"See I know what we've got to do
You let go (you let go), and I'll let go too (and I'll let go)
'Cause no one's hurt me more than you
And no one ever will…"

Lauryn Hill – "Ex-Factor"

Ororo Munroe pulled down on her white off-the-shoulder dress to make sure that her thighs weren't too revealing. She purposely chose the Kenyan couture look because it made her silky dark mahogany skin pop with her silvery-white hair. She flat-ironed her curly mane before braiding it into several long braids the week before. When she undid her handiwork, her tresses cascaded down her back like a soft cloudy dream.

"I hope these damn speeches don't drag on tonight," a gruff voice said next to her.

Ororo glanced to her left in the back of the private SUV.

Prince Erik Udaku…actually, Ambassador Erik Udaku-Stevens, sat next to her with his lip twisted into a scowl as he stared out of his passenger side window. Erik's dark locs were twisted in three thick cornrows tied in the back. His suit was tailor-made by the finest sartorial hands in Birnin Bashenga, an eastern city in Wakanda. He sat his right hand on his knee and she saw the onyx and vibranium ring on his finger that once belonged to his father, the beloved N'Jobu Udaku. The Rebel War Dog. Erik's feral eyes met hers and a sly smile crept over his lush lips as he took in her dress.

"You really are trying to rub it in, huh?" he said.

His grin widened, and she saw the new vibranium and rhodium/gold alloy slugs on his top and bottom teeth. Despite the dimples and groomed beard, his teeth denoted a menacing quality to his regal frame. Erik was always coiled to strike. It was his nature.

She ignored his question and focused her attention on the building they were headed to. Outside the SUV, wind shook the vehicle, and she saw large dark clouds on the horizon ushering in rain and more wind. It settled over the place they were moving closer to. The U.N. was presenting a United Nations Special Service Medal to Steve Rogers, Captain America, along with four other Honorees for work done in the Middle East. Wakanda played a hidden role in the success of that work, but opted to stay out of gaining attention or accolades. There were already grumblings by the U.N. elite, and the U.S. in particular about Wakanda becoming too influential in too many world affairs, so King T'Challa Udaku found it prudent to work quietly.

King T'Challa.

Ororo's ex-husband.

The man she would see face to face for the first time in over a year since their very media-tracked and messy divorce. Having Prince Erik by her side was a deliberate act of public defiance to his private wishes that they both live quietly until enough time had passed and people forgot she was once a Queen of Wakanda. His edict was even more demanding since he was now dating Nakia Simiyu, a former War Dog. There were rumors swirling that T'Challa was engaged to his once former girlfriend. So much for him living quietly.

"You hear me?" Erik asked tapping her thigh.

His warm finger on her bare skin made her shift away from him.

"I was daydreaming," she said.

"Nakia will be here. You sure you can handle seeing them together?"

"Can he handle seeing us together?" she said.

"You know I'm here for all the smoke," he cackled.

Erik's laughter subsided, and his eyes almost became soft staring at her.

"They're getting married. At the end of the year," he said.

Ororo whipped her head to the side and bore her stare through the window. It stung. How could he marry someone else so quickly? She knew Nakia had a history with him when they were younger just like Ororo had in the past too, but to step into her place when the public spectacle of a former Avenger and a former X-Men leader uniting and them combusting so fast was too much. It was bad enough that people speculated about what went wrong between them, but it would grow worse with Nakia being crowned a new Queen within two years.

"You didn't have to tell me that. Especially now, Erik."

"You need to know because reporters and the paps are going to ask. There's going to be an announcement in Wakanda while we're eating and it's going to hit you. I want you to be ready."

"Turn the car around," she commanded the driver.

The Wakandan security in the front pulled over.

"Nah, keep going. We have a duty to attend this thing."

"You do, I don't."

"You were invited too, Ma. Don't get cold feet now. You look fine as hell, and I want to witness that niggas face cracking when he sees you. Don't deny me the pleasure."

"How long will this rivalry between you two go on?"

"Until the end of time. That nigga stabbed me in my chest—"

"You took over his country."

"It's my country too… at least now it is," Erik said glancing away from her.

He clenched his fist on his knee. Ororo reached out and patted it.

"I'm sorry. We all know how you were justified and had the right to ascension."

"That's only because of my father and the people who supported him before he was murdered."

Erik's gruff voice, tinged with sadness, made her quiet for a long time. She needed to change the subject.

