Cronin's Key II Read Online Free PDF Page A

pheromones with, thanks.”
    Alec laughed. “You’re welcome.” He slid both arms around Cronin and scraped his teeth against Cronin’s jaw and the next thing he knew, he was on his back in the middle of Cronin’s bed. His shirt was gone, his legs were spread, and Cronin knelt between them. He smiled around his fangs, his eyes a salacious black.
    Alec moaned and raised his hips. He closed his eyes and exposed his neck and waited for the pleasure to take him.
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
     
     
    Alec hit stop on the treadmill, slowing to a walk. “Did you talk to them?”
    Cronin had been on the phone to Eiji. He nodded. “Yes. They’ll be back in an hour. So when you’re ready, we can go.”
    Alec wiped his face down and stepped off the treadmill. “I’ll just go shower. You know, it’ll be twice as quick if you helped me.”
    Cronin laughed. “It’ll be twice as long. I know what your intentions are.”
    Alec grinned as he walked past him. He flicked the towel at Cronin’s ass, hitting him with a smart thwack. Alec took off and Cronin chased him, which ended with the two of them laughing through soapy hand jobs in the shower, which lead to more fooling around in bed, which of course ended with them being late to meet Eiji and Jodis.
    They were still all hands and smiles when they leapt into the small living room of the Tokyo house. It was one of Cronin’s houses—he had three: a house in Japan, an apartment in London, and the apartment in New York City that Alec now called home, though Alec always assumed the Japanese home was more for Eiji than Cronin. Alec had been to the Tokyo house once before, when Cronin leapt them all here so Eiji could heal in peace.
    He’d suffered exposure to sunlight in their battle against Queen Keket in Egypt and had almost died. It was Alec’s blood that had saved him, a source of rich sustenance at just the right time, or so Alec believed.
    It had been almost eight weeks ago that Eiji and Jodis came to Japan, and although Cronin hadn’t said as much, Alec knew he missed his friends.
    When Alec had asked, Cronin said they hadn’t spent a whole eight weeks apart in a long time. He guessed a vampire’s version of “a long time” was a few hundred years, so that would explain Cronin’s excitement to see them.
    When Alec and Cronin finally pulled away from each other, they found Jodis and Eiji standing by the rice paper wall, smiling at them.
    “Look at you,” Jodis said, looking at Cronin. “I’ve never seen you smile so.”
    Cronin walked over to his oldest friend and pulled her in for a quick embrace. “Jodis, my dear, how are you?”
    “Fine, fine,” she said with a warm smile.
    Alec was quick to hug Eiji. “Eiji, my man, how are you?”
    The smaller Japanese vampire laughed. “Better. Much better,” he said.
    When Alec let go of him, he realized he’d missed Eiji’s smiling face. “Well, you look great.”
    “And look at you two,” Eiji said. “I assume the last weeks have been well-spent.”
    Cronin blushed and Alec laughed. “Something like that.”
    “Well, it warms my heart to see it,” Jodis said. She tilted her head. “Though we grew worried when you were late in arriving.”
    “Oh, well,” Cronin said, fighting a smile. “That was Alec’s fault.”
    Alec barked out a laugh. “Really? Because I seem to recall you—”
    Jodis put up her hand to stop Alec mid-sentence. “Uh. No need for details.”
    “Come and sit down,” Eiji said, waving his hand at the sofas. “Tell us Cronin, you said you spoke to Jorge? What on Earth for?”
    They sat down and Cronin quickly took Alec’s hand. “I read of reported disappearances in Northern China. I didn’t think much of it, but we went to London and met with Kennard and he mentioned in passing about word of a Russian coven fleeing their territory.”
    Eiji and Jodis were both silent and still, their faces serious. Alec was learning that this red flag of vampire behavior—of covens fleeing their own