Cronin's Key II Page 4

  “Cronin,” Alec whispered. “What is it?”

  He shook his head. “We need to leave. Now.”

  No one argued. And for one long beat, Alec thought Cronin might leap them in full public view. He paused, then all but dragged Alec by the hand into the nearest darkened side street. Eiji and Jodis followed like Cronin’s shadow, then he spun on his heel and the four of them disappeared.

  * * * *

  Cronin’s New York City apartment was brightly lit, making Alec blink back the glare, and their feet had no sooner hit the ground before Jodis and Eiji swarmed around protectively.

  “Cronin!” they said in unison.

  “What is it?” Jodis asked.

  “Tell us, brother, what is wrong?” Eiji pleaded. He wasn’t smiling now.

  Cronin kept a tight hold on Alec, seemingly reluctant to let him go. “Something’s wrong,” Cronin said meekly. He swallowed hard and looked at Alec with apology in his eyes. “With me.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Alec’s first reaction was to laugh. Because seriously, Cronin was the most perfect specimen of man or vampire he’d ever met. How could anything be wrong with him?

  But Eiji and Jodis weren’t laughing. In fact, they looked deeply concerned, and Cronin’s expression matched theirs. And it was that look, that not-confident, not-assured, and un-knowing look on his face that spread a dull and heavy dread through Alec’s body.

  “Tell us,” Jodis said quickly.

  Cronin’s swallowed again. “I noticed it in England first. At the bar. There were several vampires there, most of them I recognized. Lars was there,” he said.

  “You called him by name, in the bar,” Alec interrupted. “I wondered who he was.”

  “He’s a vampire with the talent of pyrokinesis.”

  Alec blanched. “He can start fires with his mind?”

  Cronin nodded. “He was standing at the bar, and when he looked at me, I swear I felt warmth”—he held out his hand—“in my fingers.”

  Jodis and Eiji both blinked, shocked.

  Cronin kept talking. “Then in Bolivia with Jorge. We stood in his house, and he started to see his visions and”—he looked at Jodis—“I saw flashes of light in my mind. No images or anything with form, just flashes.”

  Alec had noticed Cronin look a little stunned in that hut, though he’d just presumed it was from what Jorge was saying.

  Then he looked at Eiji. “When we leapt to Tokyo, I touched your hand. What I saw was….” He shook his head. “I think I saw what you see. A timeline of dots and patterns, how scientists read DNA. Just for the briefest moment.”

  Now Eiji’s face was blank with shock. He nodded.

  “And just now on the street in Tokyo,” Cronin said. “We all smelled that vampire.”

  Jodis nodded woodenly. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Well, I heard him,” Cronin said. “In my mind. I heard his thoughts.”

  Eiji was stunned, and after a long few seconds, he shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I,” Cronin replied, his voice just a whisper. “It is as though I get glimpses of their talents. I can’t begin to explain it.”

  Jodis eyed him cautiously. “And what of my talent,” she said. “If I concentrate.”

  Cronin hissed, though it was Alec who pulled away. “Ow.” The three vampires looked at him questioningly as he rubbed the hand Cronin had been holding. “Uh, freezer burn.”

  A horrified looking Cronin put both his hands up. “Nas duilghe na ghabhas cur ann an cainnt,” Cronin whispered, shaking his head. His eyes were a sorry black. Alec knew when Cronin spoke Gaelic, his native Scottish tongue, it was straight from the heart. “I am more sorry than words can say. Alec, please.”

  Alec didn’t hesitate. He threw his arms around Cronin and pulled him tight against him. “Hey. Don’t apologize. It didn’t hurt.”

  When Alec looked over Cronin’s head to Jodis and Eiji, they both looked catatonic with shock. “We will find out what this is,” Alec said. “Yes?”

  Jodis blinked, then blinked again, her blue eyes imploring. “When was the last time you fed?”

  Cronin pulled away from Alec and answered weakly. “I’ve um, I’ve been feeding from Alec.”

  Well, if they weren’t shocked before, they were now. “You haven’t fed from another source?” Eiji asked.

