Cronin's Key II (8 page)

Cronin, on the other hand, sat on the recliner with Sammy the cat, who was purring so loudly both Alec and Kole kept glancing over at them.

Alec told his dad how they’d leapt to England and Bolivia and how the newest development for the key may very well include Genghis Khan.

“Genghis Khan?” Kole repeated. “As in
the
Genghis Khan?”

Cronin chuckled. “That is exactly what Alec said.”

“We’re not a hundred percent sure yet, Dad,” Alec added. “But what Cronin said makes sense.”

“Jesus Christ,” Kole hissed.

Alec smirked at Cronin before saying, “Well, I’m pretty sure Jesus won’t be there, Dad.”

“Oh har har, Alec. That’s not funny.” Kole shook his head. “And anyway, what’s this doctor’s appointment for? You boys are being safe, right?”

Cronin almost swallowed his tongue, whereas Alec just laughed. “Dad, please. I need to have my blood analyzed. We think it might have something in it that can affect vampires. We’re not sure, but we just wanna check a few things out.”

“I told you all along your blood was special,” Kole said. He didn’t seem surprised by any of this. He knew everything that Alec knew. He knew Cronin was a vampire, he knew he had some vampires on protective detail watching over him, and just like his son, took it all in stride.

“Mr. MacAidan,” Cronin interrupted them. “Do you know anything else about his blood? You call it special, but do you know in which regard?”

“I take it this must be something important for you to be worried, but no, I’m sorry,” Kole said. “Just that he was destined for great things. It was in his bloodline. That’s all I know.”

Cronin nodded. “It is important, yes. Thank you anyway.” He paused for a long second. “This doctor knows of Alec’s importance?”

“Albert ran tests on Alec when he was a boy. If he came off his bike or skateboard, he always healed fast, and Albert was curious,” Kole told them. “He ran tests when he was, oh, about twelve. Said he had a high iron count, but everything else was perfectly normal.”

“I’ve had dozens of blood tests and physicals,” Alec added. “Nothing’s ever been red-flagged before.”

“You said it affects vampires?” Kole clued in on Alec’s earlier choice of words. “You mean, it affects Cronin because he drinks it?”

Alec nodded. “Yes, Dad.”

Kole looked at Alec, then at Cronin, and slowly back to his son. He was clearly shocked, and for the first time
ever
, Cronin felt guilt for what he was.

“Does it hurt?” Kole asked quietly.

Alec barked out a laugh. “Uh, no Dad. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“Oh.” Kole cleared his throat. “Right.”

“I would never hurt him,” Cronin said quietly.

“Hey,” Alec said firmly, making Cronin look at him. “He knows that.” He tilted his head just so, seemingly confused by what Cronin just said.

Cronin’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he was glad for the distraction. It was Jacques, the vampire who was given the duty of watching over and protecting Alec’s father. Cronin had sent him a text to advise him that they’d be visiting so not to be alarmed. “Cronin, you have an incoming. Human, possibly sixty, he has a doctor’s bag. Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Cronin answered. “Thank you. He is expected.” Cronin clicked off the call to find Alec and Kole both looking at him. Then he heard a human heartbeat at the front door, and he looked toward it. “Your doctor friend has arrived.” A moment later there was a sharp rap on the front door.

Alec stood up and held his hand out to Cronin. Putting a disgruntled cat on the floor, Cronin was quick to take the cue. Alec squeezed his hand. “You okay?”

“Of course. And you?” Cronin replied.

Kole gave them one glance over his shoulder before opening the door. He greeted the doctor and opened the door wider. “Albert. Please, come in.”

“Kole,” the doctor said. “You’re not on my house call list. Everything alright?” He stopped talking when he saw Alec, and Kole shut the door. “Alec?”

Alec nodded. “Yes. And this is my partner, Cronin.”

Doctor Benavides stopped in his tracks. He looked at all of them cautiously. “What’s going on?”

“Sorry for the subterfuge,” Kole said. “The appointment’s not for me.”

“You’ve seen the news, yes?” Alec asked. “You saw me do the disappearing thing on TV?”

The doctor nodded and eyed Cronin uneasily.

“Then you know I can’t go to a hospital,” Alec said. “I don’t mean to implicate you, but I need your help. If you’re not comfortable doing this or fear you’d be harboring a criminal, then you can walk out of here, no questions asked.”

