#pantherverse

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“The Offering” Part 1 of 3 (A Namor of Talokan Fic)

My first Namor story! Masterlist HERE.

Summary:

A young Wakandan woman attends an annual Mama Wati celebration to honor the sea spirit and surf with friends. She encounters a strange man in the ocean who claims to be from a land as powerful as hers. A man who calls himself, Namor.

NSFW. Smut. 18+. (7,330 words) Namor x Black Female OC

"You're ruling the way that I move And I breathe your air You only can rescue me This is my prayer"

Sade – "Cherish The Day"

It was the day of offerings for Mama Wati.

No time of the year ever made Lebadi happier than the first days of summer in Wakanda when the Border Tribe region celebrated the deities of the deep waters. Bast, Sekmet, and other higher powers were recognized inland, but on the sea, Mama Wati ruled everything. From the fishermen and fisherwomen to the military patrols on the ocean by the military, and everyday citizens, the big water was respected and revered. Mama Wati held sway there, and the annual offerings and celebration excited Lebadi beyond belief. Birnin S'Yan faced the sea and thousands of Wakandans made the trek across the mountains to the shorelands to dance, pay homage, and leave offerings to the mother of the sea.

Lebadi loved the trip because she loved to surf with her friends.

Every year T'limiwati—Revering the Mother of Waters—started the journey of packing up her father's Stealthmaster van with surfboards, firewood, and food. Lebadi drove around to pick up her four friends before they stopped at a temple to pay for blessed offerings to put into the sea. Mama Wati liked sugary treats, blue flowers, and small puff pastries shaped like seashells.

The drive would only take two hours, so her friends, N'ku, Pule, Ausi, and Benya would sing songs with her, eat snacks, and hope to find decent parking.

"We should've taken the monorail," Benya complained, as Lebadi tried her best to find a parking situation large enough for her father's van, but not too far away for them to trudge along with all of their gear.

"Not with all this stuff," N'Ku huffed.

"How about I drop you all off to find a suitable camping spot, and I'll catch up later," Lebadi offered.

Her friends agreed, and she pulled up near a sea wall where they offloaded their things. She happily drove away, knowing she wouldn't have to lug anything, not even her own stuff once she parked. Mama Wati must've known they had a great offering for her because Lebadi was able to snag a parking spot that was only a twenty-minute walk back to the beach.

The pilgrimage that year ran deep. The splendid weather, warm water, and balmy temperature brought out a dense wave of Wakandans for the celebration. Lebadi ran her fingers through her shoulder-length goddess braids she decorated with shells and blue flowers. It was the perfect style for swimming and surfing in seawater. Her skin was already turning a darker red-brown hue from the sun as she tapped her kimoyo beads against her father's car, sending up a protective shield that kept sand, sun, and seawater from damaging the paint.

Tugging on her short shorts that her plump ass cheeks tried to swallow, she checked her bikini top to make sure her plum-sized breasts weren't popping out like they were in the car. The top was a size too small on purpose, but it gave her the desired effect she wanted on N'Ku. He checked her out in the car despite his insistence that they stay friends after a not-so-successful try at a relationship. She thought that being out of college would make her love life easier, but the men around her were pitiful.

The walk to the beach thrilled her by seeing all the elaborate altars and gifts being brought to the beach for Mama Wati. She wished her grandmother was still alive. Their family used to show off by building a giant altar, but once Umi became an ancestor, her family didn't go to the ocean anymore. A pity. Umi taught Lebadi how to surf and she was going to keep up the tradition of surfing for Mama Wati until she was an old woman, too.

"Kgopo molemo!" Lebadi cried out when she caught up to her friend's campsite.

Wicked Good indeed.

They found the perfect location up against a sea bluff that protected them against any wind and was also far enough away from dense crowds hunkered down on the sand. There was a lot of dried and rotten seaweed separating them from folks that attracted flies and a subtle stench that was bearable to them, but unpleasant to others. She didn't care. They had room and privacy for their tents and boards. Gazing across the shore, families erected altars and there was a large old-fashioned blue and white boat decorated with blue flowers and filled with gifts for the sea, waiting to launch beyond the waves.

Wiggling out of her shorts, Lebadi made a show of jiggling her backside. N'Ku ignored her, his eyes fixated on the waves. They were big enough. Over six feet high. She held a hand above her eyes, shading them from the sun to see how far out the swells were, and how fast they were rushing in. Her board rested on her beach blanket, already waxed and ready to go. Checking her kimoyo, they had about ninety minutes to surf before the official ceremony began. They all stretched and put on rashguards, except for N'Ku and Ausi. He had on a full black wetsuit, and Ausi wore a short dark blue wetsuit that hugged her heavy curves.

"Last one in!" Lebadi shouted, kicking up sand.

The others chased after her with their boards and they spent a cracking good time snagging waves left and right until her kimoyo lit up. It was time for the offering ceremony. Lebadi twirled her finger in the air to let the others know it was time to stop. She paddled toward the shore fast when a wave lifted her. She popped up on her board like a rocket shot, balanced her arms, and took a quick glide along the lip of the wave, doing a three-sixty spin before dropping down. Her fingers skimmed the wall of bluish-green water that almost curled over into a nice liquid tunnel, but she overcompensated her balance and fell headfirst, knocking into Pule, whose husky voice shouted her name before he plummeted into the water too.

Soaking wet and full of laughter, the five friends scurried to their campsite to change into ocean-blue cotton tunics. Carrying the small offering basket they purchased at the temple, they delivered it to the large ceremonial boat. Several elders watched over the boat and accepted the gifts people brought. Seven djembe and talking drum leaders beat out a loud drum call and an old woman draped in an eggshell white dress with aquamarine flowers in her hair sang an ancient song to Mama Wati that Lebadi knew by heart. Two men and a woman paddled the offerings away and all the spectators onshore watched it sail far out to sea. The elder continued to sing and in the distance, they humbly observed all the offerings dropped in the water by the small boat crew.

When ululations ripped out from the throats of the onlookers, the drummers kicked up their pounding and Lebadi danced around her friends. They took time to admire the altar displays by families who decorated their own praise for Mama Wati. There were so many dotting the seawall.

They shared a fancy lunch together, and Lebadi relaxed into the fun for the rest of the day. By early evening, families left the beach for the inner-city entertainment. Soon, it was time to spark up a campfire and roast seasoned chicken kebabs and yams after a good surf day.

Lebadi reached into her open tent-flap door for the small paper napkin filled with sugar and special spices for Mama Wati that her grandmother used to make. She pulled off her tunic, revealing her bikini again.

"Be right back," she said.

"Hey, Lebadi. You're not surfing again, are you?" N'Ku asked as she lifted her board from the bluff wall.

"Just putting something out in the water for my Umi. Won't be long," she said.

N'Ku nodded and watched her carry her board back to the ocean. She felt self-conscious about her booty because she knew he was checking it out. Glancing back, she waved at him. He shook his dark locs threaded with shells, and she admired the lean muscular physique he showed off with his delicious sable skin. Bright white teeth gleamed at her. Her heart skipped a little. Maybe something could jump off later.

The far side of the beach was cleared of people, and the dull sound of music and carnival festivities echoed far behind her. Sunlight glinted off of the water with a final showy display of magenta and a sliver of blue for the sunset. She dropped her board on the water and skimmed over small waves, her strong arms paddling toward the orange sun. Straddling her board, she checked her leash, loosening it before she pulled out Umi's offering. She sprinkled the mixture gently into the water. The sugar dissolved, but the spices floated before being washed further out to sea.

"Mama Wati, I know this is your day, but my Umi, she was special to me. She taught me about you… she taught me how to love the ocean and ride the waves. Forgive me for honoring her with you. I don't know when I will be out to the sea again. Bast be blessed in your holy waters. Yibambe."

Lebadi dipped her fingers in the cooling water, cleansing her hands of sugar and spices. Reaching into her hair, she unfastened a flower and dropped it for a small wave to catch. It floated around her surfboard and a peace came over her. She sprawled out flat on her board and let her eyes gaze at the languid water, feeling lazy and free. Drifting off to a mini-sleep from a long day, her board rocked and lifted, gently pacifying her mind.

Minutes later, she opened her eyes and nearly fell off of her board. Two piercing dark brown eyes stared back at her from the water. They were attached to a handsome young man's tawny brown face. His ears were pointed and his dark wavy hair sat plastered around his forehead. A jade septum piercing captured her attention, and then her eyes drifted down to look at the most kissable lips that were parted slightly. His gaze had her transfixed. She held her breath, and he reached for her hand.

Lebadi sat up quickly, and a fresh wave rocked her, throwing her off the board. She splashed around, looking for the man, and glimpsed his feet diving below the surface. Were those tiny wings on his ankles?

She gagged on seawater because her mouth sat agape, and the shock of being spied on subsided. The man wasn't Wakandan. He didn't look like a citizen of their border country neighbors of Canaan or Azania. The man clearly wasn't African of any kind. He didn't look like the colonizers she learned about either, their pale flesh naked and strange like food without seasoning.

Something moved under her.

Lebadi scrambled onto her board and tried to catch the next wave back to shore, berating herself for not hitting her kimoyo quickly enough to film the man on a holo pic. She tapped it before she popped up on her board. A small wave rose and Lebadi rushed to snag it, but her leash stretched behind her and it dragged her off her board. She smacked hard into the water. A dorsal fin popped up, and terror hardened like cement in her stomach.

A great white shark.

Normally, they were confined to Southern Africa, but the shark circling her missed the memo. She struck the water to scare it away, and amazed herself by not screaming. Panic would overtake her if she did. She lunged for her board again and pulled herself out of the water, lying flat and still. The fin came around again and she could only guess at how big it was under the dark water.

"Mama Wati, help me," she whispered to the sea.

A thrashing in the water scared her shitless. She wanted to paddle away, but her arms would look like a tasty snack. Teeth chattering, Lebadi took a chance, sank her arms in, and stroked. A wave lifted her, and she jumped up quickly, focusing on getting to shore. She did no tricks or special moves, just rode the wave straight. Her board fins struck something, but she kept her balance, twisting her body to maintain control until she arrived on the wet sand that snaked between her toes.

"Holy Bast!" she shouted.

Running with her board back to her campsite, she kicked up a fuss. Her friends were tipsy from sharing a bottle of liquor.

"A great white attacked me!"

Her friends stared at her from around the fire. Benya held out the liquor to her.

"Well, shit!" N'Ku said.

Lebadi took a swig of plum liquor, and her friends followed her back to the water. They used lights from their kimoyos to illuminate the waves, but there was nothing out there.

"There was a strange man out there, too. I wonder if he was injured," Lebadi said.

"I don't see anything. Maybe it swam away," N'Ku said.

"I hope so. I'd hate to come all this way and can't surf because Jaws is swimming around," Ausi teased.

They searched the water with her for ten minutes until they grew bored.

"Maybe it was a dolphin, yeah?" N'Ku said.

"No. I know a dolphin fin when I see it. That was a shark out there," Lebadi said.

"And a little merman," Benya snickered.

Lebadi threw up her hands, and they returned to the fire.

More drinking commenced, with Lebadi partaking heavily, and after midnight, they were inside their tents asleep. Everyone turned in except for Lebadi. She let the fire burn down to the hot, glowing red coals before she took a walk along the shore away from their tents. Moonlight turned the peaks of the water into glowing white slashes of silvery light. Checking her kimoyo beads, they didn't do a great job of capturing anything because she didn't change the setting to get a wide 3D view of her surroundings.

Wait… there!

She froze the image. It floated in front of her, and she took her index finger and thumb to enlarge a section and cleared it up.

His eyes!

The static image seemed so strange. Water surrounded his face, with his hair swirling around. His body sat hunched forward like he was riding something…

She covered her mouth with her hand. The great white shark was underneath him. He straddled it like she did her own surfboard. There were no more images better than that one. Perplexed, Lebadi glanced at the water. Moonlight bathed her in tranquil blush-white light, and the soft sound of foamy water tickled her ears. He couldn't be human. Not with those ears. She could swear that she saw non-human feet, too.

She gasped.

He was there.

In the water.

Lebadi stepped forward until her toes were coated with foam and surging water, but she remembered the shark and kept the water at knee level.

"Hey!" she shouted, waving at him.

She didn't expect him to come to her, but he did, striding out of the sea in small tight trunks dripping wet. His hair was slicked back from his face, and it allowed her to observe him in the moonlight and the glow from her kimoyo beads. He was just under six feet, maybe three inches taller than her in comparison. His eyes made him seem larger than life, and their darkness penetrated every inch of her. His shorts hid nothing of the dick print bulge. He studied her too, taking peeks at her body and the lack of clothing she had on with her tiny bikini set. An elaborate choker necklace draped around his neck and she could make out gold cowrie shells, small beads, and strings of—

"Is that vibranium?" she said.

The shock of her tone startled him, and he looked at his jewelry.

Wakanda was the only nation that had vibranium.

"You're bleeding," she said, pointing to his side.

He turned around, and she saw the deep gash in his back.

"How did that happen?" she asked.

He pointed at her and his lips quirked up. Was he smirking?

"Me? How?" she asked.

He moved his hands to tell a story, and she made out that her surfboard had crossed over him and her board fins underneath cut him up.

"Can you understand me, or am I just thinking you can?" she said.

"Tene Tin na’atik … I understand," he said.

His voice scared her. It was forceful and slightly seductive. There was an accent, but she gawked at his ability to know her language. She eased back from him slowly.

"We are isolated from other places. How can you know Wakandan? Where did you get that vibranium? Did you steal that from us?"

Lebadi's voice grew haughty and protective of her country's secret resource.

"My people have our own."

"Rhino shit! It's native to our country. You stole—"

His hand went around her throat, preventing her from talking or yelling for help.

"My people don't have to steal," he said through gritted teeth.

"Take your hand off of me."

His head tilted and she swallowed as best she could.

"Watch what you say to me," he said.

The growl in his throat made her stomach jump. He released his hold on her and she rubbed her neck.

"The shark didn't attack you," she said.

"It knows better than to bite me. I raised it."

"Like a pet? Serious?"

He looked over her shoulder, and she glanced behind herself. N'Ku was up and about, kicking sand on the coals. Lebadi turned back to the man, and he was gone.

"Wait! Don't go!" she called out.

She ran toward the water. There was no splash. She would've heard that. Looking around, there was only the high bluff he couldn't climb up. He didn't run down the opposite side of the beach either.

"What are you doing way over there?" N'Ku cried out.

She ambled over to him on the cool sand.

"Walking around. Couldn't sleep."

"Stay close, yeah?" he said.

He rubbed her hair, flicked one of her decorative hair shells, and crawled back into his tent. She walked back to where she last saw the stranger.

"Where did you go? Am I drunk?"

The plum liquor had been strong. Maybe she had too much. She turned toward the bluff and—

"Fuck!" she shouted.

The man stood there, a sly smile on his face.

"How did you… do you have a camouflage shield or something…?"

"Bix a k’ a’aba’? What is your name?" he asked.

"Tell me yours first."

He stepped closer to Lebadi until his nose was an inch from her face.

"Eeen kaah-bah eh … K'uk'ulkan by my people. My enemies know me as Namor."

"So what am I to you?" Lebadi asked.

"I don't know yet. Who are you?"

"Lebadi."

He circled her, and the skin on her arms pricked with goosebumps. Not because it was cold, but because she found his behavior unnerving. He sniffed her hair, then stood in front of her again.

"Where are you from?" she asked.

He held a hand up to stop her from talking.

"I am looking for someone. A man was out in the water earlier. He dropped offerings into the sea with other people. I need to find him."

"I don't know anyone from earlier. I'm here with my friends to celebrate Mama Wati."

"Your God?"

"The mother of the waters," she said.

"Ixchel."

Lebadi shrugged, not understanding the new language he spoke.

"You are not afraid of me," he said.

"You rode a great white shark. If you wanted me dead, I would've been dead out there."

The intensity of his gaze became too much.

"I can't help you," she said.

She turned away.

"Would you like to ride him?"

Lebadi laughed in her mind at the nasty thought that ran through her brain about him when he said that. He had a solid body that would tempt any woman to climb on it. Fuck that shark.

"Me ride a shark?" she said.

Lebadi sucked her teeth.

"I'd rather know why you're here. What do you want from that man you're looking for? Are you a spy for the Americans?" she said.

King T'Chaka had begun a series of visits to the United States and the Wakandans worried about the west encroaching on their secrets. Lebadi pulled her hands in toward her chest. This was a national security situation. Liquor had her slipping up big time. She tapped her kimoyo to summon the authorities. Namor pulled on her beads and they fell apart, dropping onto the sand with soft plops. She dropped to her knees and gathered them back up onto her wrist. He held one away from her.

Lebadi ran back toward her camp, her hair shells jangling across her neck as she fled, and Namor's right arm encircled her waist. His left arm pointed above his head and they both lifted off the ground, racing upward fast, flying past the high bluff until they reached the top. Air breezed past her body and she closed her eyes from her fear of falling out of his grip. He dropped her on the soft tufts of grass at the edge. Too frightened to move, she stared at Namor's body floating in the air near the ledge. The small wings on his ankles fluttered like a hummingbird's wings. He glared down at her, daring Lebadi to move. She stayed on her rump.

"I must find this man soon. His name is Owiti Kiprono—"

"That is not a Wakandan name. I think you came to the wrong country," she said.

His eyes narrowed, and his lips became a tight line.

"I'm not lying. That name sounds Kenyan. You made a mistake coming here," she said.

She scooted backward slowly, and he crouched down to meet her eyes again.

"I cannot stay here long," he said.

"I don't know what to tell you."

He closed his eyes and sighed. Plopping down next to her, he plucked at the grass and threw it over the side of the bluff. That action alone made him seem so young. He looked her age, perhaps early to mid-twenties. There was peach-fuzz soft facial hair, and despite the maturity in his dark eyes, Namor acted as if he had a curfew, like he had to do something before his parents found out. How would an elder punish a flying fishman?

"You live out there?" she asked, her chin lifted toward the sea.

"I must leave," he said, raising up.

Lebadi grabbed his arm and held him. His skin felt cool and smooth, the muscle in his arm hard. He looked down at her hand gripping his flesh and jerked it away.

"Sorry," she said.

They sat together in silence, the crash of waves growing more frequent as a high tide rolled in. Far out in the sea, giant swells teased her eyes.

"You want to be on that?" he asked, nodding toward the large swells.

"Too far. I have a flying glider board that can take me out there, but it broke. We aren't allowed to go beyond five miles with our tech in the open."

"Because you hide yourselves?"

"Yes. If people outside knew about what we have…"

"My people are the same. It is forbidden… forbidden to be so far away… here."

"What do you call your home?" she asked.

"Talokan."

"Talokan… K'uk'ulkan… Ixchel …" she said, sounding out his language.

She looked at his ears and then gazed down at the wings on his feet.

"Do all your people—?"

"No. I am different."

She left the word mutant alone, not wanting to offend him. He flexed his fingers, stood up, and his body rose above her, those wings whirring fast.

"Wait, you can't leave me up here!"

Lebadi jumped up, and he flew past the ledge with a sly smile on his face.

"It'll take me forever to walk all the way down and back to my camp!" she whined.

"I need time to disappear before you tell the others."

"You haven't really done anything for me to tell them about."

He moved his hands in a wide arc while flying, and she put a hand on her hip.

"Okay, yeah… the flying thing is gossip-worthy. But you didn't hurt me, and nothing major happened… wait!"

He floated back six feet, and she stomped her feet.

"Come on!" she said.

"I like when you pout," he teased.

A smile lit up his face, and the moonlight gave his skin an eerie glow. She didn't want to grovel, but she also didn't want to make a long ass trek either.

"I'm scared," she said in a hushed tone.

"You faced a shark and didn't scream."

"I was in shock."

Namor held his hands palms up.

"Take my hands," he said.

Lebadi shook her head, but her feet had a mind of their own walking toward the ledge. Her hands ignored her brain signals too and reached for him. Clasping his hands, she curled her fingers in his and let out a nervous breath. Stepping out into the air with her right foot, she made the mistake of looking down.

"Namor!" she yelped.

Namor held her up and flew backward fast before tossing her in the air, her arms and legs flailing about before he caught her by the waist. He guided her down, not toward her camp, but across the dark waters dappled with moonlight and holding secrets of the deep.

"Easy, breathe easy, Lebadi," he cooed in her ear.

They dipped low and her stomach seemed to fall behind her as he whipped them across a giant wave that she saw minutes ago from so far away. He slid his hand from her waist up along her arms until she dangled below him, her legs swinging against wind and ocean spray. She whooped it up as he lowered her so that her feet skimmed across the top of a giant wave, cooling her feet and making her laugh hysterically. He swung her in another direction gently and her heels surfed the crest of another wave like she was water skiing. Dropping her into the ocean from twenty feet high, she splashed around frantically, terrified that his shark buddy would leap out and swallow her. Namor landed above the water, standing on top of it with his hands on his hips, looking down at her. He sank down into the water as her panic escalated and she threw her arms over his shoulders when the shark's fin appeared behind him.

"Take me out! Please, take me out!"

"He won't hurt you. See?"

The shark nestled close to Namor, and the man stroked the slippery cold skin.

Lebadi pressed her face into his neck and shivered in fear.

"Nothing will happen to you."

He stroked her hair and lifted her chin up.

"I promise," he said.

She wiped her eyes of water and nodded her head to him. Glancing to her side, Lebadi regarded the shark with trepidation, but she took a chance and stretched out her trembling arm toward the sea creature. Like dolphin skin, it was slippery, like wet rubber, and pliant when she pushed on it. She stroked the dorsal fin and nearly passed out when its head splashed toward her and she saw one of the cold black eyes staring back at her. Shoving her face back into his neck, Lebadi was done with the marine life show and tell.

Namor patted the shark near its gills, and the beastly animal went under the water and away from them. He lifted Lebadi in his arms, cradling her against him like a baby as he floated above the surface, flying them back to shore. She held onto his neck, watching the sand and bluff grow closer until they were back on land.

Face to face, they stared at one another.

"Good luck with your search," she said.

He touched her cheek, and the heat of her wet skin swallowed his damp coolness up. Those dark flashing eyes caused her insides to tumble and quake, making her feel a thick anticipation. Their attraction to one another was unquestionable. He slid the pad of his thumb across her top lip, following along its full shape before he leaned in and kissed her. The soft hairs of his light goatee tickled, and she smiled, opening her lips, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth where he explored every part. She gave back in return, sucking on his lower lip, fusing them together with slow succulent kissing. Her arousal triggered something in him as he pressed into her body. Firm muscles molded against her breasts, and the thin material of her bikini top revealed taut nipples. His right hand moved across her chest until it fondled a left breast, plucking at her nipple with gentle pinches. He slid the bikini bra cup aside, lowering his head to suckle. His tongue was incredibly warm dancing around her areola and her knees buckled when he lifted to kiss her again, his tongue snaking in and out of her mouth to taste every molecule, making her mouth water.

Her pussy already felt engorged, and every time he thrust his tongue between her lips, it throbbed with wanton need. His carnal desire for her curled her toes as his tongue and lips created a wet trail of gentle kisses along her neck. He moaned in her ear and her stomach became a swarm of butterflies trapped inside of her.

Their necks twisted from side to side, trying to find the best way to kiss more passionately, and she loved the failure of it. It seemed to irritate him, and he pulled back to stare at her with brooding arousal. She glanced down at his trunks and the thick erection protruding out toward her made her frantic to kiss him more. His dick pressed into her and Namor wanted Lebadi to feel it. He rubbed against her and she ground her vulva on it. When she looked down at his trunks again, he had his hand down there, tugging on the length. The tip peeked out and a heavy mushroom cap dripped pre-cum.

Lebadi moved his hand to her mound, and he took the invitation to heart by sliding his fingers down her scant bikini bottom. He stroked her clit first, his index and middle finger working tight gentle circles before touching her slippery wet folds. She was a frothy ocean down there and Namor pulled out his fingers to lick up all of her essence, making eye contact as he did it to show her how good she tasted to him. He smacked his lips and went back for more, tracing odd shapes along her folds and clit, teasing her with so much pleasure that she squealed out loud. He clamped a hand over her mouth and looked toward her campsite. No one was awake or searching for her. Moving his hand, he crashed his lips over her mouth, kissing the living breath out of her. Namor fondled her clit with expertise, and she thanked Mama Wati for the gift of her offering to the sea.

"Oh, my Bast!" she cried out.

Namor dropped to his knees and slid her bikini bottom to the side and feasted on her swollen clit, kissing and sucking to his heart's delight. His hands reached up to cup her ass cheeks to keep her in place. Lebadi stood and watched the ocean waves crash to shore as an orgasm surged. She grabbed for his hair and held his head against the clipped hairs of her vulva, panting and saying his name under her breath, willing herself not to scream. When his plush lips held her clit, and his tongue slurped all over it with warm saliva, Lebadi threw her head back and jammed her fingers in her throat to stifle the scream that she let out. She fell apart all over his mouth, the deep throbbing of her release reaching all the way to the back of her pussy. His seductive, penetrating eyes watched her cum all over his lips and tongue, extending her release, the orgasm rolling across her flesh in heated waves that made her scalp tingle and her eyes roll back.

His lips moved away from her pussy with a wet smacking sound, and they glistened with her sticky juices. He grinned and slid his tongue across his slips to swallow up every drop of her. Lebadi staggered back from him and Namor jumped up quickly to keep her from falling flat on her ass. Her entire body trembled with aftershocks, and the throbbing between her thighs wouldn't stop. She craved him.

Slamming her lips over his, she sucked her own taste from his mouth while he lowered his trunks and fisted himself. He coated his dick with all the pre-cum that dripped down from a deep slit and lifted Lebadi up by her hips, positioning her over the head of his erection. Sanity and thoughts of protection left her brain as she slid down his thick, brown dick. She wanted to be fucked good and proper by a man who laid her pussy out.

Namor's thrusts into her hot, gushy pussy had her mewling into his neck. He held her up easily, like she was a feather floating on the wind. His balls slapped against her ass cheeks, and she thanked all the Gods on land and sea for letting him stretch her pussy out on the beach. He grunted, the pleasure enveloping him too. He spoke to her in his own language, and she could only guess that he was telling her how good she felt on his heavy erection. His plundering of her pussy only made her more vocal, her yelps and wailing in his ear encouraging him to thrust with more conviction.

"Oh, Bast… Namor!" she shouted.

Weightlessness.

She clung to his shoulders as she gazed down at the sand he was not standing on anymore. Namor flew up along the bluff, still fucking her as he flew, and pressed her back against the hard wall of rock halfway from the top.

"You are too loud," he grunted, twisting his sinewy hips and pumping her full of Talokan dick.

Her pussy made squelching noises, and he slowed his strokes to tease her before flying them up again. He landed back on the soft tufts of grass at the top, but kept her on his dick. His breath was hot against her skin, and Lebadi's pussy clenched, making him shout her name from the pleasure of the tight grip. Laying her down on the grass, he pushed her thighs back and wiggled out of his trunks, giving her time to untie her bikini from top to bottom. She cast caution to the wind. Dick that good wouldn't come around that often.

He smiled at her as if he had read her thoughts. His beauty in smiling had her all soft and gooey on the inside, like she wanted to run home and tell her Mama that she finally met the one man to change her entire life forever. Lowering his face to hers again, Namor kissed her cheek and then her forehead. He turned his head as if he heard something.

"What is it?" she asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing."

He peppered tiny kisses across her clavicle and dragged his lips to her belly button, where he tongued it playfully, tickling her and making her giggle. Lebadi rubbed his head, letting her fingers caress his hair, and he looked at her again. She touched his nose piercing and the fire in his eyes reflected moonlight and a yearning for something beyond his grasp. Moving lower on her body, he kissed her thighs and the fold of skin near her vulva.

"I like the taste of saltwater on your skin," he said, licking her more.

He positioned himself between her legs and lined up his dick with her opening. Penetrating her gently, the bulbous tip parted her folds and her legs shot up straight to the moon.

"Ooohhhhh," she groaned.

He held her thighs with reverence, pumping in and out with delicate strokes. There was no fast fucking this time. He wanted to etch their lovemaking on the stars above them. It was so slow that it brought tears to her eyes. She whimpered his name, and he closed his eyes, his lower lip housed between his teeth, seawater dripping from his hair. He hunched over Lebadi and rocked into her body a little faster, the quicker pace forcing moans to fall from his lips.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and he repositioned them so that she was on top, riding him with feverish intent. He palmed her breasts and stroked her nipples, watching her pussy slide up and down his length with vigor. She was so close to cumming again. Namor played with her clit, rubbing it softly and edging her closer to paradise.

"Fuck!" she yelled.

Flipping her over, Namor planted himself deep, stroking her at an angle that had her squeezing her eyes shut, thrashing under him. The beads from his choker dangled and scraped across her skin. He tossed her legs over his shoulders and tongued her down between giving her praises in his language. The man talked her pussy into letting go again and her walls clenched all around him, his strength and weight the only thing keeping her from shooting over the cliff.

"Namor… fuck me good… fuck me… oh, right there… stay right there… please… that's my spot!"

His name became a holy mantra on her lips. She felt his dick swell inside of her and he cried out her name, his cum warm and thick inside of her. He collapsed on her, and she stroked his back, feeling sweat pooling on his lower back. His mouth found hers again and his kisses were sweet all over her face and neck, bringing forth calming energy to her body and mind.

"That was incredible," she whispered into his ear.

His smile lit up his face again, and those sexy eyes drank in her naked charms under him. The smile faded when his eyes looked out toward the sea. His body grew stiff above her.

"What is it?"

He crawled off of her and pulled on his trunks. She rolled over and looked out to sea. The large leviathan body of a humpback whale floated in the distance; its long wide body visible from so far away in the moonlight. Fear shined in Namor's eyes.

"K’a’ak’ate," he said, stroking her cheek.

Lebadi scrambled to put on her bikini and Namor was already flying away from her, heading toward the sea and the whale waiting for him.

"Come back! You have to take me down!" she yelled.

He spun around to face her.

"I won't say anything. No one will see you," she pleaded, tying her top.

"Ma’taali’teeni’," he said, sounding regretful.

Namor shot away so fast that Lebadi took several seconds to blink. He vanished.

"Dammit! You bastard!" she said.

Storming away in the opposite direction, she made the long trek down the tricky bluff, cursing the man out, while also enjoying the tingles that ran up and down her body from their lovemaking. She took a long restroom break behind some bushes to urinate. By the time she made it to the bottom and found the trail that led back to the beach, her cheeks were warm and tight from smiling so much. No matter what she said, no one would believe her. She glanced at her kimoyo beads.

"Ah, shit!"

Namor still had one of her beads. The main one she needed to turn the kimoyo on. Oh, well.

Lebadi searched the water for signs of the whale or glimpses of her otherworldly lover. There were only waves and foamy water lapping on the shore. She trudged over the sand back to her tent. Unzipping it, she crawled inside and fell fast asleep.

The week in Birnin S'Yan went by so fast to Lebadi that she thought they had been there only three days instead of seven. She surfed so much that her skin flaked with sunburn and pruned feet. She felt gorgeous with her darkened, sun-kissed skin. But it was time to get home, remove shells, and unbraid her hair for a thorough washing and conditioning. She would rest her normal curls inside a satin bonnet.

Lebadi spent her last day on the beach surfing and scanning the water for signs of a great white shark, whales, or a set of pointy ears rising from the sea. She found nothing.

Her board skimmed across the warm waters, and she practiced neat footwork on it to impress her friends. A miscalculation sent her sailing over her board into a whitewash of liquid heaven. She laughed and shook her braids when she broke the surface. Another high wave towered over her and she duck-dived underneath, clutching her board with her hands as she held her breath. For a split second under the wave, she thought she saw Namor floating before her, and she broke the surface, startled and gasping for air. Releasing her board and letting her leash tether her close to it, Lebadi dove under again, searching for her lover. The sunlight that struck the water gave her enough light to see an expanse of the blue-green ocean and nothing else.

The next morning, she set about packing up her belongings before breaking down her tent. Her friends wanted to stop at a restaurant in town to eat a meal before the drive back to Birnin Zana. Rolling her sleeping bag, she found her missing kimoyo bead and a gold cowrie shell from Namor's necklace. There was no way for him to place it there while her friends were up, so he must've brought it to her in the middle of the night when she was fast asleep. Slipping the loose bead onto its rightful place on her wrist, Lebadi held up the cowrie shell. The craftsmanship rivaled her own people's artisan skills. Palming it, she stepped out of her tent to gaze at the horizon.

"All good?" N'Ku asked, staring at her as he buried their old coals.

"Yeah."

"We'll be ready soon. I can drive to give you a break," Benya offered, tying up her wet hair.

"Cool," Lebadi said, holding the cowrie shell close to her heart.

She later passed Benya a kimoyo bead to start up the van. Sitting on the sand with her legs pulled into her chest, Lebadi bid a silent farewell to the beach.

"Next year, I'm coming back, and you better show up again," she huffed, reminiscing over his touch all over her skin.

Just thinking about him aroused her, and she stood up, tugging on her shorts, trying to keep her bikini from sticking to her folds.

"What's that?" Ausi asked, looking at the gold cowrie shell she fingered in her hand.

"I found it in the water," Lebadi lied.

She pocketed the shell in her cut-offs and lifted her board and tent, following her crew to the seawall so they could wait for Benya to pull around. Lebadi glanced over her shoulder, and a shiver went through her.

"Mama Wati, when I give you a bigger offering next year, please send that man back to me," she whispered.

The sound of the waves crashing down loudly on the shore made her believe Mama Wati heard her request. No matter what, Lebadi was going to come back.

And she would ride the shark, Namor, and anything else he shared with her.

Part 2 HERE.

Author’s Note: If you liked the story, please share by reblogging, commenting and all that good stuff. Follow me for new updates and more content. I would love to see the Black Panther fandom come alive again. I haven’t seen the “Wakanda Forever” movie yet, so this story takes place twenty years before that. Just so you know, I make my own canon, lol! 

Also, I switched up the spelling of the actual Mami Wata to Mama Wati to give myself space to reshape my ancestor’s actual African/African Diaspora spiritual water being into a fictional Wakandan one. 

The Masterlist for more of my content is  HERE. Be on the look out for part 3 soon!

Tag List:

@thickemadame​

#The Offering #Namor #Wakanda Forever #Black Panther #Namor Fanfiction #kukulkan #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Uzumaki Rebellion #Pantherverse #Wakanda #marvel fanfiction #namor x black reader #tenoch huerta #K' uk' ulkan #namor of talokan #namor smut #kukulkan x black reader #kukulcan #tenoch huerta namor #namor imagine #namor fanfic #aqua papi #black panther wakanda forever #namor x black!reader #namor x oc

[builder051]

Here’s the link to my Pantherverse file. The 2.0 specific story is at the bottom, and that’s where I alter the ‘verse.

As I said, it’s very sad/tragic, as it brings T’Challa’s death into the canon (though not in the same way as it’s done in the MCU/Wakanda Forever).

Read with caution, and please take care. Watching the new Black Panther film sort of jogged my memory, though, and I remembered this story existed. I have so many past works, and many are specifically themed. I like reviving some selections, especially when creating new content is challenging.

