Cronin's Key by N.R. Walker

sense of humor trait glitches out when you guys become vampires.”
    Cronin ignored the jibe. “To answer your question, my very first real estate purchase was done in England. I had taken some personal effects such as clothes and shoes from a… dinner date here in America. I leapt back to London and pretended to be American. They took in my newly acquired American clothes, my fake accent, and my bankroll and the rest, as they say, is history. Then as decades passed, I posed as the son or grandson of myself and resold the properties for profit. It’s best not to stay too long in one place.”
    “I guess not. You collect artifacts, though. Like the ones in your living room. Do you sell those?”
    “No, they are my personal collection.”
    “Will you tell me about them one day?”
    Cronin smiled. “Yes. Anything you want to know.”
    “Have you always lived in such nice places?”
    Cronin shook his head slowly. “I’m fortunate that I can leap to wherever the sun is not, though most of my kind cannot. It was not uncommon in earlier times that vampires would have to bury themselves in dirt or sand to avoid sunlight. Most found abandoned houses or caves if they were lucky; some took any house they fancied by killing every inhabitant.”
    “Oh.”
    Cronin cringed. “We might prefer a more pleasant topic of conversation for our… date?”
    “Good idea.” Alec picked up the remote and jumped on the huge sofa. It was cinema-like but wrapped around the room with reclining seats and footrests, and came complete with drink holders. He patted the seat next to him. “Take a seat.”
    Cronin hesitated.
    Alec rolled his eyes. “I don’t bite.”
    Cronin smiled. “And you complain about my humor. Yours is questionable, more so than mine.”
    “Well, it’s a bit difficult to have a date when you won’t sit next to me.”
    Cronin chuckled nervously. “It isn’t that I don’t want to sit next to you. I want it very much, but”—he sat down beside Alec and slid back, trying to look relaxed—“I’m afraid I have no experience in such matters as human dating.”
    Alec held out his hand closest to Cronin. “Would you like to hold my hand?”
    Cronin grabbed his hand quickly, only then seeming to remember Alec’s question. “Yes.”
    Alec didn’t bother trying to fight a grin and pointed the remote at the projector. “I picked a movie you might find interesting.”
    “What is it?”
    “ Blade ,” Alec said. “It’s a vampire flick. I thought you might like to see how you’re portrayed by society. And believe me, it’s one of the better ones. There are some I wouldn’t let you watch.”
    The movie had barely started when Cronin’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered. “Eiji? … Yes. And the location? … Understood.”
    Cronin ended the phone call and sighed. “Alec, I’m afraid our date will have to wait. The meeting of our coven will be tonight, so if you wish to see your father, I suggest we do it today.”

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Cronin didn’t want to rush Alec. He didn’t want to expose him to the dangers that were coming any more than he had to. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to protect him, save him. But it was all happening too quickly.
    Eiji and Jodis had left to scout information, to put together the pieces and rumors to see if there was a clearer picture of what the Egyptians and Illyrians were doing, and hopefully, by association, figure out what the key could be. Whatever it was, whatever the grand plan was, Cronin knew it couldn’t possibly be good. But without any evidence, speculation and imagination were all he had to go by.
    The meeting of the coven to be held later that night was paramount, and vampire representatives from other covens from all over the country and even Canada would be there. Cronin couldn’t miss it, yet he didn’t want to leave Alec unguarded for any amount of time. He certainly didn’t want to bring him into the meeting—the