The doctor seemed to consider this for a moment. He looked at the three of them again, even glanced at the front door, but eventually looked Alec up and down. “What’s the matter with you?”

Alec smiled at him. “Nothing’s wrong exactly. I need blood tests done.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Anomalies. I don’t know exactly,” Alec explained. “Something that wasn’t there before.”

The doctor blinked and rubbed his wrinkled hand over his face. His eyes were a grayish blue, his eyebrows were bushy and matched his salt and pepper hair.

Alec pulled a wad of neatly stacked bills from his jacket’s inside pocket. “To cover any lab costs.”

The doctor put his black bag on the dining table and sighed. “Put your money away, son.” He looked around the room. “We okay to do this here?”

Alec grinned. “Sure.” He took off his jacket and pulled out a chair, sitting in it. He laid his arm on the table and inspected the crook of his elbow and tapped the skin, searching for a vein.

Cronin took a deep breath.

When Doctor Benavides took a sterile pack of hypodermic needles from his bag, Cronin growled and took a step toward them. Kole was quickly in front of him with his hands to Cronin’s chest, and he coughed to cover any inhuman sounds coming from Cronin. “Care to help me in the kitchen?” Kole asked, pushing Cronin toward the door.

Cronin could have easily stood his ground or knocked Kole through the wall if he wanted to—a human was no match for a vampire—but he knew Alec’s dad was right, and he allowed himself to be ushered out the door. As he entered the small kitchen, he heard Alec say, “Uh, yeah, he’s not a fan of needles.”

“Whoa, Cronin, you with me, son?” Kole whispered. It was only then that Cronin realized Kole had his hands to Cronin’s face. The man looked worried, and when Cronin swiped his fangs with his teeth, he realized why.

Cronin shook his head, trying to clear it.

“It’s okay,” Kole said softly. “He’s not hurting him.”

Cronin took a deep breath and realized that was probably not wise. The scent of Alec’s blood filled his nose, his throat, his senses. He wanted to taste it, and he wanted no one else to touch it. Every fiber in his body told him to kill the threat that touched his blood, his Alec. His body thrummed with danger and an energy he could barely contain. But he couldn’t allow harm to come to Kole or his doctor friend.

He held his breath and shook his head again. His fangs wouldn’t retract, the urge was getting too strong. “I can’t be here,” he said, his voice strangling in his throat.

Kole’s eyes went wide. He seemed to understand and he nodded. “Go.”

And Cronin leapt.

Cronin changed direction three times mid-leap, something he’d not ever done. He was so torn as to where to go, when all he wanted to do was to go back to Alec and tear the doctor apart for touching him.

His first thought was to go to the fields of Dunadd in Scotland, where he’d taken Alec many times, the field where his human life had ended. He’d found such peace there with Alec, but there would be no peace. Not without Alec.

Then he thought to go back to his apartment. Jodis and Eiji were there and they’d know what to say, what to do to calm him. But that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to rage, to let out the anger and frustration, so found himself in the darkened streets of San Pedro Sula. Rife with crime, this city was easy pickings. Murderers, rapists, the city was infested with human maggots, and when Cronin leapt to a darkened alley, he didn’t even have to look or listen. It was happening right in front of him. Two men held a struggling man down, face-first into the garbage-filled street. One held a knife to the back of his neck, the other was pulling his pants down. They noticed Cronin approach and they stopped, but before they could even speak, Cronin had them both by the throat, one in each hand.

The man on the ground scurried away and the two attackers kicked the air with their feet, a good ten inches off the ground. Cronin didn’t waste a second. He threw one man into the alley wall, hard enough to render him unconscious. He grabbed the other man by the hair and violently tilted his head back, almost snapping his neck. He sunk his teeth into his throat, feeling the hot blood soothe his throat as he drank the life out of this man.

And when the first man was drained and lifeless, he let him fall to the ground like the garbage he was. Then, like he hadn’t fed in weeks, Cronin picked up the second man and fed from him too.

But it didn’t taste right. It wasn’t rich enough, it wasn’t sweet enough, it wasn’t sustaining enough.

It wasn’t Alec.

Alec.

And just like an answered prayer, Cronin heard him.

It’s okay, Cronin. The doctor’s nearly done. I’ll see you soon.

Relief, coupled with shame, swept through him. Cronin picked up the two dead men by their throats and leapt.