—I am working on something thanksgiving-themed (NOT food-centric; it’s more angst and h/c). I hope to get it up today, along with some links to past Thanksgiving stories.

—SS will happen as usual this coming Sunday, and the holiday card giveaway sign-up will open at that time.

#pantherverse 2.0 #black panther #schedule #reblog old fic #trigger warning #laur talks

[ghostyprince]

your pantherverse au is beautiful and now im obsessed with ryan sneaking round trying to surprise and prod “mrrrps” outta shane. fic would be adorable if your still open to pantherverse requests 💖

i hope you like this, thank you for the prompt, it’s so hecking cute❤ also it’s mostly my friend’s @josemorningstar‘s au tbh, i just help in with it. (he’s happy to answer asks about it too!)

read on AO3

Ryan puts a finger to his lips, twisted into a grin, in a shushing motion, and then he taps the flip camera icon on his phone. Shane’s frame from behind pops up on the screen, sitting on his office chair, legs crossed. He’s editing a photo, probably for a thumbnail, and it’s one of those rare occasions when he’s so focused he doesn’t even hear Ryan walk up behind him.

Ryan is moving slowly, putting one foot after the other with the ease of a predator, skilled in sneaking up on his prey. That is Shane and he does not suspect a thing. Perfect.

The footage shows Ryan reaching out, just as carefully, before going in quick, making contact with Shane’s back, splaying out over the thin fabric of his shirt.

Ryan holds his breath as he does so and a heartbeat later—

Yeah, there it is. Shane jumps, a little sound escaping his lips, a sound that makes Ryan’s grin grow impossibly big. It’s one of his favorites, he’d die happily hearing it.

It’s a mrrp, a sound plenty of cats make when touched unexpectedly, but Ryan’s favorite is the one Shane does. So, of course, he tries to scare or surprise him as often as he possibly can.

He only puts it on Instagram because the whole experience of Shane making that noise is a blessing upon this world that needs to be shared. Well, not too often, Ryan would still like to keep most of the occasions he actually managed to surprise Shane into a mrrp to himself.

He stops recording after he zooms in on Shane’s very much unamused expression, accompanied by Ryan’s belly laugh. He barely had time to pull his phone down and duck out of the way of one of the smaller Paddington plushes flying towards him. Another set of giggles bubble up from his chest before he realizes what Shane actually threw at him.

“Hey, I got that from a fan, asshole!” He scoffs, going to pick poor little Paddington up and set him back on his desk carefully.

“That’s what you get for being a dick,” Shane says, chin propped up in his palm, focusing on his laptop again. There is a flush high on his cheeks and Ryan, once again, can’t contain his satisfied grin. Shane is blushing! He’s blushing and he’s fucking sulking, at that!

Easily the best thing he’s seen all day and it’s only 10 AM.

“But it’s so cute, Shane. Gotta share it with the fans!”

“It’s not fucking cute.” Shane murmurs. He sounds like he’s mad but Ryan catches a glimpse at the hint of a smile behind his fingers.

He knew he won immediately.

“I won’t post it if you don’t want me to.” Ryan offers because he’s a good friend. And he also knows how sensitive Shane is about the sounds he makes, due to having broken meows in his cat form. Ryan personally thinks it’s the sweetest thing ever, but Shane is stubborn as hell.

“Go ahead,” Shane says, letting out an exasperated sigh as if he’d be doing a huge sacrifice. What a drama queen. “I suppose at the very least people will see just how gone you are over me.”

He adds, with a smug drawl to his voice, and it had the desired effect because Ryan’s stomach does a little flip. The one specific flip it got used to doing ever since they’ve started playfully flirting with each other, just tethering on the edge of too much or too dangerous. On the edge of their friendship, before it evolves into something more. More serious, romantic, sexual, just more.

Ryan is still trying to catch his breath after that whole interaction as he settles back in his chair, to edit and post the video on Instagram.

He wonders when they will finally say fuck it, and jump over that line between friendship and something more together.

Or, because it’s them, the Ghoulboys, when will one of them finally drag the other over that line?

The next time Ryan gets the urge to make Shane do that wonderful little noise is when they’re filming the newest season of True Crime.

They’re about thirty minutes in and Ryan is reading his script, then coming to a pause to look at Shane and give him an opportunity to react. But Shane isn’t really looking at him. In fact, he’s just staring right in front of him, so deep in thought, Ryan isn’t sure he’s even in his body anymore.

Normally, Ryan would be concerned, and he is, to a degree, but he knows how hard Watcher has them working at the moment, the anxiety, that their whole company might be a flop. It had a toll on both theirs and Steven’s mental health. Not to mention their sleep schedules.

So it’s not unusual Shane is zoning out, especially while Ryan is trying to talk about some pretty heavy murder case. Ryan does see an opportunity, however, to have a little fun with Shane not paying attention to him.

Everyone kind of just stopped, including TJ, but before he could say anything, ask Shane if he’s okay, Ryan is reaching out, pointer finger extended. He holds his breath, the corner of his lips already lifting into a huge grin and then his finger makes contact with the side of Shane’s face.

And Shane jumps. He flinches more than Ryan had ever seen him, and he’d feel a little bad if it weren’t for that ‘mrrp’. It’s so loud, is the thing and it makes Ryan’s heart sing in happiness.

He bursts out laughing, head thrown back and his whole body bowing into it. There is some laughter from the crew too, but Ryan is too busy looking at Shane, all bright smile and shining eyes, despite Shane’s expression being pissed.

Ryan knows it’s not too serious, he has gotten used to that expression, with how much he’s been a brat lately, at every opportunity he gets, to get a reaction, anything out of Shane.

“Very funny, can we go back to the murked guy now?” Shane asks, trying and failing at covering up his embarrassment.

And well, Ryan could point out how he’s been the one zoning out, but it has no use, Shane is annoyed already, and Ryan does know not to go too far sometimes. He’ll make it up to him later by buying him lunch or something.

“Sure thing, big guy.” He says instead, shooting him one last smile, full of warmth and fondness and it might improve Shane’s mood just a little.

It’s going to be another story for Instagram, and then it will remain a video on Ryan’s phone, sitting there for ages, for him to hit up sometimes and smile about, ear to ear. Show Shane, maybe, as they’re chilling together at Ryan’s, or Shane’s, maybe their own apartment together at that point.

Fuck, they’ve only been officially a Thing for a few days and Ryan is already daydreaming about their future, years down the line. Well, can anyone put the blame on him, really? When Shane is sleeping next to him like that, so unbothered, beautiful in the setting sun that filters through the plane’s tiny window.

His face is smooth, and Ryan has the weirdest urge to kiss his nose, or the small cluster of freckles right above his right eyelashes, or Shane’s slightly parted lips, huffing little breaths of air. He thinks it may be the honeymoon phase of their relationship, all of it being so new. Ryan is simply overwhelmed with the fact that he could do all of that now, and more if he so pleases. On the other hand, he doesn’t think he will ever stop being giddy about that. Or how soft Shane looks when he’s sleeping.

Ryan took a picture of him before he started recording too, it’s easily one of his favorite photos of Shane. And then, because Ryan Bergara is an insufferable little shit who has to entertain himself on the boring plane ride, he figured he might as well try to make Shane do that sound again.

The very first time he shared it with the internet in the form of that office video everyone loved it. So, Shane’s little cat noise had been high demand, people kept tweeting and commenting and yelling at him absolutely everywhere to upload another one of those videos.

And well, who is Ryan Bergara to deny them?

He raises the phone higher, to frame Shane perfectly, and carefully removes his hand from where it was resting, on top of Shane’s. Luckily, he didn’t react to that.

Ryan takes a few minutes, to think about how he’d like to approach it. Simply touching Shane has been done, he should do something more original.

He could poke his nose. Or tickle his neck. Ryan hums and his gaze happens to drift over to Shane’s hair. He could just bury his hand in his hair like he would with a cat’s fur.

He starts recording again, and the mic picks up his amused little chuckle.

“Part two for you folks, here we go.” He announces in a hushed tone before carefully reaching out to bury his fingers into Shane’s oh so soft locks, carding through it, maybe way too lovingly for it to be taken as a friendly gesture.

And then, there it is.

Shane lets out Ryan’s favorite noise and Ryan is fucking overjoyed. Up until Shane full-on tilts his head into Ryan’s hand as he lets out an enthusiastic purr, and Ryan forgets to breathe.

“Ohmygod.”

The words are punched out of his lung, in one breath, smushed together, and when Ryan would listen back to his voice later he would realize how in awe and disgustingly in love he sounded just then.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He ends the video, almost abruptly. His other is still brushing through Shane’s hair, subconsciously, scratching at his scalp with gentle fingers. He feels Shane shudder and then brown, sleepy eyes are blinking back at him. Shane’s purrs go quiet but it reverberates through his chest ever so slightly. Ryan can feel it when his hand drops onto Shane’s nape, tangling into the long strands of hair there too, pulling just a bit, just to feel Shane shudder again, hear the soft growl coming from the back of his throat.

“Stop it, you’re gonna make me horny.” He murmurs and Ryan wheezes, but complies. Reluctantly.

“Did you just take a video of me, by the way?” Shane asks, rubbing a hand down his face, tired. Ryan feels it too, the exhaustion as he looks at his friend, business partner, boyfriend. They’ve really been through an awful lot these months, with Watcher, currently shooting the new season of Supernatural.

But they could always take a nap together.

“Yeah, but don’t worry about it. We’ll talk about it later. Go back to sleep, big guy.” Ryan tells him quietly, pocketing his phone and well, who is Shane to say no to that?

So he does, slipping as far down his seat as his Sasquatch legs would allow him, so he can rest his cheek against Ryan’s shoulder, using him as an impromptu pillow. Ryan does not complain at all.

They would talk about the video, later, when they would be in their hotel room.

Well, it isn’t much of a talk at all, it’s more of Shane watching the video while Ryan worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He shouldn’t even be nervous. He’d understand if the video would end up in his drafts for a few months still, years even.

Then Shane looked up at him, with that incredibly annoying, unreadable expression on his face, before leaning in to press a kiss to Ryan’s cheek. “It’s cute, you should post it.”

That’s all he says, in the most nonchalant way possible and Ryan would like to hit him a little bit for that.

Regardless, the video ends up uploaded onto his feed instead, because it deserves to be there, not just for a day, but for a good while, to mark the beginning of a new chapter of sorts.

It deserves a caption just as monumental, so there are no misunderstandings or a flood of questions later on.

ryanbergara: Part 2 of annoying the boyfriend 💖

Ryan wakes to the sunshine burning his eyes, still feeling as sleepy when he and Shane went to bed last night as he checks his phone. It’s way too early in the morning for either of them to be awake.

And yet, here they are. Here is Shane, turned in a way that Ryan can see the expanse of his back Ryan loves to admire. He sweeps his gaze over his favorite freckles on Shane’s back and the dip of his waist disappearing under the covers. The sunlight drapes over Shane’s back invitingly, making it seem warm, soft and kissable.

He kissed all those freckles many times, and he still can’t get enough of the sight of them, not even so many years later.

He still can’t get enough of waking up next to Shane, seeing him first thing in the morning. Ryan’s heart flutters every time, he simply cannot help it.

There is a faint light coming from the other side of Shane, bouncing off of his hair, suggesting he’s on his phone.

And that won’t do, Ryan is awake and he needs attention.

He moves, swiftly fitting himself behind Shane, with one strong arm wrapping around his waist under the covers securely.

“Mrrp!”

The sound lets something loose in Ryan and he melts behind Shane, his hold tightening around him has Shane complaining in the form of a groan.

Ryan doesn’t care one bit though, he’s purring loudly now, much deeper and powerful than Shane’s purrs normally are, considering he’s a panther. It must reverberate through Shane’s whole body because he relaxes, pressed into Ryan’s chest and head falling back on Ryan’s shoulder.

His hand finds Ryan’s, long fingers curling around his, lacing together and knocking their matching silver rings together in the process.

“You’re crushing me, dumbass.” Shane laughs, quietly, fondly, in contrast to his words.

“Mhm, don’t care.” Ryan hums, pressing a chaste kiss on Shane’s shoulder and hugging him even closer, to prove a point.

“Sure you don’t. Go on, suffocate your poor husband if that’s what I deserve! For being your faithful lover for years and—” Shane cuts himself off with another groan of complaint, attempting to turn out of Ryan’s arms when he has the audacity to wheeze into Shane’s neck.

Yeah, Ryan wouldn’t have it any other way.

#shyan #shyan fic #shyan fanfiction #skeptic believer #pantherverse #prompt fill #fanfiction #fanfictions #answered #asks #anon #anonymus #thank you so much for the prompt

[unicornmagic]

A very kitty Credence Christmas

MEANWHILE, in cat and pantherverse.... (Have another Gradence holiday bonbon, just because!)

*

They left the tree up even after Christmas.  It was ineffably good, Credence had discovered, to change into cat shape and lurk beneath it.  To lurk, or to sit with paws tucked under him, or to roll onto his side, tail twitching, and gaze up through the illuminated boughs.  

The lights glimmered.  Blown-glass balls and crystal lozenges dangled from the branches, just out of reach of an extended paw.  Conviction grew in Credence that the tree was surely climbable.  Hadn't Percy cast the charm to stand it upright?  It would take more than the weight of one small cat to knock it down.

These temptations occupied him, not unpleasantly, until Percy came home.

He was working shorter hours this week, arriving home shortly after dark.  When he came through the door of the apartment, coat sleeves damp with melted snow, Credence went trotting to meet him, tail held high.  He liked to wind around the legs of Percy's trousers, to feel the outdoor chill that clung to him, to put his paws on the black spats and hold one of his feet in place, like caught prey. 

"Watch the claws," said Percy, amused, from high above.  His left arm held a paper sack, one that smelled delectably of roast turkey. Credence watched it float toward the kitchen, and was hard pressed not to chase.

Later, when Percy had changed into his smoking jacket and poured himself a glass of--as he called it--Christmas cheer, he came into the sitting room and eyed the tree. 

"One of these days it'll have to go.  Can't leave it up all winter."

Credence froze in mid-crouch, then switched his tail.  It made Percy smile into his drink.

"All right," he said.  "Not yet." 

*

What would become of the tree, wondered Credence, after they did take it down?

"We'll Transfigure it," said Percy, when Credence asked him over turkey dinner. "Into firewood.  Or something else, if you'd rather, but firewood's easy."

In their lessons Credence had learned the principle:  it was easier to Transfigure things into what they held potential to become.  Sand into glass, cotton into muslin, an egg into a peeping chick.  A tree into logs and tinder.  Practical, he supposed, and thrifty.  But part of him would be sad to see it burn.

Percy seemed to sense his reservations.  "If you want to save a sprig, we can use it next year," he offered.  "Grow a new tree out of that."

Next year, he said.  As if there were no question.  In Percy's mind there was already a next year, another Christmas, another tree.  The confidence was itself a sort of magic. Not that Credence disbelieved him, exactly--infectious conviction was part of the charm--but his own view of the future was more nearsighted.  He found it hard to peer beyond next week, tomorrow, the coming hour.

It was all too comfortable to be a cat, and not fret about any of it.  But before he could change back after dinner, Percy said, "Got something to show you," and vanished down the hall.

He padded back to the sitting room transformed, in panther shape.  The stealth of his prowl was spoiled only by the collar around his neck:  a red and green extravaganza, studded on all sides with golden bells.  

The bells jingled.  The jingles were very loud.  The panther halted by the fireplace and posed there, looking smug.

Credence burst out laughing.  

Percy's furred ears flattened.  He made a show of being majestically aggrieved. Even without the power of a Legilimens, Credence could hear him, clear as carillons:  What?  Trying to tell me I can't pull off the look?

Credence folded down to sit beside him on the rug.  "You're a little late for Christmas.”  He slid a hand into the thick black fur on Percy's neck, fingers spreading, and tickled one of the bells until it chimed.  "But don't be sad.  It'll still be be modish next year, I think."

Percy crinkled his whiskers, and leaned to swipe his tongue over Credence's cheek.

*

#gradence #gravebone #fantastic beasts #fbawtft #can u handle this holiday fluff tumblr?? can u??? #my fic

[ao3feed-buckybarnes]

Horizons

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2GRn8dB

by Builder

Bucky's ill in Wakanda, and all he wants is Steve. But he also knows he's not ready to see him.

T'Challa just wants to help him be well again.

Words: 667, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of Pantherverse, Part 6 of Missing Moments

Fandoms: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen, M/M

Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, T'Challa (Marvel), Shuri (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Sickfic, Vomiting, Fever, delerium - Freeform, Kind of dark, Hurt/Comfort, BAMF shuri

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2GRn8dB

#bucky #IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #bucky barnes #james barnes #the winter soldier #james barnes

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“The Offering” Part 2 of 3 (A Namor of Talokan Fic)

Need to Catch up? Masterlist HERE.

Summary:

Lebadi has embarked on a two-year secret love affair with K'uk'ulkan on the high seas with a Wakandan houseboat she purchased for their clandestine hook-ups. All is well until their union is discovered.

NSFW. Smut. 18+. (6,254 words) Namor x Black Female OC

If you enjoy the content, please reblog!  That’s the only way our stories get circulated on this app!

"Baby, baby, baby… "

Evil Needle & Sivey—"Baby"

He liked to kneel before her and kiss her belly button first.

The indentation on her lower stomach seemed to be his activation button for Lebadi and she loved to stand over him, weaving her fingers into his soft black curls that crowned loosely around his scalp, still moist from the sea. The tip of his warm tongue dipped in and out and when he kissed the skin around her belly piercing, his dark brown eyes never left hers.

That was his way… always.

Touch. Kiss. Gaze up at her. Kiss again. Lick. Stare deep into her soul before sucking and tasting again, lowering his head to her sopping folds that plumped and bloomed open, revealing the sticky pink entrance to paradise. She learned over the two years of their forbidden courtship that he used those dark eyes to claim ownership of her. Every part of her. Cloying… fiery at times, and oh, so sensual, the sloe-eyed gaze of K'uk'ulkan demanded obedience. Submission.

She gave in.

The loss of will had her leasing a small houseboat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Staying on the water was the only way to keep their liaison a secret from her world. He couldn't come on land without alarming her people, and she couldn't go down into his depths either, so they were forced to meet in the middle far off the Umkhombe Coast.

Anticipating his arrival was always the best part of their unions. She'd dance seductively on the deck, playing the erotic sounds of her favorite joot band, a style of Wakandan music that mixed instrumental sounds with dubbed vocalizations that played with the human voice in strange ways to evoke a hypnotic, romantic mood. Draped in a sheer azure cover-up with nothing else underneath except for a gold-hooped belly chain with matching bracelets on her wrists, Lebadi cranked up the swirling sounds and gyrated her hips with the syncopated rhythms. Tapping her bare feet on the deck with her arms dancing in the air, she snaked her body with sultry rolls of her hips to tease him from the sea.

Sipping on honey wine, she'd grab a handful of a mixture made from dried flower petals, spiced herbs, and brown sugar to rub against her shaved mound so that the scent of her juicy pussy was added. She called it her love offering and sprinkled it into the ocean, helping to entice his arrival sooner.

It always worked.

Humming and swiveling her loose hips, her eyes followed the line of the horizon illuminated by silver moonlight, waiting for the waters to part as her offering sank below the surface.

There!

A ripple breaking the tranquil ocean that grew into a wave rising to the starlight, his taut form bursting through a mountain of dark liquid, wings fluttering… behold… K'uk'ulkan. He flew high above Lebadi's line of sight, floating gently on a balmy breeze toward her, his dashing eyes never leaving her face.

Lebadi danced, twining her arms with slow sinuous motions that gestured for his company. When he landed next to her, she parted her sheer covering and fingered her folds, sharing glimpses of her wet arousal glistening like dew on a gossamer web across her fingertips.

"Namor…" she purred.

He closed his eyes and his nostrils flared, taking in the sweet odor of her swollen folds.

Down he went, on his knees, clasping desperate fingers on her graceful hips.

"In yaakunaj…" he murmured, sliding a fat wet tongue across her stomach before pushing his entire face into her pussy.

"Show me how much you love me, then," she replied with breathless abandon.

"Ch'ujuk," he whispered.

Sweet. That's what she tasted like to him. She kept that pussy sweet and delicious, like a ripe mango, eating plenty of fresh fruit and honey before traveling to see him.

Hot kisses slathered her clit with saliva and his mouth wasted very little time becoming reacquainted with what belonged to him. He sucked and licked her delicate parts, tracing wet silhouettes with an artful tongue tip. She gasped out loud, holding back her release until he told her she had permission to do so.

Standing up, Namor peeled off his skintight shorts, and she helped him unfasten his choker necklace. Tossing it on one of the bolted chairs set up for deep-sea fishing, he led her into the interior of the boat where the luxury stateroom awaited their in-depth union. He slid his fingers on the pearl clasps of her cover-up and pulled it off. Slanting his head to align his mouth with hers properly, his warm belly rested upright against hers, turning their bodies into writhing, serpentine creatures yearning to become one flesh… one being.

The interlocking of their tongues breathed life into her clit and it came alive between her thighs, thumping a staccato rhythm that made her pussy throb in anticipation for deep-rooted dick that would take her far beyond her stimulated senses.

Lebadi dropped to her knees and engulfed his thickening length into her greedy mouth, slurping his dick like it was the last bit of nourishment she would ever have between her full lips. Her neck worked his girth as it stretched her lascivious mouth, making her cheek and jaw muscles exhausted from handling such a thick erection. She made his dick shiny and licked around the head where pre-cum spilled all over her tongue. Namor tasted like the sea and promises of something smoky and rich that she couldn't get enough of. He threaded his fingers through her textured hair, twisting into the heavy locs securely before yanking her head back so her eyes stayed fixed on his face. Fisting his dick, he pressed it against her painted lush mouth, forcing her to lick away the spewing of clear arousal that had his lips twisted up with pleasure.

The man his people called K'uk'ulkan hated surface dwellers.

But he loved her.

The cognitive dissonance was never lost on Lebadi, even with all the libidinous, erotic things he did to her wanton body. She became a willing concubine under his magic touch. He was unpredictable. Dangerous. Irresistible. Their forbidden love was an addiction she couldn't be without. They were both from cultures that prided themselves on secrecy and discretion. Being practically invisible to the rest of mankind kept their people safe… and yet, they chose to be reckless with one another. It made their love illicit and delicious.

His fingers grazed against her cheek as a clap of thunder boomed above them.

"K'iibal cháak," he said. "The thunder… it will bring a strong rain."

"There was a ring around the moon. It won't rain until three days from now," she said.

He sniffed the air.

"Sáamal," he said.

Tomorrow. It would rain sooner than what the gauzy, reddish ring of light around the moon told her. Rain meant poor weather on the water, no lazy day of sunshine, and swimming with him in the open ocean.

He lifted her in his arms and placed her lovingly on the berth they would share. His dick pointed at her with a raging hardness that needed careful tending. She parted her thighs and used her fingers to push open her folds for him. The thick vein on the top of his erection showed the severity of his need. His slit wept pearls of pre-cum onto the berth. His regal bearing looked mystical in the low candlelight she had illuminating the quarters. He crawled onto the bedding and wedged himself between her legs. Gripping the heft of his dick securely, he twisted his fingers under the thick ridge of his frenulum and pushed the wide tip against her slick opening. Her pussy throbbed, letting him see the pink entrance wink open. The sight of it excited him more, and he held his slit closer to her as sizzling ropes of thick cum shot all over her, drenching her folds. It was so hot that she hissed with the intense feeling, wanting more. He gave it, cumming all over her clit, drowning it with a whiteness as creamy as icing on a cake. Namor groaned out loud and aimed his release toward her stomach, where warmer streaks painted her dark brown skin, pooling into her belly button before turning clear and messy all over.

Lebadi whimpered and played with his cum across her vulva. She spanked her glossy folds and Namor growled with pleasure deep inside his throat. Fingering her pussy, she licked his cum off of each fingertip like it was a sugary glaze. He dipped his finger into the sticky heat and traced it along her lips until she swallowed it all. Pushing her legs open wider, he parted the curtains of her inner lips and penetrated the deepest part of Lebadi, forcing the whimpers of happiness to ring in his ears, ushering a pleased smile to his face that lit up his eyes as well. He cradled the side of her neck and pulled out, swiftly thrusting back in again to make sure he hit her spot just right and she clawed his back to let him know he made it.

Linking her ankles around his waist, she panted as he stroked her walls, seeking new pleasure points to rub against, plucking out heavy moans from her mouth. At one point, she couldn't even close her lips, the delicious tugging against her clit weakening her hold on his shoulders. Arching her back, she sought his right earlobe and bit the pointed tip that was so sensitive to the touch. Namor groaned and pistoned his hips faster, the soft wavy pubic hairs of his groin mingling with hers until everything was frothy and wet with sweat and her slickness. The friction caused her to pee a little from the pressure inside and out, but her lover didn't care. He accepted all offerings from her body, everything became lubrication and a sign that he was putting in the necessary work to please her.

The churning water outside couldn't create more waves like the ones he made between the joining of her thighs, fucking her until she was cross-eyed and the cultivated coils in her thick hair flattened. His lips tilted up at the corners like a crescent moon then, pleased with her breathy sighs and pleadings for more until a strange shadow clouded his dark eyes. He stared at her primrose pink opening surrounded by the rich raven brown of her vulva, adoring the contrast of colors her body created compared to his sun-drenched sienna brown. Licking the pebbled nipples on her breasts, Namor thrust forward and cried out her name, his orgasm transforming his face into such sublime beauty that Lebadi wept under him, breaking apart all over his sturdy length.

His warm sweat fell onto her and cooled within seconds. He stayed inside of her pussy, filling it with more cum until he was satisfied that she was sated from clenching all over him.

Namor rested his head on her breasts. His breathing became soft as she fingered his hair. They fell asleep together just as light raindrops fell outside, making a gentle patter on the houseboat's roof. Both of them had been wrong in predicting the weather. No matter, though. Their entangled bodies basked in the afterglow of lovemaking.

The rain splattered harder on the roof.

Lebadi woke up with Namor still asleep on her chest, looking all serene and cozy while she listened to the rainfall outside. The houseboat rocked on the water and she wondered if they should move more inland to avoid larger waves.

His body had cooled on top of hers, and she reached for a thin blanket to cover them.

She stopped.

They weren't alone.

The shadow of a person stood across from them in the stateroom. The candles had burned out, and the moon had shifted its position in the sky, making it difficult to see who watched the forbidden lovers sleep. Lebadi shook Namor awake and his senses went into overdrive immediately. He rose from the berth, blocking her body from the intruder.

"Ba'ax ka beetik?" said a muffled woman's voice in Namor's language.

Namor picked up a small lighter and held it against the wick of a large yellow candle resting on a small wooden dresser. He spoke to the woman with an irritated tone.

"Táan in chan weele'—"

"Jach u yoojel tuus," the woman replied.

Namor flung a dismissive wave of his hand to the stranger and she lunged for him, coming into the light. Most of her face was covered with what looked like a green and blue turtle shell. Her skin was a pale blue color, too, a sharp contrast to the dark wet hair that hung past her shoulders. She had eyes like Namor's. Intense and angry.

"Ko'x!" the woman shouted, grabbing Namor's arm.

He shoved her back and Lebadi jumped out of the berth, grabbing for a pair of panties and a tank top lying across a chair.

"Is this your wife?!" Lebadi screamed, more embarrassed than angry.

Namor lowered his head before shaking it.

"She is not my wife… eetbak'el… same family… my cousin. Namora."

Namora tilted her head and stared at Lebadi with narrowed eyes. Her voice sounded guttural and mean.

"Bix a k'aaba teech?" Namora spat out.

"Do not answer her," Namor said.

Lebadi held her own name on her tongue as Namor commanded. Namora took a closer step, and she moved behind Namor for protection.

"I can't tell you my name," Lebadi said.

"Ma' tu na'tik," Namor said.

"She doesn't understand for real, or are you just saying that to fool me?" Lebadi asked.

Namor grabbed Namora's arm and pulled her outside onto the open deck while still naked, sliding the door shut behind him. Lebadi waited on the berth and listened to them argue. Their passionate voices raged with loud aggression for over an hour. When silence prevailed, she opened the door and stepped out to check on him. The rain had tapered down to a light drizzle, despite the grouping of menacing gray clouds at least a mile away in the sky.

Namora sat on one of the fishing chairs and Namor sat next to her on the other one. Lebadi reached into a cooler near the sliding door and pulled out two bottled waters. She handed one to Namora.

"Uk'ahech? A k'át uk'ul?" Lebadi asked, hoping she pronounced the words 'thirsty' and 'drink' correctly without starting a war of words between the cousins again.

Namora shook her head and waved her hand.

"She can only drink underwater. She can't breathe up here," Namor said.

"Oh," Lebadi said.

She put the bottles back in the cooler and stood near Namor.

"Is everything okay? Why is she so upset?" Lebadi said.

Namor reached for her hand and threaded his fingers with hers. Namora jerked her head away as if the show of affection disgusted her.

"What is going on?" Lebadi asked.

Namora reached for a reed-thin necklace that looked like it was made from an abalone shell. She blew on it, but no sound came out that Lebadi could hear. His cousin dashed from the chair, leaping onto the upper edge of the vessel with her arms bowed to dive into the cold depths. Namor flew so fast that he caught Namora in mid-air before she even touched a curling whitecap. The wings on his ankles carried them high above the houseboat. Lebadi watched Namora struggle in Namor's powerful grip.

In the water, a blast of air from a blowhole caught her attention. An orca with a massive dorsal fin circled the houseboat as the Talokanil fought above it. Namor dropped Namora into the ocean with a loud splash and the orca swam to her.

"Namora!" Namor shouted down to her.

Namora threw one arm around the dorsal fin and pointed at her cousin with the other.

"Sáamal!" Namora shouted and the orca dove under a wave, allowing the sea to swallow them up.

A crack of thunder boomed, and bright swords of lightning clashed together, brightening up the sky, and transforming her lover into a deity lost to the world floating above her. Lebadi rubbed her arms as a fresh shower of rain poured down. Shaking her damp hair, she returned to the stateroom and changed into a warm robe. She used a towel to dry her tresses that clumped up into tight spongy curls. Namor met her in the small kitchenette and watched her make a fresh cup of ground Jabari Mountain coffee. She offered him some, but he turned her down, studying her face for a long time.

"Why did she come here? And why did she mention tomorrow?" Lebadi asked.

"She has seen me like this before."

"Like what?"

"In love."

Lebadi mixed sugar in with her coffee and sipped it with her back against the stove.

"So I'm not your first surface dweller girlfriend?"

"You are."

"Have you been married? Have children?"

"You never asked me things like that before."

"Because this has been a fun fantasy while we were alone. Someone knows about us now… and I realize we are really strangers. Fuck buddies."

Namor slid his hand around her neck and brought her lips to his, sliding his tongue out before they connected. He sucked on her probing tongue and did the same to her lips, forcing waves to tumble in her stomach. His kisses were always slow and demanding. The man knew her weakness with him. She pushed him back.

"I want to know more about you, Namor. Will we just hook up on the ocean every three months when you make time for me?"

"We are not what you say… fuck buddies."

"Answer my question. Have you ever been married?"

"I have."

"What happened?"

"She died."

"Did you have children with her?"

"I did. They died too."

"How?"

"They grew old and died."

Lebadi blinked her eyes a few times and tilted her head as if that made the understanding easier.

"What do you mean? How old were they?"

He moved away from her and lowered his head, contemplating his answer.

"Namor?" she said.

"My wife lived to be ninety-eight. My daughter eighty-one… and my son… seventy-nine."

"I don't understand, you… you're close to my age. How do you have children older than you?"

"Lebadi… I have lived for nearly five centuries."

Lebadi laughed and threw up her hands, turning away from the bullshit. A warm hand slid up her thin robe and held her shoulder. Namor turned her to face him.

"I am telling you the truth—"

"You told me you were a mutant. That explained the wings and your other abilities… but now you're an immortal?"

"How do you think I know your language and so many others? There was a time when your people were not so secretive."

His eyes challenged her to doubt him. She couldn't. He could fly. Breathe underwater. Had the strength of many men, and could summon creatures from the deep.

"My people named me after an ancient god. They believe I am the return of him and I have cared for them like they were my very own children. I have lived many lifetimes under the deepest parts of the sea and lost more than one family. Colonizers have brought pestilence to my people… stolen land… destroyed so much. They continue to do so, all over the world-"

"If you hate surface dwellers so much, why come to me? You could've left me alone after that first time we met."

"I could not forget you… could not keep you from my mind. Your people are like my own. They want nothing to do with the outside world, and that makes you different."

"What are saying? You want to live a lifetime with me, too?"

Lebadi held her breath inside her chest. She curled her hands between her breasts and Namor cuddled her in his arms, peppering her face with tiny kisses.

"Namora is angry because she doesn't want me to hurt anymore. She has been alive long enough to know my last wife and the pain it caused me to lose her. After my first wife passed, I stopped having children. I had two more wives after her, and I made a vow to take care of my people and never have a woman again. Until you. My love for you clouds my eyes every day that I am by your side," he said.

Lebadi's eyes welled up, and he kissed away the tears that dropped like rain onto her cheeks.

"You are worth the pain… teech k'abéet ti'teen—"

"I need you too, but this is so much to take in all at once," she said.

"Tell me you love me."

She pressed her forehead against his.

"In k'áatech," she whispered into his parted lips.

The edges of his mouth ticked up into a smile, and he spanked her backside, making it jiggle. He rubbed on her bottom, lifting and separating the round mounds in his hands, squeezing them to enjoy the softness.

"Take this off," he said, fingering the top of the robe.

She undid the belt, and he circled her waist, lifting her up on her toes, his warm naked body evaporating the rain from his skin as it absorbed her heat too.

"Namor, what happens tomorrow?" she said.

"Namora will come back."

"For what?"

He walked her backward on her toes toward the stateroom. She pressed down on her heels to stop him.

"I don't want to talk about that now. Let me love you, Lebadi… your skin is like honey in my mouth, I want to lick all over your body…"

He nuzzled the side of her neck where fleshy immortal lips sucked and kissed chills down her spine and into her toes.

"Let me love you," he said.

She gave in, as he knew she would.

His morning loving was as good as his nighttime lust.

With her head down and her ass up in the air, he took her with long strokes from the back as she rested her head on a pillow at an angle where she could watch his face. His lips quirked up with tension and his right palm pressed down into her lower back. Her pussy squelched and became a gushy ride. Namor slapped her rump hard and used his right hand to palm her left ass cheek as he glared down at her throwing it back on him with frisky twists of her waist. He glanced at her face as if to question what right she had to have a pussy that good on his dick. She arched her back further, and he cursed at her with words that were too filthy for him to translate into Wakandan.

"Fuck me…" he panted.

"I know you like that," she grunted, shifting her hips and widening her thighs to let him sink deeper.

His fingers slid to her hips, and he gripped the supple flesh to anchor himself. He gave quick thrusts that just rested at the entrance of her pussy and she pouted, needing all of his thickness to make her feel full and stretched. Her toes lifted and teased the feathers on his ankles at the quill, which was highly sensitive to touch like the tips of his ears, stimulating another part of his erogenous zones that she liked to play with on his body.

