6. Chapter 6
Princess Adanna
"Well," the Chairman rasped. "Let us sit and talk about the alliance."
His heart had been thumping so hard during that handshake I thought the fool was about to stroke out right there on the rug. But when he squeezed back, matching my force, his rapid pulse hummed through my palm and sent a throb between my thighs. I hated when my pussy had her own thoughts.
The creature was just as absurdly intense as he was years ago.
I leaned back into my leather chair, slowly crossing one thigh over the other, and locked my gaze onto the male specimen sitting directly across from me.
I took Prince Dame in real slow. The scrawny boy I’d left gasping in his own blood on the dirt was dead and gone.
Damini had grown up, filling out every bit of six-foot-something until his shirt was screaming for a break.
My eyes drifted down to those long, thick braids hanging heavy past his shoulders, framing his face.
The neat plaits drew my eyes straight to the intricate ink climbing up the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his tailored collar.
Gold Cuban links sat stacked against his chest, catching the chandelier light while a diamond stud gleamed in his ear.
That was paired with his dark eyes framed by thick lashes.
He looked like a whole damn meal sitting right across from me.
Fine as hell, if I was forced to admit it to myself.
But I’d cut my own tongue out before I let him see me appreciate the view.
To anyone else in this room, he looked like he was already somebody’s King.
I caught the faint jump of his pulse in his throat as he swallowed, fighting like hell to keep his eyes from dropping straight back down to my chest. Underneath those new layers of dense muscle, he was still the same boy who used to pull double shifts in the training yard just hoping I’d glance his way. Completely transparent and so obvious.
Yet, I couldn’t deny his aura had shifted. The timid uncertainty of his youth was gone, replaced by a dense confidence that radiated a warmth all the way across the room. I was mildly amused.
The elders pulled out thick legal folders, and the crinkle of aged parchment filled the silence.
"We have outlined the standard for the lineage merger," the Chairman continued, adjusting his glasses as his eyes scanned the documents. "We need to finalize the dates for the ceremonial rites and the public announcement."
King Eze cleared his throat, leaning forward. "With Damini ascending as King Consort, your house will now have unrestricted access to our southern maritime trade routes and our primary mining resources. It is a substantial offering to secure this bond."
Damini finally broke our eye contact, shifting his gaze toward the Chairman.
"In addition to the resource allocation, as a token of my personal loyalty to this marital covenant, my unit will personally oversee the security logistics of the lower border territories. A bound agreement deserves protection."
Before the Chairman could even answer, Amina interjected, her sour voice cutting through the room like shattered glass. "And what of her duties? Is she prepared to step down from her active military commands to focus on the household and state decorum?"
“Agreed.”
Bitch, why are you even breathing my air?
I turned my head, fixing my gaze directly on Amina.
I hated this woman down to her bloodline.
It was no secret how miserable she was, but it was her own fault.
She cared too much. King Eze’s first wife was nothing more than a bitter, miserable creature, perpetually throwing a temper tantrum because her husband went and got himself a younger, second wife.
By Okoye law, the King couldn't divorce his first wife without forfeiting his neck, meaning she had guaranteed bags and structural power either way.
Yet, instead of sitting up in her wealth in quiet dignity, she dragged her pathetic household misery everywhere she went, draining the oxygen out of every room.
Needless to say, it was irritating as hell.
"What I intend to do with my military commands is none of your damn concern." I looked her dead in her eyes, letting a nasty, condescending edge bleed through. "I’m not the one living in limitations."
The room froze, not knowing what to say next. Amina’s chest heaved, and her face flushed with humiliation.
"Excuse me? How do you think the other tribes are going to feel about our Queen out here running hits, extorting people and taking heads while trying to build a royal household?"
I didn't shift an inch, but looked at her like the trash on the bottom of my red bottoms.
"The other tribes don't give a damn about your bitter-ass opinions, Amina, and neither do I," I drawled, leaning back against my chair.
"Your brain doesn't even have the capacity to comprehend how this island operates, let alone tell me how to run my kingdom.
