way, if that makes sense?”
Cronin nodded. “In your peripheral vision. In the shadows, never in plain sight.”
“But he’s followed me since I was a kid?”
“Yes. To keep you safe.” Cronin shrugged, but made no apology for the invasion of privacy. “He knew what you were going to be before you were born.”
Alec scrubbed his hands over his face. “He what?”
“He met your father when your father was just a boy,” Cronin explained. “He read him, his DNA, and saw that he would father a significant child.” Cronin shrugged again. “Significant to me, at least.”
“My father? Oh Jesus, Dad.”
“Your father was never harmed,” Cronin said. “In fact, Eiji protected him as he did you. Or so he said.”
“You trust Eiji?”
“With my life.” Cronin stared at Alec. “With your life.”
“But he never told you.”
Cronin shook his head. “Though I don’t agree with it, I can see why he chose secrecy. I would have… interfered had I known that you were even alive.”
Alec took a moment to process what Cronin had told him. “God. He saw me as a kid? I had acne and braces, for fuck’s sake. No wonder he never told you.”
Cronin smiled at that. “I would not have cared.”
Then he thought of something else. “Jesus. He’s seen the guys I’ve—”
Cronin did that growly noise again.
“Yeah, I can see why he never told you.”
“He also never told me you lived with someone.”
“What?”
“Were you lovers with this… Sammy person?” Cronin asked. He said the name as though it tasted bitter.
“Shit! Sammy!” Alec said, and he pulled the bathroom door open. “Sammy!” Alec darted across the short hall and into the open living and kitchen area. “Sammy?” Nothing. There was no sign of him. He looked under the sofa, finding nothing. He went back to the hall and opened the bedroom door, scanning the room, and finally looking under the bed. “Oh, little guy, there you are.” Alec went around to the far side of the bed, got down on his knees, reached in, and pulled out the tabby cat. He stood up, holding the cat to his chest and scratching under its chin. “Did those cops scare you?”
Cronin stood at the door, smiling. “Sammy is a cat?”
“Sammy is,” Alec said, “though I don’t tell him that. Sammy thinks he’s human.”
The cat looked at Cronin and turned in Alec’s arms. At first Alec thought he was trying to run away—Cronin being a vampire and all—but the cat didn’t want to run from Cronin at all. Sammy meowed like Alec had never heard and pushed away from Alec until he let him go. The cat jumped on the bed and padded across to where Cronin stood, meowing again.
Cronin smiled and walked over to the bed, and Sammy mewled until Cronin picked him up. The cat purred and nudged his face to Cronin’s chin.
Alec was floored. “Cats like vampires?”
“Cats protect vampires,” Cronin said, then he amended it. “Well, cats will protect a good vampire and deter a vampire with bad intentions.”
“How…? You know what? Never mind,” Alec mumbled. He still couldn’t believe his own Sammy had betrayed him like that, still purring in Cronin’s arms.
“What symbol is on most Egyptian hieroglyphs, Alec?” Cronin asked. “What animal?”
Oh. “Cats.”
Cronin petted Sammy, making the cat purr even louder. “You have a photographic memory, Alec, you’ve seen symbols of cats everywhere. Have you not?”
Alec’s mind scrambled through his memory banks to recall images of cats… Not just domesticated cats, but the biggest cats of all.
Lions.
National flags all around the world, monarchy symbols of European and Asian alike, dozens of coats of arms, on shields and crests of battle gear for most nations, statues at government offices, museums, and places of worship. There were lions on sarcophagi dating back to Greek mythology, and ancient Southeast Asian histories, South American lore, and medieval Europe showed lions on just about
Cronin nodded. “In your peripheral vision. In the shadows, never in plain sight.”
“But he’s followed me since I was a kid?”
“Yes. To keep you safe.” Cronin shrugged, but made no apology for the invasion of privacy. “He knew what you were going to be before you were born.”
Alec scrubbed his hands over his face. “He what?”
“He met your father when your father was just a boy,” Cronin explained. “He read him, his DNA, and saw that he would father a significant child.” Cronin shrugged again. “Significant to me, at least.”
“My father? Oh Jesus, Dad.”
“Your father was never harmed,” Cronin said. “In fact, Eiji protected him as he did you. Or so he said.”
“You trust Eiji?”
“With my life.” Cronin stared at Alec. “With your life.”
“But he never told you.”
Cronin shook his head. “Though I don’t agree with it, I can see why he chose secrecy. I would have… interfered had I known that you were even alive.”
Alec took a moment to process what Cronin had told him. “God. He saw me as a kid? I had acne and braces, for fuck’s sake. No wonder he never told you.”
Cronin smiled at that. “I would not have cared.”
Then he thought of something else. “Jesus. He’s seen the guys I’ve—”
Cronin did that growly noise again.
“Yeah, I can see why he never told you.”
“He also never told me you lived with someone.”
“What?”
“Were you lovers with this… Sammy person?” Cronin asked. He said the name as though it tasted bitter.
“Shit! Sammy!” Alec said, and he pulled the bathroom door open. “Sammy!” Alec darted across the short hall and into the open living and kitchen area. “Sammy?” Nothing. There was no sign of him. He looked under the sofa, finding nothing. He went back to the hall and opened the bedroom door, scanning the room, and finally looking under the bed. “Oh, little guy, there you are.” Alec went around to the far side of the bed, got down on his knees, reached in, and pulled out the tabby cat. He stood up, holding the cat to his chest and scratching under its chin. “Did those cops scare you?”
Cronin stood at the door, smiling. “Sammy is a cat?”
“Sammy is,” Alec said, “though I don’t tell him that. Sammy thinks he’s human.”
The cat looked at Cronin and turned in Alec’s arms. At first Alec thought he was trying to run away—Cronin being a vampire and all—but the cat didn’t want to run from Cronin at all. Sammy meowed like Alec had never heard and pushed away from Alec until he let him go. The cat jumped on the bed and padded across to where Cronin stood, meowing again.
Cronin smiled and walked over to the bed, and Sammy mewled until Cronin picked him up. The cat purred and nudged his face to Cronin’s chin.
Alec was floored. “Cats like vampires?”
“Cats protect vampires,” Cronin said, then he amended it. “Well, cats will protect a good vampire and deter a vampire with bad intentions.”
“How…? You know what? Never mind,” Alec mumbled. He still couldn’t believe his own Sammy had betrayed him like that, still purring in Cronin’s arms.
“What symbol is on most Egyptian hieroglyphs, Alec?” Cronin asked. “What animal?”
Oh. “Cats.”
Cronin petted Sammy, making the cat purr even louder. “You have a photographic memory, Alec, you’ve seen symbols of cats everywhere. Have you not?”
Alec’s mind scrambled through his memory banks to recall images of cats… Not just domesticated cats, but the biggest cats of all.
Lions.
National flags all around the world, monarchy symbols of European and Asian alike, dozens of coats of arms, on shields and crests of battle gear for most nations, statues at government offices, museums, and places of worship. There were lions on sarcophagi dating back to Greek mythology, and ancient Southeast Asian histories, South American lore, and medieval Europe showed lions on just about
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