10. Chapter 10
Princess Adanna
Adanna
"This isn't your call to make!" Idris raised her voice.
"It will be before you know it," I said, squinting.
Idris narrowed her gaze, stepping closer into my personal space. "Watch your tone."
I didn't blink as we matched glares.
"She knows about the death penalty if she tries anything," Idris said, taking a breath to regain her composure. "Just keep an eye out and keep me updated. You understand me?"
"I overstand you," I replied.
She sucked in another deep breath to calm her nerves.
Idris always acted like I was the source of all her stress, but she wasn’t the one forced to breathe the same air as a snake in the fucking grass.
I couldn't stand when people played in my face like I was slow, because Brooklyn wasn’t fooling anybody and she damn sure wasn't fooling me.
"Have you spoken to your King?"
I shrugged, looking down at my nails. "No."
"He hasn't called you?"
"He has."
"You can't just ignore him," she pressed, her frustration rising again. "As the Queen, the community needs to see you respect your King."
"I'll think about it."
"Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"Why didn't you prep me for this?" I asked, my jaw tightening again.
"I did! You just weren't hearing me."
I gave her one more long, hard look before turning toward the exit. "I think I better go."
"Yeah, you better."
I walked out into the humid air, letting the doors close behind me. My eyes landed on Nana. She was already out front, walking through the green grass in her own world, humming a melody to herself.
I shrugged off my bad mood and walked over. "Nana, where did you park your G-Wagon?"
Nana didn't even look up from the grass. "I’m wearing Crocs today."
I stopped in my tracks, staring at her. "I asked you where did you park your G-Wagon. Just get in my car, damn!"
Nana rolled her eyes, mumbling, "Don’t tell me what to do," under her breath. She adjusted her dress and climbed into the passenger side of my car.
Once the doors slammed shut, she huffed, looking out the window. "I told you I didn't wanna go in the city."
I gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying not to snap on her. My heart was pounding with that itching urge to fuck some shit up.
"I'm about to break, Nana," I whispered.
"You better not break nothing in this damn car," she shot back.
"I can't do this."
"Girl, yes you can." Nana paused, sharing a knowing look with me from the passenger seat. Her eyes softened before she flicked her wrist. "I need some mangoes and yellow dragon fruit… take me to your mother’s palace."
I swallowed hard, nodding slowly. I pushed the start button, and quickly pulled out onto the road.
We rode in dead silence, both of us locked in our own heads.
Everybody in the family knew the best place to get fresh mangoes and yellow dragon fruit was the garden at my Mama’s estate, but we barely ever pulled up.
It took a major family event or a sit-down with foreign connects, because nobody ever just up and decided to go.
Truth was, all of us had complicated feelings about that place.
That estate was where I was born, and it held its fair share of good memories—my mama and me out in the clearing running target practice, racing each other through the trees, and training for her next mission.
All of that. But it was also the exact spot the Chairman killed her.
Chasing perfection tore her sanity apart until she went down a dark hill she couldn't come back from. I still wondered if she would’ve wanted me to follow in her footsteps as Queen or just throw the whole damn thing away.
I stared out at the winding coastal road, letting the intrusive thoughts crawl right back up.
"Sometimes I think about how easy it would be to just snap Idris’s neck," I said out loud. "Just a quick twist while she’s preaching about royal duty. Watch the life drain straight out of her eyes and finally catch some damn peace."
She didn't turn her head from the window. "Idris is annoying, but her blood is a bitch to clean out of custom upholstery. Keep driving."
I sucked in a breath, letting the quiet linger for a second before breaking it again. "How did you do it?"
"How did I do what?"
"The arranged marriage."
Nana shifted in her seat and turned to face me. "So you finally ready to talk?"
I gave her a stiff nod.
"Well, first off, stop being so damn rude to my daughter. She prepared you for this—you’re just stubborn as a mule with a tight asshole."
I cut my eyes over at her. "I'm not the only one."
"True, but this doesn't have to be half as dreadful as you’re making it out to be."
"I just don't see a good thing coming from this," I muttered, locking my gaze right back onto the open road.