"You look amazing," she offered.

Erik sucked his teeth.

"Girl, I always look good. Tell me what I don't know."

She swatted his thigh, and he popped his hip out to her.

"Ooh, do that again, I like a dominant woman," he joked.

Their driver pulled to the secret underground parking garage where VIP dignitaries were corralled for safety. Erik came from a powerful family and country now. No one wanted any trouble when an Udaku was on American soil.

Before they stepped out, Erik clasped her hand in his.

"How do you want this to go? Escort and chill, or the full-on boyfriend experience?" he asked.

His bright brown eyes made her heart thump a little faster.

"I want him to feel sick," she said.

Those sexy full lips of his pulled back and the shine from his cat-shaped canine teeth made her clit thump in her panties.

"Give me a kiss," he said.

"What?" her flustered voice made him smile.

Their two brooding bodyguards stood outside the SUV waiting for their departure from the vehicle.

"Kiss me so that it'll feel natural when we get inside. It won't look phony or awkward. Make him think we've been together longer than him and Nakia. That will get him so heated because he knows I've been traveling a lot for my personal vacation time. Plus, it'll really make those pictures of us together in the Bahamas more tragic for him."

Ororo's eyes darted away, and her cheeks warmed up with the memory. She had escaped the media circus on a personal getaway to the Caribbean and didn't know Erik would be at the same private island resort.

"We've already kissed before," she said turning toward her door.

Erik pulled her back to him hard, and her nose pushed against his cheek from the force.

"So why act all shy now, Queen?"

"Stop. Don't call me that," she muttered into his face.

His right index finger lifted her chin. Their lips were close. She could feel the energy around his mouth. Being near him made her sensitive to his body. Having the mutant ability to detect changes in electromagnetic energy didn't just stop at the earth. She could also detect human responses to stimuli on the atomic level too. Ororo sensed everything about Erik. He was attracted to her. Every touch from him made her tingle all over. T'Challa made her feel that way once. Erik could give her that feeling with just his eyes, and those eyes were seductive and too raw for her to gaze at. He held her chin, but she looked away from him.

"You will always be the original Queen. Nakia may wear that royal isicholo soon, but that crown will always belong to you. I know my cousin fucked up with you. That's why he's trying to hem up Nakia so he can forget you. But, Ma… trust… you walk in here looking like this? Shit… muhle…"

Beautiful?

Erik leaned in and his bottom lip skimmed along the skin of her pouty mouth, but Ororo bolted out of the car before he made her too flustered to focus on what needed to be done. Show the world that she was fine being single again. She had more to prove now that Erik revealed an impending royal wedding.

She heard him chuckle as he exited the SUV and she held onto the hand of the nearest bodyguard who helped her down. Ororo smoothed her dress and fluffed her hair and waited for Erik to join her side. Behind them, another SUV pulled up with Erik's Dora Milaje escorts, two serious-faced women who wore dark form-fitting dresses with thigh-high boots. The bright red curved half-moon tattoos on their heads denoted their status as Erik's personal protection.

"Your Highness," one of the Dora said stepping in front of him.

The two male bodyguards stayed behind with the SUV.

"Here he comes," Erik said.

They turned and saw three dark sedans pull up. Four Dora Milaje escorted King T'Challa and his lady love, Nakia. T'Challa wore his traditional dark robes with the royal sash, and Nakia wore a stunning magenta dress of fluffy chiffon, puffy sleeves, and a long train that showed off legs sparkling with jeweled diamonds. Her hair was a bouquet of baby twists adorned with even more diamonds. Nakia slipped her arm around T'Challa's and they were all smiles and dewy-eyed togetherness until they sauntered over to the underground entrance and saw Ororo and Erik standing together. Erik threaded his fingers with hers and he grinned like a cat with a canary, teeth glinting, and eyes sharp as knives.

"Sup cuz? Heyyy, Nakia."

Erik leaned in close and nuzzled the arch of Ororo's neck before his lips trailed up reaching her ear.

"He's about to lose his shit," Erik whispered before he pulled her toward the entrance.

T'Challa stabbed his cousin once a long time ago, and Ororo saw the burning in the King's dark fiery eyes when he saw her paired with Erik. He wanted to do it again.

The smirk on Ororo's face was quite satisfying, but what felt even better… holding Erik's hand and being led by him.

Let the games begin.

