Relief coursed through him. “That makes for excellent odds.”
“Yeah, it should be practically a cake-walk, if it’s true. He wants to know when we’re coming in so he can try to disable the alarms.” Val paused. “That’s assuming this isn’t a trap and that we can trust the info.”
“We can,” Annika assured everyone. Her focus appeared to be solely on her dog and her meal, and yet she was clearly listening to every word.
“We trust in your judgment, my Queen.” Alex meant that…sort of. His DNA told him she was only ever going to do what was best for the hive. The man who’d been fighting to survive on an alien planet was more jaded. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the Queen had an agenda that was opaque to them all. As there was nothing he could do about it, if that were true, he put his worries aside and concentrated on what he could control.
“It’s time, then.” With a pat on Quinn’s knee, he said, “Finish your meal, everyone. Val and I will send a response to Merlin. We’ll finalize our plans, kit up and leave tonight. We fly to Greece, pick up the helos there and continue to our destination. As we’ll have to wait for darkness to launch the attack, we should be fully engaged in about thirty-six hours.”
“Can they hold on until then?” Christos asked, his face a mask of worry.
“They’ll have to,” Alun replied before Alex could form reassuring words. “Trust Merlin to make sure they do.”
Trust Merlin. That hadn’t seemed likely a mere few days ago. But it was all they had, and Alex had to take what comfort he could from Annika’s and Alun’s certainty that the hybrid would come through for them. He was, for all intents and purposes, a man at this point. Alex only hoped he was a good one.
Chapter Seven
Alun didn’t know where he got the balls to speak up in a group of warriors. His insistence on going, his assurances that Merlin would be successful and loyal to the people in the room… Those were not things he would have dared express only a few weeks ago. It was madness to do so. It was also due to Craig. There was something about that man’s presence—not overwhelming, yet entirely there and reliable—that gave him the strength to say his piece. He hadn’t missed, either, the way Alex’s gaze had homed in on Craig when Alun had spoken. The leader of the warriors was taking his cue from the human, as if Craig had somehow gained the final say in what Alun did or did not do. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he didn’t want to be under someone else’s thumb again. On the other, the idea of being his own man scared the shit out of him.
Now that he knew for a certainty that he would be going, he wasn’t afraid. But the new worry of Annika’s demand of him was a reality. If he’d been forced to stay behind, he wouldn’t be able to help her with the insane plan. It would have removed the need for him to make a decision. It was on him, though, and while he hadn’t committed one way or the other, time was at an end. The girl lingered on the sofa while the others finished their meals, her gaze bouncing over to him from time to time. Clearly she intended to wait everyone out and corral him for an answer.
His stomach roiled at the idea, so he distracted himself by clearing up and piling dishes and silverware. Really, domestic chores were about the only thing he could do at the moment that had value. There was no point in joining any of the planning. He would go where told and point whatever weapon they gave him in the right direction. His marksmanship skill was actually something he was quite proud about. He could do more than scrub floors, although house cleaning was a more practical ability than shooting a gun. He was never going to join the military or become a peace officer like Craig. When this nightmare was over, he would return to doing what he did well, although as he considered it, he wasn’t sure where that would be.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Startled, Alun looked up from where he’d been staring at the items in his hands and into Craig’s handsome face. “Sorry?”
“You looked like you were thinking about something upsetting, which, given the most recent conversation, isn’t surprising. You’re worried about Merlin.”
“I am, yes, although hearing that he was able to send a message has cheered me considerably. There was a real possibility that Dracul had killed him outright. It’s a relief to know that he didn’t and that Merlin has some measure of freedom where he is. My mind is more at ease than it has been for the last few days. I wasn’t thinking about him, in any event.”
“What then? I hate to see you upset.” The man gave him an encouraging smile. Some of Alun’s nerves subsided with just that look.
“It was nothing, really. I was only thinking about where I would go when all this is done. What kind of life can I offer Merlin?”
Craig didn’t answer him at first. He merely lifted a hand to cup Alun’s chin, then caressed his lips with his thumb. “You don’t think Alex and the others intend to kick you out, do you?”
The touching made it hard to think, yet he felt no desire to move away and break the contact. “I don’t know. It only just occurred to me.”
“I realize that I’m a total newcomer here, but I’m quite certain you will both be welcome to remain…until something better comes along.”
“I don’t know what that could be. Merlin is nearly grown, to be sure. He doesn’t have any skills, though. He needs a lot more education before he could make his own way.” He looked down, dislodging that attentive thumb, and added, “I don’t expect he’ll want to care for me for the rest of my life, either.”
“I’m not so sure about that. This is a hive, isn’t it? I bet multiple generations of family living together is the norm for this species.”
“Perhaps… Merlin wasn’t raised that way, though. I mean…not with a sense of familial obligation.”
“He’s learning, it seems, from what everyone’s been saying. Changing…and for the better.”
Alun looked at Craig again, appreciating how he was trying to help. “I suppose.”
“Don’t sell him or you short. Besides,” he added, dropping his head so that their eyes were almost level, “I promise you I’ll also be there to look after you.”
Oh, it was too much—the intensity of that stare, the hope that such a promise instilled in him. He removed Craig’s hand entirely by moving his face and backing away. “You mustn’t say such things. We hardly know each other.”
Alun practically raced to the kitchen and dumped his dishes in the sink. It was too much to hope that Craig would drop the matter. Being an alpha male, he wasn’t one to give up easily. It was no surprise when he followed him and leaned against the counter while Alun ran hot water and scraped bits of food down the garbage disposal. Such a handy device.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. We’ve only been out on one date and here I am practically proposing.”
Alun scowled. “Last night wasn’t a date.”
“Sure it was. Church and ice scream. Unconventional as dates go, I’ll grant you that. But it ended with a kiss, so that makes it one in my book.”
Alun opened the dishwasher, another miraculous invention, and started shoving plates in. “And how big is that, then?”