  Cronin shook his head. “I’ve not left Alec alone, and well….” He smiled sadly and blushed. “We’ve um….”

  “We’ve been having a lot of sex,” Alec finished for him, not embarrassed at all. “And he bites me every time. I like it. Actually, I love it. And he’s been having a lot of small amounts. He hasn’t been hungry at all.”

  Jodis and Eiji both looked between Alec and Cronin for a full ten seconds. “I don’t know what to make of this,” Jodis said, shaking her head slowly. “Alec’s blood is powerful, yes? That’s what Eleanor said. She said there was something special about your blood, didn’t she?”

  Alec nodded. “You think it’s my blood that’s doing this to him?”

  “What else could it be?” she replied. “Cronin, you seem to be acquiring the talent of a transfer.”

  Alec knew what that was. Cronin once told him that a transfer was a vampire who could mimic the power of another vampire if he were close enough. They simply transferred the talent into themselves. The host never lost their ability, the transfer simply acquired it.

  Cronin shook his head slowly. “How is that even possible?”

  Both Jodis and Eiji shook their heads. “I don’t know,” they said in unison.

  Jodis put her hand on Cronin’s arm. “Cronin, I think you should go feed. Maybe it will flush your system. I don’t know. Eiji will go with you. I will stay here with Alec.”

  Cronin looked a little unsure but he nodded, and with a simple touch on Eiji’s arm, they were gone. Alec was left staring at Jodis. “What the hell does this mean?”

  Now that Cronin was gone, Jodis let her worries be known. “I don’t know, Alec. In all my years, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I don’t even know if there’s ever been a case of a vampire feeding from the same human more than once.”

  “Because they either die or turn into a vampire, right?” Alec asked.

  “Exactly,” she answered.

  “Um, this is probably going to sound a little naïve,” Alec started, “but is it necessarily a bad thing? I’d have thought getting a new talent would be a good thing?”

  Jodis shook her head quickly. “We cannot change or evolve from what we are. For Cronin to experience this after twelve hundred years means something is not right.”

  “And it’s my blood that’s doing this to him?”

  “It is the only thing I can see as a possible reason,” she said. “Your blood is different, Alec. To what purpose, we don’t yet know.”

  Alec was suddenly lost for words. He struggled to find the right ones. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

  Jodis’ face softened, as did her eyes. She put her hand on his arm. “I know.”

  Alec swallowed hard and pressed the heel of his hand against his sternum, letting out a slow breath.

  “I thought the passing of weeks might have lessened the yearning,” Jodis said.

  “Or made it worse,” Alec countered. He hadn’t felt this ache in months, not since their very first times apart. He puffed out a breath. “Maybe it’s because we’ve spent so much time together lately.”

  Jodis frowned. “Yes, maybe.” She certainly didn’t seem convinced.

  Alec found that pacing, even slowly, helped with the dull weight in his chest. As did thinking of something else. “So tell me,” he started. “How’s Eiji been?”

  Jodis watched Alec as he walked back and forth across the living room. “He’s healed completely,” she said. “He was in considerable pain for the first week, not that he said as much. He’s more of a suffer in silence kind of man.” She almost smiled.
“He’s a traditional Japanese man in that way; he reflects inward. And he is very sorry for almost leaving me. Not that he regrets saving you. He doesn’t, but his almost dying hurt me very much, and for that he’s sorry.”

  “I’m sorry he was hurt,” Alec said. He stopped pacing. “He offered his life for me, to protect me, and I will be forever grateful.”

  “And you saved him with your blood, so I consider us even,” she said, smiling genuinely. “There isn’t a human on the planet that would have offered his blood to save a vampire.”

  “Except me,” Alec answered. He started pacing again, taking calculated steps and deep breaths. “Although look where my blood has gotten Cronin….”

  “We don’t know for sure,” Jodis said. “We must research what we can.”

  “Isn’t there some vampire doctor elder we could ask?” Alec suggested. “Surely somewhere in the world, someone knows something.”