T'Challa left Nakia's side, but the woman tried to hold the King back to no avail. He headed for Erik and his commanding strides shortened the distance between them all in no time. General Okoye intercepted T'Challa when he lunged for the Prince. Ororo jumped behind Erik and the flashing anger in T'Challa's eyes made her rethink her entire plan. T'Challa was normally humble even in the face of unpleasant social settings. The brash knuck if you buck man she knew from way back emerged for all of them to witness. The irony was thick. Erik was usually the overly emotional one, ready to fight everyone and their Mama in public. Instead, he stood with his lips poked out and his head tilted giving a silent challenge to lay hands.

"Cool heads need to prevail, everyone. Your Highness, King T'Challa… Lady Nakia is waiting to be escorted. We shall be late if we allow an unnecessary scene to take place," Okoye said with gritted teeth.

The Head Dora flicked her eyes at Ororo with annoyance for bringing a night of tragedy to her duties. Her job was to protect the Royal House from external threats. When the call was coming from inside the house it made her tasks more challenging.

T'Challa held a finger up toward Erik's face.

"I know this is your doing, N'Jadaka," T'Challa hissed.

"Inkosi, yami," Nakia said slipping her arm around her King's again.

"Your woman is waiting on you, cuz," Erik said.

He squeezed Ororo's hand and guided her away from the fuming T'Challa. Behind her, Ororo heard Nakia fussing with her fiance in Wakandan and T'Challa' voice grew loud and belligerent.

"I see you working those hips," Erik said glancing at her lower body, "he's watching you."

They entered a space where they were made to walk through a screening for weapons and followed their Dora toward a grand theater that housed thousands. They were led by U.N. security to their front center section for seating. T'Challa and Nakia were brought in and seated in front of them. Ororo pretended to look around at the other dignitaries and caught the eye of Steve Rogers as he entered with his entourage. Ororo recognized Sam Wilson, and two other men. Steve wore a darker subdued Captain America uniform and carried his shield. Erik grumbled.

"This fool couldn't wear a decent suit like everyone else? He gotta bust up in here like he's on the clock twenty-four seven. Clown shit."

"Hush."

"Storm!" Steve said.

His face lit up when he saw her, and she stood and gave him a hug. She shook Sam's hand and greeted the rest of his party.

"I was hoping you'd be here. You're missed out here in the mix," Steve said.

His excited voice matched the bright twinkle of his blue-green eyes. Steve glanced down toward T'Challa and he could already sense the trouble stewing among the Udaku family. Ororo snuck the tip of her shoe close to Erik's dress shoe and tapped it twice.

"Steve, have you had the opportunity to meet-?"

"Ambassador Erik Udaku-Stevens, my pleasure."

Erik stood up and shook Steve's outstretched hand.

"You have an impressive reputation and background here at the U.N. I'm honored to finally meet you in person, your Highness. You've become a great bridge between Wakanda and the U.S. I'm sure they both value your insight coming from both worlds. I have great respect for how you handled the Atlantean situation with Namor and the Illuminati."

Erik's bottom lip went lax and Steve noticed his teeth. Ororo tapped Erik's foot again feeling embarrassed by his silence.

"Congratulations on your award tonight. Well deserved," Erik finally said allowing her to breathe easier.

Steve took in the theater.

"I've never been here before. It's huge," he said.

"The dinner is going to be upstairs. I haven't been to this new auxiliary building either. It's exciting," she said.

"Cap," Sam said drawing Steve's attention toward T'Challa who stood up with Nakia.

Steve stepped down one step and hugged T'Challa, and Okoye while the other Doras gave the men room. Sam eyed Ororo and gave her a smile.

"Good to see you out and about again," Sam said.

"Been taking it easy."

"I can imagine," Sam chuckled glancing at T'Challa.

"When is he going to retire and let you have at it?" Erik asked.

"Pardon, me?" Sam said leaning in.

"I'm hearing that Cap is ready to hand that shield over. Is it going to you?"

Sam's face grew pinched.

"I don't know where you're getting your information. Cap ain't going nowhere anytime soon."

"Get your CV straight, that's all I'm saying. You got next, bruh," Erik said sitting back in his seat.

"Good seeing you, Sam. We'll catch you at the dinner later," Ororo said.

Sam's eyes couldn't peel away from Erik's smug look. The prince's information spooked him. He walked down the step to greet T'Challa and hug Okoye too. Ororo knew Steve and Sam felt awkward filtering through the greetings. Over a year ago she stood where Nakia was, being showered with the royal treatment and promises to get together and socialize over a meal. Here they were in switched positions inside of a new building with Nakia in the front, and Ororo in the back, along with a man who had a disdain for the Avengers.