"Fuck my pussy… s'good baby…," Lebadi moaned as she bit into the twisted, sweaty sheets.

Namor teased her entrance until she whimpered his name and he plunged into her, cumming while he did. He drenched her walls, then pulled his fat dick back out and ejaculated onto her ass and back before stretching her out again. His cum painted her walls with creamy warmth. He reached around and played with her clit, two of his fingers strumming a love language that only her stimulated nerves could translate. It was enough of a conversation to have her walls throb back with an answer. She squealed with pleasure and he laughed with obvious delight.

Afterward, they went for a swim.

The sky had cleared up enough to let a few rays of sunshine peek through. He dived below with fish netting and left her alone on the boat for an hour, returning with swordfish, shrimp, and mussels for them to enjoy at lunch. He cleaned and prepared the seafood. She seasoned and cooked it. They ate with their fingers and she showed him how to eat sticky yellow rice balls with a soft fermented flatbread that she made the day before. Namor liked the sour, porous texture of the bread, stuffing it down his throat with the fish tea she made from the swordfish.

Later in the afternoon, they moved the houseboat to another area when the water became choppy and unpleasant. Sleeping nude on lounge chairs, Namor watched her skin darken into a rich mahogany hue. He made her lay on top of him so he could run his hands all across her back and ass, fingering her pussy from behind until she came all over his hand with a sticky release.

Lebadi took a nap inside the stateroom for a few hours. She needed to recharge from a day of lovemaking and eating well. Waking up alone, she found several loose mothers of pearls wrapped in a large seaweed leaf fresh from deep sea oysters. Smelling the odor of good cooking, she rose naked and joined Namor in the kitchenette. He stirred a thin soup of clam meat that she liked for dinner. Holding up a spoon for her, she tasted it.

"Good… ooh, and hot," she said, waving her hand in front of her open mouth to cool the soup on her tongue.

The sun was low in the sky, announcing a gorgeous sunset that saturated the ocean backdrop with blazing red and deep mauve.

"Oh, shit!" she said, rushing back to the stateroom and changing into a short azure blue tunic over a bikini bottom. She dug into one of her travel bags soon after.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

She strode back into the kitchen, clutching a small sachet of her annual offering to Mama Wati. Bypassing the beach and surfing with friends again in Birnin S'Yan that year, she wanted to honor the mother of the sea with Namor by her side.

"Come," she enthused, tugging on his hand to follow her.

Lebadi prayed over the small bundle before untying it and dropping some of the mixture into the sea. She gave the rest to Namor, and he sprinkled it with amusement.

"This god brings you joy?" he asked.

"She does."

He touched her hair, which had shrunk up into tightly coiled spirals from the seawater. She twirled a thick lock of hair and stretched out its length, letting it bounce back into place.

"Children in Wakanda who are born with extra curly hair, like me, are said to be children of the sea. My grandmother was a child of the sea, and so was her grandmother before her. I come from a long line of Mama Wati babies!"

Namor leaned over and kissed her cheek, then held her face with both hands to kiss her longer. She was about to wrap her arms around the nape of his neck when the houseboat listed to one side, knocking them off balance. Namor flew with her a few feet above the deck to keep her from falling. The surge of water lifted the boat and brought it back down roughly, and from Namor's arms, Lebadi witnessed a pod of humpback whales breach the surface and rock the houseboat even more.

"K'uk'ulkan!"

Namora called to him as she pulled herself up onto the back of the closest whale. Namor put Lebadi back on the houseboat and two tall Talokanil men climbed onto the boat, giving her menacing looks. Namor barked orders to them and the men stopped moving, watching their god fly onto a whale to confront Namora. There was no reasoning with Namora and she leaped onto the boat and grabbed Lebadi by the throat, tossing her far over the side. The icy splash punched into Lebadi's back as the dark waters covered her face. She held her breath, watching the light from the surface fade from dark blue to rising ebony the deeper she went down. Flailing her arms, she tried to swim back to the surface, her lung capacity helped by her years of surfing and having giant waves crash over her before she could get more air. Her loose tunic floated above her, tangling her arms and covering her face. She pulled it off and pushed her arms to her sides, swiping away the weight of water crushing her.

Kicking her legs, Lebadi's ascent was thwarted by another Talokanil woman below her, who grabbed her ankle and dragged her further below. Seconds later, Namora was upon her, her hands choking the life out of Lebadi. Bubbles rose out of her mouth and she became woozy from the lack of oxygen in her lungs. She almost blacked out to the haunting, melodious sounds of whale song, until Namor fought off his cousin and the other woman to drag her away. Lebadi noticed a great number of his people holding spears and hugged up close to the whales, using them as living ships to travel on.

Namor burst through a wave and flew Lebadi to the houseboat. The rage on his face frightened her and he screamed at his people. Most stood on top of the whales wearing the same breathing apparatus Namora had to use above the surface.

Namor pulled Lebadi behind him and faced his people. Rapid-fire conversations ricocheted around them as she tried to pick out any words that she knew from being with Namor. It was clear to her that the posse revered him even as they pressed to retrieve him, but his actions upset them. She upset them by claiming his heart.

Namora had a pleading quality to her voice, and it softened Namor. He kept glancing back at Lebadi, and the longer his people spoke to him, she could see his body language changing. His shoulders slumped, and a light went out of his eyes. The voices grew louder, more incessant, and Namor threw his head back as if the stars above them had all the answers he needed. Then… they started singing to him.

Even the whales emitted sounds that Lebadi could feel flowing across her skin above the surface. The haunting melodies of the Talokanil mixed with the vibrations of the sea creatures they rode upon brought Lebadi to her knees. She wept from the pure beauty of it.

Namor looked down at her with a torn expression. Namora climbed back onto the boat and held her hands before him like the wide maw of a shark about to attack. The others made the same hand symbol toward him.

"Líik'ik Talokan!" Namora said.

Namor closed his eyes and Lebadi felt a trembling soul shift inside of him. Namora nodded her head and the other Talokanil on the houseboat dropped back down into the water. Namor sauntered over to Namora and held her face. Only their eyes spoke in a secret language they knew. He stroked his thumb across Namora's forehead and slowly flew up into the sky alone, raising out his arms.

One by one, the whales and the sea dwellers departed.

Namor came back to her side, and she knew.

It was over.

His people came first and she would become a lost footnote to the seductive antics of a foreign god who wanted to fuck a Wakandan woman for fun.

She ran from him, hot tears spilling in fat drops onto her arms as she wailed and beat her fists on the berth. He tried to comfort her, but she thrashed her body to get his hands off of her.

"Get out!" she shouted, burying her wet face. Snot and copious tears clogged up her nose and throat.

He wouldn't leave her side and stroked her back.

"You said I was worth the pain!"

"They are my children."

"I am your woman! They can have you forever, but I only get this one lifetime, Namor! Just this one!"

He pushed back the springy curls on her forehead. His soulful eyes bled into her spirit and she covered her face to hide all the pain that soaked her heart. Namor spooned around her and she wilted. Crying and pleading meant nothing. His duty to his own came first. Always.

They slept curled into one another. By daybreak, he was gone.

Lebadi ate leftover shrimp and rice for breakfast and tossed all the uneaten food into the sea. She started the quiet engine of the houseboat and programmed it to take her back to the Wakandan coast, where she would leave it at the marina rental space she kept for the past two years. Leaving the seaside was the best thing for her sanity.

Returning inland for good would help her forget.

Lebadi couldn't believe the message on her kimoyo beads.

Her former college roommate, Okoye, stared at her.

"Well, did you make it or not?" Okoye said.

Sitting inside an artsy café together, a table full of half-eaten shredded beef and coconut curried rice between them, Lebadi stared at the formal rejection of her application to the Dora Milaje corps.

"I was rejected," Lebadi said.

"Why?"

Okoye's voice went up an octave as she swiped the floating image of the document.

"I failed the physical apparently," Lebadi said.

"How? You seem fit to me… wait… what is that look for? Did you already know you would fail?"

"Not when I applied, but…"

"But what?"

Okoye nudged her wrist with her hand.

"Talk to me, Lebadi. We were supposed to tag-team in this thing."

"I know," Lebadi said. "I just failed. You'll have to become a Dora without me."

"Rhino shit! You always wanted this. We went to school purposely cultivating our education to prepare us. You did an internship in the palace for Bast's sake!"

Okoye lifted a finger to her lips.

"Call them and ask what happened. They have to give you specifics."

"No, they don't. I'm not qualified. I'll find something else to do."

"Like what?"

"I can be an executive assistant to a senator, or maybe a personal assistant to a Council Elder," Lebadi said.

Okoye's kimoyo beads glowed a neon blue.

"Dammit, I have to go. I'm picking up W'Kabi from his mother's house. His hovercraft was fixed at the shop finally."

"When is he going to buy proper transportation? He's had that hovercraft since he was in high school."

"You know how stubborn he is. He'll have that thing until he's an old man," Okoye joked.

She touched Lebadi's hand again.

"Do you want to go out for drinks later? Talk some more? I feel terrible about this news."

"No, go on and spend your evening with W'Kabi. I'll call you later if I find out anything more."

Lebadi didn't bother to stand up. She let Okoye bend over and kiss her temple before she dashed out to give the love of her life a ride to the bike shop. When Okoye was out of the café, Lebadi tapped her kimoyo again and swiped the second page of the form letter for the Dora Milaje corps. There was a listing of categories that could be checked off to explain why a candidate was rejected. The one that prevented her from becoming a Dora Milaje for that recruitment cycle was smack dab in the middle of the page.

Pregnancy.

Lebadi sighed and paid for the food by swiping her kimoyo beads over the dishes and stood up. The thick-layered skirt and jacket she had on barely concealed the baby bump sprouting from her middle. Four months along and she was already showing. Fatter in the face, too.

Walking alone in the downtown area of Birnin Zana, she turned her head to look over at the double palace. Okoye would get through Dora Milaje training easily. Her father was a lieutenant in the military and a decorated pilot. It didn't hurt that her mother was an interpreter for King T'Chaka Udaku either. The dream was for Okoye and Lebadi to protect royalty and travel with the king. She rubbed her belly and sighed. There were plans in place for her to live secluded in Birnin S'Yan and work discreetly as a monorail operator until the baby was born. No one knew she was carrying the seed of a foreigner, a mutant king who once said he loved her, but left her anyway. They had been careless with sex, and now she faced a daunting future.

What kind of child did he put inside of her?

Part 3 Finale HERE!

A.N.:

There will be a part 3! I’m working on several fics at once so be ready! And once I fnally see “Wakanda Forever” y’all in trouble!!!

Reminder:  I switched up the spelling of the actual Mami Wata to Mama Wati to give myself space to reshape my ancestor’s actual African/African Diaspora spiritual water being into a fictional Wakandan one.

#Namor #Wakanda Forever #Namor Smut #Namor Fanfiction #Namor X Black Reader #namor x oc #Black Panther #Black Panther Wakanda Forever #namor of talokan #Namor of talokan fanfiction #kukulkan #Kukulkan fanfiction #ku'kul'kan fanfiction #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Uzumaki Rebellion #pantherverse #aqua papi #Namora #Okoye

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" Chapter 5

Masterlist HERE.

"We hope each soul will find

Around and inside

Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer

Let this be our prayer, just like every child

Need to find a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe"

Avery Wilson & Candace Boyd—"The Prayer"

Yani held onto the hand of her baby sister Anika, as her middle sister Dawnette gushed over meeting Tahir. Anika told their entourage of women—Twyla, Zola, Ilana—the story of Killmonger and Tahir spending the night at their Aunt Leona's cramped apartment when she was sixteen and impressionable. But now that she was in her early twenties and legal, she had the right of first dibs on the handsome foreigner to Wakanda.

They entered the banquet venue's snazzy restroom where a full sitting room/powder room was set up before one even made it to the restrooms in a separate section. Checking their make-up and showering the room with their loud gossip over men and available bachelors, Yani noticed Ime in a corner with four other women seated on plush chairs chatting. Anika and Dawnette followed Twyla into the restroom to relieve themselves of wine and other spirits passed around for the after dessert libations. Yani took note of a few other noblewomen clucking together in their various groupings parceled about using wall mirrors to fix hair, and check make-up.

It was obvious that women snuck glances at Yani and she smiled while passing others to get to Ime.

"Princess Yani," Ime said.

Ime stood quickly and her friends did too, showing Yani respect.

"Leave us please…I would like to speak with Ime," Yani said.

Zola and Ilana walked away and kept watch over her for any intrusions.

"Shall we chat for a moment?" Yani said.

Ime nodded and Yani led her to some chairs in a corner that faced away from the other women in the room giving them some privacy.

"I wanted to talk to you about our relationship going forward. After I marry King N'Jadaka, I will be having a series of special events throughout Birnin Zana. Private teas, luncheons, and of course, the Queen's Ball. You and I will see a lot of each other because of Ramatla's position working for my husband."

"Of course."

Ime's voice was sweet as pie, but Yani wasn't keen on her maintaining a façade any longer.

"I know you don't like me. No need for us to pretend that you give a fuck about what I think about you."

Ime's eyes widened and several women within hearing distance moved away quickly to avoid catching strays. Hushed voices spread throughout the powder room and every woman not connected to Yani or Ime vacated the premises immediately. Zola and Ilana strolled over to the restroom toilet entrance to provide interference in case their party came out.

Ime pulled her shoulders back and lifted her head higher. She regarded Yani as a worthy adversary. Her mask fell away.

"It is true. I do not like you. You aren't fit to be queen—"

"You uncouth bitch!" Zola snapped.

Ilana held Zola back.

"I'm a bitch?" Ime said, slanting her gaze toward Zola. "You disloyal witches were so quick to scuttle over to her side that you threw away years of our friendship…and for what? A chance to be around the king?"

Yani glanced at Zola and Ilana. Ime craned her neck back and folded her arms over her chest. Her gaze burned into Yani's face.

"Do you know how many eligible women here that are better than you who would kill to have N'Jadaka Udaku?" Ime said.

"I know you are one of them," Yani said.

Ime didn't flinch. Her lips twisted into a devilish smirk.

"You are damn right. I was one of those women. Had you or that other one not showed up, I'd be in your place right now."

"Listen to this hussy!" Zola hissed.

Yani held up her hand to silence Zola.

Twyla, Anika and Dawnette wandered back in.

"What's going on?" Twyla asked, quickly sizing up the tension.

"Twyla, would you mind taking my sister's back to our party? I need to talk to Lady Ime in private," Yani said.

Twyla took the hint and gathered up the younger women toward the exit. Zola and Ilana followed behind to block anyone else from entering. Yani leaned her left arm over her right on the armrest and crossed her legs.

"I will be queen soon, so any dreams or aspirations you bad minded bitches had about N'Jadaka are over fuh good. I'll fuck up anyone who tries tuh come for we…even Remy."

Ime huffed and jumped to her feet. Yani's chest burned. She took her time standing up like a powerful royal woman with the highest status in the land shared with her man.

"This hatred yuh have in your heart…keep it or throw it away. I don't care. You mean nothing to me. However, we both have a duty to our country—"

"You are not a real Wakandan, Yani Galiber. You are a fake. A blight on the bloodline. You think your position is safe just because you will marry him tomorrow? Hmmph. Then you don't truly know the history of Udaku men. They have an appetite…a lust for life that you could never satisfy as an outsider. No Wakandan man in his right mind would see you as any kind of prize."

"Well, your man has a taste for me, so I can't be all that bad."

Ime's eyes narrowed and her right hand went up high to strike Yani.

"Ime stop!"

Remy's voice rattled them both. He grabbed Ime's arm and pulled her away before her hand connected with Yani's face.

"My apologies Princess Yani. She has disrespected you and I am…embarrassed by this."

Ime snatched her arm away. Her cold eyes had gone beyond jealous hatred. There was envious murder lodged in them too. Yani took a step back sensing an uncontrollable rage flowing through her nemesis. Remy struggled to get Ime's hand back down to her side. She stuck a finger in Yani's direction.

"You aren't special. He will get bored with you…you are nothing like us…"

Ime vomited hatred with her words, and Yani stood strong with a half smile on her face, allowing the woman to get everything off of her chest right then and there. Had Yani worn her finger armor that night, there would've been deep bloody holes in Ime's face. She kept a rigid posture despite her blood pressure going up. A physical entanglement would only fuel the fire of other nobles who felt the same as Ime. Her throat tightened and she parceled her words carefully. Yani's mind screamed to revoke Ime's wedding invitation, but she wanted the woman to watch her nuptials and squirm about it. Diplomacy and tact were the order of the evening.

"Lady Ime, I appreciate your honesty. You have never minced your words, so I will not run around the bush with mine. King N'Jadaka and I are one blade."

Ime's eyes narrowed hearing the euphemism. Remy watched Yani's face with an apprehensive expression. Had it been a club in St. Thomas back when she kept a reckless mouth, Yani would not hesitate to let all of the noble women know she was a good pussy gyal. They way N'Jadaka carried on in her pum pum was all the evidence she needed. The elites could come for Yani all they wanted, but that bad man from the hill wasn't going anywhere.

She took a step forward and Remy repositioned his left foot in front of the tips of her shoes to create a barrior between the two women. Biting back the rancor in her throat and the urge to call Ime a heavy-tongued cow foot whore, she opted to act her position.

"Your campaign to vilify me or make me feel less worthy of the throne has failed. You can't have N'Jadaka, so you go for Remy. The way I hear it, you backstabbed your best friend to get him…so if I were you Ime, I would worry about repairing my social reputation instead of coming for a queen. Good luck with this one, Remy. It's a pity that your family settled for this waste gyal as your future wife—"

Ime lunged for Yani. Remy became a shield. He hugged Yani and protected her body from Ime's attack. Ilana and Zola rushed over and yanked Ime into a corner, pushing her back against a wall mirror. They shoved her shoulders and cursed in her face to keep her from going up against Yani again.

"Please forgive her…I'm sorry for everything," Remy pleaded.

He held Yani's shoulders and she could feel his warm breath blow across her lips. From the reflection in the mirror behind him, Yani noticed N'Jadaka walking in with Twyla. Remy's hands dropped away from her body quickly, but N'Jadaka saw it all. Ilana rushed to the king's side and whispered something to him before he reached their side of the powder room. He moved like a stalking cat toward Ime afterward, ignoring Remy and Yani completely. Zola stepped to the side giving N'Jadaka space. Ime cowered before the man she desired above all others.

Everyone remained silent. N'Jadaka's smoldering presence held them all in a chokehold. Ime trembled.

"Look at me," N'Jadaka commanded.

Ime turned her head to the side and refused to do so. N'Jadaka crowded her body and Yani knew exactly how that felt up close. The heat. The crackling energy. The sexual prowess. It was too much to process all at once, and for a mere second, Yani pitied Ime. Her greatest desire was right in front of her and she couldn't even look at him.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"King N'Jadaka, I beg…let me remove her from your presence. She has been drinking—"

"Do you have permission to speak to me?"

N'Jadaka didn't bother to look at Remy. His voice boomed and the message was received.

Stand down.

Ime lifted her head. Watery eyes peered at the king.

"I don't normally get into women's business, but I warned you once about bothering her, so now I will give you a choice. Get on your knees in front of her and beg forgiveness for your insolence or I will strip you from your title and make life hell for your entire family."

Ime jammed her back against the mirror with horror dripping from her eyes.

"She accosted me…I was minding my own business with friends," Ime whined.

"Ime…just do it. Stop making this worse for yourself. If you have no title, we cannot marry," Remy said.

The tears fell then. Ime wiped at her eyes as if her own body betrayed her. Yani slipped her hand around N'Jadaka's.

"Let it be. She's drunk and we know how powerful the drinks have been tonight. We need to leave for rest. Our wedding will be here soon, king," Yani said.

Mercy.

That is what Yani gave Ime. Although it would've been a sight to see Ime groveling at her feet, Yani wanted to be above the woman in the best way. Knowing N'Jadaka showed his trump card, she doubted Ime would get out of line ever again. The threat of losing a title was worse than going to hell in Wakanda.

The king allowed Yani to lead him away from Ime, and Remy rushed to her side, throwing an arm around his fiancé's waist. He guided her quivering form away from certain banishment. Twyla wandered over.

"Gossip has already spread outside. When you walk out of here, look cheerful like nothing happened," Twyla said.

Strolling hand-in-hand with Twyla cracking a joke, they left the powder room laughing. Their performance was good enough to get them past a few people, but it was clear the mood had shifted in the banquet room toward her. The upper class were shook to their core. No one was safe if the king jumped for Yani like that in public.

Yani gathered up her children with Leona and Dante's help, and they all bid farewell to the hosts and their dinner companions from the center table. Couples were still dancing and liquor still flowed and would do so into the night. Nobles from all the tribes rushed up to Yani and wished her a good evening, hoping that she graced them with her sweet voice and a smile. N'Jadaka shook hands and accepted congratulations for their upcoming nuptials once more. She waved at her favorite people throughout the banquet room while Zola and Ilana stayed close with her sisters in tow.

N'Jadaka held Yani's and Joba's hand until they were outside the venue boarding a different vehicle with the children by themselves. Yani turned on the sound-proof barrier for the back seat where Joba, Riki, and Sydette sat comfortably, their eyes drowsy from all the activity of the day. They spoke freely without their driver and guard hearing.

"I'm glad you didn't fight her physically," N'Jadaka said.

"Me too. It wouldn't be a good look for us, no matter how much she deserved to get boxed. She knows where I stand. That's the important thing when dealing with a yamhead gyal."

"Remy has a problem on his hands."

"You do too."

"How's that?"

Yani leaned into him and held onto his arm.

"According to her, you were supposed to be her betrothed if I hadn't showed up in Wakanda. Remy was her back up consolation prize."

The corners of his lips went down and his brows joined in the center.

"This caste culture is very particular, very selective of whom they pair couples. The more I learn, the more I see how dangerous it was for my father to choose my mother. Sometimes I think she would've received the same treatment."

"They aren't nice about my foreignness at all in Ime's cliques. She even insinuated that Ilana and Zola only came to me to get close to you."

"We know there are advantages being around me. But those two…," He gave a casual glance to to Yani, "Their hearts are in the right place. They adore you. I know they have crushes on me, but those are just harmless feelings. Most times I have to bargain with them just to get you to myself all alone."

Yani grinned and stroked a finger up and down his chest.

"Are you still going to your bachelor party tonight?" she asked.

"It's not a party. A little get together with the fellas."

"Where will you guys go?"

"We're staying in the palace. I have some food and drinks prepared up in the salon. We'll play cards, smoke cigars…catch up with my cousins. Nothing crazy."

"Strippers?"

Yani giggled and N'Jadaka put an arm around her pulling her into his side. Her breasts mashed into his chest.

"I've seen enough naked women in my life to last me. Every color, size, and from damn near every continent. I'd get bored watching some stranger shake ass for mere entertainment with a bunch of men. Smoking, drinking and shooting the shit is all I want to do. Besides…I have the baddest woman on the planet and I'll get my own private show after we get married."

She puckered her lips and he lowered his head to brush his mouth against hers.

They arrived in the palace parking structure at a reasonable hour. N'Jadaka carried Joba and Riki, while Yani carried Sydette in her arms. Back at their home, Kora helped guide the children away from the front door in their sleepy daze toward the stairs.

"I guess we have to say goodnight here," Yani said.

She wrapped her arms around N'Jadaka's waist and he held her close.

"Yep. I say goodbye to Princess Yani forever. I'll miss her."

They locked eyes, basking in the moment together.

"Thank you for never giving up on me…even when you thought I was gone forever. Thank you for making sure our children knew about me. Thank you for being the light that brought me back to myself…the light that showed me that I could find a perfect love in paradise. You have made this imperfect man so very happy."

"Thank you for coming into my life…thank you for believing in me and making sure I was taken care of even when you thought death was a possibility for yourself. Thank you for being the love of my life…choosing our precious Sydette as your own and giving me my beautiful son. Thank you for trusting me to raise a special extra daughter too. You have made this equally imperfect woman very happy too."

"Well shit, we might as well be married now. Sounded like we said some vows," he joked.

"I know. I'm actually happy that we don't have to say a lot tomorrow. I already feel like crying…"

"Aye girl…no tears…"

Yani buried her face in his chest and wept out her happiness. He rubbed her back with loving hands and cooed in her ear soft words of love.

"You are my life, baby."

He pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"Go on now, get some beauty rest. We all get to sleep in until twelve thirty. I shouldn't even be looking at you right now. We're supposed to stay separated," he said.

She held his hands, not wanting to let him go, not wanting to part from his warmth and strength. Staring into his eyes, she luxuriated in the overpowering essence of his presence the way Ime had experienced him up close. Yani still thrilled to his energy and aura. She pulled him in for a kiss…a long one. Their heads moved from side to side and his hands palmed her backside, squeezing the heavy orbs. His tongue explored and made promises for their wedding night. He kissed her woozy and she stepped back on weak legs. Her brain felt mushy and her body tingled all over. Especially down below.

"I should go now," he said.

"Okay."

Neither one of them left the front door.

"I have to change clothes for my bachelor party," he said.

"Hmmm."

His dimples and septum ring mesmerized her. The glint of his gold panther teeth held her captive when his lips parted in a gentle smile. The king's body heat wrapped her in a cocoon of love. His too-muchness enveloped all of her senses and she suppressed the urge to look away from his face.

N'Jadaka's kimoyo beads lit up breaking the spell for Yani.

"It's Mpilo…I betta dip. Can't be late to my own gathering," he said.

Yani moved away from him knowing that if he touched her again, she would pull him into their home and up to her bed.

"Love you," he said.

She blew him a kiss and dashed inside the front door, closing it quickly. Resting her back against it, she touched her face. It was hot and a light sheen of nervous sweat covered the back of her neck. She touched her stomach to calm the butterflies there. Lord…he still made her swoon like it was their first time together.

"Are you alright, Princess Yani?"

Sindiswa, the evening attendant for their home approached Yani with concern.

"I'm fine. Can you please bring me some bria tea and chocolate biscuits to my bedroom?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Yani climbed the stairs thinking of love, family, and finally having her happy new beginning with N'Jadaka.

Sunrises in Wakanda were a stunning tapestry painted with the delicate hand of Bast.

N'Jadaka rose early before the streaks of orange, rose, pale turquoise, and magenta saturated the horizon heralding the golden return of the sun.

He bathed in a wide tub filled with oils and herbs to purify his body for marriage. The humble priest Dinani waited for him on the balcony where they prayed together in the language of Bast, the ancient tongue that supported him through his transformation on the holy mountain. Ogum stirred in his chest and quickly rose to the crown of his head where the energies of two gods merged.

The ancestors rested within him.

Dinani and N'Jadaka's former temple caretaker Ayiz'e smudged him head to toe fully nude with river sage and more prayer work. As the sun rose, he watched it golden the sky while listening to a recording of a berimbau being played by his mother and a drum pounded by his Grandpop. He prepared his mind for hours of ceremony and honed in on Ayiz'e warming up a thick glob of ceremonial body butter in her hands. The pale yellow substance melted into clear oil and she rubbed it all over him, even his locs. It smelled wonderful, like citrus and honey. She knelt down and rubbed it on his buttocks and the back of his thighs. Dinani observed the preparation making sure no spot on his body was missed. Ayiz'e started rubbing the oil on his groin and when she stroked his flaccid penis and scrotum with it, Dinani held up a tied leather bundle about seven inches long.

"Kumkani, before you consummate your union with the new queen, you must remember to give Bast an offering of your semen first. Princess Yani has been trained properly to do this with you. We would all be pleased if you conceived a new heir on this night," Dinani said.

Ayiz'e finished oiling his nutsack and the front of his legs and feet.

"He is heavy with seed. We can expect plenty of blessings in the king's future," she said.

Dinani smiled.

"This is good to hear. It has been a long time since the royal family has had a bounty of children. Bast will be pleased with our king. We shall take our leave now until we see you at the wedding temple," Dinani said.

They left the suite and an attendant brought his early morning breakfast. Pork medallions, porridge sweetened with sugared red berries, buttery biscuits and slices of fresh fruit. He ate his meal alone on the balcony, calming his mind and the wedding jitters. The eagerness to be married right away already overwhelmed him. He wished they could skip all the ceremonial work, but the new marriage had to follow ancient Udaku customs.

Belly full and mind straight, he relaxed in bed for a short respite until it was time to dress. His wedding robes were brought to him and his personal stylist helped him dress. Ayiz'e returned to twist his locs into an elaborate bun with a few strands left to fall on his shoulders. She checked the wedding clothing front to back. His black opal ceremonial robes were blacker than an inky sky at midnight, but as he moved, the robes refracted an array of colors in blue, green, and silvery gray hues that looked like tiny galaxies bursting light in deep dark space.

"He is ready," she said.

Once more, she smudged him with a different bundle of dried plants that smelled spicy and sharp in the nose. It fit his personality. He sniffed it as she passed around him.

"You recognize it?"

He shook his head.

"Bast Root. It is the plant that we used for ceremonies before vibranium fell from the sky. This plant cradled the vibranium meteor when it landed. Bast led King Bashenga to it, and soon after, a patch of it mutated into the heart-shaped herb that we cultivate today. This original plant links us to our past because the Panther Goddess led us into our future. Smudging with it calls Bast and her sisters down to be with you on this day."

"I understand," he said.

Ayiz'e left his side and he stared at himself in the mirror.

"You truly are a king."

N'Jadaka turned his head and Dante walked forward.

"Your parents are with you…they can see how handsome you look, JaJa."

"I feel them."

"They came to me in a dream last night. All I could do was tell them how excited I was to watch you marry Yani, and they looked pleased. I woke up before I could remember what they said, but I'm sure it was something like 'We love you, son.' Their faces were so shiny…so close to me that I could touch them."

Dante touched N'Jadaka's shoulder and admired his wedding garb.

"Are the guys ready?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Waiting for you at the carport. Yani and the children have already left for the temple."

He took a deep breath and checked his clothing again. Dante tapped his arm.

"Come…let's go get your wife," Dante said.

N'Jadaka walked with his grandfather out of the suite. Four Dora Milaje and six kingsguards awaited him outside. They rode a private elevator down to an underground carport where his groomsmen stood near their vehicle transports wearing custom obsidian Wakandan suits that complimented N'Jadaka's robes.

"You look clean man!" Shawn said, giving N'Jadaka dap.

"Damn, I feel like royalty too," Walter said, showing off his outfit.

Tahir wore a custom suit that incorporated his cultural heritage into the design. Mpilo grinned from ear to ear in his own attire. Bibi shook N'Jadaka's hand and congratulated him on his day.

His older cousin, Junie paraded around in his suit.

"I think I ate too much last night," Junie said, patting his stomach.

"I think that fat has always been there," Bibi joked, poking Junie's round belly.

His cousin Nevaeh hugged him. She wore a long overcoat over her covered dress and would walk as his groomswoman carrying flowers to represent Marisol's missing presence. Yani's cousin Kendall was doing the same as a bridesman filling in the gap of missing family from the Galiber side. He would escort Nevaeh down the aisle.

"How are you feeling, JaJa?" Nevaeh asked.

"The nerves are kicking in a little bit, I'm not gonna lie," he said.

She kissed his cheek and wiped away the smudge of her lipstick.

"Are you ready to leave, kumkani?" a driver asked.

"Let's rock and roll," N'Jadaka said.

They split into three cars and N'Jadaka sat next to Dante.

The streets of Wakanda were jam packed with spectators who had lined up on every avenue and street corner waiting to catch sight of the royal family. Every inch of the city looked decorated and the festive energy of the citizens forced grins on all their faces in the cars. The wedding was the celebration the country needed after a tumultuous year adjusting to life removed from the Infinity War.

He watched people dance and throw flowers at the cars as they were whisked to the heart of the golden city where the temple waited. Traffic clogged up two blocks before they arrived at their destination, and they waited patiently for the kingsguards and the royal onyx squad to make way for their cars to get through.

They crossed through the gauntlet ten minutes late, but N'Jadaka didn't care about time. He stayed in the present moment, feeling all the feelings, letting the fervor of the crowd wash through him.

The ancient temple loomed in front of them. The last time they had been there was to reunite with his parents, but that sadness didn't linger over the ancient site. It beckoned to him with an ethereal beauty and gave him the gift of peace in his heart. His parents were there waiting to watch him wed. Their spirits hovered all around him.

Their vehicles were ushered into a covered parking structure on the west side of the temple entrance where his clan and extended family convened. Umama, Ramonda, and an army of other Udaku relatives stood waiting for him and his groomsmen.

"You look amazing Umama. You too, Ramonda," he said.

He hugged as many relatives as he could before a wedding director arrived and pulled him away from Soliel, Aujannue and Serah to give final instructions. Nevaeh's mother Rolita straightened the locs that tangled on his shoulders from all the hugging. The family drummers stood nearby waiting for their cue, and the family griot, his cousin Didah, walked in front of everyone carrying a centuries old staff that was carved with family sigils of protection. She touched the top of her forehead and took a deep breath before approaching N'Jadaka. He could feel the rising energy of his family behind him.

"Cousin N'Jadaka, the temple is packed. Your grandmother has permitted some people to stand in the back, so when we go in, please keep yourself in the center behind me at all times until we reach the front. The acting griot for the Galiber clan will come in right when the last of our family has been seated."

N'Jadaka nodded. He heard Didah's words, but his body sensed the anticipation inside the temple. Somewhere on the otherside of the structure, Yani was waiting for him. His heart thudded in his chest and his hands went clammy. Umama lifted his chin with her hand.

"Breathe, grandson…that's it. Relax and breathe."

Tunnel vision and anxiety ran through him. The overstimulation forced him to gulp in air. Serah clasped his hand and his Uncle Addae slipped next to him and gripped his elbow to steady him. N'Jadaka was about to ask for a chair to sit in, but a comforting warmth spilled down from the crown of his head and flowed to his feet. He closed his eyes. Her familiar scent came down on him the way it did when he used to cook in her kitchen when he was a little boy. Florida water.

Nana Jean.

"I'm glad you're here too," he whispered under his breath.

He knew his great-grandmother always stayed with him, but the scent of her protective potions surrounded him…grounded him. Standing tall, he shook his hands and prepared to swagger down the aisle so the world could see a king claiming his queen.

Didah gave him the biggest smile that rivaled the sun shining above them. She tilted her head back and burst into the first stanza of their family history and the drummers matched her strong voice as they pounded out the backing rythmn. His groomsmen and groomswoman were led away to join Yani's bridesmaids and bridesman to prepare for their entrance.

"I feel you all in me," N'Jadaka said out loud to his ancestors.

He held onto Dante's and Umama's hands and followed Didah out of the covered structure. The drummers controlled the pace of their trek around the temple and once they entered, N'Jadaka focused his eyes on Dinani the priest who waited for them at the front.