  “We can’t ask anyone,” Jodis said. “Alec, it would put Cronin at risk. If word got out that he was vulnerable, or if another coven thought him to be a risk to our kind….” She shook her head. “No, we can’t ask anyone.”

  “What about Jorge?”

  “What about him?”

  “We could ask him. Everyone else on the planet thinks he’s crazy anyway.”

  Jodis considered this. “Maybe. We’ll wait to see if drinking blood that is not yours has any kind of effect on him.”

  Alec stopped pacing and let his hand fall from his chest. “Cronin,” he whispered.

  Before Jodis could question Alec, Cronin and Eiji appeared in the living room. Cronin quickly crossed the room and Alec held his arms open. The two men sighed in relief at the contact.

  Despite their sudden appearance, Jodis still looked at Alec. “You knew he was returning?”

  “I could feel it,” Alec mumbled against the side of Cronin’s head. He pulled back and looked at him. “How do you feel?”

  “Better now,” Cronin whispered. Alec cupped Cronin’s face in his hands and pressed their lips together.

  “He was anxious to return,” Eiji said, looking at Jodis. “The absence of Alec was overwhelming.”

  “Yes,” Jodis said. “Alec was no better.”

  “That’s normal, right?” Alec asked, now with one arm around Cronin.

  “Initially, yes,” Jodis said. “But the longing should have waned a little, not gotten stronger.”

  “I wasn’t too bad,” Alec said.

  “You were pacing like a caged lion,” Jodis stated flatly.

  “I’m sorry for leaving,” Cronin said, looking up at Alec.

  “I said I was fine,” Alec said, a little softer this time, whispering it just for Cronin.

  “Cronin,” Jodis said quietly. “How do you feel? Did you see any of Eiji’s talent when you touched him to leap just now?”

  Cronin shook his head. “No. I was focusing on Alec.” He looked up at Alec again. “You could feel me leaping?”

  “The ache right here”—Alec put his hand to his sternum again—“started to ease.”

  Eiji walked up to him and held out his hand, palm up. “Tell me what you see.”

  Cronin held Eiji’s hand and closed his eyes for a few seconds. “I see a timeline but it’s not as clear. I can’t define anything, but it’s there.”

  “Okay,” Jodis said, holding out her hand. “Now me.”

  Alec dropped his arm and stepped away. He cringed at Cronin. “Sorry, but I don’t want my insides frozen.”

  Cronin made a face, but with a sigh, he put his hand on Jodis’ arm and again, closed his eyes.

  “I can feel it,” Cronin said. “It’s not as strong as before.” He pulled his hand back and Alec quickly put his arms around him in a side-on hug. He just needed to be close to him, he needed to touch him.

  “It seems to have lessened with the fresh blood,” Jodis said. “We probably won’t know for certain until you feed some more.”

  “And may I suggest not from Alec,” Eiji said. He eyed them both and shook his head. “You two are quite inseparable.”

  “Hmm,” Jodis hummed her agreement. She looked at Cronin. “Have a vampire and human ever been fated before?”

  “Not that I have ever heard of,” Cronin admitted.

  “Me either,” Eiji added.

  “We have nothing to compare your situation to,” Jodis said, her eyes full of worry. “Your connection is certainly strong.”

  Alec put his hand up. “Wait, what? Back up a minute,” he said. “He can’t feed from me?”

  “We can’t stop you,” Jodis said. “Though I wouldn’t recommend it. Not until we know of the long-term effects.”

  Eiji snorted out a laugh. “Is it that good?”

  Alec let out a slow breath. “It’s, um, what’s the right word… heightening. There’s a spot along the groin where the femoral artery runs—”

  Eiji put his hand up. “Whoa, stop right there. Please.”

  Cronin chuckled into Alec’s chest. “I don’t think he wants details."

  Jodis fought a smile, but as always, she was the voice of reason. “We have no way of knowing the effects on you, Cronin, nor the effects it may have on Alec. I think we need to research what we can, and maybe we should speak to Eleanor. She can be trusted with this, yes?”

