Bernard sat with his back to a dark corner, leaning over the strong-smelling glass in front of him. He had ordered whiskey and taken not a sip, preferring to take in only observations at this point. The bar that employed Maxine would soon close, and so must his idling. For weeks now, he had considered simply appearing at this very bar, considered allowing her to pick him out of the crowd. Something yet unknown stayed his hand this evening, as it had every day for the last week. He felt it her right to know who had introduced her to this dark world, but now just did not seem the time.

Raven hair obscured Bernards eyes as he tracked Max to the table in the opposite corner of the room. From the way she moved, he recognized the stalk before the kill. This unlucky man, who had been causing problems for the waitstaff all night, had become prey to one of Man's few predators. A smirk curled the corner of his mouth as he watched his progeny at work. As she started to lead him out the back exit, Bernard made his own unobtrusive exodus through the front door. Outside, he straighted the stiff collar of his duster until itnearly reached the bottom of his ears. When a quick glance around revealed no obvious onlooker, he made his way around the side of the building.

At the edge of the shadows, he watched Max lead the man to her coworkers car, manipulating him with ease. Once the car door closed the windows began to fog, but Bernard stil knew exactly what was going on. He could smell the man's blood, and it made him lick his lips. While he waited, he entertained the picture of sharing a feast with Maxine. The thought made him ache with hunger, but he resolved to hunt later. There was plenty of prey on the dark streets, but he did not want to risk Max catching up to him unawares.

The sound of the car door opening and closing caught Bernard's attention, pulling him from his thoughts. He admired the young vampire's form as she straightened her clothes, and once again the idea of simply stepping forward hear and now tempted him. In his moment of hesitation, he noticed her stop and peer in his direction. As she started forward again, so he moved back into the shadows without thinking. A profoundly empty feeling washed over him as he saw that she had lost sight of him. Bernard's stillness rivaled that of the night air as he stood in the darkness and waited to see if Max would attempt to follow.