Worry about your own house since you can barely keep one man satisfied. "
"Princess!" King Eze barked, slamming his palm onto the table so hard the heavy glass goblets rattled.
Across from me, Damini moved. His jaw was working in overtime before he half-rose from his seat. That defensive, protective reflex for his mama was flaring hot in his eyes.
Awe, did I hit a nerve?
I didn't give Damini a second of my attention, unbothered by his little hero posture. I tilted my head toward Eze and matched his glare.
"Instead of trying to correct me for telling the truth, how about you worry about the administrative logistics of your own bed. You got two wives and can't control the mouth on either one."
I lifted two fingers to my lips, using the gesture to cover up the mocking laugh bubbling in my chest.
“My wife has a clear point. And have you given your virtue away to an unworthy partner?” King Eze was big mad, causing the veins in his neck looking ready to pop. "As the future Queen, we need to ensure that you are psychologically prepared to be a stable, obedient wife to our son."
"You don't need to worry about what I’m prepared to," I cut him off.
"All your household needs to know is that your son will be handled properly.
I will be Queen. I will run this entire kingdom into unprecedented wealth, power, and dominance—just like my Chairman has done for decades while you sat on your hands. "
The Chairman leaned back into his leather chair, and a faint, dry smirk played at the corner of his lips.
He raised one tired hand to keep the table from imploding.
"I have absolute, unquestioned confidence in my niece’s capability to govern this island...
and put anyone in their place who forgets theirs. "
"And what if she snaps?" Amina hissed out. "What if the girl snaps and loses her mind just like her crazy mother did?"
Damini’s heavy, dark eyes snapped straight to mine, curiosity pooling his pupils. I locked eyes with him, holding his gaze until he was the one sweating through his crisp collar, forcing himself to look away.
"Keep the late Queen out of your bitter, dry mouth before I remove the tongue that spoke it," I said. "Since you two are so damn desperate to sit in my business, let’s talk about the only metrics that give your pathetic house any value here today."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the polished wood and locking my fingers together.
"One: You gain a game-changing influx of northern military assets and resources. Two: You, King Eze, will officially step down from active rule. You get to keep your little ceremonial title and wave at the crowds, but the real power stays right here with me."
I paused, letting my eyes slide real slow over to Damini.
"Three..." I let a slow, mocking smile stretch across my lips. "My hymen is intact and we both know I wasn’t the one giving myself away to anyone who could walk in a straight line.”
My eyes traced the sharp line of Damini’s jaw, dropping down to those full, dark lips.
"Though, looking at your son," I added, letting my eyes rake over him, "it's obvious he’s been ran through by half the island. He’s definitely not untouched. But... I suppose I’ll settle for damaged goods if the political trade-off works in my favor."
Damini’s dark jaw clenched. The boy was pressed, furious, and lowkey turned the fuck on.
I could feel his heavy gaze burning straight through me.
Silence filled the room. Amina looked like she was about to choke on her own spit since her face was a mottled, embarrassed mess.
King Eze was struck mute, thoroughly dismantled in front of his wife and son.
At least, that’s what a normal person would’ve thought.
But I knew how to read bodies better than I knew how to read text.
I caught the subtle shift in Eze’s posture.
His breathing was shallow, and those aging eyes weren't filled with anger.
They were fixed on my mouth, my chest, and dragging down my frame like a starving man offered a banned feast. His pupils were dilated, swallowing the brown of his irises whole.
A faint smirk tugged at the right corner of his mouth, hidden from his trembling wife, but loud and clear to me.
I knew damn well I was his exact type since I was untameable.
I was also everything his bitter main wife wasn't. But old men were definitely not my vibe, and as much as I loved causing chaos, it wouldn't even be right to fuck this man’s daddy.
He needed to put a leash on his eyes and stop looking at me like that before I gave him a heart attack.
Instead of backing down, I leaned straight into it.
I held Eze’s gaze, tilting my head just enough to drop my gaze down, sliding it back up through my thick lashes with a subtle eye that promised absolute ruin.
Eze’s throat worked as he swallowed hard, his chest heaving as that crooked smirk on his face deepened.