"Look at him," Erik said keeping his voice low and near her ear, "you ever think he has 1940s flashbacks and calls Sam a jigaboo?"

Ororo guffawed and slammed her hand over her mouth. Everyone in front of them turned to stare at her loud laugh, and Erik grinned and waved for them to continue talking.

"Private jokes," he said winking at T'Challa.

Ororo slapped Erik's arm.

"Be truthful, O, is that America's ass? For real? That long back? I mean M'Baku's got more cake than that pancake—"

"Ohmigod, Erik, shut up!"

Ororo listened to Erik heckle and roast Cap's struggle glutes and Sam's hairline.

T'Challa's jaw moved with the tension of having to be pleasant with Cap and stifling the rage she knew he had for the situation at hand. He talked to Cap and Sam, but his face kept leveling with hers as she laughed with Erik. Was it a bruised ego or the remnants of love he grappled with being near her once more?"

Erik reached down and held her hand and she accepted it. The theater filled up to capacity. Ororo glanced around one more time before standing up.

"I'm going to the restroom, be right back," she said.

Erik leaned over and kissed her cheek. She ran her fingers along the side of his cornrows pretending to fuss with a loose loc before she grabbed her handbag from the Dora who followed her back up the stairs.

She received stares and waves from passersby waltzing through the crowd of movers and shakers. Luckily, there wasn't a line in the restroom. The sitting room portion of the restroom was empty, and she moved into the next room where large stalls waited. It smelled like bubblegum and mints all around her. After relieving herself, she washed her hands and checked her make-up and hair. Still immaculate. The Dora assigned to her stood on alert in the archway that separated the stalls from the sitting room.

"Miss Storm, wait," The Dora said in a hushed tone.

"Why?"

"Lady Nakia."

Ororo stepped into the next room and saw Nakia sitting on a chair near the wall-long mirror. She rose when Ororo entered. Her personal Doras stood at the entrance with their backs to them.

"Suneli, wait for me with the other Doras, please," Ororo said.

Suneli did as she was asked and took her place guarding the entrance. No one would use that restroom with the Dora Milaje standing there. They were too intimidating and there were plenty of other restrooms on that floor.

"Nakia," Ororo said.

"I didn't know you would be here. I'm sorry this is all so—"

"Messy?"

"Awkward."

"Congratulations. I hear you're getting married."

Nakia kept her gaze steady.

"Like you, T'Challa and I had a history together," Nakia said.

"It is what it is girl," Ororo said turning toward the mirror to fuss with her luxurious hair.

"Please don't be flippant. You and I have always had our issues—"

"Number one being interference from you in every step of my marriage."

"Ororo you know I was made the Director of T'Challa's global outreach programs."

"You were supposed to go back into the field as a War Dog, not become his work wife under my nose."

"T'Challa never cheated on you. Yes, we worked long hours together, but we were trying to get so many programs running quickly—"

"You should've let Shuri do it!"

Ororo closed her eyes and clenched her right fist. When her lids opened, she saw that her eyes had bled solid white. Her emotions were telling on her. An emotional tornado brewed in her chest. She counted to ten and her eyes grew a dark circle of color in the center again. Ororo was supposed to be calm, calculated, and unbothered.

"It doesn't matter. We're not together anymore and you have him. I'm happy with Erik now," she said with a dramatic toss of her tresses.

"It was a mistake to attend the event with him. Of all the people in the world you could've picked! You want to cause dissension within the family and it won't work. T'Challa won't be jealous because you're using Killmonger—"

"N'Jadaka! His name is N'Jadaka! Better yet, you may address him as His Royal Highness Prince Erik. You aren't a Queen yet, and you will show him some respect by calling him by his birthright title!"

Nakia's eyes finally wrenched away from hers. Ororo saw the woman's kimoyo beads light up.

"He summons you. Better hop along, Sis," Ororo said.

"I'm sorry your marriage didn't work out, Ororo."

Nakia stomped out of the restroom and her Doras trailed behind her. Flopping down on a seat, Ororo cradled her forehead. She'd lost her cool and her replacement would go running back to T'Challa just to snitch and gloat.

"Hey…"

Erik's head peeked around the entrance doorway and Ororo's Dora stepped outside to give the prince the room. He stepped in gingerly and studied her distressed face.

