with you about who’s in charge. We humans have a long history of revolting against despots.” His tone was gentle, but Willem knew how pissed his lover still was about Annika’s antics. If nothing else, discovering that she’d stowed away in a trunk had ‘scared the shit out of him’. His words.
In contrast, Will’s own reaction was more anger than fear. At that point, Dracul had been killed and the mercenaries neutralized. All that had been left was to leave. Annika had sailed out of the computer room where she and Merlin had holed up until she’d made her announcement, serene and certain that her rule had started. Her deviousness had stunned him and now, weeks later, he was ready to deal with her more calmly. The fact that no one believed her was helpful. No, that wasn’t entirely true. Val had picked up on message boards where a small but growing group of supplicants was gathering. Some humans believed in her and longed to find their new alien messiah. Will intended to keep that information from her for as long as he could.
Damien pushed the plate closer to her. “Here… Sit and have a brownie while we talk punishment.”
Annika bounced onto the sofa beside him and grabbed both the snack and her dog. “No, Babette, no chocolate for you. You know that. It was very nice of Mackie to watch her for me when he learned that I was gone. I worried that I hadn’t left enough food and water for her up here.”
Ah yes, clever girl that she was, she’d professed to be locking herself in her room until her dear papas returned. In reality, she had been curled up in a truck in stasis—and who the fuck knew that was a thing with queens?—while her little dog pissed and shit her way around the suite. Thank God for Lucien and his magical cleaning skills, because that would have sucked to come home to.
Annika paused in mid-bite. “What do you mean ‘punishment’?”
Damien shot him a look that said, You’re up, Dad.
With a sigh, Will perched on the edge of the sofa beside her. “The thing is, honey, that what you did was reckless. It endangered not only you but Alun as well. And Damien also, because once he realized you were running toward mercenaries, he had to go after you.”
“I would have never forgiven myself if anything bad had happened to you,” his lover agreed. No, fiancé now, because yeah, Will had asked and Damien had said yes. This marriage thing was catching on like fire.
Will allowed himself a second to grin like an idiot at his fearless human. “So, that meant that the two people I love most in the whole universe were in trouble and I wasn’t in a position to help either of you. Knowing that makes me sick to my stomach.”
Annika’s eyes got misty. “But, Papa, I was never in any danger. I can take care of myself, and I knew that you and the warriors would defeat those bad men.”
“While I appreciate your faith in us, it could have ended very badly if not for you, for Alun and-or Damien. Do you understand that it wasn’t fair of you to involve Alun, not to mention Merlin? He risked his life a dozen times over to do your bidding.”
“And in doing so, he saved Mr. Dafydd and baby Idris. That was important for the good of the hive, as are my efforts to bring this world into it. The humans can’t be trusted to govern themselves. I will set them on the right course.”
Will had avoided this talk for this very reason. It was hard hearing that his child wanted to take control of Earth and its inhabitants. How had they missed this plan of hers?
“I’m sorry, Annika, but you sound like Dracul.”
“Because he was right. His only flaw was that, as a drone, it was never his place to do the work of a Queen. He should have waited for me. I came eventually, did I not?” She smiled brightly at him.
Damien groaned. “God, this isn’t going well. Remember what we agreed? Be firm.”
Annika turned her head to glance at Damien before blinking at Will. “What does he mean, Papa?”
“He means that as your parents, we have decided on your punishment.”
“Punishment? You keep using this word. I don’t understand what you mean.”
Dear God, she is really and truly confused.
“Yes, what you did was wrong and you need to be taught a lesson.”