The temple overflowed with guests and their excited energy pushed against the king, adding an extra layer of sensory overload he tried to control. He was happy, so very happy, and every inch down the aisle heightened the experience. The piercing pride in Didah's voice carried him along as she sang out the story of the Udaku family leading the country for generations. Each time she named a queen or king, N'Jadaka felt their movement in his core as if they each tapped his soul to let him know they were walking beside him. He laughed out loud when Queen Shuriya's name was uttered. His greatest grandmother tickled the back of his neck and a vision of her clouded his eyes before the next name was called. His family gave a call and response with the drummers as they circled the temple allowing all the spectators to see the great King N'Jadaka in all his royal splendor. They made their way back up the aisle as his father's and mother's names were uttered. Umama let out a ululation that rippled through the family and N'Jadaka's knees almost buckled hearing the pain that was still in his grandmother's throat.

He closed his eyes when he felt a kiss from his mother on his temple and another kiss from his father on his forehead. He wiped his eyes and guided his elder relatives to their seats on a dais behind the priest. The rest of his family filled in the reserved seats in front of their guests.

N'Jadaka looked across the rows of guests and acknowledged the nearly nine hundred non-Udaku family members facing him. Sunlight filtered through the temple and illuminated the majestic indoor trees that created the canopy roof, their wide-sweeping branches intertwined with the solid pillars and Goddess statues making the atmosphere look surreal and holy. Didah and the drummers concluded their family song by highlighting N'Jadaka's bravery in protecting the people, and he danced entertaining the crowd. A few elderly Udaku aunts and uncles stood up and encouraged him to show out and he granted them a show. Umama and Dante hooted and hollered for him too. A bold drummer jumped in front of the king and pounded an extra rhythm for his feet and shoulders and he allowed his limbs to cut loose. The unseen Galiber clan called out his name loudly from the back announcing their entrance, and he ended his dancing by bowing to his grandparents. A riotous applause cascaded from the foreign guests in the audience.

Didah took her place behind him on the dais waiting for Yani's family griot to orate about her family.

The sound of clashing blades echoed from the far side of the temple. N'Jadaka waited with great anticipation. Kendall, and about fifteen of Yani's adult family members carried shiny cutlass blades and lit torches. They didn't use drums for a percussive sound, but sang acapella about Queen Mary, their history of enslavement and liberation using the acoustics of the ancient temple to echo the beauty of their combined voices. Leona walked among them lending her voice with her head held high wearing a strapless puffy champagne-colored gown decorated with tiny cutlass blades. Her salt and pepper hair was carefully decorated with Ginger Thomas flowers the official island flower from their home. Several young children and teenagers from their family followed along clapping to the beat and gazing at the wondrous beauty of the ancient temple.

Although Yani's family was small in number representing their clan in comparison to N'Jadaka's, they kept the guests spellbound listening to the story of their island roots and their connection to Africa through the diaspora. After singing the folk song of Queen Mary, Kendall took over the oral history and sang/rapped about their family. The other relatives stomped their feet and clapped their hands with percussive beats supporting his playful delivery of Caribbean history. The Galiber clan circled past N'Jadaka, and Kendall helped Leona join N'Jadaka's grandparents on the dais with four other elder cousins from her family. N'Jadaka moved over to them and gave them hugs and kisses before quickly taking his position back in front.

Kendall stood before Didah and the two of them had a playful back and forth of singing. Didah challenged Kendall to tell the world why Yani was the best woman for N'Jadaka and the young man waved his blade around and pointed the torch at the king. The fire was close enough to heat N'Jadaka's cheeks.

Didah held a long singing note and studied N'Jadaka's face.

"Is this woman for you, kumkani?" Didah asked.

"Bring her to me," he replied and the Udaki family laughed and clapped because he was supposed to simply say "Yes."

Didah's smile swelled his heart and she turned her attention back to Kendall.

"The king has spoken," Didah said.

Kendall grinned and attendants took away all the torches and cutlass weapons. The Wakandan drummers pounded away giving Kendall time to ceremonially return to the bride-to-be letting her know she was called forth. The sweet orchestral sounds of Wakandan strings, flutes, and violins mixed with the beautiful vocals of his paternal grand aunt serenading the strides of Twyla and Bibi. Twyla was already bawling as she clutched her husband's arm and the bouquet of flowers. Yani had all of her bridesmaids wear custom-made, iridescent mother-of-pearl dresses that each woman was allowed to choose in their personal style. Twyla's garment was a one shoulder wrap dress with a high slit on the left side. Her shoulder-length locs were also heavily decorated with island flowers. She clutched Bibi's arm tight while sniffling toward him. They stood on either side of N'Jadaka and he bent over and kissed Twyla's cheek, wiping her tears away.

"I'm sorry..I'm sorry…" Twyla whispered.

N'Jadaka laughed at her and she gathered herself together.

Zola and Ilana walked down with Tahir and Mpilo wearing elaborate crisscross halter neck gowns. The slits in their dresses were more modest, but their elaborate braided hair-dos showed flair and sassiness in their style. Mpilo looked terrified of messing up his walk down the aisle with Ilana, but he relaxed more when the king smiled at him. The heavenly music elevated the feelings in the temple and N'Jadaka touched his chest hoping it wouldn't explode before Yani appeared.

Anika and Dawnette made the long walk down the aisle with Walter and Shawn. Their dresses were a matching ruched style with sequins at the top and satiny overskirts that reminded N'Jadaka of mermaids. They crafted thick twists in their hair and wore their hair flowers tucked at their left temples like Billie Holiday.

Junie escorted Shuri who stunned everyone with her make-up and hair. She had fluffed out her hair into a perfectly coiffed 'fro where flowers were strategically placed to look like they grew from her scalp like a giant ebony bouquet. Her dress had a plunging neck with split sleeves that showed skin powdered with sparkly dust that twinkled like stars on her rich brown skin. As she passed the front row, she gave a nod to Nakia who held a sleeping Toussaint on her lap. Shuri gave a sly smirk to N'Jadaka knowing he was peeping all the extra make-up she never wore in her regular life. His young cousin looked stunning and his older cousin Junie looked proud to escort her in front of the Udaku clan.

Kendall strolled out with Nevaeh whose custom dress shared her Native heritage with Yurok detailing of abalone shells and stringed shell beads that dangled around her waist like a fancy apron that jingled as she walked. She wore a long braid threaded with flowers all the way to the small of her back. When she separated from Kenny she blew a kiss to N'Jadaka and showed him the extra bouquet of flowers she held for Marisol and Disa.

The music changed into a melody that transfixed the entire temple gathering. A young woman sang like an angel with a choral ensemble backing her up high above them. N'Jadaka lifted his gaze to a balcony above the temple entrance where the angelic voices rained down on them like holy blessings. He now understood why Umama insisted that the wedding take place in the late afternoon. The placement of the sun in the sky had its sunrays directed into the temple by the architecture where it created a natural spot light for his children coming down the aisle next.

The entire congregation stood up when Joba appeared, flower crowned with her thick wavy hair shiny with ringlet curls all down to her back. She held a basket of flowers and threw them in front of herself as she slowly walked in the procession. N'Jadaka heard the oohs and ahhs of their guests. The sun made Joba's skin a deep mahogany brown like her mother's and he beckoned for her to keep walking to him so he could hug her. Although her walk was out of order for an American custom, the Wakandans deemed it appropriate for the youngest child in the bridal party to herald the coming of the new wife with flowers and acceptance from the priest.

Joba reached the front and her eyes took in the ancient wisdom of Dinani who presided over the ceremony. Dinani gestured for Joba to come forward and the little girl paused, staring up at the expectant priest. Twyla waved for Joba to come to her side, but Dinani stepped forward and held Joba's hand. Something sacred transpired between the priest and his child. Dinani glanced at N'Jadaka and smiled. Whatever it was made the priest happy. N'Jadaka reached for Joba's hand and pulled her in front of him. He kissed the top of her head and the sweet show of affection made a few guests wave their hands in approval.

Sydette, his ring bearer, stepped lively carrying a satin pillow in her right hand that held the wedding rings. Her left hand kept a tight grip on a red satin binding rope that she would tie around her parent's wrists as part of the wedding ceremony.

His eldest child's hair carried buoyant curls that almost looked bigger than Shuri's 'fro with a braided Mohawk style. A few flowers were tucked into the intricate braiding pattern along her scalp accentuating the fullness of her curls, and her face glowed as she kept her eyes on her Baba watching her steps. Sunlight dappled across her hair and face as she drew closer to him. Her dress matched Joba's, silvery white and princess-styled to fit her age.

"Hey Sweet Pea," he said.

She fixed her lightly pink-glossed lips into a big smile for him showing big dimples like him, and took her place by his side next to Joba. He bent down and gave her a kiss on her nose and she giggled, patting his cheek with the hand carrying the marriage tie. She glanced at her sister and Joba giggled making Sydette giggle more.

"Wait until you see Mama," Sydette said to him.

N'Jadaka straightened right back up and waited for Yani to appear. Before she stepped into the temple, he heard her voice singing the words that were meant for him in that little St. Thomas club so long ago.

"Can't do without you for sure

Amount a place I and I explore

Still nuh find nobody else I adore

Them can't stop we, yeah

Yuh love a sumn wah mi have to protect

You are my balance and my ease to mi stress

Your vibration never fail me yet

Wull on pon me, yea…"*

N'Jadaka had been unaware that Yani was going to sing during their ceremony. Their rehearsal had been calculated from start to finish and at no time was he made aware of his bride serenading him. His ears caught the lead singer of the choral ensemble vocalizing the exact same English words into Wakandan, lending her vocals after Yani finished.

Like it had been in the past, he was mesmerized by Yani's voice before she even stepped into his sight.

Riki held his mother's hand and led her into the temple. His royal robes were an exact replica of his father's. His hair was fluffed out into the big sandy-red sunburst of his grandmother Califia. Yani wanted her son, the first child born to N'Jadaka, to give her away for the ceremony.

N'Jadaka's lips trembled as he watched the beaming face of his gorgeous bride walking toward him in all her glory. Yani's silvery-white dress sparkled in the light of the sun rays that struck the shimmery iridescence in all the right places. Form-fitting, a hood covered her head that fell back into a luxurious train, accentuating the roundness of her beautiful face and big tranquil eyes.

His heart stopped.

N'Jadaka gasped and Joba patted his wrist keeping his spirit from flying out of the room. He held out his hands, palms up, willing his radiant bride to come to him with all his might. Riki took his time setting Yani's pace. The boy wanted to show off his mother. The Wakandan choir sang over their bridal march with a hymnal that brought tears to N'Jadaka's eyes. Yani transported him.

He stood nude in warm liquid inside a Caribbean sea as a young mouthy woman fussed at him to get out of her waters. Surly eyes from the past challenged him to show his true self in a hectic kitchen on a compound until he clawed his way back to humanity and fell in love with his future queen. Yani beckoned him into the ocean of her love for all time. Was there no better proof of higher powers protecting him than that divine encounter with her?

Nothing prepared him fully to witness a vision coming toward him that made his whole body quake. He gasped for breath. Joba squeezed his hand.

"Its okay, Baba. Umi Yani is coming," Joba said.

Riki stopped halfway to the priest and puffed up his chest.

"Baba, come get Mama!" Riki shouted.

The congregation erupted into cacophonous laughter. Like his father, Riki eschewed tradition and said what needed to be said. Sydette pushed N'Jadaka forward and he took eager strides toward Yani. He was supposed to sing the royal wedding song that grooms shared with the bride, but he spoke them instead. The Wakandan words slowed down his steps and he approached Yani full-throated and proud:

"Come when the nights are bright with stars Or when the moon is mellow; Come when the sun his golden bars Drops on the hay-field yellow. Come in the twilight soft and gray, Come in the night or come in the day, Come, O love, whene'er you may, And you are welcome, welcome.

You are sweet, O Love, dear Love, You are soft as the nesting dove. Come to my heart and bring it rest As the bird flies home to its welcome nest.

Come when my heart is full of grief Or when my heart is merry, Come with the falling of the leaf Or with the redd'ning cherry. Come when the year's first blossom blows, Come when the summer gleams and glows, Come with the winter's drifting snows, And you are welcome, welcome…"**

He smiled, happy that he was able to remember every word and say them with enough eloquence in flawless Wakandan. Pausing for a moment to look over her stunning appearance, he relished the sight they created standing in the center of the temple with the warmth of the sun caressing them.

"Will you walk with me Yani Galiber?" he asked.

Yani kept her eyes locked onto his face. She fought to keep any tears from welling up, but the shimmer on her lower lids lost the battle. He never wanted to see her cry, but he made an exception for that day. Riki nudged her hip with an impatient hand. She cradled her son's chin and spoke to him softly.

"Should we?" Yani asked Riki.

A saucy grin curled Riki's lips and he nodded enthustiastically.

"I will walk with you King N'Jadaka Udaku," she said.

"Say that one mo' 'gin," N'Jadaka teased, cupping a hand to his ear.

Yani laughed and obliged him, her voice as soft and magical as it had been the first time he heard it.

"I will walk with you forever King N'Jadaka Udaku…my Golden Jaguar."

"Aye!" he shouted while offering her his arm. She held onto him with a firm grip and he clasped Riki's hand, escorting them both to Dinani.

Yani held tight to Riki's hand while the adult bridesmaids and groomsmen walked into the temple stepping in time to the exalted music playing for them. Several women priests had smudged her and the children with aromatic plants and oils before they left the palace and once again, a young female priest circled Yani and the children with a gold incense burner trailing a spiraling cloud of purple smoke that clung to their wedding garments and hair. The sweet odor calmed her mind and settled the children who were ready to gallop through the temple to reach their father.

Sydette hugged her waist.

"You look beautiful Mama," Sydette said.

"Thank you Sweet Pea. You all look beautiful, too."

Yani touched Sydette's hair then caressed Joba's cheek.

"I wish they'd hurry up," Riki lamented, swinging Yani's hand.

"They have to take their time walking down the aisle, silly. Everything is being filmed for the country and it's a big deal. If they walked fast they'd miss all the pretty clothes and how good we all look," Sydette said.

Riki and Sydette spoke quietly and Yani honed in on Joba's silence. She had been chatty and playful earlier that morning when everyone rushed around bathing in sacred oils and herbs with the female priests overseeing their preparations. But once they'd eaten a full breakfast, dressed, and left the palace, she'd quieted down.

Yani knelt before her youngest child and clasped her hands.

"How are you feeling, Sunshine? Nervous?"

Joba nodded. Sydette wrapped big sister arms around her.

"You'll make Baba proud when you lead us out…okay? We practiced and practiced and you will make the path for Mama pretty. I will be right behind you," Sydette said.

Joba clutched her basket of flowers and nodded. She tilted her head to look at Yani.

"What if I drop the basket or walk too fast?" Joba said.

Relief spilled over Yani hearing her speak again.

"All you have to do is listen to the music. It's like the metronome in Umama's suite. The beat sets the pace. If you think you're walking too fast, check the music cues. You are going to be a wonderful flower girl."

Yani hugged her and Joba leaned into the embrace. She kissed Yani's cheek and all was well again.

"It's time Princess Joba."

The lead wedding director smiled at the little girl and held a hand out to guide her into position at the temple entrance. Riki ran forward and hugged Joba. He whispered something in her ear and his sister broke out into another bright smile.

"You got this," Riki said out loud.

The director glanced at Yani.

"Everyone is standing up…here we go," the director said.

Joba took a deep breath and marched in time to the harmonious music.

"I'm next! I'm next!" Sydette squealed, twirling in a circle holding the wedding rings and sacred red tie.

Sydette peeked around the wedding director.

"Oh Mama! Baba looks so handsome," Sydette said.

Yani's heart and stomach fluttered. The anticipation of seeing him engulfed all of her nerve endings. They all heard collective oohs and ahhs and a smattering of applause. She wondered what happened to make the congregation applaud. Luckily, she would be able to watch the entire ceremony at a later time. The ceremony was broadcast live and recorded from start to finish. Palace recorders filmed everything the moment they stepped foot outside the palace for candid shots to later be edited into a royal wedding documentary.

"Princess Sydette, you are next please."

The director held out a hand and waved it, summoning the girl. Sydette blew Yani a kiss and marched out like a diva.

"Here you go, Princess Yani."

Another wedding coordinator handed her a mic. Yani waited for her music cue to tap it on. The peaceful strumming of harps alerted her, and she sang out all that she felt to N'Jadaka. She wondered what his facial expression looked like hearing her voice singing that particular song. Riki squeezed her hand in support and for a moment, holding her son's hand and singing to his father brought back all the connections they had in St. Thomas. Emotion spilled through her voice as she conveyed to the king how much he meant to her.

As the voice of the Wakandan choral member sang the song in their language with a different musical arrangement that transformed into the Wakandan wedding march, Yani held tight to her bridal bouquet and let her son lead them into the temple.

Grateful to have her son's hand for support, Yani took in the hundreds of faces that watched her march toward her destiny. Her brain tried to connect with individual eyes upon her. That proved useless once she zeroed in on N'Jadaka waiting for her at the far end.

God…he was more than handsome.

She lost her footing for a second and Riki helped her find her steps again.

It all came down to this moment.

Yani drifted away into a time when she was a lost woman-child trying to make a way out of no way on a small island. How many nights had she prayed for a better life for herself and Sydette? Given up on herself? How many days had she cried and chastised herself for choosing love with Chez who treated her so poorly and abandoned Sweet Pea? Yani had felt so alone and lost to a pre-destined fate that befell too many young women with big hearts and limited resources or support. Thank God Auntie was there for her. Thank all the angels too that her auntie liked Killmonger so much that she didn't run interference keeping them apart. There were too many tangible things that should have prevented Yani from ever meeting the foreign mercenary.

But look at God.

Her eyes watered and she looked away to control her blurry vision. No tears fell and she was able to concentrate on her delicate steps to reach the king.

Riki halted their march and shouted for his father to get her. The audience laughed and Yani chuckled herself. His declaration was not a part of the ceremony. She lifted her bridal bouquet to her lips to hide her open-mouthed laughter when Riki sucked his teeth sounding like an annoyed Auntie back home.

Her laughter fell away once N'Jadaka came down the aisle to claim her at his son's demand. She heard a few gasps from women around her who also felt that energy coming toward her. He spoke forceful words of love instead of singing them to her. The switch up made the evocative words more powerful and she felt every utterance in her bones, marrow deep. When he finally reached her, she could barely see his face. Her eyes had become a river threatening to spill down her face.

"Will you walk with me Yani Galiber?" N'Jadaka asked.

His voice was full of pride and so much love for her. The scent of oils on his skin and the smudging on his clothes smelled heavenly. She lost the ability to speak taking all of his spirit in. Riki balled up a small fist and pressed it into her hip. Yani lifted his chin and stared into Riki's shiny eyes.

"Should we?" Yani asked her son.

Those little Udaku lips on his face swept up into a knowing smile and Riki nodded like she was foolish to even ask the question. She looked at her great love again.

"I will walk with you King N'Jadaka Udaku," she said.

"Say that one mo' 'gin!"

N'Jadaka had cupped his ear and she knew in her soul he did that purely to show off for the nobles who questioned her place in his life.

"I will walk with you forever King N'Jadaka Udaku…my Golden Jaguar."

"Aye!"

Yani gripped his arm and he held Riki's hand, escorting them all to the priest waiting for them. Her bridesmaids and bridesgroom were in various stages of watery eyes, crying, and beaming love to her. She handed her bouquet to Twyla and her cousin gushed over her with a weepy voice.

Facing N'Jadaka, Yani watched the priest give Sydette instructions. She handed the wedding rings to her brother and a footstool was placed in front of her so she could easily bind her mother and father together. Dinani spoke ancient words as Sydette tied the satin binding rope around N'Jadaka's wrist first. She left about two feet of rope in between them before she tied the other end on Yani's wrist. Her task complete, Sweet Pea kissed both their wrists and returned to stand next to Joba.

Yani listened to the Wakandan words spoken by the priest, but her eyes stayed on N'Jadaka's face the entire time. His soulful eyes drank in every inch of her. It seemed like they were the only two there, but with the guests, plus the entire Udaku clan in attendance, over one thousand people witnessed their union and she blotted them all out.

Dinani spoke of their expected duties toward one another. Her ears glossed over all of those expectations and only tuned back in when the long ceremony moved into the portion where she was told the qualities of a virtuous queen.

Holy scripture was read by Ayiz'e who wore the sacred red robes of the mountain temple of Bast. A male priest presented Dinani with more sacred oils and they anointed Yani and N'Jadaka. The qualities of a virtuous king were recited to N'Jadaka. An older female priest blessed their children who stood there, and also blessed the children they would have in the future.

Umama stepped forward from her place on the dais holding Yani's queen isicholo. Dinani prayed over the crown and anointed it with holy Bast oils before N'Jadaka pulled back the hood on Yani's wedding dress revealing her platinum hair. Umama's voice was loud and strong.

"We of the Udaku clan accept Yani Galiber into this holy union. She is our welcomed daughter…our new queen…Queen Yani N'Isiqithi the First."

The women of the entire Udaku clan broke out into heartfelt ululations that echoed throughout the temple. Yani bowed her head slightly and Umama placed the queen's isicholo on her head.

"Stay blessed Queen Yani, may your reign make us all proud and may your greatest grandmother Queen Mary guide your hand in all that you do," Umama said.

Yani stood still and accepted the ululations, the shouts, the applause, the jealousy, the envy, the hatred, the admiration, the love, the curiosity, and the fear her queendom brought to Wakanda. She straightened her posture and let the weight of the crown sink into soul.

Queen Yani.

Heavy was the head that wore the crown, but not so much with N'Jadaka by her side. He held her hand up and they turned around to face the congregation. Dinani raised their arms and spoke with a firm tone in their voice.

"May I present to you all here, the royal heads of the nation, King N'Jadaka and Queen Yani Udaku, avatars of the Golden Jaguar…children of the Black Pather Tribe."

Everyone in the temple stood, including the relatives on the dais. The Council of Elders came forth from the audience and circled Yani and N'Jadaka. They held hands and recited an oath promising them both wise council in the days ahead. Stepping aside afterward, Yani and her new husband were able to acknowledge the crowd amidst their applause.

"You may now kiss your bride, kumkani," Dinani said.

N'Jadaka's lips were on hers before the priest finished giving permission, almost knocking her crown off. He kissed her within an inch of her life and backed away when she almost went limp.

"Hey queen," he said.

"Hey king," she answered.

Yani checked on their children and all three had glossy eyes admiring her new isicholo. N'Jadaka threaded his fingers with hers and boldly showed her off. To close the ceremony, they had to circle the inside of the temple as newlyweds counterclockwise. The isicholo settled nicely on her head, and Yani willfully entered her new era as ruler. She relaxed into N'Jadaka's strides and pranced about, letting her beauty and new status burn her enemies down to charcoal.

N'Jadaka kept stopping to kiss her hand and the red satin binding tie dangled between them letting everyone know they would never part. She reveled in the power, soaked it up and let it propel her around the temple with a fierce protective energy.

Back at the front again, N'Jadaka kissed her chasrely, with pecks to her lips and both cheeks. She bent down to hug and kiss their children just as the closing wedding march started. Dinani gave their final blessing and the Udaku family drummers showed out again, leading the march out of the temple. Didah sang a new griot song prophesying the reign of Yani and N'Jadaka.

"Ready to face the rest of the world?" N'Jadaka asked.

"I am," Yani said.

They held hands tight and strolled down the aisle together, exiting the ancient temple as husband and wife.

* Lyrics to Jada Kingdom's "Wull On"

** Poem by Black American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906), "An Invitation to Love"

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#King Killmonger #King Killmonger The Golden Jaguar #Killmonger Fanfiction #Black Panther Fanfiction #Wakanda Forever Fanfiction #Killmonger Fanfic #Uzumaki Rebellion #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Pantherverse #Namor #Talokan #Youtube

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“The Offering” (A Namor of Talokan Fic) Masterlist

Summary:

A Wakandan woman makes an ancestral offering to Mama Wati during an annual seaside celebration for the mother of waters and meets the forbidden love of her life...  K'uk'ulkan, a being who claims to be a god, but only wants to live as a man.

Three Part Mini-Series. NSFW. Smut. 18+.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three 

(Check out my Quick and Dirty Masterlist of other content HERE.)

#The Offering #Namor #Namor Fanfiction #namor smut #Namor Fanfic #namor x oc #Wakanda Forever #Black Panther #Namora #Okoye #Tenoch Huerta #Namor X Black Reader #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Uzumaki Rebellion #namor imagine #pantherverse #mcu!namor

[uzumaki-rebellion]

Soon come... "The Feathered Serpent's Daughter"

Author's Note: I wanted to create a bridge story prior to my "King Killmonger: The Golden Jaguar" fic coming out next month. This story will take place a year before Namor shows up to confront N'Jadaka about RiRi's vibranium detector. You will need to read my 3-part Namor fic "The Offering" to know what is going on when this drops.

Summary:

Namor's oldest daughter, Lewatle, has grown up a bit. Although she is all of twenty-one in human years, her slowed down mutant age progression has her looking like a fourteen-year-old child. Her close friends in Talokan are moving on to marriage and creating families of their own, and she's stuck being the pampered princess of the Talokan king and his Wakandan wife, Queen, Lebadi.

Bored and a bit curious about the surface world of her mother, Lewatle slips out of Talokan to travel thousands of miles away for a secret peek into the world of Wakanda.

#The Feathered Serpent's Daughter #Namor Fanfiction #Uzumaki Rebellion #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Pantherverse

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 67″

Masterlist HERE. NSFW. Smut. 18+.

"But for now He moves so proud He dips, he pirouettes; The Mambo King Floats around the ring His hands like castanets; He sways, tugged back Gravity grows slack He's propelled by strings of rhythm He forward stalls, Yes, to dance is all' Yes, dance while you still have Breath."

David McLansky - "Riff on Rita Dove's Mambo"

N'Jadaka approached the viewscreen of the Royal Talon Fighter. A storm cloud of thoughts rested above his mind in a gray funk, but he pushed it aside to enjoy the sight of thousands of Wakandans dotting the beach below his royal aircraft.

"Baba, so many people!" Sydette squealed, standing next to him.

Riki held his hand and Joba stood in front of him peering at the spectacle below them. Behind them, the Udaku royal family sat in anticipation. Disa and Yani were among the group as were Dante, Umama, and Baba Z. Nakia sat next to T'Challa holding onto his hand with quiet affection.

The shoreline rippled with people dressed in the colors of the sea paying their respects to Mama Wati. Six men carried the platform of a giant blue-black statue of an African mermaid with long serpentine locs decorated with shells and starfish toward the warm water where revelers piled an offering boat with gifts. All eyes were averted to the Royal Talon Fighter as it hovered above a cleared pathway for the king. The excitement of his presence was palpable. Ramonda handed him an extravagant blue sugar and azure floral arrangement in the shape of a giant nautilus shell. The Talon Fighter ramp opened and N'Jadaka stepped out of the aircraft with his family behind him.

Drummers startled his children as the Birnin S'Yan elders from the Mama Wati Temple greeted them, holding their hands out in a sign of respect.

"Ukumkani, we are so honored you could join us on this special day," said a male elder draped in all white with blue glass beads around his neck.

The rulers of Wakanda normally handed over their family offerings from inside the palace, rarely attending the festive site in person. N'Jadaka wanted to be seen all the time and in all parts of the country. The wide-eyed stares all across his family hinted at how detached the Udaku clan had been for decades. His children were an extra rare treat. They were ogled as much as him. Their mothers stood behind him and there were slick glances their way too. As always, Disa stayed covered up with a flowing blue caftan, dark shades, and her hijab. Yani wore a light blue skirt with a white netted top layered over a blue-green half tank with loads of long, cyan-blue seeded beads. She decorated her face with white dots fashioned after Shuri's flashy style.

"I present to you our family offering. May Mama Wati accept our gift," N'Jadaka said.

A female elder took the nautilus shell from his hands and carried it over to the lead boat where it was gently placed at the top of other beautiful offerings completing the ritual procession. The Udaku family stood to the side of the gathered temple priests and witnessed the prayers and incense given to the deity. The stimulated energy from all those present crawled along his skin and he noticed the reactions to the projection of power he displayed physically from his hair to his cobalt blue robes. Nine Doras mingled nearby and watched the crowds. Birnin S'Yan wasn't particularly fond of the transition of power. A small but vocal minority in their governing territorial body didn't want T'Challa to cede power to him. It was also the original root of the Phuri and it was better to be overly cautious with security. The Kingsguard also kept close to his kin and his Onyx Squad spread out among the revelers.

Yani moved closer to him and leaned up against his arm. She kept a watchful eye on his physical bearing. He had rested for days before the celebration, however, she stuck to him all the way from the palace. She must've clued Disa in because both women peeped his every move for any signs of fatigue.

"It's so beautiful… and calm," Yani said, watching the offering boat sailing over small waves.

She threaded her fingers with his and squeezed them gently, then pressed her cheek into his arm. Ramonda cleared her throat, reminding them to keep aware of their surroundings. Public displays of affection were to be full of reserve, but N'Jadaka ate it up. Yani touched him first. He released her hand, but they stayed close to each other, their children enjoying the Black mermaid display once the boat was too far to see anymore. Ritual singers chanted a sailing song for the boat and attendants on board released the offerings into the sea.

White incense swirled in the air across the waters once the boat was emptied of gifts, and ululations broke out accompanied by raucous music tumbling all around them with wild abandon. The raging flares of sunlight bounced off of elaborately decorated blue and white umbrellas that shielded smiling faces adorned with crystals and paint. The contagious release of joy spread beyond the shoreline giving the flavor of a second line. Yani and the children shuffled their feet and bodies with the Wakandans near them and the urge to shake his hips seeped into his marrow. Disa clapped her hands encouraging their little ones and he thought he would abstain from moving to keep a reserved image. But Shuri wiggled her hips with Ramonda, while T'Challa rocked on his heels next to Nakia's body rolls. N'Jadaka shook his arms and shoulders causing a rush of excited clapping from his people, egging him on to cut loose more. He watched Yani twirl around with Joba and joined them, shaking his body in time with the drums and stringed instruments. They widened the circle and let Riki and Sydette in, as his eldest tugged on Disa's hand forcing her to link up too. The crowd made their way toward the parade route and the Udaku clan shuffled behind to find their roped-off section of a raised platform to view the continued grand festivities. Yani shimmied her shoulders and he couldn't help himself from dancing behind her. She grabbed his hand and he swung her around in a wide arc, pulling her back in close. Their eyes met and he let her go, aware that everyone stared at their brazen playfulness with each other that bordered on intimate affection. Pulling back from her, he took on a cool persona again, helping Riki and Joba up onto the risers.

He checked on the family around him and caught Disa tapping her kimoyo before peeking over her shoulder toward the visible mountain range that led to the Jabari lands. She smirked at him when she turned her gaze back toward the festivities in front of them. Her face glowed and he winked at her to let her know he understood her feelings. Despite the fun of being with everyone, she wanted to be somewhere else.

The parade delighted his children, their precocious eyes were wide open in wonderment marveling at giant aquatic creatures floating past with angelic grace. Dancers, acrobats, singers, rhinos, elephants, and giant, long-horned bulls marched past. A beautiful woman dressed to represent Mama Wati floated past on a platform tossing out gold shell-shaped wrappers filled with chocolates and his kids went nuts squealing, trying to catch them with other children along the route. An hour went by, and there was too much more to see.

"This way your highness, we would like to show you the family altars," a male elder said.

The entire family followed him and they played tourist to the elaborate altars and other fanfare. In the distance, he saw the section marked off for the diaspora delegates who watched respectfully. As the formal ceremony ended, the foreign guests were allowed to view a few altars before they were escorted away for a lunch spread above the bluffs where they could continue to enjoy the celebration. There was a fair and more activity in the city for them to participate in too.

Yani and Disa chatted about the altars and their children collected seashells and flowers that had blown off of displays. They cruised along to the boardwalk on foot and looked over brightly decorated vendor booths where souvenir items could be purchased. The sugary smells of sweet candies, grilled corn on the cob, fried dumplings, and meaty kebabs scented the air making his stomach grumble. Food vendors gladly gave him free samples and asked for pictures with him. He shook hands, smiled for holopics, and talked to enthusiastic citizens.

Joba grabbed Disa's hand and dragged her toward the fair with Dante and Shuri. Riki and Sydette matched her pace while tugging Marisol and Twyla along. Nakia and T'Challa straggled off in another direction. Their security team split up accordingly. Baba Z, Umama, and Ramonda walked ahead of him. Yani stayed by his side. Music blasted around them.

"Reminds me of Juvay and carnival in Brazil," he said.

Yani nodded.

"This is more ceremonial… serious," she said.

"You don't think people were shaking ass hard for Mama Wati?" he teased.

She punched his arm playfully and he clasped her hand in his. He kissed the top of her knuckles. Ahead of them was a large tent. N'Jadaka stopped in front of it.

"Let's go inside," he said.

He read the display sign next to a young woman with stars in her eyes as she stared at him.

"Is it all statues?" he asked.

"There is other artwork too, my king," the woman said, keeping her eyes downcast from shyness.

Ayo and Aneka stepped inside first and checked every part of the tent. A few Wakandans stepped out and his Onyx Squad blocked the entrance so that he and Yani could enjoy the vendor tent by themselves in private.

"Oh, look at this," Yani cooed at the first large, framed photo.

A vivid color photo of the Black Mermaid statue that represented Mama Wati gave notice of the splendor inside. Every picture was a stunning photographic lesson on the importance of the annual holiday. Each display became better than the last, and they walked in silence until they came across a photo of his father and uncle when they were young teenagers standing in front of the palace handing over a family offering to the sea.

N'Jadaka grinned.

"It's funny to see my Baba all skinny and without a beard," he said.

Both boys held the offering with giant grins on their faces. There was love there. Pure brotherly affection.

"Things could've been so…"

He didn't finish the obvious.

"I like these," Yani said.

She drew his attention to several small statues representing Bast and Sekhmet, Mama Wati's sisters.

"Oh, and this one!" Yani said.

N'Jadaka read the placard. The statue Yani fawned over showed a depiction of a more ancient onyx Mama Wati with an extended pregnant belly with a curved fishtail that she rested on. She had a bald head and closed eyes making it seem like she was sunbathing herself and her full belly.

"Looks like you," he said.

Yani beamed and circled around the statue.

"I was almost that big with Dumplin," she said.

She touched the belly button of the figure and he touched it too, rubbing it a little. Yani's eyes held a dusky sensualness. He let his finger trace up the statue and onto her arm. She shuddered and he slinked behind her, lowering his head to kiss the back of her neck. Peppering kisses along the bare parts of her shoulders, he wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back comfortably and molded her soft frame against the hard muscles of his chest and stomach.

"You're still my Black mermaid?" he whispered in her ear.

Yani trembled and a breathy sigh escaped from her glossy lips. He nibbled on her earlobe and rocked her in his arms.

"Don't want to answer me right now?" he teased.

She tilted her head and he hummed her name in the shell of her ear and she giggled.

"Okay… okay… I see I have to get my formal courting on point before you accept me. Bet."

He released her and she turned around keeping her warmth against his warmer body. She raised her head up and he stared at her lips that were parted and ached to be kissed. Her hands slid up his chest and folded like little doves on the nape of his neck making him feel romantic and wishing to escape out of the tent and return to his palace home so they could really be alone together.

