tenant."

Magnus frowned. "Is everything all right?"

Alec avoided his question. "Did you find anything?"

The warlock's frown turned into a scowl, and when he looked at me I shifted my gaze. "Do I need to light someone's ass on fire?"

"I took care of it," Alec said heatedly. "Don't worry about it, Mags."

Magnus's expression softened at the sound of his nickname but he grumbled, "There is such a thing as having too much testosterone in a closed area. Just give me the word and I'll kick his ass out."

Alec smiled and asked again, "Did you find anything?"

Magnus crossed his arms and lifted his chin proudly. "I found something very interesting. Or rather, I didn't find something."

Alec and I shared a look of confusion. Magnus slipped out of his bloodstained jacket and tossed it aside before rolling up the sleeves of his black dress shirt. He grabbed the edge of the white sheet covering the body and rolled it back far enough to leave the upper half of the woman's body exposed. Magnus had removed her shirt but left her bra on. Her skin was startlingly pale in contrast to the hot pink material. Alec's eyes wandered over her chest and abdomen, searching for any strange marks, but I kept my eyes trained on her face, uncomfortable with her present state.

"I don't see anything," Alec objected.

Magnus reached over the table and mussed his boyfriend's hair. Alec made a cry of protest and slapped Magnus's hand away, attempting to fix his disheveled faux hawk.

"That's because I haven't shown you yet, Lexy."

Magnus snapped his fingers and all the lights in the room flicked off, drowning us in darkness. My breath hitched in my throat as I thought about the vampires that had ambushed us in the darkness. The warlock's soft voice pulled me out of my recollection as he whispered a flow of strange words. Suddenly a blue glow began to emanate from the woman's chest. The glow began to brighten and spread until a form began to take shape. When Magnus stopped chanting, Alec and I found ourselves staring down at a glowing handprint.