Disposing of bodies was dependent on where it was still night somewhere around the world. Tonight’s choice was one of his favorites.

Sunlight was almost breaking across the Serengeti, highlighting the plains of Tanzania in a spectacular mix of beauty and wild. He let the two bodies fall to the ground and stepped forward, smelling the air around him. His old friends were here, if that’s what he could call them. He’d never brought anyone here, he’d never shared this secret with anyone. He knew he’d bring Alec here one day, though not while he was human. He wouldn’t risk it. But yes, when Alec became a vampire, they would come here and they could marvel at it together.

Sometimes he’d discard of bodies in an ocean, or a ravine, or in the vast frozen lands of the arctic. Though the polar bears didn’t appreciate the takeout like the lions of Tanzania did.

Cronin let his head fall back and he snapped out a roar. It was his calling card. He’d made that call for hundreds of years, and the pride knew his voice. As clear as someone chiming the dinner bell, the largest male lion appeared first.

What made cats attracted to vampires, Cronin could only guess. But a large lion thundered in to see him, nudging his hip before he sniffed out the closest body. Cronin ran his hand along the fine animal, feeling its coarse fur, feeling its strength as it walked, padding its huge feet in the dirt. As the light of the new day threatened to break over the horizon, the rest of the pride came in for the second body, and Cronin smiled with satisfaction as he leapt back to Kole’s house.

He arrived in the kitchen and found Alec and Kole in the small living room. The doctor was, thankfully, gone. Alec stood up quickly and put his hand to the side of Cronin’s face. “Are you okay?”

Cronin couldn’t help it. He pulled Alec against him and breathed in his scent. “I am,” he said. After a long moment, he turned to look at Alec’s father. “I apologize for my behavior. I’ve not acted like that before.”

“Like what?” Alec said. He pulled away but not too far. He looked worried. “Tell me what bothered you.”

Cronin glanced at Kole and said, “Maybe it is a discussion best left for another time.”

“Dad’s okay with everything,” Alec said. “He gets it, Cronin. He does.”

Cronin sighed. “My whole body objected to someone else taking your blood. I could barely contain it. I wanted to kill him.”

“But you didn’t,” Kole said. “And that’s all that matters.”

Alec looked concerned, but he tried to smile. “So where did you go?”

“To feed the lions of Tanzania,” Cronin replied.

Kole laughed as if Cronin had made a joke, but Alec eyed him curiously. Before he could say anything, Cronin said, “I heard you again.”

“Did you?” Alec asked. “I wondered if you would. I think Doctor Benavides thinks I’m crazy. I spoke to you like you were right there, but I’d hoped you’d hear me.”

“It was grounding and most appreciated, thank you.” Cronin didn’t think Alec knew just how much he needed to hear his voice in that particular moment. “What else did the doctor say?”

“We’ll have results in forty-eight hours.” Alec held out his arm where a bandage held a cotton swab in place. “It took no time at all. And my physical was fine—”

Cronin growled again. “I don’t think it prudent to be telling me of him touching you right now.”

Alec kissed him with smiling lips. “It’s not like he gave me a prostate exam.” Cronin’s growl got louder, and Alec laughed. “You ready to go?”

Cronin turned to Kole. “Again, I apologize. Thank you for being so understanding.”

“No problem,” he replied. “Be sure to let me know whatever you find out. If I can be of any help, just let me know.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you again soon,” Alec said. Then he slid his arm around Cronin’s waist. “Take me home and cook me breakfast.”

Cronin smiled. “Your wish, my command.”

* * * *

Cronin had become quite adept at cooking omelets with ham and peppers. The texture was repulsive, the smell offensive, but Alec would moan with every mouthful, and that alone was worth it.

As Alec finished his meal, Cronin told Eiji and Jodis about the visit with the doctor. “I’ve not experienced anything like it,” he said. “It was a jealousy and anger like I’ve not felt before.”

Jodis darted out of the room only to come back in with one of the books we’d taken from Prague. She had it opened to a particular page. “I found this. Fifth century Romania there was a vampire who was unable to feed. Her face was badly disfigured in her human death, and her change to vampire somehow resulted in no fangs. The one who changed her took pity upon her and would gather the blood in a bowl for her to drink from. It worked for some time, then he decided it would be easier to keep a human and bleed them as needed.”