"I did well today, Yani. Didn't overexert myself or anything."

She nodded in agreement and he became so conscious of her body pressed into his with snug assurance. N'Jadaka's dick plumped under the royal robes and he relaxed knowing there were enough layers and beading on it that she wouldn't notice his arousal while holding her.

She kissed him.

Dammit!

Their lips connected and her tongue sought entry into his mouth right away. Being next to one another all day led to a fusion of plush lips, soft moans, and needy swirls of fingers against necks and waists. He angled his neck for more comfort and groaned when Yani figured out his erection disturbed his royal clothing. She sucked on his tongue and then licked across his upper lip, grinding her lower parts into him.

"See… I was tryna avoid this," he chuckled.

He adjusted his robes and she teased him by brushing sneaky touches on his privates.

"Show some respect to the king," he commanded.

She reacted to his tone and her eyes turned dreamy. He snaked a hand around her neck, holding her still. The air crackled with new energy and he wrenched his eyes away from her and toward the front of the tent.

"Someone's coming," he said, stepping back at an appropriate length between them.

Okoye rushed into their area and flanked his side.

"King N'Jadaka, you are being summoned by Captain Lebohang," Okoye whispered in his ear.

He looked at Yani and reached for her hand.

"I'll meet you when I'm done checking in with my naval officer," he said.

"Okay," Yani said with concern in her eyes.

"It's alright, Yani. I'll see you in a bit."

He kissed her cheek and she rested her hands on his chest.

"Don't stress yourself out," Yani said. "Today is Mama Wati's day… a day for family and fun."

He noticed Ayo waiting in the corner.

"Ayo. Please escort Princess Yani to where Lady Galiber and my children are."

"Yes, your highness," Ayo said.

N'Jadaka followed Okoye in the opposite direction of the vendor tent. The general led him to the well-guarded Royal Talon Fighter. Several stinger ships and wasp crafts flew above it for extra protection. T'Challa stood at attention inside, with an image of Captain Lebohang floating on the work console.

"Captain," N'Jadaka said.

"The Talokanil have attacked three more ships in the upper Atlantic. C.I.A. and Navy Seals connected. This time they sank them. A distress signal made it to their leadership and they are blaming us, your highness," Lebohang said.

"Shit," N'Jadaka grumbled.

"We intercepted a cryptic message to the United States Secretary of Defense and he is due to meet with their president later today," Lebohang said.

N'Jadaka turned to Okoye.

"Bring Fury to my office immediately. I'll be there shortly," N'Jadaka said. "Lebohang, what do they have exactly as proof that they think it's us?"

"Nothing. The hulls of the ship were damaged making the vessels sink. We know for sure that they are searching for vibranium."

Lebohang patched in audio of messages relayed before the ships were destroyed. N'Jadaka glanced at his cousin.

"I'll have to go to the states earlier than planned," N'Jadaka said.

"They are impatient for our resources and technology," T'Challa said. "Their search for vibranium will fail."

"Yet somehow, they keep getting on the Talokan radar," N'Jadaka said.

"They cannot detect vibranium. K'uk'ulkan is being reckless and the blame shifts to us," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka projected a map of the globe and Lebohang marked off areas of ship attacks around the world that were not reported to the public.

"Show me a twenty-year overlay of classified American naval attacks," N'Jadaka commanded the Talon Fighter's griot.

Crimson markers sprouted up all around the world.

"They have a vast territory," T'Challa said.

"We barely know what's beneath the surface… looking at all of this… they could be legion and no one would know," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka studied the data and compared intel from when he was a child on the Atlantic until their present state.

"I see a pattern," N'Jadaka said.

He tapped the projected screen and the Shuri-led Wakandan Group Design outreach facilities popped up in purple near the West African coasts from Senegal to Angola.

"The C.I.A. is searching wherever we are entrenched," T'Challa said.

"They won't be working alone. France has their foot on our neck too with the U.K. pretending to be patient with their former colonies who benefit from our research facilities," N'Jadaka said.

"We are providing desalinization machines, new fertilization techniques for agriculture, and diversification of seed farming, as well as medical training with advanced tools," T'Challa said.

"All benefits due to vibranium hardware," N'Jadaka said.

Okoye and Ayo ran back onto the Talon Fighter.

"King N'Jadaka," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka sensed her deep distress and followed behind her. They moved past the aircraft and stepped onto the edge of the boardwalk. Wakandans who stayed on the beach stood staring at the water. Okoye handed him a pair of slender binoculars.

"It arrived nine minutes ago and has been staying in that position ever since," Ayo said.

Peering into the binoculars, he observed a lone whale tail fin breaching the surface and standing still.

"This is not our season for that particular species of whale to be in our waters, and a spy drone detected traces of vibranium on the barnacles coating its underside," Okoye said.

N'Jadaka looked at T'Challa.

"He knows where we are," N'Jadaka said.

"A warning?" T'Challa said.

"A promise."

He peered through the binoculars again.

"The fuck?"

Several Wakandan leisure sailboats floated too close to the whale. One large boat sported the Udaku family crest. N'Jadaka tapped his kimoyo beads and contacted Noxolo.

"Where are you?" N'Jadaka barked.

His kimoyo GPS locked in on his children and their mothers. He knew the answer before Noxolo spoke.

"The royal family is taking a boat excursion," Noxolo said.

"Head back to shore now!" he shouted.

N'Jadaka ordered the Royal Talon Fighter to power up. A stinger aircraft zoomed above the whale and kept a tracking device on it.

"Take me to the boat," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa's Black Panther suit swarmed over him and he jumped aboard a military quad aircraft that raced out to the whale. The Talon Fighter swooped down to the pleasure boat that carried his family. Okoye maneuvered the aircraft ramp onto the boat. He swept down to greet his people.

"What is happening?" Ramonda asked as she helped Umama and Baba Z onto the ship.

"Time to return to the palace," N'Jadaka said.

"Aw… but we wahn to go back to the fair again," Riki grumbled.

Sydette stared into his eyes.

"Baba knows best," Sydette said, pushing her little brother to move faster.

Disa and Yani kept quiet, already understanding that something wasn't right without asking him about it.

Nick Fury didn't try to hide anything from N'Jadaka.

He stood before the Wakandan king unguarded with his emotions and body language.

"The U.S. has been waiting to move on you," Fury said.

"What's stopping them?" N'Jadaka said, watching the man from behind his desk.

"Greed and collecting irrefutable evidence. We want you to hand over your vibranium and tech now. But we also want boots on the ground here just like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. The success of your community centers and outreach facilities prevents an outright attack. Several U.S. senators have voted against pressuring the U.N., but the president will support covert operations from within and from our allies," Fury said.

Fury curled his lips into a sneer.

"You already knew that, king. Why the concern about it now?" Fury asked.

"I want full transparency from you, not the PR explanation."

"I could stand here and tell you we need your tech for the space threat, but our president looks beyond that. We want total control of this country and how you move. The U.S. is not beyond doing you like we did Japan in 1945."

"Destruction and then puppet master," N'Jadaka said.

"It's all we ever do."

"I will go to war if America feels froggish."

"You have a right to defend your nation. But you have no true allies anywhere. Your African neighbors look at you with distrust, even as you attempt to help improve their lives. Wakanda is a country without equals and you are a threat to everyone," Fury said.

N'Jadaka stood up from his seat and moved around to the front of his desk. He handed Fury a large cigar from a gold and mahogany humidor box. Lighting up the smokes, they both puffed and eyed each other warily.

"How soon?" N'Jadaka asked.

"How soon…?"

"Fury, now is not the time to jerk me around. When does the U.S. plan on coming for us?"

"The U.S., Spain, and France have drafted a joint plot to destabilize after the Asgardian problem has been resolved. China and Russia are already looking to disrupt parts of West Africa to get a foothold on any advances you share outside your borders. They all plan to reverse engineer anything they can take from you and retcon their previous calls to work in partnership with this country. The axis of global power is in your hand… just yours. Your assassination is on the table. They want T'Challa back in power. He is deemed flexible and more willing to do business."

N'Jadaka grinned and took a long drag on his cigar.

"I wanted to hear you say it out loud," N'Jadaka said.

"Yeah… well… before they come for your head, they want to use you. May I?"

Fury pointed to his controlled kimoyo beads and N'Jadaka's comm tab interface. N'Jadaka turned on his view screen projector. Fury tapped his beads against the floating screen.

"Received these images from your probe two hours ago," Fury said.

"What am I looking at?"

"To the military, a UAP—Unidentified Aerial Phenomena— to you, me, and the American president, little green men. Expect a call soon. We assume that whatever is coming from up there has sent a scouting team. An elevated orange alert is in effect."

"Place of impact?"

"There was none. It entered the atmosphere and went off the radar. The last known trajectory was over Western Europe. Scotland to be exact."

N'Jadaka rolled his neck and smoked. Both men stared at the images of bright lights streaking across the earth.

Fury told him a lot. N'Jadaka wouldn't reveal the Talokanil to him no matter what amount of intel he gave up. The whale sighting unnerved him, but he accepted the message K'uk'ulkan sent. The god-king knew where they existed just like Wakanda grasped their territories too. He studied war in the navy long enough to know how to be strategic. Talokan hated surface dwellers but had a vague connection to Wakanda. That made them neutral. The current threat floated in front of him.

"I want to leave Wakanda tomorrow morning. The Avengers have to be gathered," Fury said.

"I'll be in Switzerland next week and then I'm heading to the U.S. to meet the president on his home turf," N'Jadaka said.

Fury stared at him hard.

"You have international delegates coming here—"

N'Jadaka waved his hands at the man.

"I'm canceling all that shit. Shutting up shop. Telling them all that to their faces. Plotting against me? Nah, I'm coming to your house and setting everybody straight at one time and in one place," N'Jadaka huffed.

He crushed the last of his cigar in a brass ashtray and tapped the projected screen. Fury swiveled his neck to look at the new image above N'Jadaka's desk.

Agent Everett Ross.

"I'm familiar with him," Fury said.

N'Jadaka slid the government issue photo to the side and added another next to it. A slightly blurred picture taken on the Nigandan border from Nakia's bodycam long ago.

"I'm going to kill him," N'Jadaka said.

"Wait a minute…."

Fury held up an index finger and gave a nervous smile of disbelief.

"You can't kill a spook—"

"Ross came into Wakanda and pretended to be friends with my family. I shot him four years ago. He's supposed to be dead. T'Challa saved him because of Nakia. That spook came here, downloaded everything he could gather about us and our security, and pressured some unhinged Wakandans to go up against the royal family. He nearly orchestrated the death of my grandparents and helped murder civilians to stir up a coup. We captured one of the terrorists he instigated and supported, and I got a full confession in person with proof. I'm only telling you this so you can put some distance between yourself and us. I'm taking him out after I place Nakia in the States."

"King… N'Jadaka….listen…."

Fury ground out his cigar and furrowed his brow.

"He played in my family's face and disrupted the peace here. Threatening the safety of my children and their mothers is unforgivable."

"Why not use him? Huh? Play him like he played your people."

"No."

Fury held his palms together and closed his eyes for a second.

"His ex-wife is now the new head of the C.I.A. If you kill, you'll lose access to the root of all your problems. The Feds are hot for your head. Don't give them ammunition to come here early."

"We'd kill them all before they even reached the hidden border."

Fury paced the floor.

"I understand the fucked situation Ross put your people in—"

"Good, cuz there's no fuckin' way Wakandans should've been working with a C.I.A. agent in the first place—"

"But delay the revenge kill. There's a lot on the line on my end and I need that man alive."

"He orchestrated the destruction of the Hall of Panthers. The place where my ancestors rest, bruh. Umama and Baba Z were there to prepare for my parent's arrival back home… my three kids were in school not too far from where they could see and hear what was going on—"

"If you could find it in your power to hold off…for a time… I won't stand in your way. He isn't going anywhere. You said Nakia is heading to the States…best believe he'll be there close to her and T'Challa. Listen, I have no love for that man one way or the other. But I'm telling you as your only friend on the outside, the project I'm overseeing needs Ross and his contacts."

The urge to end the agent subsided. A coolness at the top of his head tamed him and he accepted the nudge from Bast to fall back. N'Jadaka did have time, and it would be smart to use Ross for a few more months by feeding him false intel and shadowing him. It took him over twenty years to be king. He could wait a year to snuff a rat.

"I'll give you twelve months," N'Jadaka said.

"Thank you."

"I'll have you set for departure after breakfast tomorrow."

Fury extended his open hand to the king.

"Let's meet in the States when you come over. I get word before you do about the UAP, I'll hit you up. We'll need everything Wakanda has if this turns out as bad as those refugees warned us about."

N'Jadaka shook his hand and summoned palace guards to escort Fury back to his personal villa. He missed dinner with the family and was shocked that Yani didn't send a message to remind him. Grabbing some leftovers in his office staff room, he heated up a vegetarian meal of slippery zucchini and pasta in a light cream sauce. He texted messages to his children that he would see them before bedtime and headed for the palace pool. Thoughts of murder and mayhem receded to the back of his mind.

Walking into the pool room he headed for the shower room first and shucked off his royal robes. Hot steam puffed around his nude form. His kimoyo lit up. A vid message from Yani. He played it.

"Hey! The kids are resting early. They want to see the fireworks tonight from the moon deck, so no storytime at nine. We can meet you there before they start. There will be ice cream too!"

He grinned and her image winked out. Stepping out of the showers he padded away from the fancy parts of the upper pool and headed down to the simple mineral water whirlpool section. Dropping down into the balmy warmth, he waded past a colored water display that sat in the center and discovered Yani already indulging in the soothing pool that bubbled and gurgled around her. She stood up and revealed her own naked form.

"I thought you were at the house. Got your message," he said, grinning so hard his cheeks stretched wide.

"Shuri and Marisol entertained them until they were knocked out for later tonight. Twyla and Disa went to a party and I didn't want to tag along."

"Decided to come here for a skinny dip, huh?" he said.

"Yeah."

"Me too. Some stress relief… wind down and shit."

"Was your meeting with Fury good?" she asked.

He could barely concentrate on her words. Staring at her in warm water with full breasts pearling with liquid droplets blotted out an answer to her inquiry. He shook his head and tried to focus on his hands swirling in the pool water.

"It was a good meeting. He's leaving tomorrow."

She nodded and turned away from him, heading for the stairs. He followed, watching her backside bounce as she moved in the heated water.

"Damn," he muttered while staring.

She bent over to fix a fluffy turquoise towel she had at the edge of the pool, and her ass cheeks parted enough where he could see the back of her vulva. Her folds glistened, not from water, but from her own sticky arousal. Had she been down here thinking about him being naked?

His dick jumped and he didn't try to stop it from reacting by thinking of mundane things. He embraced what was before him. She turned and lifted herself onto her towel. He moved between Yani's open thighs and held her by the waist.

"Why do I feel like you're really here to check up on my health again?" he said.

She batted her eyelashes. Her face was lightly made up and she smelled like sugar and vanilla. His body tingled up a storm so close to her and he was aware of her feeling the same way by how coy she played being there in the nude. He couldn't stop grinning while staring at her face and lush body. Yani knew that he needed to see her at the end of a long day and presenting herself fully naked and vulnerable was an invitation to love on her as he did in the past. He ignored the fat dick hanging between his legs poking at her thighs. Her big seductive eyes trapped him, turning his insides into mush. The heat of his love for her flowed out like it was a cloud of smoke and surrounded her, making Yani's fingers spring into action as they traced lines on his cheek and lips. A king needed a woman to come home to. N'Jadaka left his worries back at the office and slipped into the welcoming warmth of Yani's presence.

He held up a hand and she threaded her fingers with his and they pressed their foreheads together enjoying the peace of water and love floating through them. She would return to work in the morning with his older children and the separation ate at him.

"Yani, I love you."

Her gaze lowered and her eyes welled up, staring at his chest.

"It takes so much for me to be the king, but having you here with me means everything."

She placed her arms around his shoulders but still wouldn't look him in the eye again. Soft sighs fell from her lips and she listened intently. He wanted her in his home, but she valued her space away from him. A surge of energy reared up within him and she trembled, feeling it on her skin. He was a force of nature. As cliché as it sounded to him, he understood that his power was truly visceral, and everyone would always become affected by it when they were near him. Even his woman.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked.

She looked up at him then, her round moon-lust eyes so glittery with desire. Yani moved her face closer and he enveloped her lips with such tenderness that she cried. She needed his love and the weight of her heart pressed on him making his hands tremble as he held her face.

"You're so beautiful… gave me beautiful children… gave me life again," he said with soft words.

He kissed down her cheek and planted more kisses on her throat and in the middle of her chest where her breasts rested in wet glory. He palmed them, kneading the fullness until he plucked at her nipples, pinching them hard to make them pebble into high peaks. Lifting the royal dick that bobbed in the water, he fisted himself and sucked on a nipple. Yani threw her head back and moaned. He groaned while beating his dick, his fist bouncing from the wild hairy root of his dick. The thick thatch of hair that he kept ungroomed turned her on.

He released her plump nipple and lifted her legs out of the water, widening her thighs so he could stare at her pussy. Her folds were wide open and her slit dripped with slick arousal.

"Look at that pretty pussy," he said.

Yani whimpered and her pussy throbbed open, blessing his eyes with wet pinkness surrounded by smooth brown outer lips. He slapped his dick against the lovely sight and his tip spewed precum all over her clit.

They acted dangerously.

Her pussy was the gateway to paradise. They both knew it. His stiffness stood like smooth hardwood and slapping it against her folds made her weak. Her opening twitched and revealed heaven and he felt entitled to claim all of her. He was the king after all.

Dropping lower into the pool water for a better position, he smothered her folds with his mouth and sucked on her pussy lips and clit. Yani cried out and clutched at his locs. Coming up for air, the lower part of his face shined like a glossy welcoming to a new bond between them. He knew other men had been with his woman while he had been away. But there was no way any of them flooded her walls with cum. Her pussy was too precious for that after having royalty in it. He licked all around her vulva, even sucked on her meaty inner thighs to chase every nerve ending that came alive inside of her.

She had been his heart, the soft part of his soul when he worked for Klaue. Yani gave him kindness, and confidence to love again, yearning for a home of his own with a family of his own. She had nothing and yet gave him everything. She allowed him to be like his father. A provider. A protector. A lover. He was the one she came to when she needed reassurance and confidence in her own abilities. She followed him all the way to the end and despite the horrors of violence, a long separation, and emotional turmoil, she still loved the hell out of him. It poured out of her as she came on his lips, crying out his name and arching her back. He stood and stroked his dick, pressing the wide head against her opening, watching the aftershock contractions of her pussy making her shudder on her back. Being bold, he slipped the head in and she squirmed, raising up on her elbows to stare at his hooded eyes.

"Tell me nobody else came in this pussy," he insisted.

Her shiny eyes were drenched with an insatiable lust for him. A possessive streak rose in him.

"I want to hear you tell me… nobody came in this pussy," he barked.

His girth stretched her pussy lips and she gazed down at the brazen entry into her tight rings of muscle that squeezed at his tip. She closed her eyes, her lower body tense with expectation. Although he rested at her entrance, the bulbous head was still too much to take with the teasing. Yani could only shake her head, denying that anyone else had that type of close intimacy.

He relaxed and gripped the root of his dick, guiding the length out so that it smacked at her swollen folds again, testing the limits of her arousal. Her wet entrance curled around his girth as he shoved the head in again, not moving at all. He squeezed her breasts and pinched her nipples with gentle tugs. His tip pulled down on her clit, the friction bringing her intense pleasure and edging him closer to oblivion. The urge to plunge all the way in tickled his resolve, but he forced himself to keep control. He had to stay strong. Every second with her weakened him and he wanted to show Yani that a king had power over his own body and his word. He was supposed to court her properly. Not revert back to his island ways. The heat of his dick had her lips twisted up in agony. Her dewy eyes pleaded for merciful relief. He sighed knowing he would fail at restraint.

The gods inside of him watched with amused indifference and he was quite sure that Yani sensed that commanding otherworldly force. Her body definitely reacted to it. He wiggled his hips and her pussy contracted and squirted a drizzle of fluid that leaked onto his length. N'Jadaka kissed her and his tongue teased her mouth, drawing out scattered pants and mewling sounds. She squirmed and reached out to hold his shoulders, but he shifted back and pulled out of her entrance.

A king didn't need to play around in a pool.

He tongued her down properly, fingered her clit, spreading her wetness around, and helped her climax on his hand.

"Stay with me tonight," he said after she stopped shaking.

"People will talk."

"People are already talking about us. That can't be helped."

"I don't want our children to be confused… but I want to… I really do."

"We can have them stay with Grandpop. In the morning we can have breakfast together in my quarters and see them off to school."

Her hesitation felt more for his sake than hers. The king of Wakanda sneaking around the palace with the mother of his children sat in her cautious eyes. They both wanted to make love, not gossip. The public had accepted his domestic situation, however, there were still Udaku protocols about relations with royals. Technically, since Yani wasn't his wife, she would be looked on as a consort if they started a regular sexual liaison. Ramonda would find the need to keep it private and discrete. Umama and Baba Z would want a public formal courtship ending in a betrothal march. Grandpop would want more grandbabies.

He walked out of the water using the steps and lifted Yani to her feet. He kissed her again and palmed her ass cheeks. They filled his hands and made his dick spill more pre-cum onto her belly.

"Come with me," he said, pulling her toward the entrance.

"We have to shower and dress first," she said.

He let her saunter in front of him and he spanked both her ass cheeks. The dimpling on her backside and thighs had him cement hard. They stepped into the showers and warm jet sprays doused them. Rinsing away mineral water and sweat, N'Jadaka turned to look at Yani and she dropped to her knees and took his dick in her hot mouth.

"You like this, your highness?" she asked, with her lips pressed against his frenulum.

"You're starting trouble already," he groaned, rubbing her freshly cropped hair.

She slurped and sucked and stared at him, pleasing the king.

"Suck Daddy's dick," he moaned.

Yani sucked on his dick with such care that his legs wobbled to keep balance. She grazed her lips across his tip and played with his slit, swallowing pre-cum and playing with his balls. Her sensual touches and kisses served him the way he wanted to be catered to.

But playtime was over. He needed to cum in his woman. Needed her thick thighs and legs up in the air with his balls pounding against her fat ass. A king deserved exquisite pussy and he wanted to hear his ancient bed squeak with his thrusts into her. She hadn't had her ass cheeks clapped properly in four years. Her pussy was made for his royal dick. A princess required king things on his level.

He sensed nervousness from her.

She slurped on his erection and throated him down to his balls, and yet Yani was afraid of what he could do to her after all those years and as a new man. Her fingers played in the thick bushy pubic hairs that surrounded his heavy erection. He held the back of her head to help guide her mouth work. Pulling out from between her lips, she expected him to cum all over her face. He denied her that honor.

The king of Wakanda was going to cum deep inside of her.

In her pussy.

In her ass.

And all down her throat.

"Get dressed," he ordered, reaching for his robes after drying off.

Yani tumbled back onto her feet in a daze. He rubbed on her backside as she fastened her top, slipping two fingers in her pussy from the back. Licking his fingers before clasping her hand in his, he pulled her out of the poll room. His dick tented his clothing and he didn't care if the guards saw it. In the private elevator, he rubbed against Yani and she was already lost to anticipation, writhing against him. She was surprised to arrive at his home through his elaborate bedroom.

"This elevator was for concubines to secretly come up and please the king," he said.

Yani didn't like the sound of that. He smirked.

"Looks like you'll be my first," he teased.

She didn't like that either.

"I'm a princess," she said, stepping into the splendor of decadent bedroom furniture.

His round bed was on an elevated platform hidden behind beautiful ethereal red drapes. She took in all the artwork, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking parts of the royal garden and grand river with a serene smile. Darkness had fallen and blanketed the sky with lavish twinkling stars. He started a fire in the fireplace and lit romantic scented candles around the bedroom giving a sensual ambiance. Yani spun around to admire more of the fixtures and antiques from the thirteenth century.

"This is amazing. It doesn't even seem to be a bedroom but a whole living space," she said.

"Come here," he said, holding out his hand.

She kicked off her shoes and padded over to him with slow steps. Without his asking, she undressed him, folding each garment and placing it on a small wooden smoking chair in front of the fireplace. Firelight danced in her sultry eyes, and she took her time relieving him of clothing. When she finished, he took his time undressing her, fondling a breast and her rump as he did. She was perfect. He gently patted her vulva and the heat down there was ready for him. Yani turned away and wandered over to his giant bed, climbing onto it and opening her legs for him. She rubbed on her clit, beckoning him to kiss her there again. He obliged her offering, grateful to watch her open her silky folds and finger her pussy. She was still nervous, the enormity of what they were about to do making the room feel heavy. He buried his face in her folds, licking and kissing, but the king in him took over and he mounted her like royalty had down for centuries in that bed when it was time to get down to business. He thumbed her clit with a gentle caress and watched her pussy contract rhythmically.

"You want the king?" he asked.

She had to know his intent. Taking him inside of her once more would change the world again. Their union would solidify her place by his side. If she had any doubts about him still, he wanted to give her time and grace to leave of her own volition.

"I want you, N'Jadaka," she said with a throaty declaration.

So be it.

Chapter 68 HERE.

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#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Volume 4 #Wet Sugar 2 #Killmonger fanficton #Erik Killmonger #Namor #T'Challa #Shuri #black panther fanfiction #Wakanda Forever #Pantherverse #killmonger smut #Uzumaki Rebellion #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 68″

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"You gave me a shoulder when I needed it You showed me love when I wasn't feeling it You helped me fight when I was giving in And you made me laugh when I was losing it

'Cause you are, you are The reason why I'm still hanging on 'Cause you are, you are The reason why my head is still above water"

Kina – "Get You The Moon"

Yani's heart thumped with erratic beats that nearly burst through her chest. Her thighs rested around N'Jadaka's waist and he peered down at her like a heavenly being studying his creation. The air in her mouth turned into a dry shortness of breath, and the percussive castanet rhythm of the blood pumping through her veins frightened her.

She wanted to lay with him. Yearned for the closeness of their bodies intertwining like sacred vines that would never separate in a garden of love that only they could make. The bed was set up like an enchanted canopy with a four-corner post that surrounded the round bed with gauzy red fabric drapes studded with tiny crystal lights that matched the twinkling of the stars outside in the sky. High above the cast-metal headboard decorated with fluffy red satin pillows, a woven wall-sized tapestry graced her eyes. Ancient Wakandan script told of a blessing poem, and her study of the language helped her decipher most of it. The bed they were sharing was called a loving bed, and the tapestry promised prosperity, love, and fecundity to all who slept there. Spiral shapes and delicate images of fire, air, water, and earth watched over them.

N'Jadaka sensed her anxious hesitation and his searing eyes turned tender as they used to when he knew she was nervous about something. He crawled over her and pulled back the thick duvet and sheets, inviting her to slip under them with him. She did so, moving carefully until she was curled into him, her face resting on his chest with his left arm cradling her close. Yani felt her heart thumping harder against his chest and he kissed her forehead to ease her mind. She stood on a precipice with him and looking down into the depths, Yani could make out a possible future with him that would have no turning back. Her years of raising their children alone had changed her into a woman who wanted to make better decisions in her life. Choosing to join with a king would shift her future choices considerably. The Udakus did not play about their offspring's partnerships. N'Jadaka had messed up the nature of their established protocols, but if he was to choose her in front of the world permanently, that meant the clan would expect marriage. She could become a Queen Consort and her role in the palace would dictate the rest of her life. They could restrict her work as a doctor. She'd have to take instruction from the elders like her children did that taught them their roles as heirs and royalty.

Shaking her head, she lifted a finger and traced around his right nipple, her mind racing with scenarios of what could happen if she made love to him. N'Jadaka was possessive in the past, and his assertive personality seemed more enhanced since his return to the palace. Spending the day with the family in a formal public setting taught her quickly how every single movement she made was watched, especially in how she interacted with him. Before heading to the pool to meet him in private, she had already witnessed the local news vids splashing images of them holding hands and hugging up next to each other. It was deemed salacious to the older Wakandans who expected pious behavior in public.

N'Jadaka was also under a lot of pressure. He kept most of his work private, but she knew he dealt with a lot on his plate. There were probably more responsibilities that he wasn't even prepared to handle, despite his intelligence and experience. He remained stoic and professional in the public eye, nurtured his children, assisted Disa and Twyla with their work, and went home alone to only work late into the night. He never made time for himself except for the lone walks in the royal garden. She caught him there twice during her stay in the palace. He never saw her because his brooding face stayed distracted with constant thoughts and she watched him from a distance. Sometimes he smoked a cigar. Sometimes he drank an amber liquid from a round glass and stared at the moonless sky. He looked lonely and not at peace with the world.

His hand drifted over the curve in her hip and he kneaded her backside, his fingers grazing against the soft separation of her ass cheeks. Under the heavy covers, his dick nudged her wrist with its hard heat.

They didn't speak, only held one another, listening to their mutual breathing, and gingerly shifting an arm or leg for comfort. Being there with him was going to be much bigger than being with him back on the island. He was a real-life king. A ruler of over six million people. Wakanda was the richest and most powerful nation in the world, and the man in complete control of it was rubbing on her booty and kissing her forehead. Yani never dreamed that she would be in the position she was in. Wakanda still felt unreal to her.

He played with her nipple and she leaned back so his fingers could fondle both breasts. She watched him stare at his own fingers pinching and circling her nipples. His breathing became slightly ragged. He licked his lips as his fingers trailed down her midsection and groaned "Oh… fuck," when he dipped eager digits into her drenched folds. He hissed as if her opening scorched his exploration.

His gentle insertion only went about an inch, just enough to touch the slippery wetness coating her walls under her clit. He knew how to manipulate her sensitive insides without the coarse erratic jamming that most men did to her in the past. The king took his time and investigated every part that led into her deeper with a teasing quality that set her on edge. When he inched back to her clit again, she pulled back the covers more and lowered her head to suck on the head of his dick. It stretched her lips and stuffed her mouth, already making her jaws ache with the effort to please him. He tasted earthy… salty…sweeter when she flicked her tongue-tip into his slit where pre-cum dribbled into her mouth clear and sticky.

N'Jadaka stared at her mouth work, poking his lips out the moment she traced her tongue along the underside of his length. She sprinkled tiny kisses around the thick ridge of his frenulum, tickling it while licking warm saliva down the center. Popping the head into her mouth, she sucked on it slowly, letting her tastebuds give it plenty of friction and tension with the constant fondling of his balls.

"Damn… Yani… baby…"

"Yes, your highness," she said.

She made her eyes look coquettish and innocent the way he liked her to look when she sucked on that big meat. There was something illicit to him staring at her while she pretended to not know why he was panting and moaning her name. The direct eye contact with her plump lips slowly sucking his tip like a lollipop weakened him every time. He once told her she looked provocative doing it like they were about to get caught. It was the exhibitionist in her he rationalized. She fed into the scenario just the way she did when they role-played her being a wife getting caught by her husband. He enjoyed the idea of taking her from someone, it was why he nutted harder when she played a wife instead of the secret side-piece.

She rested her mouth by slapping his dick softly against her moist lips. The size of his dick against her face got him off too. Licking a throbbing vein on the side of his girth, she gave herself time to sniff the pleasing aroma of his pubic hairs. His scent was heavy with cocoa and coffee beans, a favorite body butter combo to rub all over on special occasions. Sucking his balls, she lifted them and shuffled herself between his legs to tend to them well. His sack rose up closer to his body, a sign that he was ready to release. Slowing down her attention even more, she kept her eyes on his like the sweet young thing he needed to soothe his political worries. Twirling her tongue in deliberate silky circles back up to the tip, she bobbed her head in his lap. Her slurps and tiny nibbles with her teeth made him buck his hips. He fucked her mouth with desperate thrusts, clamping her head with his hands to hold her in place. Using her hand and lips together, she pleasured him at her pace, pushing away his forceful grip and wielding all the power to tame him. N'Jadaka was the king… but she was royalty too. He made her that way and she sucked him down with the gifts of a desired pampered princess.

Smacking her lips, she pulled her mouth away from his dick and gave him a wanton stare. He gasped and his body shuddered with the change of direction with her loving. She had him in a frenzy moments before but wanted to enjoy the dizzy look of ecstasy in his eyes. Kneeling inside his thighs, she lifted her breasts and stuffed his dick between them. There was a rumble in his chest.

"Fuck!" he shouted.

Her breasts were heavier and hung a little lower which was perfect by the way he grunted and begged her for more. Pursing her lips, she rubbed her big tits up and down. The tip of his dick peaked out from her cleavage and she held her tongue above it, letting it swipe against the spongy texture.

N'Jadaka held his hand up the way he did when he wanted people to stop talking to him. It was something everyone watched out for when in proximity to him. She clutched her tits and a string of saliva dripped onto his slit.

"Let me taste you… the way I did that first time," he commanded.

His lusty gaze had her hustling to lie down on her back. He turned over and held her breasts, taking time to suck on her nipples and around her areolas. Lifting his face toward her, Yani met him halfway so they could kiss and swirl their tongues. Her pussy was swollen past normal engorgement. The deep arousal she felt seemed to spiral into her stomach and up to her throat. Every erogenous zone opened up tendrils of electrical sparks. Each place he touched her, from her earlobes to her jeweled toes, burst into fiery songs of the flesh. He woke up the erotic in her supple skin, moaning loud vibrations everywhere, and once his lips kissed her sugary wet folds that stayed parted for him, she came with a torrent of shrieks to God.

Yani mashed his face into her vulva and squeezed her thighs around his head. He gripped her hips and lapped up her release. Moaning into her opening, he accepted the nectar flowing across his tongue. She jammed her face into a pillow, whimpering his name endlessly, sweat falling into her eyes and pooling in her belly button. N'Jadaka raised himself and rubbed his dick on her sensitive folds. He lorded over her and humped Yani's mound, his perspiration raining down on her. His gold claw necklace glinted with the tiny lights on the drapes, and the shine of his smokey brown eyes burned into her soul. The head of his dick pulsed against her opening and he waited for permission to enter her depths. He dragged his loving gaze all over her body, his soft breathing expectant and raspy.

"Yani, if you're not really ready, it's okay," he said.

He rubbed his right hand across her smooth fade when she didn't answer. Moving onto his haunches, he separated from her, giving her space. She lifted to her knees and met him face-to-face. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"I love you so much… I was hurt for so long when you came back. There's so much I want from you… I'm still finding my way in this new world but this thing with us… it never went away. I feel it… all around us. If you want me, you must treat me with the utmost respect. My love is conditional now. Our family has to come first before the nation. You wear yourself down to the bone every day and that is something I will not accept with our young children. We need more time together as a unit, doing things together away from the rest of the Udaku family," she said.

"I hear you and I will do that. But on one condition of my own."

"What's that?"

"You return to the palace with Sweet Pea and Dumplin after I come back from the States."

"Where will we stay?"

"For now, the suite you are in for the conference. This space has a private wing for royal spouses, so you'll have your own room in here after the formal courting."

She grinned.

