Cronin's Key III by N.R. Walker Read Free Book Online Page B

alarmed about what?”
    With a smug smirk, Cronin let out a
bellowing roar. It was a sound Alec had never heard him make
before. Then in the distance, Alec heard it. First it was the sound
of feet—big feet—padding on dirt at a gallop, then he heard the
beating heart.
    Then he saw it.
    The male lion raced toward them, and
even though Alec’s place was now at the top of the food chain, he
still took a reflexive step back. “Jesus Christ.”
    Cronin just grinned as the lion’s pace
became a swaggering walk as he came in to meet them. “It’s been a
while since I’ve paid you a visit, old friend,” Cronin said,
scratching the lion’s forehead. “I brought someone with me this
time,” Cronin said to the lion. “He is my husband. I thought it was
about time he met you.”
    Alec couldn’t believe it. “Um, so when
you said that time you were off feeding the lions of Tanzania, you
weren’t joking?”
    Still grinning, Cronin shook his head.
“No. I’ve fed this pride for generations, discarding evidence.”
Cronin nodded toward the lion. “Put your hand out. He will smell
you.”
    Alec had
never imagined standing this close to a wild lion. But, like all
felines, lions were drawn to vampires. These were just… the biggest
felines of all.
    The lion sniffed Alec’s hand and started to purr, a loud
rumbling sound. It nudged his
hip with its forehead, and if he’d still been human, it would have
knocked him off his feet. Only after Alec had scratched the lion’s
forehead, did it seem interested in the meal they’d brought it.
Then, the rest of the pride turned up for the left overs. The rest
of the lions, the females and cubs, all swarmed around Alec,
rubbing against him and purring.
    “ Well, they’ve never done
that to me,” Cronin smiled as he looked on. “I think they like
you.”
    Alec couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t believe Cronin
had done this for years, and he couldn’t believe he was only
learning about it now. This
was something he’d never shown Willem….
    He looked at his husband and shook his head in wonder. “And
you thought you didn’t
deserve heaven.”
    Cronin g ave him a
smile that put the beauty of the African savannah to
shame.

CHAPTER SIX

    Alec was in a much better mood when they arrived back at
the New York City apartment. The first thing he did was apologize
to Jodis and Eiji. “I acted like an ass,” he said. Alec preferred to apologize out loud, not
directly into the minds of the people he’d wronged. It wasn’t
always possible, like earlier with Jodis, but he still preferred to
speak the words aloud. It wasn’t in his nature to be arrogant about
such things. Just because he had powers—all the known powers in
vampire history, except for Jorge’s—didn’t mean he wasn’t man
enough to admit he was wrong.
    And just because Alec was the most powerful vampire in the
world d idn’t mean Eiji
wouldn’t take the piss out of him. He laughed at Alec. “I think you
can probably take Willem off your Christmas card list.”
    Alec
grumbled. “Oh, hardy har.”
    Jodis fought a smile. “It was a surprise to see him,” she said, eyeing
Cronin. “To no one more so, than you.”
    “ It was a surprise,” Cronin conceded. “And to see Willem happy with Johan, even
more so. A fating well-deserved, I think.”
    “ Agreed.” Jodis gave a
knowing smirk. “He waited even longer than you.”
    “ And I guess I’ll need to
apologize to him too,” Alec said, rolling his eyes. He tried not to
sound petulant and failed dismally. “If I ever see him
again.”
    Eiji chuckled to himself. “Oh Alec,
you and Willem have a lot in common.”
    Alec
snarled, and Cronin put his hand up. “A change of subject,
perhaps?” He shot Eiji a glare. “Deliberately antagonizing the most
powerful vampire on the planet is not conducive to your longevity,
Eiji. Or to the foundations of this building. There’s now a healthy
crack in the Antarctic ice sheet down to the tectonic plate