"There is... but you’ve gotta admit a few truths to yourself first. Like how you want to be the leader of this island.
How you want those dusty elders to respect your decisions without needing approval, consent, or a vote for your every step...
And you might actually gain something good out of this. Like Dame."
My face locked into a mean-mug the second his name hit my ear.
Nana caught it too and let out a cackle. "You know that boy is fine. I don't know why you’re still sitting up here acting like this."
"I don't give a damn about his looks," I snapped. "He's arrogant, conceited, and—"
"And at least he’s honest about it and can back every bit of his shit up," Nana interrupted. "You’re about to be bound to a man who is wild, reckless, and truthful. He’s just as direct as you are and holds the exact same values."
"No we don't."
"Girl, stop lying to yourself... why don't you like him?"
I rolled my eyes. "Because he's... annoying."
Nana squinted at me while the car glided down the coast. She reached up to adjust her hearing aid and tilted her head like she couldn't believe her own ears. "Come again?"
"He’s annoying," I repeated. "And he’s predictable as hell. The man doesn't have a poker face—you can read every thought written on his face."
"Okay... but ain't that what you claim you want anyway? People around you who are actually honest and don't hold a single piece of shit back?"
I went quiet as the low hum of the tires against the pavement filled the silence. She wasn't wrong. Dame didn't hide behind political double-talk or fake subtext. He looked me dead in my eyes, said whatever the hell he meant, and never pretended to be anything else.
"I saw him blowing up your phone," Nana continued softly. "Trying to uphold the same traditions you sit around claiming to care about... Go eat lunch with the man and just talk to him. Besides, you already stabbed him and he’s still walking around, so he can clearly handle your aggressive ass. Hell, I think he can take all of you if you’d just let him. "
"I don't want him," I muttered flatly.
"You’s a lie! And I don't give a damn who told it!"
I sucked my teeth, shutting my mouth as I swung the car down the long, gated drive of my mother's estate. I brought the car to a stop out front. Both of us sat in silence while staring up at those blush-pink walls gleaming under the brutal island sun.
"You know that snake hasn't shed none of her scales, right?" Nana asked out of nowhere. She was referring to Brooklyn.
"Of course I do."
"Good. Just don't let her catch you slipping, and every bad vibe you get from her, believe it instantly. That bitch is NOT to be trusted."
"Noted... thanks, Nana."
Nana smirked and smoothed her dress down as a servant stepped up to open her door. "Marriage can be fun if you start looking at him like a friend instead of an enemy. Call that man back and go get us some young dick."
I nearly rolled my eyes clear out of my skull as I hopped out of the car, trailing a couple paces behind Nana as we rounded the side of the main house toward the private garden. Up here on the cliffside, the crash of the ocean below echoed off the stone walls.
I pulled my personal phone out of my pocket and tapped the screen awake. Two missed calls and a single text staring back at me from Dame.
I am taking you out to lunch today. Pick a spot or I'm picking for you.
I stared down at the screen, forcing my jaw to unclench before typing back a brief: Sure.
"Danni!" Nana called out from further down the garden path.
"What?"
"You going on another mission without me?"
I walked over to a lush tree, reaching up to pull a ripe mango straight from the branch. I pulled my pocket knife out, starting to peel the skin away. Then, I took a seat on a lounge chair.
"Yeah, probably," I said, slicing a piece off.
"So I can't go no more?"
"You don't know how to stay out of trouble."
"Oh, give me a chance."
"Mhmm... I'll think on it."
"Fuck all that," Nana huffed, waving her hand. "Just let me know when I need to pull up to the airport."
The corner of my lip twitched into a faint smile. My phone buzzed in my palm; it was Dame replying back with a drop pin for a spot across town.
I rolled my eyes, setting the phone screen-down on the table. Nana was talking about trying to be civil with this man... and for the sake of the kingdom, I was willing to try. At least he spoke his mind.
Unlike my ex, Dame didn't lie. And if I had to spend the rest of my life tied to a man, at least I wouldn't have to waste energy guessing what was behind his eyes.