"I like that you have to follow rules to have me," she said.

"I don't want to just have you, Yani. I want to make you my wife someday."

N'Jadaka left the bed and padded over to a dark ironwood dresser and pulled open a drawer. He lifted delicate, triple-stringed blue vibranium waist beads sprinkled with precious glittery jewels.

"I had these made after your conference speech. Been waiting to present them to you. A lot is going on and I never had a chance to pull you aside until now. Do you know what these are?"

"Not really. I see fashionable noblewomen wearing them in the city. Fancy jewelry," she said.

"My father gave some to my mother when he claimed her… that's what they call it here. You give them to the woman you want to call your own… publicly. When you wear them, the world knows you've been taken for courtship. It takes you off the market."

Yani held her cheeks with both hands.

"Will you allow me to claim you, Princess Yani Galiber?"

N'Jadaka unfastened the clasp of the waist beads and held them out to her.

"I'm on a transformative path and I want you by my side," he said.

She touched the beads, and let their elegant beauty run across her palms.

"I accept them," she said.

He nodded vigorously and his bottom lip trembled, matching the tremors in his hands as he held the offering to her. She scooted to the edge of the high bed on her knees, and he draped the beads around her waist. She raked her fingernails through his locs, knocking the high bun on the top of his head over. His locs fanned out all across his shoulders.

"Thank you," he whispered into her mouth.

She nuzzled her cheek against his and hugged him tightly.

"This is our time, hear me?" he whispered in her ear.

She nodded.

"You're precious to me. All I ever wanted to do for you was to make you happy and see to it that you and Sydette thrived, no matter if I was in the picture or not. I will spend the rest of my days making up for the pain I gave you… not just with Disa… but how I left you in St. Thomas. I thought disappearing without contact was best to protect you, but life had different plans for us. I should've stayed there—"

"No."

Yani shook her head.

"I know now that this was meant to be. You were supposed to be the king, and because of that, I can do so much for so many with my work," she said.

She wiped away tears that sprouted in her lids.

"You are a gift, King N'Jadaka. A gift to the world that needs justice and help. I will stand by you to make sure everything changes according to your plans and mine. I'm stronger…wiser, and mi have a purpose beyond that small island you found me on."

His warm full lips crashed over hers, hushing up words that didn't need to be spoken. They were united again. That's all that mattered. She accepted whatever would come to them as a couple.

"Oh!" she squealed when he lifted her like she was a tiny doll.

His strength was unbelievable with the sacred heart-shaped herb flowing deep in his veins enhancing the trace elements that were already in his DNA from his father. He slid her on his dick down to the root and her mouth shot open with a loud gasp of shock. He gripped her thick ass cheeks and thrust in and out, never giving her a second to catch her breath. The stretching of her pussy snapped her concentration onto holding his neck with a death grip. She gulped air with her mouth pressed against his temple. His balls smacked her heavy rump while the friction of his dick forced rhythmic clenching inside her pussy. The stamina of his fucking astounded her. Drowsy with lust, Yani became catatonic as she accepted his fat dick claiming her properly. She forgot how his lovemaking overwhelmed her. It was even more profound than before, blowing her mind completely.

The only noise in the room was her pussy squelching and being all gushy for his thrusts. All the panting noises she made near his ear spurred him to lift her on and off his dick with artful handling. His continuous groans made her walls quake and twitch with every swivel of his hips. He spun around and sat on the bed, and they both moved together to the center where she stayed mounted above him. N'Jadaka tucked his hands under his head and watched her wind her hips and cup her breasts. Leaning forward, she let her tits hang in his face, taking shallow thrusts from his dick. Kissing him until he withered into submission, Yani bounced on his dick, balancing her hands on his wide chest, giving him everything he'd been missing.

"Fuck me…harder baby…yessssss… like that…shit… keep doing that… so nasty with all this good pussy…"

He became delirious, thrashing his head and squeezing her breasts, pushing them together so that they made a smacking sound. She rode him well and they both listened to her ass cheeks smack against his thighs and balls. He liked having his large sack pounded by a fat ass, so she leaned in further until her face was on a pillow and her back arched higher to slam down on him better. Her king yelped and clawed the sheets.

"Yani…ah fuck… Yani…Yani… I'm finna cum…. Oh! I'm 'bout to nut all in you… you ready for me, baby?"

She leaned back and allowed him to witness all of her prowess, plucking at her nipples and wiggling her hips in achingly slow circles until he was begging her to cum on his dick at the same time as his orgasm.

"Cum on my dick… please… Yani… cum on Daddy's dick!"

His fingers slithered up her waist and tugged on her waist beads. They were so pretty on her and he seemed dazzled by them as they tinkled with a dainty sound like tiny bells. She stared into his eyes which had glazed over and turned into something different. The begging had stopped and the eyes peering up at her were his, but somehow not his at the same time. Lifting up from the bed, he smashed his chest into hers and kept still, forcing Yani to do the work while he watched her face contort with bliss. She held his shoulders and swallowed that dick with her deep pussy, startled by the sudden change in his demeanor.

"Fuck me, fuck your king," he growled.

The throaty demand gave her goosebumps. For a split second, she thought she heard two messages in the command like there was someone else controlling his body. It fired up her need to show how good she fucked. She lifted her leg and turned to face the opposite direction. Rolling her hips seductively, she learned on the fly how to make her waist beads jingle in time to her sensual fucking. Looking back at him, a shiver shot up her spine.

A powerful king glared at her with molten lust.

He smacked her ass, rubbed, squeezed it, and demanded that she show out for him. It felt like a waterfall of sweat poured down her back, but she had something to prove. She was his woman. The one he claimed and beaded. He grunted and groaned watching her perform magic with her backside and pussy. She gave him king things.

"Lemme clap them cheeks," he said, palming her rump and pushing her forward until she was sucking on the duvet mewling and whimpering that she couldn't take anymore.

He spanked her ass several times, correcting her position with his palm on the arch of her back, forcing her head down even lower and her ass up higher. He grabbed her left arm and held it behind her back for balance.

"Shit!" he gasped.

The clapping sounds were so loud.

"You miss this dick?" he asked.

"Yes!" she shouted, pressing her lips into a thin line to hold back her whimpering.

"Cum on it then," he said, tugging on her arm gently. "Cum for your king."

He pushed his thumb in her ass and the nerve endings came alive with the added pressure of her pussy stuffed with so much dick. She rubbed her swollen clit to gauge how much more she could take without crying for mercy. He didn't give her enough time to figure it out. His dick swelled inside her tight walls and she reveled in the long hot spurts that warmed up her pussy. With a twist of her hip, she let go and throbbed all over his girth, making another wet mess to match the one he flooded her with. She didn't have time to come down from the high of milking his dick, he had already pushed into her ass making her belly tumble. He palmed both sides of her ass and plunged in a few more inches and stopped to let her get used to it again. She needed the gentle acclimation and soon enough they were back into their groove. He smothered his body all over her, mashing her into the mattress, his mouth pressed into the shell of her ear talking the nastiest love talk she had ever heard from him. Every stroke made her gasp for air to find words that never formed completely in her mouth to answer him back.

"Letting me fuck you in your ass again… such a good girl…pleasing your king so much tonight. We need to do some more practicing so I can go balls deep next time," he said.

She loved it. Loved how he moved inside of her. His dick felt even harder, ready to go all night, and she would give him everything. He gave her long probing wet kisses and the weight of his body locked her down. Their tongues slid together in sensual harmony.

"Fuck that dick… ooh shit, I'm almost all up in there… love fucking you in the ass, Ma…"

He caressed her breasts and enjoyed himself, giving her more than she could handle, pushing her to go further with him. His voice hitched and she prepared to receive fresh hot cum.

"Baba! You in there?"

They both froze at the sound of Riki's voice outside the bedroom door.

"Shit," N'Jadaka muttered under his breath.

His dick throbbed in her ass expecting to shoot off another thick nut. Cum already spewed out from her pussy and soaked the duvet. Small fists pounded on the door.

"Baba? What are you doing?" Riki called out.

N'Jadaka tapped his kimoyo beads and they saw all three of their children standing outside. Their night nanny waited downstairs on the third level holding three small jackets for the moon deck.

"I'm waking up Lil Man. I overslept," N'Jadaka yelled back.

"Open the door, I wahn come in! We have to go see the fireworks!"

"Go downstairs and wait for me. I'll get dressed real quick…okay?" N'Jadaka said.

"Baba, is Mama in there with you?" Sydette asked.

"Um…"

"Her kimoyos say she's here," Sydette said.

"Hurry up, Baba, the ice cream will melt," Joba shouted from behind the heavy wooden double doors.

"Your Mama is sleep, and I'm reading a book," N'Jadaka said.

Yani jammed her mouth into the covers to keep from laughing out loud. N'Jadaka's erection pulsed inside her ass. He was reading a book alright.

"Why won't the door open?" Riki whined, jiggling the doorknob.

"He never keeps the door locked," Sydette said.

"I'll wake Mama up and we'll see you guys in a minute," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka tapped his kimoyo and little feet shuffled away. He proceeded to finish his pleasuring, humping on Yani with urgent purpose, his tongue tickling her ear with the explicit language she expected from him when he was ready to bust hard. She was ready to be baptized with creamy cum.

"I'ma nut all in this big—"

"Baba, open the door!"

Riki hadn't left the bedroom door.

Yani snorted and Riki heard her.

"Mama, you up?"

"I'm up Dumplin. Go on and wait with your sisters like Baba asked you to," Yani said.

"I'll wait here. Baba… are you dressed yet?"

N'Jadaka grumbled in Yani's ear so that only she heard him.

"Baba is about to nut in ya Mama boy, go away," N'Jadaka whispered to Yani.

Yani smacked his arm and chortled, and N'Jadaka's voice hitched. She looked back at him and the man had gritted his teeth. There was a wild look in his eyes as he pounded her.

"Soundproof the room," she whispered to him.

"I can't, this part of the palace is older and doesn't have soundproofing. I haven't installed it yet since I moved in," he huffed.

His controlled exertion turned her on more. Trying to stay quiet intensified their lovemaking. Slowing his strokes had him whimpering to hide his moans from his son. It was too soon for the children to know they were having relations on that level in a bedroom together before the formal announcement of their courting.

The patter of Riki's feet finally left the door and N'Jadaka pressed his forehead on the duvet next to her face.

"You feel so good… ooh… fuck me, Daddy. I need your cum in my ass. Show me I'm your woman… show me you love me," she purred.

A roar burst from his throat as he exploded in her ass, soaking her deep. His dick kept throbbing and pushing out cum until he collapsed on her back.

"That was fucking insane, Yani…goddamn you know how to make a man nut hard!"

He jiggled her right ass cheek before smacking it hard. Pulling her toward him, he kissed her, groaning as he did it. He fell onto his back and stared up at the high ceiling to collect himself.

"Shit, I don't know if I can do that formal courting now with all the chaperones… I'ma want you every night after this," he said.

Yani lifted onto her knees and sat back on her heels. Fingering her waist beads, she realized she was in total control of his passions for the rest of his life. By giving her the beads, tradition held that his family would enforce the rules of royal courtship. The Wakandan public would eat it up and N'Jadaka would have to fall in line to please the people. She symbolically had him by the dick. Giggling, she covered her mouth to keep from outright laughing at him.

"What?" he said, still gulping for calming breath.

His dick remained stiff. Her sticky juices made his pubic hair shiny. She decided to push him over the cliff for good. There was one thing he loved doing to women when he was sexual and wanted to show dominance. Stepping off the bed, Yani dropped to her knees in front of it. She batted her lashes and placed her hands on her thighs. N'Jadaka was already up and sitting on the edge, stroking himself, his eyes raking all over the submissive stance. She widened her thick thighs so he could see her smooth brown mound and fleshy folds better. Her king stood up, fisting under the head of his dick, his pupils blown, his lips curled into a seductive sneer. His aura filled the entire bedroom and the hairs on her arms rose up as he stared at her.

"Open your mouth… stick that tongue out…"

She obeyed and tilted her head back. He fondled her right breast and shoved the head of his dick against her tongue. Stroking and twisting under his frenulum, his eyes narrowed as a surge of pleasure flowed over him.

Hot ropes of cum drenched her face. Long creamy white lines coated her tongue and he stepped back, aiming his bulbous tip, his slit opening and spurting more of his powerful release. He shouted her name, loud enough to make the sound echo in the room. N'Jadaka's semen blessed him with ownership over her lush form in her submissive pose. But they both knew the truth. She owned him body and soul.

"Yani… fuck… Yani…"

He babbled her name, his orgasm making his thick dick jump in his hand. She blinked a few times to avoid getting hit in the eyes, but he kept cumming until he staggered and hit the bed with the back of his thighs. He threw his head back and exhaled with a rush of jagged air.

Yani ran her hands up his legs and thighs until she rested them on his hard belly.

"We need to go," she said.

He lifted her up and took her to his master bedroom's bathing room. Showering together quickly, he dried up first and changed his clothes.

"I'll take the kids down to the moon deck. You can sneak over to your suite and change," he said.

She kissed him while drying off, and he left the bedroom quickly to save face with their children.

Chapter 69 HERE.

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#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Volume 4 #Wakanda Forever #killmonger fanfiction #killmonger smut #Erik Killmonger #Namor #Black Panther Fanfiction #Pantherverse #Wet Sugar 2 #Uzumaki Rebellion #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes

[uzumaki-rebellion]

Soon come... “Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 67″

Summary:

Wakanda celebrates Mama Wati in Birnin S’Yan and N’Jadaka realizes Namor has sent a spy to the coast.

#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Volume 4 #Killmonger Fanfiction #Namor #T'Challa #Shuri #Nakia #Wakanda Forever #Black Panther #Pantherverse #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #Uzumaki Rebellion

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 66″

Masterlist HERE.

"Woke up this mornin' Found my peace of mind And finally I can say to you That I, feel good this mornin' No, I can't deny So finally, I can lay with you And feel, feel the pleasure Finally do what lovers do, with you, babe Ride for two Don't you know, oh So we, can roam all we want to, yeah"

Terrace Martin – "This Morning"

Feathered serpent god.

N'Jadaka squinted at the words on his comm tab. Shuri dug up more profound history once she knew what the leader of the Talokanil called himself.

"They are a Mesoamerican culture," Shuri said. "Yucatec Maya to be exact."

"Indigenous," N'Jadaka said, reading Shuri's notes.

"Yes. Central America roots…located here…"

She highlighted a map for him inside his office and tapped her kimoyo.

"Griot, send over enhanced images from the second file of apocryphal texts," Shuri said.

Shuri's A.I.'s voice sounded chirpy and bright.

"Files sent, princess," the Griot said.

He tapped the images that blinked into view and Mesoamerican pyramid structures were highlighted along with pictographs. T'Challa read the same notes and contemplated the significance just as N'Jadaka did. Shuri's excited tone couldn't change the somber mood he was in. Several cabinet members grumbled about the potential costs after two weeks of grueling work with the diaspora delegates. For some reason, his declaration to view their role as helping to subsidize existing grass-roots non-GMOs fell on willfully closed ears. He was accused of creating a welfare state on the popular Wakandan news shows that were deeply conservative.

As for the delegates, they came to the realization that N'Jadaka did not plan to save all Black people in the world. He was a big proponent of believing people when they showed him who they were, and too many Black people were unworthy of saving when they harmed their own people. As his older cousin Junie was fond of saying, Noah didn't take everyone on the ark, and Moses left some triflin' niggas in the desert. Everybody didn't want to be free on the outside. Even Harriet Tubman knew that.

As the king, he had to push forth the best plan since T'Challa revealed them to the world. His original plan of being subversive and swift had to be changed. The world watched everything they did and he couldn't go in swinging like he originally plotted the moment he ruled Wakanda. It was a grave mistake on T'Challa's part. He didn't hold it against his cousin. T'Challa was swayed by Nakia and her heart was in the right place.

But N'Jadaka knew better.

So did K'uk'ulkan.

Hiding the truth of their power was the winning hand, and they had lost it in N'Jadaka's absence. The Talokan leader rode the same wave he did. Hit the enemy in stealth with coordinated attacks that disrupted the system of exploitation. Wakandan War Dogs were their only secret weapon at the present moment. He would have to Trojan Horse his way around the globe carefully.

"He calls himself a god, although he is a mutant. I wonder if he is a tyrant," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka loaded recorded images from the Sea Leopard.

"Look at that," N'Jadaka said, making the image of the second American ship freeze.

He pulled up another image of the Talokanil underwater, gliding over the dead sailors they lured into the sea.

"Underwater they have brown skin… but above the water, they're blue," N'Jadaka observed.

"Not K'uk'ulkan," Shuri said. "Because he's a mutant, he seems to be able to breathe above and below. His people wear masks to breathe while climbing up the ship. There must be a biochemical reaction in their skin that changes when they come into contact with air."

"So… his warriors do have a weakness above the surface," T'Challa said.

"They appear stronger than regular humans," Erik said watching the replay of blue men and women rappelling up the sides of the targeted ship.

"Five hundred years ago the Yucatec Maya were invaded by the Spanish," Shuri said.

"Nothing here mentions people with blue skin," T'Challa said.

"Their color switches instantly in the water… see?" N'Jadaka said.

He pointed to Talokanil warriors dropping back into the ocean making sure enemy soldiers were dead.

"They must be an evolutionary offshoot of the original people on the land," Shuri said.

"I agree. The little that we have about them here doesn't explain any underwater people," N'Jadaka said. "They turned into another Wakanda… hid for centuries."

"Their vibranium must be underwater with them. K'uk'ulkan is the protector of his people like the Black Panther is to us. His mutant powers enabled him to become a god to them," T'Challa said.

Shuri looked away from her brother and pressed her lips together, holding her tongue.

"What?" N'Jadaka asked when he noticed.

Shuri froze an image of K'uk'ulkan where they could see him clearly with lights from the Sea Leopard.

"His powers… the way he moved and acted… his total bearing is God-like. Look at this closer," Shuri said.

She enlarged a Maya hieroglyph.

"Griot, translate the logograms and phonograms for the passage," Shuri said.

"Yes, princess," Griot said.

The glyphs were shuffled and changed colors to match Wakandan glyphs.

"Ready, princess," Griot said.

Shuri opened up a digitized copy of a Spanish journal.

"The Maya described their gods with all their attributes throughout the thirteenth century and beyond. Look at this face… and now look at this sketch in the Spanish colonizer's journal. Does that not look like him in both images?" Shuri asked.

"Maya glyphs are hard to distinguish against a regular face because the writing is highly stylized," T'Challa said.

"But the regal bearing, brother. Tell me that isn't him," Shuri said.

N'Jadaka compared the journal sketch of a flying, dark-eyed man carrying a spear with the images recorded on the Sea Leopard.

"No way that's him," N'Jadaka said.

"He is a mutant. Longevity may be another trait he has. I say that's him. The journal is dated from the early eighteenth century. Around the time our greatest grandmother Queen Shuriyah traveled out of the country to explore the world."

N'Jadaka stared at Shuri and pondered her words. She continued.

"I have a theory that our people met the Talokanil hundreds of years ago. How else would he know how to speak our language without translator buds? I would dare say he's had centuries to learn about us. Maybe a pact originated way back then. We have all these myths and legends from other cultures written in the old and even our forbidden texts. There had to be contact. Very few people know Wakandan fluently outside our borders," Shuri said.

Her eyes searched for agreement between her brother and him.

"Interesting theory," T'Challa said.

"That drawing has to be a relative of his," N'Jadaka pushed.

"They look the same to me," Shuri said. "And don't forget. Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers have ages that do not match how they look."

"A super serum did that," T'Challa said.

"So why do you both not think his mutant DNA is capable of prolonging life for centuries?" Shuri challenged.

"It doesn't really matter if that man is five hundred years old or younger. He is a potential threat to us if we don't move carefully. All we know is that he's not interested in anything on land that doesn't bother him. That's good enough for me. My responsibility is to keep this country safe and help the people we care about outside our borders. Everyone else can fuck around and find out for themselves about the Talokanil," N'Jadaka said.

"Will you tell the council of elders about them?" T'Challa asked.

"No. This stays with us and our military."

Mpilo knocked on his office door.

"The governor of Birnin Azzaria has arrived to see you," Mpilo said.

N'Jadaka checked his kimoyo. He had several private meetings scheduled to listen to the concerns of the governing bodies of all the territories.

"Send her in," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa and Shuri exited and he welcomed a thin dark brown-skinned woman with calculating eyes. Her braided hair was twisted into an extravagant updo with a few gray strands at her temples.

"King N'Jadaka, thank you for meeting with me so early in your day. I know you are a busy man."

"Governor Hlojeg… please sit down."

She could've called him and left a message. Yani chose to see him in person instead. Her part in the conference was complete and she was due back at the hospital after the Mama Wati celebration. Wearing her best azure dress, she presented herself in public to match the spirit of the upcoming ocean holiday. The palace was decked out in colors representing the sea and lovely paper aquatic creatures decorated the halls. There were starfish, dolphins, and rainbow fish all around her and she delighted in the atmosphere that reminded her of Christmas. She carried a covered platter filled with curried chicken, peas and rice, sautéed greens, along with a generous slice of yam cornbread smothered in butter and honey.

"Hello Tlotliso," Yani said walking through the front door of the king's outer office.

Tlotliso stood up from her desk, along with two other office workers on the public relations team.

"Is he in?" Yani asked, still moving past the staff.

"Yes," Tlotliso said.

Mpilo met her in the sitting room just outside N'Jadaka's inner office.

"Princess Yani," Mpilo said.

"He busy?"

"No. His last meeting was an hour ago," Mpilo said.

Yani knocked twice, waited, knocked again, then walked inside.

N'Jadaka rested his head on his arms, sleeping heavily. His deep exhales told her he was out for a long time. A map of Wakanda floated to the right of his desk and there were piles of papers stacked high in front of him near a glass pitcher of water. She moved his folders aside to make room for the covered platter. Gazing down at him, she ran her hand over the bun of his locs. Glancing over at the couch near the window, she noticed a small blanket and pillow on the armrest. He spent more time in his office and meeting halls with his cabinet and governing body than he did in his own home. N'Jadaka worked around the clock and there were stress lines on his face on the rare times she caught a glance at him moving through the palace. She could tell by the way he carried himself that there were things troubling him that he couldn't reveal. He acted the same way he did back in St. Thomas when he dealt with Klaue.

Yani was thankful the conference was ending soon. It took up too much of his time away from his kids, and she knew he hated that. Her fingers lingered near the base of his exposed neck rubbing tender circles. He groaned in his sleep. She stopped, feeling self-conscious about touching him in that familiar way. It was like old times back home in his workroom when he became hyper-fixated on his tasks and forgot to eat or drink anything. He could work himself down to the bone and not be cognizant that he needed to take time to care for himself.

She rubbed his neck again, moving her body behind him to even her touches to his wide shoulders tucked behind a smooth black tunic. N'Jadaka's focus had always been outside of himself, working toward helping other people. He was so much like his mother, community-oriented, and often to a fault. Thinking about it, she wondered what he did for fun all by himself when no one was around him in the palace.

His body stirred under her soft fingers and he shifted his head from one arm to the other before becoming aware of her hands on him. She moved away from him as he lifted his head from the desk. Gathering focus, he glanced at his work and then noticed the covered food.

"I made you a plate of comfort food," she said.

He smiled and reached out his hand, hesitating for a moment, before caressing her arm with a gentle rub.

"Thank you," he said.

She took the seat in front of his desk and watched him uncover the food and tuck in right away. He closed his eyes and groaned louder when he tasted the curried chicken. Licking his fingers, he pulled apart the yam cornbread and took less than fifteen minutes to devour everything. Yani sat there pleased as a peach watching him enjoy her cooking while being near him for longer than a few seconds.

"Damn, Ma, you put your foot in that," he said, pushing the plate away.

She covered it back up and studied the changes in his face that good food brought him. He appeared more relaxed and poured himself some water.

"Long day?" she said.

"Yeah."

His handsome face made her squirm in the chair. Everything about him was so… kingly. His clothes. Hair. The rings on his fingers. The diamonds in his ears. His aura of power. He had those things even back in St. Thomas, but they became magnified in Wakanda. He was true royalty. Always had been.

Drawing breath into her mouth to help out her nose once she became woozy staring at him, Yani stood up. He pushed his empty glass of water next to the pitcher.

"You have more to do today. I wanted to make sure you ate something. You've been skipping family meals," she said.

His piercing gaze dropped to his desk and took in all the tasks still ahead of him. Weariness drifted across his face. Yani walked around the desk and pulled the covered plate toward the edge of his desk. He reached for a folder and she placed her hand on the top of his head.

"Slow down and take of yourself," she said.

N'Jadaka closed his eyes at her touch and leaned against her chest. She cradled him and stroked his hair.

"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off," she whispered above his head.

"I wish I could, but there's too much to take care of. One of our War Dogs in Malawi thinks he located the man who helped bomb our country. I have to deal with that once he contacts us again."

"Can't T'Challa take care of that? He's the Black Panther."

"Nah, this man tried to kill my grandparents. I will see him myself and find out who put him up to it."

"Do you ever take time for yourself to rest? And I don't mean on that couch over there."

"I sleep when I can."

"It's not good for your health or the nation."

"I'm okay."

His warm breath touched her skin through her clothes with his mouth near her right breast.

"I know you. I see you carry stress in your body. If you don't slow down, I will call the royal doctors and have them force you to rest for a week. Hear mi, man? Our children complain all the time that they only see you for lunch. You haven't told them bedtime stories in a week. Sweet Pea, Dumplin, and Sunshine need you more. T'Challa can handle anything in your absence."

He didn't answer. She looked down and his eyes were pressed shut and he was in a deep sleep again. She grinned. His son was the same way. Head against a titty… instant sleep. Yani shook him back awake. He needed to know she wanted him to take care of himself for once.

"N'Jadaka…hey…"

She stroked his cheek and he pushed into her chest more to get comfortable.

"Listen to me," she said.

Yani lifted his chin and pinched it, forcing his eyes open.

"You are doing more than you need to. A king shouldn't walk around exhausted. I will have you put on bed rest if you don't slow down."

She sucked her teeth when he tried to bury his face against her.

"I need you to be at your best—"

"Yani, I'm good—"

"You are not."

She tapped her kimoyo and contacted the royal physician that looked after all of them. N'Jadaka fretted at her power move, but she spoke to the doctor and he arrived within minutes with an assistant rolling a medical cart. Mpilo and Tlotliso hovered at the doorway when the medical staff arrived and Yani closed the door on them. N'Jadaka was moved to the couch where he was checked and given fluids. The physician, Dr. Pheko, scanned the king's vitals with a frown on his face.

"Ukumkani, you are dehydrated. Lack of sleep and overwork has taken a toll," Dr. Pheko said.

"Make him take bedrest," Yani insisted.

"I'll take the IV and have a quick power nap," N'Jadaka argued.

"No," Yani said, standing behind the doctor.

"Yani, I have shit to do and very little time—"

"You will rest," Dr. Pheko said.

Yani crossed her arms over her chest and smirked.

"For how long?" N'Jadaka said.

"Three days at the minimum based on the readings I have," Dr. Pheko said looking at his small body scanner.

"In time for the Mama Wati celebration," Yani said.

Dr. Pheko's assistant gave the king a vitamin shot and they waited an hour for the fluids to perk him back up.

"Go to your quarters and sleep King N'Jadaka."

The doctor packed up his medical equipment and left with his assistant. N'Jadaka glared at her, but she stood her ground.

"I am a medical professional. How would it look if I allowed you to keep working without saying anything?" she said.

He grumbled under his breath and a mean scowl overtook his face as he stared at his desk filled with unfinished work.

"C'mon, let's go," she said, waving her hand for him to get up.

"… unnecessary…." he muttered.

He stood at his full height and she looked up at him. A tremble went through her.

"Just coming all in here and dictating," he said.

To keep her feigned cool with his heated gaze melting her resolve, Yani went to his desk and lifted the covered platter.

"Someone has to keep boundaries or else you'll run yourself down. Won't do anyone any good then, hear mi? Stop pouting."

He poked his lips out in an exaggerated expression and headed toward the desk. She blocked him. Putting down the platter, she pushed his folders aside.

"Leave all that alone," she said.

He brushed up against her.

"I hear what you're saying, but—"

"Mpilo!" she shouted into the desk intercom.

Mpilo walked in with wide eyes. Yani grabbed N'Jadaka's hand and pulled him next to her.

"Cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day… and the next two. King N'Jadaka is under the doctor's orders to go home. Please contact T'Challa and Shuri to let them know he will not be disturbed."

"Yes, Princess Yani," Mpilo said.

Yani dragged N'Jadaka behind her.

"Please have the platter on his desk delivered to the palace kitchen staff on my behalf," she said.

"Yes, princess," Mpilo said, rushing to retrieve it.

N'Jadaka's hand felt cool and clammy in hers. The rest of his staff watched them leave and the Kingsguard, along with his Doras followed them onto the elevator. He waved the Onyx Squad away with the others leaving only Aneka and Noxolo with them on his private floor.

"The king will rest for the next three days," Yani told his Doras.

N'Jadaka opened up his home and Yani admired the interior. It was her first time there. Her children described the layout to her before and she sought out the stairs.

"Yani, I'm home now. You can relax," he said.

He pulled away from her and headed to a plush couch with a gorgeous view of the city skyline.

"Let me at least bring you some water… that way?" she asked, seeking the kitchen.

He nodded and she cruised through the spacious living room. It took her a moment to figure out the set-up of his dishes and glasses. She grabbed an orange from a bowl and placed it on a saucer first, before pouring him room temperature water into a tall glass.

"Here," she said.

He placed the fruit and water on an end table and leaned back on the couch.

"You look better," she said.

"Food and extra liquids. Nothing serious," he said.

"No working from home," she said, turning away from him.

"Yani…"

She stopped walking and took a breath. Pivoting around, she stood in front of him.

"Thank you for checking on me," he said.

"Call me if you need anything or if you want to talk to the children before they go to bed… if you're awake later."

"Does Grandpop still have them?"

"They've gone to the children's play with Ramonda at the city theater."

N'Jadaka grimaced.

"Shit… I was supposed to meet them there. Got my schedule mixed up," he said.

"Don't worry, I already told them you would probably be too busy to go tonight because you're getting everything ready for Mama Wati's day. They are more excited about that than anything."

"They get to swim in the ocean," he said.

He glanced at the skyline and a flicker of concern crinkled his forehead. His mind was already fixating on something else and not resting. She touched him above his brow to smooth the creases in his skin. He tilted his head back.

"Stop thinking about work."

"It's hard not to."

His gaze held her. She touched his nose ring and then traced the outline of his lips with a soft fingertip. Lowering her head, she brushed her lips against his. Her stomach fluttered with uncertainty and her heart galloped in her chest. N'Jadaka leaned into the kiss, his gentle mouth giving in to her advances. She parted her lips and slid her tongue against his. He welcomed the exploration. Yani pulled back when she sensed hesitation on his part. His eyes pooled with sorrowful tears and he bit his bottom lip to keep his face from crumbling.

She pressed her cheek against his and a hot tear streaked against her skin from his face. Wiping away a tear from the other side of his nose, she cooed soft words of forgiving endearments for what he couldn't say out loud. She sat on his lap, held the side of his face toward her, and kissed him again. He asserted himself more the second time around and all she could think with pure bliss was that he belonged to her. The king of Wakanda was hers to take.

Yani wanted him.

She weathered the storm and made it through to the other side of the journey a little bruised, but wiser with her maturity. She left him, created a boundary for herself, and held onto an expectation of respect that he had to follow. Yani took pride in that. No man would ever disregard her feelings ever again.

N'Jadaka put his heart on the table again, and she could choose to put hers next to it, or stay where she was in her home and pursue her work and parental responsibilities. She didn't need a man. But she wanted him back. Forever. She broke away from his lips and nuzzled her nose against his neck to smell his scent. He kissed her cheek and under her chin, his beard tickling her as his lips painted more kisses on her. She stroked his hair as he unstitched her nerves, his aura flooding her senses like a rush of powerful wind flowing over her.

Yani sucked his tongue. The tickling sensation in her panties turned into a heavy throbbing in her pussy. Their wet tongues collided and slid around slowly. She gasped when his right hand went around her hip and gripped her ass cheek to hold her tight against him. Yani went limp in his arms and he rested her against the soft armrest to support her head and neck. He nibbled on her bottom lip playfully before plunging his tongue back into her mouth. Her left leg shook, and he held her in place. She moaned in his mouth and he groaned when she shifted her backside on his lap.

She started kissing him with her tongue flattened against his mouth, licking his full lips and sucking them too. He went up for air and wiped the dampness from his forehead. His body heat soaked through to her and she burned all over with libidinous desire. He ran his fingers along her neck, nibbled her earlobe, and whispered her name in her ear making her tingle all over. Her folds were puffy and her pussy felt like it was wide open ready to receive the stiff dick jutting through his dark crotch-drop pants. They hid nothing from her. He adjusted himself and shifted her on his lap so that her heavy rump covered it from view. N'Jadaka kept kissing and her pussy grew wetter and soaked her panties. He licked the seam of her lips and thrust his tongue into her ear making her tremble more.

"I know you feel how hard my dick is," he said.

Yani dropped her head back trying to catch her breath. She wanted him to touch her. N'Jadaka only kissed and licked…sucked and teased her neck, ears, and lips. Her dress bunched up between her thighs and she willed herself to not rub on her clit which was swollen and ready to be kissed too. Grinding her ass in his lap, she welcomed more physical contact from him. His eyes narrowed full of lust and he groaned deep in his throat at the softness of her backside pressed on top of his covered dick. She noticed his mouth go lax and he panted a soft gust of breath. Was he about to cum? He smashed his lips against hers and snuggled his tongue back inside her mouth, the wet warmth and guttural moans from him sending her over. She whimpered in desperate pleasure as her walls throbbed in release, his kissing pulling out a big, messy orgasm that wouldn't stop until he gasped into her neck.

"Yani, baby… we gotta stop…"

He wrapped his arms around her and listened to her breathing return to normal. Kissing her temple, he cradled her face with his strong hands.

"I want to do this right," he said.

"How?"

"I was supposed to come back to you like this… ready to make love to you and make up for all those years I was gone. Let me… let me court you the way they do it in Wakanda. I want to show you that I'm worth it this time in a formal way. Will you let me?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll go slow… get to know each other again the way we should've."

He rested his cheek on her breasts and she rubbed his neck.

"I love you, Yani."

Yani closed her eyes and a shudder went through her. Words meant things, but actions mattered more. She would allow him to court her and prove his worthiness to have her in his life again. Sighing, she rode the pulsing sensations in her clit. Being physical with him brought up so much yearning for more. He looked at her from his position.

"You came, didn't you?" he teased.

She playfully slapped his forehead.

"I could tell. Shit, I was ready to bust myself," he said.

He sat up and checked his pants. Back to normal. Standing, he held out his hands to her. She took them and he pulled her to her feet.

"I'm going to my bedroom to sleep. Can we have a late breakfast together here? You can check up on me… play doctor if you want," he said.

"I am a doctor, silly."