  “We also need to sort out Jorge’s cryptic puzzle as well,” Alec reminded them. He clapped Eiji on the shoulder. “Aren’t you glad to be back? More mysteries to solve, more bad guys to kill. We’re really just missing the Mystery Inc. van and the talking dog.” The three vampires stared at Alec. He rolled his eyes. “Never mind.”

  Eiji snorted out a laugh. “I’m very glad to be back here,” he said. “I’ve missed all the crazy things you say.”

  Alec laughed and plonked himself onto the sofa. “In the last twenty-four hours, I’ve been to three different countries, on three different continents, and thanks to Mr. I-only-need-two-hours-sleep-a-night here”—he nodded towards Cronin with a waggle of his eyebrows—“I didn’t sleep much. I’m beat.”

  Cronin sat down beside him. He was instantly concerned. “Are you well?”

  “I am so well,” he replied with a smile. “I feel great actually, just tired.”

  Cronin took his hand. “Then you should rest. We can start researching a few things while you sleep.”

  Alec shook his head. “No. I think I need to use my brain. I’ve done nothing but use my body for the last eight weeks—”

  Cronin blushed scarlet, making Eiji laugh.

  “I meant with all the physical stuff I’ve been doing, like exercise and stuff.” Alec looked pointedly at Eiji. “I’ve not used my brain for anything other than reading newspapers. My brain’s turning to mush. Getting back into investigating work will be good for me.”

  “Where do you want to start?” Cronin asked.

  “I think it makes sense that we research what Jorge told us,” Alec said. “And Jodis and Eiji can look into vampire histories and see if there’s ever been a case of this transference or a human/vampire relationship before.”

  “Even if there is,” Jodis added, “the chances of that human being a key and immune to vampire bites are nil. Even if by some miracle there was, the circumstances will not be the same.”

  “Agreed,” Cronin said with a nod. His brow creased as he frowned. “There is a library in Prague with a basement vault. They had quite the collection of vampire medical books. Maybe they still have them. I don’t know, but we should start there.”

  “Medical?” Alec questioned.

  Cronin gave him a failed smile. “Scripts that list any known talents of vampires, any issues that particular talent may have caused.”

  “Such as?”

  “It’s quite common for telepathic vampires to show signs of madness,” Jodis explained. “After having so many voices in their heads for so long, they either seek out solitude or they go mad.”

  Alec couldn’t bel
ieve it. “I thought vampires couldn’t change? To become afflicted with mental illness indicates the ability to change or to be affected.”

  Cronin nodded slowly. “That is what I fear.”

  “No,” Alec barked. He sat forward and took Cronin’s face in his hands. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re absolutely perfect.”

  Cronin’s dark eyes swam with doubt and vulnerability. “I have experienced talents which are not my own, Alec. Something is not right with me.”

  “And that is why we shan’t wait,” Jodis said. “Cronin, I know you are loath to leave Alec, but can you take us to this library vault you speak of now?”

  Cronin nodded and stood up. He declared he would only be a minute, that Alec should stay and rest, and he put his hands on his two best friends before the three of them disappeared.

  Alec sat alone in the apartment, surrounded by white walls and silence. The familiar ache of absence exploded in his chest and he waited for Cronin to return. Though this time, absence swirled with dread. “There can’t be anything wrong with you, Cronin.” He swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke to the empty room. “There just can’t be.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Pacing wasn’t helping any, so needing to distract himself, Alec grabbed a notepad and started his basic police-work routine. Starting at the beginning, he wrote down exactly what Jorge had said, and no sooner had he jotted down those few lines, than the ache in his chest and the tight hold around his heart loosened its grip. He knew Cronin would be home soon.

  A moment later, Cronin, Jodis, and Eiji reappeared in the living room, and Alec almost laughed with relief. The three of them were holding books, and by the look of them, they were very old books at that.

  “I hope you used your library cards for those,” Alec said, standing up. He threw his notepad on the sofa and walked directly over to Cronin. “I knew you were coming back again this time. I could feel it.”

  Cronin tucked the books under one arm so he could kiss Alec. “And I swear I heard you talking to me.”