circumstances, and I regret not having a more formal introduction. If you’ll please excuse my candor, but how do you know what I am to your son?”
Kole smiled. “The Japanese guy told me.”
“Eiji?” Alec asked.
Kole shrugged. “Dunno his name. Kinda small and fast, moves too fluidly to be… ya know, human. Smiles a lot. Hasn’t aged a day since I was a kid.”
It was definitely Eiji. Cronin took a steady breath and spoke as calmly as he could. “He told you of me?”
“Not exactly. No details or anything. Just that I would have a son and he would be special. Nothing else, well, not then. I was about ten years old when I saw him the first time. He just kinda appeared outta nowhere, and maybe he was gonna kill me, I dunno. But he touched my arm and gasped like I was hot to touch. He laughed like a madman, and—I swear I’ll never forget it—he said, ‘Oh, finally’ like he’d just heard the best news.
“I didn’t know what he meant,” Kole said. “I was just a kid. Then he told me not to be scared, that he’d protect me until my child was born. And I gotta say, to a ten-year-old that didn’t make a whole lotta sense.
“I didn’t see him again for years, and truth be told, I thought I’d imagined it. Until Alec was born. We’d just brought him home, a tiny newborn he was, and I saw that man again. Heather, Alec’s mom, was in the nursery one night and I heard her scream. I raced into the nursery and there were two men with vampire teeth standing over the crib. My wife lay on the floor. Her head was at an odd angle and her eyes were staring blank. Then the Japanese guy flew past me—I’ve never seen anything move so quick—and when one of the others tried to take Alec, he stopped them. One minute there were two men and the next there was just dust. I didn’t see what he did to them. But then he picked up the baby and handed him to me. He said the baby was special and that he would protect him, always, for Cronin.”
Kole looked at Cronin and then Alec. “I didn’t know who this Cronin was, until I saw that video. But the Japanese guy said Cronin would come for him, and that it was a very good thing. This special boy had been waited for, for a real long time. That was all he said. To be honest, with just having lost my Heather, I didn’t think of it again until things started to happen to Alec when he was a boy. Strange things. Then there was the man at the indoor pool.” He looked at Alec. “You remember that time some guy pulled you outta the water? I’m sure it was the same guy.”
Cronin nodded. “I believe so, as well.”
“You know this man?” Kole asked.
“Yes,” Cronin said. “He’s like a brother to me.”
“And you’re both… vampires?”
“Yes.”
“They’re good vampires, Dad,” Alec said. “I mean, if there is such a thing.”
Kole nodded slowly, then looked at Alec for a long time. “Are you okay, son? If this is not what you want, then we’ll leave. Just you and me.”
Alec smiled at his father, but his eyes flickered to Cronin, then back to his dad. “I can’t explain it, Dad. But yeah, I need to be with him.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Kole spoke like Cronin wasn’t even in the room. It irked Cronin a little, but he realized Kole’s only concern was for Alec, and that was reasoning he couldn’t fault. “I asked if you were okay.”
“I’m fine. It’s been weird, I ain’t gonna lie, but I’m okay.” Alec looked back up at Cronin and a flush colored his cheeks. “I’m safe with him.”
Kole looked between his son and Cronin, who still stood on the other side of the room, and back to Alec. “Well, I ain’t seen you blush like that since you were a schoolboy and I asked you if you had a crush on that hockey player… what’s his name?”
“Wayne Gretsky.” Alec cringed. “But we don’t need to talk about that right now, Dad.”
Cronin smirked and Kole stood up and walked over to stand in front of him. “You wanna
Kole smiled. “The Japanese guy told me.”
“Eiji?” Alec asked.
Kole shrugged. “Dunno his name. Kinda small and fast, moves too fluidly to be… ya know, human. Smiles a lot. Hasn’t aged a day since I was a kid.”
It was definitely Eiji. Cronin took a steady breath and spoke as calmly as he could. “He told you of me?”
“Not exactly. No details or anything. Just that I would have a son and he would be special. Nothing else, well, not then. I was about ten years old when I saw him the first time. He just kinda appeared outta nowhere, and maybe he was gonna kill me, I dunno. But he touched my arm and gasped like I was hot to touch. He laughed like a madman, and—I swear I’ll never forget it—he said, ‘Oh, finally’ like he’d just heard the best news.
“I didn’t know what he meant,” Kole said. “I was just a kid. Then he told me not to be scared, that he’d protect me until my child was born. And I gotta say, to a ten-year-old that didn’t make a whole lotta sense.
“I didn’t see him again for years, and truth be told, I thought I’d imagined it. Until Alec was born. We’d just brought him home, a tiny newborn he was, and I saw that man again. Heather, Alec’s mom, was in the nursery one night and I heard her scream. I raced into the nursery and there were two men with vampire teeth standing over the crib. My wife lay on the floor. Her head was at an odd angle and her eyes were staring blank. Then the Japanese guy flew past me—I’ve never seen anything move so quick—and when one of the others tried to take Alec, he stopped them. One minute there were two men and the next there was just dust. I didn’t see what he did to them. But then he picked up the baby and handed him to me. He said the baby was special and that he would protect him, always, for Cronin.”
Kole looked at Cronin and then Alec. “I didn’t know who this Cronin was, until I saw that video. But the Japanese guy said Cronin would come for him, and that it was a very good thing. This special boy had been waited for, for a real long time. That was all he said. To be honest, with just having lost my Heather, I didn’t think of it again until things started to happen to Alec when he was a boy. Strange things. Then there was the man at the indoor pool.” He looked at Alec. “You remember that time some guy pulled you outta the water? I’m sure it was the same guy.”
Cronin nodded. “I believe so, as well.”
“You know this man?” Kole asked.
“Yes,” Cronin said. “He’s like a brother to me.”
“And you’re both… vampires?”
“Yes.”
“They’re good vampires, Dad,” Alec said. “I mean, if there is such a thing.”
Kole nodded slowly, then looked at Alec for a long time. “Are you okay, son? If this is not what you want, then we’ll leave. Just you and me.”
Alec smiled at his father, but his eyes flickered to Cronin, then back to his dad. “I can’t explain it, Dad. But yeah, I need to be with him.”
“That’s not what I asked.” Kole spoke like Cronin wasn’t even in the room. It irked Cronin a little, but he realized Kole’s only concern was for Alec, and that was reasoning he couldn’t fault. “I asked if you were okay.”
“I’m fine. It’s been weird, I ain’t gonna lie, but I’m okay.” Alec looked back up at Cronin and a flush colored his cheeks. “I’m safe with him.”
Kole looked between his son and Cronin, who still stood on the other side of the room, and back to Alec. “Well, I ain’t seen you blush like that since you were a schoolboy and I asked you if you had a crush on that hockey player… what’s his name?”
“Wayne Gretsky.” Alec cringed. “But we don’t need to talk about that right now, Dad.”
Cronin smirked and Kole stood up and walked over to stand in front of him. “You wanna
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