"I know. You can make sure I'm hydrated. I'll stay in bed all day tomorrow and we can have trays brought up with all kinds of food. I think you'll be impressed with my bedroom."

"That sounds very naughty and not in alignment with formal courting."

"We won't be naked… unless you want to be naked. I have no problem with that. Alternative healing is a thing."

"How about you rest by yourself and I'll bring all the kids to see you for dinner. We can eat here with you and they'll tell you stories for bedtime."

"Deal."

"Okay then."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, N'Jadaka."

"Goodnight, Yani."

He spanked her backside and then held her hand to walk her to his front door.

"You were right. I needed to take a step back," he said when they reached the entrance.

"I have never steered you wrong, my king."

"I like how you say that."

His eyes looked glassy and far away like he was imagining her saying that in an illicit situation.

"Remember… respectable. I am a princess and you will treat me as such," she said.

"I'm glad you came to see me today. I feel blessed. I mean that, Ma."

"Get to bed."

He swept his arms around her waist and lifted her onto her toes. Her body responded to his touch again and she fought to make herself leave his home. The way he looked at her should've made her combust, but she kept it together long enough to get away.

Outside of his front door, she made no eye contact with anyone, not even the Kingsguard assigned to escort Yani to her guest quarters. They would see the bright arousal in her eyes and know all of her nasty thoughts about their king.

Her king.

She grinned in the elevator. He was earning his way back, little by little.

Chapter 67 HERE.

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#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Volume 4 #Erik Killmonger #Wakanda Forever #Black Panther Fanfction #Namor #T'Challa #Shuri #Killmonger Fanfiction #Pantherverse #Uzumaki Rebellion #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #erik killmonger smut #Wet Sugar 2

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 64″

Need to catch up? You know you do for this long-running epic series. Masterlist HERE.

"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face And stars fill my dream I'm a traveler of both time and space To be where I have been To sit with elders of the gentle race This world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait All will be revealed"

Led Zeppelin – "Kashmir"

Llotliso met N'Jadaka at the entrance of his expansive office. She handed him a cup of red tea.

"They are waiting for you inside your inner office, King N'Jadaka," Tlotliso said.

"T'Challa, Nakia, and Shuri will be here soon. Show them in the minute they arrive. This is off the record, too," he said sweeping past her.

He drank the tea and stepped into his private think chamber. Yoneli and Sizani stood and watched him stride toward his chair.

"Sit, please," he said, holding out his hand.

"This must be serious to call us in without the elders," Yoneli said.

N'Jadaka stared at them a long time before leaning forward.

"How close is Wakanda with the Atlanteans?" he asked.

Sizani glanced at Yoneli.

"Has something happened?" Sizani asked.

"Answer my question," he said.

He kept his voice curt.

Yoneli mirrored his body language and leaned forward too.

"They are not Atlanteans. That is what the outsiders call them," Yoneli said.

"Captain…" Sizani said with an agitated breath.

"He is our new ruler. King T'Chaka is dead," Yoneli said.

"But the truce—"

"What truce?" N'Jadaka asked.

A knock at the door broke his attention.

"Come in," N'Jadaka said.

Tlotliso opened the door letting T'Challa, Nakia, and Shuri enter quickly.

"Tell us everything," N'Jadaka said.

Yoneli looked at everyone in the room, then lowered her eyes.

"Wakanda and the Talokan people have a truce to not speak of one another… ever," Yoneli said.

"Talokan?" N'Jadaka said.

"That is what they call themselves. In the ancient fables, there are texts written about people living under the seas of other lands. There was a skirmish two decades ago between our nations. We were doing aquatic warcraft tests far out in the Atlantic Ocean and they came to the surface to confront us. King T'Chaka ended the possibility of war by framing a truce that would keep both of our countries a secret as long as we respected their domain and avoided crossing the waters at particular coordinates. They do not want to be found, nor do they want to interact with surface dwellers."

"Who is their leader?"

"King T'Chaka met with someone alone away from the battle cruiser after your family escaped. We were only told that those people would stay below the surface unless they were threatened again," Yoneli said.

"They have underwater structures to live so deep?" T'Challa asked.

"Those people breathe the water. I only saw two who came to the surface," Yoneli said.

"What did they look like?" N'Jadaka said.

Sizani spoke up.

"Blue… they had blue skin. Wore very little clothing and had strong-looking bodies. The men I saw riding whales… they wore water masks…to help them breathe above the surface."

"Are they human?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Yes. At least they looked human. We traded soldiers so that King T'Chaka could go speak to their leader. We kept two of their people on the battle cruiser."

"Are they advanced like us?" Shuri asked.

Shuri was already on her kimoyo swiping through ancient texts looking for mentions of a hidden sea people. Atlantis was what N'Jadaka grew up with. He was curious to know what his ancestors called them.

"King T'Chaka returned to us with the edict that we would not mention seeing them or interacting with their kind. If the outside world ever became aware of them, our country was to remain silent," Yoneli said.

"But T'Chaka started flapping his gums about them when he became a bigger political player… T'Challa, what do you know about them?"

"My father only spoke of attacks when he engaged the U.N. and their troubles encountering them," T'Challa said. "I was never told about a truce or a meeting with them long ago. But he did say there was a growing problem after he began a long tour of America. That is when he started warning the world about messing with unseen forces without diplomacy. He was big on uniting other nations in peace. I didn't understand why he cared to mingle with the U.N. so much. Before he was assassinated, the attacks that were attributed to the Talokans…"

"Talokanil," Shuri said.

She presented a page from an old text on her kimoyo beads.

"There isn't much here. I will search for more," Shuri said. "The writing here tells of several fabled cultures outside the continent, and the Talokanil are mentioned in passing."

N'Jadaka grappled with the information.

"If their name is written in our books, then we have encountered them long before King T'Chaka ever did. The U.S. and Europe started blaming HYDRA, Russia, and some rogue mercenary units for the global water attacks. The Talokanil were thought to be a made-up ruse to fool people… muddy the waters of who was actually behind it," N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa folded his arms and looked at N'Jadaka.

"I was in a meeting with my father once in New York where some other foreign groups were accused, too," T'Challa said. "When my father died, whatever he knew went with him. There was pressure to get through the Sokovia accords and when I took the throne after him, the U.S. was heavily funding the Department of Damage Control in a joint venture with Stark Industries. They cleaned up messes and kept things as quiet as possible. The Talokanil were probably tucked away as a scapegoat to cover for someone else. Probably the Americans. Underwater people are not a true threat—"

"But why would T'Chaka make a truce with a powerless people?"

Yoneli looked away from him. N'Jadaka stepped to her. Taking in the captain's stressed energy, he reached out and held her shoulders.

"What is it, Yoneli?" N'Jadaka said.

"The king…King T'Chaka… that time at sea… he came back afraid. I have never seen him that way before. He wanted us to forget those people," Yoneli said.

N'Jadaka turned to Nakia.

"When The U.S. delegation comes here, we will make your formal introduction as Wakanda's ambassador and you will attend the general assembly in September back in the states. Stick close to the C.I.A. reps," N'Jadaka said.

"Agent Ross is always present," Nakia said.

"We'll use him. He thinks he's Wakanda's best buddy. Keep making him think that. I'll give orders for our War Dogs in port cities to start gathering any intel they can find about Talokan. Shuri, I need you to do a deep dive too. Pull in some of our best historians to help if you need them," N'Jadaka said.

He used his comm tab to bring up an image of a globe.

"If they scared King T'Chaka, then they must have an army down below that can do some damage," N'Jadaka said.

"Maybe that's what the Americans near our waters are looking for," T'Challa said. "All the sonar testing… underwater earthquakes. They're searching."

"What ships do we have that can pass as a research vessel?" N'Jadaka said.

T'Challa moved next to him and pulled an image from his kimoyo.

"We have the Sea Leopard. It has full submersible and camouflage capabilities," T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka and the others studied the ship. The charcoal gray vessel was sleek and curved like a bullet.

"I want that ship ready to go in three days," N'Jadaka said.

"In the middle of the conference?" T'Challa said.

"I want to find these people before the rest of the world does," N'Jadaka said.

"What about the truce?" Nakia asked.

"I'll respect it until I see what we're up against. Then I'll change the terms and conditions as needed. I don't want to take a wait-and-see approach. If the Talokanil spooked T'Chaka… we need to meet and find out why before they're discovered by someone else," N'Jadaka said.

His kimoyo beads lit up. Sydette's avatar spun on his wrist.

"My kids are up. T'Challa, notify our generals. Nakia, get in touch with Agent Ross and butter him up. Reveal your new status… let him think he has insider info about us before his bosses do. Shuri—"

"Research… on it," Shuri said.

Shuri paused before heading out of the door.

"Should we push back our sparring session until after lunch?" Shuri asked.

T'Challa tilted his head and smirked. N'Jadaka grinned.

"You two have been practicing your fighting techniques?" T'Challa said.

N'Jadaka swung his hand around playfully and T'Challa ducked, offering a counterattack that pushed the king back.

"We've been working on some moves in the gym. Gotta stay on top of the game," N'Jadaka said.

He stopped playing and huddled with his cousins.

"We won't discuss any of this with Ramonda. She's working hard on the conference and I don't want anyone outside of this room worrying about anything else."

"Agreed," T'Challa said.

"When the Sea Leopard launches, I want you on it with our best soldiers," N'Jadaka said to T'Challa.

He watched his cousins and Nakia leave. Outside of his inner office, Tlotliso waited for his instructions.

"You can go home. Thank you for stepping in on short notice until I arrived," he said.

"Not a problem," Tlotliso said.

She grabbed a sweater and started to vacate the room.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, your highness. I have some things going on at home... the usual family stuff," she said.

"See you next week then."

"Yes, kumkani."

She left him quietly. He returned to his inner office and regarded Yoneli and Sizani.

"Is there anything else I should know about T'Chaka's meeting with Talokan?" N'Jadaka said.

Yoneli's lips quirked.

"Do you remember the whales that sang to our ship? The ones you swam with alongside your father?" Yoneli said.

"Yes."

"I do not believe their singing was to entertain themselves… not from what we saw after your family left," Yoneli said.

Sizani's forehead creased and she tapped the side of N'Jadaka's desk.

"My king," Sizani said, "those whales… they were calling the Talokanil. Those people… they communicate with sea life. The whales led them to us."

Yoneli nodded her head in agreement.

"When they left us, the whales stayed behind… as if they were watching our movement," Yoneli said.

"Then that will be our cover as we search. We're going whale hunting," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka's children were delighted to have him to themselves.

He cooked them waffles with strawberries and they ate outside on his terrace before heading off to swim in the palace pool. They entertained snail races in the royal garden, then watched boats pass through the river in the middle of Birnin Zana. He rattled citizens when he walked with the children to a favorite river café that served the best coffee and tiny teacakes. The children wore dark shades and his Doras watched nearby with Kora. They crossed the small wooden bridge that led to the floating café and the owner stood there thrilled and honored to meet his little ones up close.

Their lunchtime was spent eating batter-fried sandwiches stuffed with fish and pickled cabbage while strolling through a bazaar. N'Jadaka watched with pride as his children spoke Wakandan with a fluency he was only beginning to master effortlessly. With the creamy yellow sun beating down on them, he took in the mix of old and new structures throughout the heavily trafficked city center. Wakanda reminded him of Rome. He could walk two steps and see modern structures, and two feet away, there appeared an ancient building that existed when Queen Shuriyah walked the earth. The old and new stood together in harmony.

He ruled everything.

The shy glances from citizens and the sly snatchings of holo pics of him spending time with his children was something he wanted the people to see more of to humanize himself among them. There were still many who cursed his name in quiet corners of the land, who smiled in his face and sharpened knives behind their backs. No one would dare touch him in public though. Any and all dissent would come from the shadows once he became relaxed on the throne.

Sydette couldn't stop smiling so hard at being with him and Joba. The three children together became a unit of unlimited energy. He couldn't keep up with questions and simultaneous discussions on different topics from all three. After returning to the palace, he released the children to Kora for their nap and changed into abada pants and a thin yellow t-shirt. He left his home and headed for the private gym. It took up a floor on a lower level with advanced equipment and an indoor track and lap pool. The Dora Milaje shared the space during the week, to practice safety drills with the royal family or used it during their breaks, but on the weekends, the Udaku family used it privately. The 360-degree views opened up the space to lots of sunshine.

Shuri waited for him there, dressed in skin-tight purple athletic leggings and a tank top. She stretched on the floor, then did a few body rolls on the mat with her knees tucked into her chest. Jumping up, she held her arms in a defensive position and watched him saunter toward her. N'Jadaka turned on some soft drumming music from the Merchant Tribe on the ceiling speakers that had the perfect tempo for the ass-whooping he was going to give her.

"Oh, you need a soundtrack for this beating you are about to receive from me?" she said, circling him.

N'Jadaka lunged forward and dipped low, swiping his leg against her ankles. Shuri backflipped barely avoiding contact and jabbed her fists into his chest before he palmed the side of her head and threw her across the room. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Crouching down, Shuri struck his left temple and he let her get a few licks on his midsection before he caught a foot against his right cheek.

"You did not see that coming, cousin. That one I learned from Aunt Califia's old vids. There is more on the way!"

She dropped to her knees and punched him in the gut once more, scrambling between his legs to throw off his balance as he reached for her hair.

"Cheater!" she said, smacking his hand away from her high bun pinned with shiny blue clips.

"You said you wanted a dirty fight," he teased, jumping up and down.

Shuri had speed like his mother and a knack for finding weak points in his defense when his guard was down. There was a boisterous tenacity in her fighting style and he appreciated her ability to switch up her technique when she realized certain combinations of hand and leg strikes didn't work on him. Her eye-hand coordination was tightly focused on countering the capoeira he slid into easily.

They play fought for an hour and rested on their backsides next to each other. Sharing a bottle of water enhanced with recovery herbs, Shuri studied his face.

"I found someone from the Birnin D'Jata University to help me root out more details about the Talokanil. They were known as the 'Amanzi Umhlali'… water dwellers who lived beyond the sunset. I was told that in the olden days, our elders witnessed sightings of them that were mistaken for the reborn children of Mama Wati, our water Goddess. A long time ago, women who had stillborn children would take them to the sea and give their remains to the water in the hopes that their babies would be reborn and return to them. Unfortunately, the little that I have found myself is just mythical tales. Nothing is rooted in factual details. All we know for sure is that they originate in Central America," she said.

"Keep me in the loop. You find anything, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, let me know right away," he said.

"I would like to travel with T'Challa on the Sea Leopard."

"I need you here."

"This is a scientific expedition as much as it is a military one," she said.

"Fury is still sending data and I need you on top of that."

"You know I can do more than one thing—"

"T'Challa can handle any threats from the sea. I need you checking for mofos coming from space."

Shuri laughed.

"What is so funny?" he said, nudging her shoulder with his.

"You have more than you bargained for taking the throne, N'Jadaka."

"Looks that way."

She patted his back and helped him stand up.

"I'm going to shower and take a long break," she said.

"Good. Stay out of your lab today. Give your big brain a rest."

He jabbed his finger on her forehead gently.

"Not too much rest. The Talokanil have me curious… and my father… he was not one to fear anything. Wakanda was a fortress in his mind. Nothing out there should scare a man like him."

"Rest," N'Jadaka said, pushing her arm to leave the gym.

"I want to go up and see my little cousins first," she said.

Grabbing her gym bag, she pointed at him.

"Give me ten minutes to shower and change clothes. I'll come with you," she said.

She scurried toward the changing room and he tapped his kimoyo. Shuri already had reports compiled for him from the university that covered the origins of Mama Wati and the connection to the Talokanil sightings centuries ago. Stepping over to the window he took in the royal garden until Shuri came back out smelling like lemon cookies. She wiped away her body butter on her arms and checked her own kimoyo before they walked out together onto the elevator.

"Have you heard from Disa?" Shuri asked.

"No. Why?"

"Nothing important."

"Seems like everyone has been asking me about her since she went up the mountain. Y'all worried about something?"

"What is there to worry about?" she asked.

"Her new boyfriend."

"I wouldn't call him a boyfriend…"

Shuri reflected on her words and clammed up. They stepped onto his floor.

"What would you call him?"

Shuri looked him in the eye.

"Her co-worker—"

"People don't have to tip-toe around me. I know she likes, Adebiyi. That's her type. I'm not surprised."

"He's a prickly fellow, but overall, I find him a hard worker and very knowledgeable about his craft. I've met him a few times. He tends to stay in the background."

"That's where I'll keep that situation… in the background."

"I upset you."

"Nah. She's been looking forward to going there. Not just to be around him, even though I know that's part of it. I want her happy and she likes being with Ayomide."

"I am glad that you are still friends with her despite everything you deal with in your personal life. It cannot be easy for you—"

"Baba!"

Sydette had the front door open before his Doras could step aside to let him reach it.

"I'm back with you know who," he teased.

Shuri hugged Sydette who pulled her over the threshold.

"Oh… my…" Shuri said.

She took a long gaze around his lower floor.

"I have never been inside of this place when everything was uncovered… beautiful," she said.

Riki and Joba ran downstairs and jumped into Shuri's arms. They tackled her down to the floor and she rolled around with them, testing their arm strength and agility.

"Where have you been?" Joba asked.

Shuri took a seat on a carved wooden chair with wide armrests.

"Working in my lab," Shuri said.

Riki slapped his own forehead.

"Aw, that's all everyone does… work, work, work. No fun here anymore," Riki said.

Riki balanced his arms on Shuri's knees.

"Perhaps for winter solstice, we should plan a family trip out on the boat again," Shuri said.

"Yeah!" Sydette squealed.

"Show me the rest of the new home," Shuri said.

Joba pulled Shuri's hand and the other two children followed further into the next room. N'Jadaka climbed the stairs and headed to his bathing room. His kimoyo lit up and he checked for a message.

Disa sent him images of the exterior of a forest temple overlooking a mountain range. He read the note attached to it.

"It's beautiful here. So much to see. I'm getting plenty of ideas to challenge my original sketches. Kiss and hug Joba for me. Disa."

He smiled and a warm peace came over him.

After showering and changing into loungewear, N'Jadaka padded down to his home office and went over his opening speech to the people he handpicked from all across the globe to join him inside the motherland. While listening to his children run back and forth outside of his workspace as Kora fussed after them about making too much noise near his room, he made some changes to a few sentences. He stopped and opened his comm tab and pulled up pictures of his mother and Aunt Lia together in Brazil the last time they were together. Their faces told the story of struggle and the promise of a better tomorrow. N'Jadaka had the power that they could only dream of having. Tucking his hands under his groomed beard, he stared at the two women. He thought of his father arming War Dogs and the careful planning it took for him to build a secret army for over a decade. The takeover of the world had to be gradual and the grassroots had to be in control in every city they moved in. Backlash, jealousy, F.B.I., and C.I.A. plants would try to derail his plans. Unlike Black liberation movements of the past, N'Jadaka would not create a cult of personality where one individual became the face of an entire struggle. On the outside looking in, it would appear that way since he was leading the initial charge. However, everyone who joined with them would become their own leader with communal goals. There was no place for the next Jesus figure to come and save Black people. Every territory would become the savior of itself. That meant churches would have to be left out of the equation. Too many Black men pimped the church for riches and prestige, muling the labor of Black women who followed them and propped up the institution. No one from any religious organization was invited to Wakanda. White gods and grifters were not welcome there.

He left the images of his mother and aunt floating above his desk as he continued working on his speech. His strongest appeal would be toward women, but he also had to deal with men coming there who had good hearts but patriarchy hardwired in them. Twyla's tour would help break those men in. Once they saw a country led by Bast that flourished with female leadership and brilliance, they would have to shift old thinking inside of themselves. Too many men thought they respected women until faced with working for them. He used to find himself acting out of pocket with women, even the ones he loved because patriarchy and bullying the weaker sex were taught to everyone and difficult to actively unlearn. He recognized it in his life too often than he cared to admit. That was a trait he wanted to keep Riki from falling into as he grew up. He felt the same way about helping Sydette and Joba recognize the behavior toward themselves at a young age and speaking out against it without fear of retribution.

Two days.

In two days, the diaspora would arrive and see the promised land. More than milk and honey flowed throughout Wakanda.

There was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said.

Noxolo walked in carrying a sealed gold envelope.

"This was just delivered," Noxolo said.

She handed him the envelope and left the room.

He sliced across the wax red seal with a letter opener, and read the contents from the Council of Elders. They would allow the outsiders to witness the Mama Wati celebration in Birnin S'Yan. He was surprised they would give permission. Tapping his kimoyo, he contacted Twyla. Her image popped up quickly. He showed her the official paper.

"The council granted you the right to organize a Mama Wati tour," he said.

Twyla took a deep breath.

"This is huge," Twyla said.

"Will you have enough time to put together transportation… maybe lodging?"

"BiBi and I will make it into a day trip with a picnic above the bluffs. They can see the ceremony up close on the beach, but then we'll move them a respectful distance away so families can keep their intimate rituals going afterward. Oh, Big Man, you made my day!" Twyla said.

"They trust you, Twyla."

"I won't let you down," she said.

"I know you won't."

N'Jadaka worked on going over all of the non-disclosure and non-photography agreements every visitor signed in order to visit the country until dinner. The palace kitchen sent up comfort food of mashed green banana and a savory beef stew with lentils and yellow rice. He ate with the children inside the dining room as a light summer rain planted water drops everywhere. There were virtual reality games played around the lower floor until Kora took the children away for their baths. He plowed back into his work and fell asleep at his desk.

N'Jadaka woke up in his bed with heavy eyelids pressing down on him. Alone in his room, he checked his kimoyo. The children were fast asleep in their rooms and the sun was due to rise in minutes. He rose and went to his balcony for prayers to his elder gods and ancestors. Burning incense and a small white candle near his body, he prostrated himself on a prayer rug, pressing his forehead onto the cool silky threads.

Bast and Ogum stirred inside of him and he sensed the presence of his ancestors watching from beyond.

The day had arrived.

The energy around him snapped with frizzy intensity as he stood up and watched the scheduled arrival of six half-cruisers carrying two thousand diaspora kin. He allowed the cruisers to pass directly over Birnin Zana and the palace so the visitors could get the awe-inspiring splendor that he had the first time he flew into Wakanda. Back then he had been on a rampage. At that moment, he was calm and collected.

The half-cruisers were flanked by military escort ships as they floated toward their housing for the conference.

"Morning," Marisol said.

She walked onto the balcony and handed him tea.

Dressed in her own ceremonial white clothing, Marisol stood next to him and also looked at the ships flying away.

"I will keep the press and other non-staff away. The delegates need full immersion by themselves," he said.

"Will you need me here later this evening?" she said.

"No. The nannies will help with the kids and we can have dinner together with the rest of the family."

"This was all worth it, wasn't it JaJa?" she said.

"Yes."

No matter what may have transpired in over three decades, N'Jadaka knew he was where fate planned for him to be. Ignoring the whispers that fermented in the shadows of the palace, the hushed words of resentment of a foreigner sitting on the throne, he would smash the faces of the enemies within Wakanda into the ground where they would grovel at his feet. Never had he felt more Wakandan than when he watched aircraft filled with hand-picked African-descended people meeting their future. History would be written in their blood and bones from that day forth. Their influence back in their own lands after it was over would guarantee the sun would never set on Wakanda because the diaspora would be in alignment with them.

Warlords in countries all over the world dreamed of empires and vast armies to do their bidding. N'Jadaka wanted peace for the diaspora. Comfort. Rest. How could people enjoy life when they couldn't even live properly? The things that made him happy as a child were being with his family when there was no stress. No worries about food, housing, or danger coming for them. His people would finally have the tools to create the life they wanted in their respective communities.

War would come.

Black Wall Street. The New Jewel Movement. The Black Panthers. Patrice Lumumba and the Congolese National Movement. The Move Organzation. Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. Angela Davis. Assata Shakur. Medgar Evers. Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Marie Sainte Dédée Bazile of the Haitian Revolution. Queen Mary Thomas. Nanny of the Maroons of Jamaica. Ganga Zumba in Palmares. Nat Turner. Charles Deslondes and the Louisiana Slave Revolt. Flore Bois Gaillard and the Battle of Rabot in St Lucia.

Everywhere on the planet where Black men and women sought freedom in ways that worked for them, they were met with force and/or death by white supremacy and upheld by the Black people beholden to whiteness for their own personal gain. There was never a time in history where Black people encountering white people had peace. Never. Even when Black people were isolated and successful in their own community, as they were in Tulsa Oklahoma, white people envied them and burned their world to the ground with the laws of the land protecting white supremacy.

No more.

N'Jadaka took a deep breath and rested in the power of his spiritual protectors. The diaspora would have peace and he would burn down the worlds of their enemies this time around. Wipe them from the face of the earth as a warning to anyone else feeling bold enough to challenge the new world order. If they just so happened to be Black or non-white in the service of white supremacy, they could catch hands too.

Ogum sat high in his chest. Bast positioned her power above his head. His ancestors flanked him with an invisible thread of verve. It was time to lead. Time to do king things.

He ate a simple breakfast of grits and glazed peaches. After dressing in his finest black tunic and robes, he let Marsol twist his locs into a high bun. She prayed over him while smudging him down with blue Wakandan sage. He wiped a small dot of oil from the Temple of Bast onto his third eye and admired himself in a full-length mirror.

"Ready?" Marisol asked.

He nodded and followed her out of his quarters. Surrounded by his security team, he boarded the Royal Talon Fighter. T'Challa greeted him inside and they all flew together to greet their guests.

The moment he stepped out of the Talon Fighter and onto the hotel grounds his heart thudded faster. He wiggled his fingers at his sides and the kinetic sparks of energy transference were already tingling across his skin. Aneka opened the double doors of the hotel's grand conference room and the rush of energy that passed over him from the people inside nearly blew him off of his feet. Thunderous applause broke out with shrill cries of joy all around them. A standing ovation went on for ten whole minutes as N'Jadaka took long strides to the podium. Two thousand shiny and exalted Black faces made enough noise to shout down the sun from the heavens. He glanced over at Marisol and tears glistened in her eyes. T'Challa's face held an expression of immense understanding and compassion for all the people there.

To the right of the podium was a section created for his transition team that had now become his royal cabinet members. They stood there stunned at the reaction to his walking into the room. Council Elders were also present and sat up on a dais behind him, overlooking the opening meeting. The history lesson he gave them about the people in that space guided their ability to take in the importance of the diaspora being there. Zinzi kept wiping her eyes and clapped her hands with the people. N'Jadaka held up his hands to quiet down the guests but they continued to clap, hoot, stomp their feet, and holler his name. No… not his name… Wakanda's name.

The energy they sent him flowed into his chest where Ogum soaked it up.

"Please… sit…." N'Jadaka said, waving his hands down.

They wouldn't stop.

From the corner of his eye, he watched his grandparents being ushered in by Shuri. They took seats reserved for them on his left side facing the podium. The zeal in the room struck them hard, especially his grandmother. Umama held her head high as she glanced around at all the people. Finally, after much coaxing and prodding, the applause and noise died down and the people took their seats in comfortable chairs. The backdrop behind him and the elders gave the guests a glorious view of the landscape. As if on cue, a herd of giraffes strutted by and the trumpeting sound of a braying elephant blasted in the distance.

"Welcome to Wakanda," he said.

The audience laughed and clapped again.

"Today is a blessed day that I get to share with each and every one of you here. The journey has been long—"

"Amen!" someone shouted far in the back.

The audience laughed and clapped again.

"I am King N'Jadaka Udaku-Stevens. Son of The Master Hammer Califia Stevens of Oakland, California. Son of Prince N'Jobu Udaku of Wakanda. American by birth. African by descent. Like all of you here, I am a child of the African Diaspora. A child of the stolen and enslaved. We are the Lost Tribe. I stand here to welcome you home. Brothers and sisters of the diaspora, look upon this place and be renewed…"

N'Jadaka spoke with the flair of a Baptist preacher and the fiery confidence of his mother whenever she rallied up a crowd. He relaxed the audience into the global importance of the work they were about to dig into. They were the experts and Wakanda was there to listen and support. Forty minutes in, he turned the mic over to Queen Ramonda and her welcoming speech was full of passion. She was a tremendous orator and the audience sat mesmerized listening to her. Next came brief introductory speeches by the Council of Elders followed by a nervous Twyla who spoke of the itinerary changes due to the addition of the Mama Wati celebration. As the others spoke, N'Jadaka watched the audience. The meeting was long, but no one showed signs of fatigue or boredom. He took to the podium again and closed out the first gathering. The guests would spend the rest of the day relaxing, acclimating to the time change, eating delicious meals, and mingling at a mixer later that night. They would tour the country for the next few days and then the serious purpose of their being there would begin.

The joy in the room was infectious and healing. He thanked everyone for coming and trusting the process of reinventing a future they could control. The Dora Milaje surrounded him as he took the time to shake the hand of everyone who wanted to touch him. Some could barely look him in the eye from the force of his aura radiating power, while others hugged him, much to the annoyance of Aneka and Noxolo. A few only reached out and touched the hem of his tunic, too afraid to touch his skin directly. One older woman kept shaking her head, her eyes glancing around at everything before she gently clasped his hand in hers and patted his wrist.

"I don't know what this is going to be in the end… but God bless you brother for bringing me here,' she said with a shaky voice.

Outside in a garden gazebo, a small band played music that shook some hips and made fingers snap. Across from the gazebo was a buffet brunch and folks were famished. They filled plates and relaxed around tables as peacocks strutted by hoping food fell on the ground.

N'Jadaka said a quick hello to his grandparents, and Disa caught up to him.

"That was a fabulous opening."

"A long ways from that old raggedy speech I gave about Chocolate City back at M.I.T.," he said.

She laughed.

"Hopefully those dudes turned into worthwhile human beings like you. You were great," she said.

"So… your trip was good," he said.

"It was. Did you get a chance to look at the other pictures I sent you?"

"I did. But you know anything you come up with is always going to be stellar."

She wanted to say more. He felt it.

"Proud of you," she said.

She gave him a hug before rushing off with his older relatives to eat in a private section away from the main groups of guests. He looked around as he moved with his security to leave the hotel.

There she was. Talking to a group of maternity doctors near a water fountain.

Yani fixed her eyes on him and waved him over toward the small group.

"King N'Jadaka, this is Dr. Ida Bryan from St. Thomas, Dr. LaShawn Dixon from Miami, Florida, and Dr. John Alcindor from London, England," Yani said.

All three doctors nodded their heads and shook his hand. Dr. Bryan kept shaking her head like a nervous tick.

"I told you he doesn't bite," Yani joked with her mentor.

"This is almost too much, King N'Jadaka. Thank you for choosing me to take part in this,' she said.

N'Jadaka leaned forward and kissed Dr. Bryan's cheek, startling her. He held onto her hands.

"You saved my daughter's life," he said.

Yani looked away quickly, the memory of that time still close to her heart.

"Will I get to see Princess Sydette?" Dr. Bryan asked.

"Later in the week," he said.

"I never dreamed that a patient of mine was from this place… Yani was always special to me, a serious student… I'm so happy to be here," Dr. Bryan said.

Yani didn't contradict him about Sydette. Once the children were in the palace, they became his full responsibility under Udaku family rules. She had to abide by them too as royalty.

"Make sure you all get some food to eat. You had a long trip to get here," he said.

"It was so cloak and dagger," Dr. Alcindor interjected. "I can understand why you used the secrecy to get us all out of our countries. Wakanda is… I can't even find words."

"You've barely seen it," N'Jadaka said.

His words thrilled them.

"Would you like to eat with us?" Dr. Dixon asked.

"I wish I could, but I have more business to tend to at the palace. I'll see you all tonight at the mixer," he said.

Yani lowered her gaze as if she were disappointed. He casually looked over her outfit. It was an orange off-the-shoulder wrap dress. She always looked gorgeous in orange. Her brown skin popped with that color and he suspected she wore it to make that happen with the summer sun.

"It is an honor to meet you in person, King N'Jadaka," Dr. Alcindor said.

"Enjoy yourselves," N'Jadaka said.

He regretfully left Yani's side and headed for the exit where the Royal Talon Fighter and T'Challa waited for him. Glancing back, he caught Yani looking at him. He waved to her and she waved back, moving behind the other doctors toward the buffet line.

T'Challa stood with Shuri at the Talon Fighter. Nick Fury grinned at him with his foot on the open ramp.

"Looking for me?" Fury asked.

N'Jadaka shook his hand.

"Come take a ride with us," N'Jadaka said.

Fury grew nervous staring at the Doras and part of the Onyx Squad behind him.

"Relax, man. You're about to see something cool,' N'Jadaka said.

Fury's body stayed coiled and ready for anything. T'Challa's Black Panther suit shot across his body as they walked onto the Talon Fighter. The view of the hotel shrank below them as they headed toward the coast.

"Where are we going?" Fury asked.

The speed of the Royal Talon Fighter worried Fury. His eyes darted about watching every move on the aircraft. They swooped down toward the rocky barrier that separated Wakanda from the country next to them higher up on the eastern coastline. In twenty minutes, they floated above the choppy water of the Indian Ocean that the Wakandan's called Mama Wati's home turf.

"What is that?" Fury asked, gazing down at the pristine shine of the Sea Leopard.

A floor exit chimed loudly and T'Challa, dressed as the Black Panther, stood over it. He pounded his fist against N'Jadaka's and the floor swirled open. T'Challa dropped out of the aircraft and landed on the Sea Leopard below. Shuri's expression stayed sour and N'Jadaka squeezed her shoulder.

"You'll have your chance to be on it once we find what we're looking for," N'Jadaka said.

"I will hold you to that, cousin," Shuri said.

"Mr. Fury, that is a ship on the hunt for whales," N'Jadaka said. "Talking whales that spy for people down there."

The dark churning waters hid so much from the surface world.

"What people?" Fury said.

N'Jadaka studied the face of the ops. Creased brow. Deep lines on his cheeks. The downturned lips hid an irritated scowl. Fury looked genuinely confused. N'Jadaka's gut sensed no deceptive smokescreen to deflect. He moved past N'Jadaka and observed the Sea Leopard with jealous eyes.

"This place never ceases to amaze me," Fury said as the Sea Leopard shimmered in bright neon blue lights and disappeared on the water.

N'Jadaka glanced over at Shuri and she stepped next to him. Folding her arms over her chest she gave Fury a withering look. It was hard to trust a man who lived a lie most of the time.

"What people are you looking for?" Fury asked.

"Americans," N'Jadaka said.

Shuri stared at him and he tilted his head to warn her about saying anything to Fury.

"They'll always be on your ass," Fury said. A smirk crossed his face.

"Come with me," N'Jadaka said.

They walked to the back of the Talon Fighter and N'Jadaka dragged images from a digital folder of beached whales on Wakanda's rocky shoreline.

"Sonar tests are killing marine life and encroaching on our people's fisheries," N'Jadaka said.

Fury looked at the dead animals and shrugged.

"Not my department. Cut the shit, king. Why am I out here?" Fury said.

"You're my guest. I'm giving you a private look at our naval reconnaissance missions."

Fury didn't believe him, but he was still interested in their military hardware. The man had been in the C.I.A. for a long time. Their interactions had been honest although tense at times. He was already privy to what N'Jadaka planned for the diaspora. The spirits within him instructed him to wait. There was no rush to show an entire hand at that moment.

"Your speech today… to all those people… inspiring," Fury said.

"I meant what I said."

"I don't doubt it. Being a king of all of this… having your cousin as the Black Panther… another cousin being a brainiac… you are in a position no Black person on earth has ever been in. How must it feel to be the one?"

"There is no one. There's no me without we. Believe that."

"Can you even fathom the risk you're putting all of those people under once they go home?"

"Nigga, what have you done in your life but work for the enemy? Your entire career has been spent sitting on a fence. You know what we have faced all over the world, but you chose…willingly…to work for the enemy—"

"You did the same—"

"I had no choice!"

N'Jadaka's shout alarmed Aneka and Noxolo. They stepped behind Fury.

He waved his hand to them and they moved back.

"I was made an orphan by forces you never had to face. I chose to learn the enemy so I could free my people, and today that time has finally come. Don't you ever think that I'm like you. I am reaching out to my people and you… you're a pawn who thinks he has a little power. Bitch nigga moves," N'Jadaka shouted.

He pushed up on Fury.

"Look at you. No real family. No connections to anyone outside of the work you do. Every night I see my children and know what they will be up against and I choose to make a way for them and others out there who were like me. I never grew up in a world of hope after my parents were killed. As king, I bring hope to the masses. When I die… for real this time… I know that I stood for something, and the Black world will benefit from it—"

"The world isn't just for Black people," Fury said.

"Then let those people stand up for themselves instead of sucking off of our labor. I'm only here for Black and Native people—"

"Selfish," Fury said.

"Who stands up for us? Huh? I say fuck everyone else except for who I look out for. The problem with Black people is that we carry everyone on our backs. Fuck that. We look out for our own this time… just like everyone else does."

"The power in your hand…" Fury said, shaking his head.

"Get with the winning team old man," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka's kimoyo lit up. Joba's avatar floated above his beads.

"Excuse me," N'Jadaka said.

He turned away and tapped his kimoyo.

"Hey Joba," he said.

"Riki won't let us play with his cow game board," Joba whined.

"No, Baba! They played it already. I want to play with it by myself!" Riki insisted.

"But you need more than one person to play it," N'Jadaka said.

"I wahn to study it without them!"

Riki snatched the board from Joba's hand. Sydette stepped in and grabbed it away from him.

"He's being a rude brat!" Sydette shouted.

"No, I'm not!" Riki yelled.

Kora rushed into the playroom and took the board game away from Sydette.

"I am so sorry they disturbed you, King N'Jadaka," Kora said.

"Put the game away on my office desk. I'll talk to them when I get home," N'Jadaka said.

"Yes, kumkani," Kora said.

"Wait! Baba that's not fair!" Riki moaned.

"I'll talk to you when I get home—"

"Baba—"

"I said when I get home. Go work on your language lessons for today."

Riki stomped away from Joba.

"Bye, Daddy," Joba said.

Her image winked out and N'Jadaka turned back to Fury. The man had a grin on his face.

"It's not every day that I see a powerful man, a king, discipline his children in the middle of a military operation," Fury said.

"I'm going to be a father no matter what I'm doing."

"I see that," Fury said.

Vid screen charts of the ocean lit up orange above the Talon Fighter workstation table. A 3D image of the Sea Leopard appeared. The Black Panther's avatar came into view.

"We have crossed the international boundary and will release sea drones within a two-hundred-mile radius at the last location sonar was detected from the Americans," T'Challa said.

"Station the ship at the coordinates Captain Lebohang set. Meet me back at the palace before the mixer tonight," N'Jadaka said.

N'Jadaka walked back to the front of the Talon Fighter where Noxolo flew the aircraft. Aneka and his Onyx Squad members kept their eyes on Fury.

"Take us for a quick pass across the water," he told Noxolo.

The Royal Talon fighter raced across the ocean less than ten feet above it. Somewhere out there was trouble waiting to happen.

"Whoever is out there, we'll find them," he said to no one in particular.

Chapter 65 HERE.

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#Black Boys Bloom Thorns First Volume 4 #Erik Killmonger #Killmonger Fanfiction #Erik Stevens #Pantherverse #Namor #Shuri #T'Challa #black panther #Wakanda Forever #Uzumaki Rebellion Writes #uzumaki rebellion

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Black Boys Bloom Thorns First: Volume 4, Chapter 61″

Need to catch up before Namor appears? Masterlist HERE.

"How much better can I show my love for you Than say "I do, I do, I do"? I do, I do, I do You may not know right where you're going, but I do, I do, I do And all the times you wasn't chosen, well, I'll make it up to you All of the feelings you're not showing When your river's overflowing, mmm It's the truth, swear to you I do, I do, I do, I do, I do"

Yebba – "Yebba's Heartbreak"

Shuri followed behind the new king and watched the gait in his walk. N'Jadaka had taken on a persona so dramatic and otherworldly that she had to question everything she knew about him from the first day she ever met him.

There was a light in him.

Something in the deepest part of him reflected a light so bright that everyone near him fluttered about trying to bathe in the warmth of the aural glow. Shuri was a woman of the mind. Science had taught her that the tangible was real, everything else was fantasy. Raised in a culture that believed in magic and mystical wisdom, she scoffed at all of that and concentrated on a reality that she could see with her own two eyes, touch with her own two hands… but the cousin walking across the bridge in front of her… she wondered if she had been wrong about denying the existence of Bast, Mama Wati*, Sekhmet and all the other deities. A human lived and then died. There was no afterlife.

Did Queen Shuriyah really talk to him?

People clung to the idea of an afterlife to give them comfort, especially if their lives were cruel and full of struggle. It was a construct that held off the fear of knowing there was nothing to look forward to except oblivion. Who wouldn't want to think there was a chance to live again in a better place without needless suffering? Heaven wasn't real. Hell was the torture that humans put themselves through on earth while they breathed above the earth. All of it was make-believe and when she became old and her body could no longer properly function, she would cease being alive and decompose like the plants and animals around them as part of an evolutionary cycle of beginnings and endings, over and over. No ancestral plane waited for her. However, King N'Jadaka brought forth a tiny smidgen of doubt in her mind that was the size of a grain of teff that made the muncu flat bread her people loved. Staying on top of the oldest mountain in Wakanda had transformed him and the change was startling in its visceral impact on all who came into contact with him.

Although her brother had cut quite a fitting vision of royalty while he sat on the throne, N'Jadaka enveloped the seat as if the grand chair had been shaped just for him and everyone else had been babysitting it until he arrived to take his rightful place. Even her own father didn't look as worthy sitting there compared to the new king.

Queen Shuriyah watched over her and was proud? Impossible. The hallucinogenic chemicals inside the heart-shaped herb had spun his neural pathways around. His synapses had invented a fiction, no different from someone having a lucid dream and thinking it was all real.

Shuri stared at General Okoye as she greeted the new king at the bridge entrance to the West Palace. Forthright and not easily swayed, Okoye was a great barometer to see if the awe N'Jadaka struck in everyone else was just… holy Bast!

Okoye's eyes darted down the second N'Jadaka glanced her way, and her lips parted slightly as if she had to catch more air than her nose could provide. The king had his general shaken! Royal drummers inside the West Palace thundered a new rhythm, signaling that the king had arrived. A grouping of children in ceremonial clothing and painted faces matching the color spectrum of purples and mauves sang to him. Sydette, Riki, and Joba giggled and were the only ones not affected by the change in their father. He was simply their Baba, and he kept them close to his side, occasionally touching a braid, tugging on a twisted loc, or patting a puffy bouquet of curls on their heads.

Disa seemed to have eased into a tentative comfort level with him, but it was Yani that drew Shuri's curiosity. The nervous energy she carried was clumsy and sweet. It was obvious to Shuri that there was something between Yani and N'Jadaka that wasn't present with Disa. Yani fluttered like a butterfly tempted by an extraordinary flower, but one that couldn't figure out how to land on it.

N'Jadaka wasted no time jumping into his kingship.

The moment he arrived back at the palace, he held a private meeting with Shuri and T'Challa. He didn't even bother changing from his white robes that smelled of strong incense and the heart-shaped herb. They debriefed him on the military team that inspected the Phase Two structure out at sea and investigated the underwater earthquakes. There was satellite evidence of American military and private research operations occurring in open international waters too close to their shielded territory. Naval sonar evidence had been captured and recorded. That information pleased N'Jadaka. He wanted to gather more evidence before the international delegates came to Wakanda. There were plans to go to the U.N. and make his presence known as the new leader of the free world under Wakanda's watch.

"What do you think they are looking for out there?" Shuri asked.

"Vibranium. They will try to infiltrate this country inside and out. Staying in international waters will only protect them for so long in their search. The tactical gear I've seen, and the vessels used, point to the Navy Seals. They may create a fabricated international incident that will give them an excuse to turn the world against us. They'll claim we hide WMDs, chemical weapons, or even trumped-up human rights violations pretending that Wakandan citizens don't have freedom because we force isolation to hide nefarious behavior," N'Jadaka said.

"Ridiculous," Shuri said.

"America will stoke the fires and get the EU behind them. Classic playbook actions."

N'Jadaka's words were measured, especially when Nakia was brought in on the latter part of their private meeting. The first fifteen minutes of her entering the king's inner chamber had Nakia flustered by the intensity of N'Jadaka's bearing. Not only that, but his interactions with T'Challa were so comfortable and connected. They were confidantes, and her brother seemed to know what N'Jadaka needed to hear without him even asking. Not being the king anymore made her brother more powerful, if such a thing were truly possible. From Shuri's vantage point, N'Jadaka became the sheath to T'Challa's blade. Her brother stood in the office coiled and ready to take on the world, and N'Jadaka trusted him fully.

By the time the meeting ended, N'Jadaka had Nakia laughing, and the new ambassador post he assigned her made the former spy more open to the king. They had reached mutual respect. When Shuri left the king's office with her brother, Nakia stayed behind for a private chat with N'Jadaka.

"King N'Jadaka!"

A male host of the coronation ball jolted Shuri back to her senses, and she glanced around at the grandeur and the thousands of people packed into the ballroom aching to be near the new king. The immediate family went to a dais table to feast on nine courses as proclamations were read and live musicians provided entertainment. The extended family enjoyed the food and libations around the king, and Shuri kept a watchful eye on the citizens. Especially the challengers to the throne at Warrior Falls. The Council of Elders held court at their respective tribal tables while the nobles had the best views of the royal family.

Shuri noticed right away that Remy kept his attention on Yani.

His face looked better from the bruising beat down he took. Shuri could only imagine how all the fighters would be if they didn't have advanced medicine and tools to heal broken bones and swollen faces within hours and not weeks. While dozens of servers brought dessert out on floating carts, N'Jadaka rose from his seat to go around and greet the noble tribal representatives, starting with Nakia and her people. There were handshakes, good-natured pats on the back, and jokes shared, but none of that happened when the king reached Remy. The young noble stood and held his hands in the sign of respect that was traditional, but N'Jadaka leaned in and said something in Remy's ear that made the younger man's body go rigid and his face tense up.

Shuri had been greeting older relatives near the nobles and watched up close the shift in mood from the Merchant Tribe members in that section. Elder Zinzi stood and gave N'Jadaka a warm pat on the back, but he must've said something disrespectful to Remy because another elder grabbed Remy's arm to force him back down into his seat. Thankfully, the twelve-member band struck up a song that broke up the tension, seducing couples to move onto the dance floor.

N'Jadaka spoke to Zinzi with his back turned to the Merchant Tribe head table and Shuri felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Sinjin!"

With no thought about where she was, Shuri hugged her lover, and he squeezed her waist before moving a respectful distance from her.

"How long have you been in Birnin Zana?"

"I was part of the last wave of islanders brought inland two days ago," Sinjin said.

"Where have you been staying?"

"With relatives in Birnin S'Yan, near the high plateau."

"You look wonderful."

"So do you."

Shuri touched the fancy, pulled-back hairstyle she was trying out. The sides and back were shaved low, almost in the same style as N'Jadaka. She touched her nape with shy hands and couldn't keep herself from stepping closer to him in the surrounding crowd of dancers and nobles trying to get closer to N'Jadaka.

"He's finally the king," Sinjin said.

"Yes."

"Feels weird."

"Eh?"

"He's not the same man I fought for."

"He is the same to me, in a way. I think he has become more of himself by being here with his entire family."

"Things are cool with you all?"

Shuri grinned.

"I would not think it was possible over a year ago, but now… he is truly family. A brilliant man."

Sinjin nodded. It was too tempting to touch him, so Shuri moved closer to the edge of the dance floor where they would be openly seen.

"How are W'Kabi and Okoye doing?" Shuri asked.

Sinjin glanced over to where W'Kabi stood with a drink in his hand, speaking to the Border Tribe fighter who had lost to N'Jadaka.

"It is still touch and go. Talks of divorce have ceased for now…"

"But?"

"There is still hurt there. Okoye is hesitant to reconcile fully. Maybe things will change having a new king that they both have to answer to."

"I hope they work things out."

"I hope so, too. King N'Jadaka made many people reevaluate who they really are. He is the change we needed."

Sinjin lowered his head.

"That is no disrespect to your brother, Shuri. King T'Challa was placed in a tough position. King N'Jadaka was a storm that blew through here and it shook up people. To their core. Okoye and W'Kabi have never seen things eye to eye for a few years now. Our civil war underlined that fact."

"T'Challa was a good king."

"We need an exceptional one now."

Shuri's kimoyo beads warmed on her wrist, then lit up with an amber color.

"Excuse me," she said, rushing away from the people and toward a private alcove outside of the ballroom.

Nick Fury's face floated in front of her with a grim expression.

"Princess Shuri. We have a problem," Nick Fury said.

Yani held her breath when King N'Jadaka swaggered past the tables of the nobles he tangled with at Warrior Falls. When he stood in front of Remy, she immediately knew he said something mean because Remy looked like he was ready to fight again right there in front of everyone. She stood up quickly and moved away from the family table to pretend like she was checking on her children, but all the grandparents looked after them. Reversing her steps in another direction, she made sure no one could see her reactions. Checking her kimoyo, they had another two hours to go before N'Jadaka would have to leave for other ball celebrations in different parts of the city. She would have to change clothes and attend them with Disa, but the children would stay with Dante.

Marisol and Twyla caught up with her, and they huddled behind a pillar to gossip about Disa.

"See, look at him… I think there's something more serious going on," Twyla said as they peeked at Disa speaking to a giant man wearing Jabari furs and a leather military skirt.

"I know she likes him," Marisol said, tucking the back of her white head wrap tighter.

Twyla sucked her teeth.

"We all know she likes him, gyal, it's seeing them together like this that's making it obvious to everyone. You think Big Man noticed?" Twyla asked.

Marisol grinned.

"JaJa's so busy working the crowd he can't even relax," Marisol said.

Yani's kimoyo lit up. She turned away from the women. A co-worker at the hospital, a seasoned midwife named Atlarela, gazed at her with a strained expression.

"Princess Yani, I am so sorry to disturb your time at the celebration, but I need your help. Nks. Tshwete has gone into labor and she is having a hard time. I told her you could not be here, but she insists on talking to you. She is in a panic and the baby's heart rate has gone up," Atlarela said.

Yani walked quickly to a quiet area out on a terrace. There were a few nobles lingering outside to catch a pleasant breeze and enjoy the view of the golden city below.

"Do you all mind? I have an emergency call," Yani said.

The group of nobles nodded and left her alone.

Yani sat down on a low cushioned bench and tapped her kimoyo.

"I am here, Atlarela. Let me see her," Yani.

Nks. Tshwete's sweaty face peered at her with worry. Propped in a wide birthing chair with her husband rubbing her shoulders behind her, the mother-to-be visibly relaxed when she saw Yani.

"Dr. Galiber… this is harder than I thought," Nks. Tshwete said.

"But you are a strong woman and so ready to bring this baby out," Yani said in her best Wakandan.

"Ow!"

Nks. Tshwete rubbed her stomach and hissed.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Yani asked, swiping a med screen next to the floating image.

"My back aches… I am so tired."

"Looks like we have you on a low dosage of imifuno enoxolo. I'll up that by five milligrams," Yani said.

She typed in her med code and Atlarela received the change notification on the floating screen that tracked the birth's progress. The hospital room's A.I. Griot scanned the medicine requested and popped out a skin patch from a dispenser on a rolling medical console. moaned with discomfort and her husband nuzzled his cheek against hers. The midwife stuck the small patch on the mother's left arm and checked for dilation.

"She is ready," Atlarela said.

Yani dragged her index finger across her floating screen that synched up with Nks. Tshwete's body scanner to check the position of the baby.

"Time to start helping that baby out—"

"I cannot! I am so weak… so tired," Nks. Tshwete said.

"That is not true. You carried this big baby boy for nine months—"

"Nine months and seven days," Nks. Tshwete corrected.

"Yes, now he finally decided to come out. You know something? My son did the same thing. Mi Dumplin, him got really comfortable in mi belly. Mi fuss every day with him fat self," Yani said.

Nks. Tshwete smiled through her discomfort. Atlarela squatted onto the medical seat in front of the comfortable birthing chair and gently massaged a warm cream along the perineum to prevent tearing. She tapped the side of the chair and it expanded, giving the midwife more room.

Yani clucked her tongue and put a hand on her hip.

"He stayed in mi for six extra days past his due date and I was over it!" Yani quipped.

Nks. Tshwete leaned into her husband's neck and exhaled deeply as a hard contraction took over her focus.

"Rubbed mi Dumplin right on out. Sang to him too."

"What did you sing?" Nks. Tshwete huffed out.

Yani hummed an old lullaby her Auntie Leona used to sing to her when she was a baby. Tingalayo.

"Tingalayo… come little donkey come. Mi donkey fast, mi donkey slow… mi donkey come and mi donkey go…"

Yani sang the song, her voice shiny and clear, like a bell. Nks. Tshwete panted and pushed.

"Mi donkey dance, mi donkey sing… Mi donkey wearin' a wedding ring…"

Mr. Tshwete laughed and gazed at Yani's image floating in front of them.

"Why is a donkey wearing a wedding ring?" he asked.

Nks. Tshwete chuckled until her cheeks puffed out with exertion.

"Them island donkeys like to be married, I guess," Yani explained.

Atlarela pressed her knees onto the wide cushion of the birthing chair, dipping her hands low as the baby's head pushed through.

"Him have a lil coconut head," Yani said.

"Like his father!" Mr. Tshwete joked, wiping sweat from his bald dome.

A young nurse brought the midwife a warm towel to tuck under the baby as his shoulders wiggled through.

"Here he is… look at this… look at this little one," Atlarela said.

Nks. Tshwete closed her eyes and wept, her face exhausted, and her body losing the tension in her shoulders. Atlarela placed the baby on the flat front of the birthing chair, allowing Nks. Tshwete to collect herself in a way that Yani was trying with new mothers. She would guide the babies down and allow the mothers to catch their breath. It slowed down the birth process and gave new mothers a chance to gather themselves before meeting their new bundle of joy. Instead of handing the baby over right away, Yani encouraged letting the newborn sit quietly in warmth as the mother rested in the release.

"Oh, look how well you did!" Yani said.

"Thank you," Nks. Tshwete said while her husband kissed her cheek and rubbed her forehead.

"All I did was watch you do what you already knew how to do, love. Look how pretty you look, Mama!" Yani clapped her hands.

Atlarela winked at Yani.

Nks. Tshwete reached down between her legs and stroked her child's feet first, then explored the wrinkled legs and ran a gentle finger up to his arms and tiny balled-up fists.

"He is beautiful," Nks. Tshwete said.

Scooping her hand under the baby, she finally lifted him up to her chest where she sniffed his skin and nuzzled him under her chin, giving skin-to-skin contact. Yani began singing softly again, and the exhausted mother sang along, calming everyone there.

"The afterbirth is coming," Atlarela said.

The new mother held her squirming child to her naked breast and the ecstatic father cradled his son's round, wet head.

"I will leave you all now. Happy birthday," Yani said.

Nks. Tshwete blew Yani a kiss, and Atlarela turned off the link. Yani touched her cheeks and wiped away a tear. She always cried when helping mothers give birth. So many babies had come through her hands in Wakanda, but each one made her weep with second-hand joy as if she had given birth too. She heard the jokes behind her back that N'Jadaka caused the birthing boom in the country. People made love to forget the war and thousands of babies were born soon after. It wasn't about to let up either. Her work calendar stayed filled with upcoming new arrivals. Wakandans fucked instead of fighting, which the people celebrated because the birth rate had been lower than normal in Birnin Zana.

She heard movement behind her.

"I always knew you would be a success."

Yani turned and the new king of Wakanda moved next to the bench she occupied. She stood, exhaled, and looked at him directly as she nodded her head in deference.

"You never have to do that with me, Yani," he said.

N'Jadaka moved closer to her, and she took a hesitant step back to give him room near the bench.

"I'm about to leave for the next ball location. Wanted to see if you were ready to go," he said.

Yani touched her chin, then looked down at her dress.

"I need to change—"

"Don't. I like that dress on you. It's regal… beautiful. Fit for a princess."

She found a more confident tone and rushed the words out.

"Thank you for that," she said.

"I didn't have time to see you before I left, so T'Challa and the Council took care of the details presenting the title to you," he said.

Her eyes drifted steadily to his face and there was a glow of confidence there that made her midsection relax. He rested in kingship. It fit him like a tailored suit and she thought of all the times back in St. Thomas when he walked around like he was royalty.

The old him… Killmonger… carried the bearing of royalty all the time. She had mistaken much of it as arrogance, but N'Jadaka knew who he was back then. He couldn't even hide it that well. The way he spoke, the force of his words, and his personality made people stop and take notice back there among the deadly mercenaries. She had made love and played house with a prince for two years. A natural-born leader from birth.

"I'll be prepping for the consortium tomorrow. I would like to have lunch with Riki and Sydette in my new office… if that can be arranged," he said.

"I'm staying in the palace for the next two days until my new rotation at the hospital starts. Before I forget, Dr. Bryan is all set to come here from St. Thomas."

"Good. This is going to be a massive undertaking. Thank you for putting in all the extra work to get her here."

Yani clasped her hands in front of her waist.

"How was it up there?"

They both glanced over at Mount Bashenga. He moved over to the protective railing and she followed him.

"It was an experience I will never forget. Even now, I'm still processing everything. I let a lot of things go… from my past and my present. It's like I shed two hundred spiritual pounds to open myself up for a different weight."

"Well, you look good… healthy," she said.

"I feel good. Gotta put in work now."

"Is it everything you thought it would be? Becoming king?"

"More, so much more, Yani."

His body became an imposing figure right next to her. The blinding white of his royal robes, the long, twisted locks, the piercing, the gold teeth, his scent… Yani gripped the railing to steady herself mentally. N'Jadaka sighed.

"This new life won't be perfect until I get things right with you," he said.

"Huh?"

"Had I lived that first time… I would've come back for you and Sydette."

He turned toward her, his eyes burning into hers.

"The day T'Challa stabbed me… I had secret orders to send a ship to St. Thomas. They destroyed it during the battle."

Yani took a step back.

"You don't have to make up stories to make me feel better," she said.

"Have I ever lied to you? Not about who I really was, but how I treated you there?"

She shook her head.

"You gave the good parts of me back to myself, Yani," he said.

She leaned in toward him and he gazed at the mountain again.

"I fucked up by going to Disa based on a promise I made to Grandpop, but I was on a rampage to get here. I hurt you in a way that no amount of sorry is going to make up for because I know what you went through with other men who let you down, and I acted like a basic fool, just like the rest of them that one time. I'm better than that. I acted carelessly… I mean… I guess I didn't care about living anymore… didn't think I'd make it out alive to get back to you, anyway. Weak excuses can't explain what I did. Words don't mean shit to you cuz niggas been spittin' game just to have you. Love for another person is supposed to be a positive action, and I didn't even love myself enough to stop and think about anything beyond getting here and taking everything for my people… for my parents. I got what I wanted and I'm grateful for that. It cost me though. I will own that. All those broken parts, all those lost years… Wakanda gave me my parents back. Gave me peace with my ancestors. United me with my cousins and my grandparents. I have all of my missing pieces back... everything except for you. You are the one. Accepted me for how I showed up, even the bad things. Gave me my first child. One that I didn't even make!"

N'Jadaka laughed, but Yani had a lump in her throat and another in a hollow part of her chest.

"I'm going to spend the rest of my days trying to make up for lost time with my kids… and Yani… I want to make everything up to you."

The lump in her chest stayed solid. Men always said shit they didn't really mean. The high of the day impacted his words. He probably had a lot to drink and wanted to butter her up because of guilt.

Yani ran those thoughts through her head, but the man next to her didn't match up with the energy of the one who crushed her heart. Killmonger broke her by getting someone else pregnant and still loving them. But the man next to her was N'Jadaka. The difference was night and day.

"Yani… is there a chance for me to make up for everything? I would like to—"

"King N'Jadaka!"

Noxolo rushed onto the terrace with Quamba.

N'Jadaka strode toward them. His kimoyo beads lit up. He tapped them and Shuri's image appeared.

"Nick Fury contacted me. I am headed to my lab now, and I need you and T'Challa to come right away. The Americans have found the Asgardian people," Shuri said.

N'Jadaka turned to Yani.

"I guess I won't be able to finish talking to you tonight," he said.

"It's okay. You have more pressing things to do."

"If this doesn't take long, I'll try to meet you at one of the other parties," he said.

"I better get back inside," she said.

Yani attempted to walk past him, but he reached for her hand and pulled her back.

"I meant what I said, Yani."

"I heard you."

"If or when you think I'm worthy… I'd like to start over. Slowly, of course. If you don't feel it in your heart anymore, I'll understand. I want to put it out there so you know where I stand," he said.

His kimoyo beads lit up, and T'Challa's avatar twirled in a circle above his wrist.

"Go," Yani said, pushing his arm.

His Doras turned and walked toward the exit to wait for him. N'Jadaka stared at her. His mouth parted and seemed to want to say more.

"I will consider everything you've said. No promises," she said.

He nodded and when Yani lifted on her toes to kiss his cheek, she missed him by a mere two seconds. With his frame gone from her side, the removal of his body heat made the empty space so cold and lonely. A cool breeze rushed over her where his body once blocked the chill. She watched him move with his personal guards and admired the vision he presented, even as it moved away from her quickly.

Once he was gone, she turned back to the railing and looked over at Mount Bashenga. She had to be about her work, too. N'Jadaka had high expectations for his consortium and the Wakanda Outreach re-haul under his command.

It was a new beginning for everyone.

The Royal Talon Fighter landed on a platform outside of Shuri's lab with N'Jadaka and T'Challa on board. They moved in tandem into the building and walked down some spiral stairs where they met Shuri at her revamped computer workstation. She brought up Fury's image.

"Talk to me," N'Jadaka said.

Fury looked from T'Challa to him. His cousin no longer wore the royal clothing of the king.

"Damn, that was quick. You really weren't bullshittin' about taking over," Fury said.

N'Jadaka folded his arms.

"Time is money, man," N'Jadaka said.

"Asgard was destroyed on purpose to protect the people. There was an entity unleashed there that could not be contained and they had to self-destruct to save themselves. Those who survived the initial assault were on course to earth aboard a foreign vessel called the Statesman when they were attacked by what they call space pirates. They killed half on board. The rest used escape pods to get to earth."

"Thor tell you all this?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Thor is still out there somewhere. He's more than likely dead. There's something coming here that is a threat to us all… in the entire universe," Fury said. "These so-called space pirates are fronting it and they are coming here."

N'Jadaka glanced at T'Challa. His cousin moved closer to him. Shuri watched with concerned eyes. Fury touched his creased forehead before he threaded his fingers together.

"On our side, we're collecting as much evidence and corroborating what the refugees from Asgard have told us," Fury said.

"How many survived?" Shuri asked.

"Less than 2,500 were able to make it all the way here," Fury said.

Fury lifted a glass of amber liquid, letting them all know he wasn't on anybody's clock and his intel was for their ears only.

"I need to know how secure your borders are, King N'Jadaka," Fury said.

"Despite our internal terrorist issue that has been contained since you've been here, we're the safest country on the planet," N'Jadaka said.

Fury wiped his forehead nervously with his drink glass. The cool, calm, and collected bravado was gone. The man looked stressed.

"I pray to God you are because what's coming down the pipeline is going to suck you in. Since T'Challa opened you up to the world, we are going to turn to you soon."

"For what?" N'Jadaka.

"Help. To save all of us," Fury said.

Fury gulped down his drink.

"I'm compiling a confidential Asgard report just for your eyes. Shuri, I would like to ask that you recalibrate those probes of yours and start tracking the signatures I've already emailed you… with encryptions. Maybe you can find out where these pirates are," Fury said.

N'Jadaka sensed something more.

"Why are you holding out more information from us?" N'Jadaka asked.

"Need to know is how I play it close to the vest," Fury said.

"With this new intel, will you be coming to our grand opening delegation meet-up?" N'Jadaka said.

"You're still going through with it?" Fury said with a grin.

"Shit, I would look too janky if I pulled the rug on it now with the change in leadership. Gotta pacify these fools somehow before I have my consortium."

"I regret to inform you that I will not be attending the meet-up. But I'm coming to your other private gathering."

"Good," N'Jadaka said.

Fury pointed to N'Jadaka's nose ring and decorated beard.

"That's a lot going on, brotha. I thought you Wakandans kept it low-key."

"New sheriff in town, bruh," N'Jadaka said.

"I'll be in contact again soon," Fury said.

He blinked out and Shuri immediately pulled up the schematics for their hot probes still working in the field. She pushed away 3D images and plucked out others. Data flashed past in bright neon orange sequences and her computer started deciphering code.

"I'm downloading their files and the ones Fury sent me. Tracking highlighted emissions and anomalies shouldn't be hard now that we have trace evidence to go on from the escape pods. All this life out there… incredible," Shuri said.

"Dangerous too," N'Jadaka said.

"I'll get to work with General Okoye and our military heads to prepare upgrades for all security measures and evacuation," T'Challa said. "Go on back to the palace and enjoy the ball."

"I'd rather work here and go over this data that's coming in," N'Jadaka said.

He pulled off his top robe and tossed it over a chair. Grabbing a stylus, he began opening files on his kimoyo beads Shuri sent to him too. T'Challa left them to do their work as he sought Okoye in person.

"Shuri, if you want to go back and be with your mother and the rest of the family, I can dig into all this myself," N'Jadaka said.

"Parties and big social events aren't really my thing. I'm more comfortable here."

"What about your boyfriend?" he asked.

She froze. Still staring at the chemical makeup of one of the emergency pod metal samples, Shuri took a deep breath.

"I'm not tryna get into your business, but I noticed you with him. He looks crazy about you."

"Please… say nothing to anyone else. No one knows about Sinjin."

"W'Kabi's cousin, right?"

"Yes. We met when you came here. During the war."

"I'll keep it to myself."

"Thank you."

She swiped and enlarged the tracking data, then glanced at him.

"Things have changed for you. With Disa and Yani?" she said.

"You can read me too," he said.

"In my time with all of you, I noticed that you have an interesting dynamic with them both."

"How's that?"

"I watched some old videos of your family in Brazil that Marisol shared, and I made an interesting observation. You fell in love with two women who are basically your mother and aunt."

N'Jadaka's face scrunched up in confusion.

"It's true, cousin," Shuri said. "Disa is so much like your Aunt Lia, and Yani is… well, she is a toned-down version of your mother, Califia. At the heart of each of them is a connection that you lost as a little boy. No wonder you love them both so much. The two women you admired most at the beginning of your life were the blueprint for who you ended up loving later as a man. But now… I think… maybe… you have settled your mind about them. You were different with them tonight."

N'Jadaka sat on a stool next to Shuri. Her words sank into him.

"I love them both dearly, for different reasons, but—"

"Yani is the one you want," she finished for him.

He closed his eyes.

"Yeah. She's who I love for all the right reasons, though. I felt like I owed Disa so much. I was so young and naïve when I went after her. She's my best friend, and I promised so much to her I never fulfilled. After all was said and done, I turned her into a single mother, something she was never supposed to be."

"I don't think she sees it that way," Shuri said.

"I do."

Shuri shook her head.

"She is so happy here. Have you looked at her? I mean really watched how she moves in Wakanda? Bliss. There are times I wish I could see Wakanda the way she does. I've been raised here all my life, so I'm used to a lot of things. But the wonder and joy she carries are astounding."

"I promised her the entire world," he said.

"You gave it to her. And you are still friends. With a beautiful child that she adores."

"I hurt Yani, though, and I don't think she will ever love me again the way she used to back in St. Thomas."

"Listen to me. You tried to kill me and my brother. We got over that and love you now. In time, she will see the new you and decide what is right for her. But she is happy too. I see the joy on her face and she loves her work here."

N'Jadaka stared at his cousin.

"You… love me?"

"Of course, I do. You have shown me who you really are, and I've had time to learn about your past. I've healed from it. In my opinion, murderous intentions trump having a child with someone else… don't tell Yani I said that!" Shuri said.

N'Jadaka grinned. Shuri laid her hand over his.

"You were lost and blinded by revenge. She loves you so much and it's just taking Yani a lot of time to heal from your one mistake with her."

"Did she tell you she loves me?" he asked.

"We can all see it. Her eyes never left your presence the entire day. Remind her why she fell in love with you in the first place and let her see that you are the one for her, too."

Shuri removed her hand, and a smirk crossed over her lips.

"What?" he asked.

She tilted her head and began singing.

"She is your queen… your queen-to-be…! A queen-to-be forever… a queen who'll do whatever his Highness desires… she's your queen-to-be… a vision of perfection, an object of affection… to quench your royal fire…"

N'Jadaka reached over and put Shuri in a headlock.

"See, now you got jokes! How did you learn that song?"

"My Dad watched all your corny American movies and swore up and down your Eddie Murphy was making fun of real African countries like ours," Shuri said.

She untangled herself from his loving grip, but he threw an arm around her shoulder.

"I love your smartass, too," he said.

"I am glad. Wakanda is the place of miracles, cousin."

"You are the miracle worker, Shuri. Gave me a second chance."

"Well, put your second-chance self to work. We just received our first clue," Shuri said, pointing to her elaborate 3D images.

"The space dust burned into the escape pods that fell into our atmosphere comprises particles from a meteor that came from deep space," she said.

She pulled in another image of the Great Mound that housed all of their vibranium.

"We haven't seen that type of chemical makeup since vibranium landed in our country inside a meteor two point five million years ago. These space pirates… they may come from cultures older than humanity," Shuri said.

"Hopefully, they bleed," N'Jadaka said.

They worked late into the night until he fell asleep, hugged up next to the computer images. Dozing off, he worried about how advanced the technology was on the other side of the universe.

Chapter 62 HERE.

A.N.:

*I changed the spelling of the actual Mami Wata to Mama Wati to give me the freedom to write about an actual African/African Diaspora deity that I am very familiar with as a Wakandan variation of that water spirit. She is the same one I use in my Namor fic "The Offering".

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