"You okay?"

"Oh… I just lost my cool with Nakia that's all."

"Y'all fighting in here and I missed it? I know ya tapped that ass because you can fly and shit—"

"Erik, please," she said with a lighthearted laugh under her breath.

"You wanna leave or stay? I'll bounce if you want—"

"You are the Wakandan Ambassador. You just can't bounce."

"I do what I want. You wanna dip? Let's dip. Aye, yo, fuck that dude. He's my cousin, but you and I can go order takeout and kick it at the hotel. I'll get you ice cream, cake… whatever you want to stuff your face with. If you wanna cry… girl we'll cry together and talk shit about him all night-"

"I'm not going to leave. I can do this."

"Good."

He reached over and held her hand. Her fingers trembled, and he kissed them. One by one.

"C'mon, the program is about to start," he said helping her raise up from her seat.

Ororo held his elbow, and he escorted her back to their section with the entire assembly watching them with curiosity. Tongues were a' waggin' and it empowered her to be seen with Prince Erik. He knew how to be stately and that Udaku swagger just poured out of him. The scent of his cologne, the beauty of his hair, the way he rested his hand over hers as they walked, shoulders back, heads held high… he matched her energy.

She knew it completely when she ran into him on that private island the year before. The Queen Mother Ramonda allowed her to take the Talon Fighter as her ride out of Wakanda for the last time. The Royal House insisted she stay in Wakanda until her divorce was finalized. T'Challa wanted her provided for and gave her a nice parting gift of money, stocks, and land in the United States. She chose a quiet country estate in upstate New York, but before she made her transition to unmarried life, she wanted a trip to the Bahamas to walk around nude, sunbathe, and have time for herself as a single woman once more before facing the world.

She arrived on a hot August day stunned to find Erik there. The island was only known by the uber-rich, and Erik was already out of the country when she left Wakanda. Smothering her dark skin with protective oils, she sunbathed on a beach and fell asleep. When she woke up, Erik was calling to her with a fruity drink in his hand surrounded by his Doras. He dismissed them and they spent the day talking. Day turned into night. Dinner. Dessert. Drinking. Dancing. Crying. More drinking. Crying again until the sun came back up and they were hungover on his floor in bathing suits. Rinse and repeat.

One week.

They had one week of fun together. She let herself go. No make-up. Hair uncombed with thick long curls. There were no protocols to follow. She felt free and less miserable with Erik by her side. He loved to swim and jet ski and convinced her to paddleboard with him.

Her hair had become thick Medusa-like snakes all down her back and her rich hue had become sublime melanated glory by the sun. Somehow, someway, the paparazzi got a hold of candid shots of them together as she wore her silk bonnet strolling by little souvenir shops drinking, and they were blasted across social media. She knew it was bad when a popular women-centered talk show panel questioned her relationship with Erik... and her protective hair covering.

Her cell phone blew up.

T'Challa was livid. He cursed long and loud.

"At least look presentable! You were seen walking around in a bonnet! Ihlazo!" he screamed.

She hung up on him and when she told Erik about the conversation inside his stately island living room that he rented, The King's cousin gave a sneer and put on his durag and they went to dinner together parading up and down the streets with black silk on top of their heads not giving a fuck.

Ororo learned so much about Erik there.

He loved babies, spending an entire hour holding a young couple's baby boy so they could take a dip in the clear waters and swim together without their child. He was a superb listener and gave her excellent media pointers on how to maneuver the hell she was about to return to once she went back to New York and had to face the deluge of questions about life as a former Queen. He loved sitting quietly while meditating to the sounds of nature. It helped calm the anger and rage that lived just under his skin. There was still a love/hate relationship with his new country and Ororo saw that he tried really hard to be forgiving and move forward with his father's legacy and his mother's memory, but there were moments when his face would grow intense listening to the goings-on back in Wakanda or around the globe, especially if the United States was involved.

She knew what that rage was like.

It simmered within her when she thought of the loss of her own parents killed in Cairo when she was seven over some bullshit that had nothing to do with her family. The ongoing battles in the Middle East caused a fighter jet to crash into her home. Man-made disasters that could be avoided if the right people were in charge. Erik could see it. She saw it too. It took so much for her not to fly across the sky and use the elements to destroy many people who brought pain to others.

Their last day together on the island was special. He ordered food in, dismissed the Doras, and they skinny-dipped on his private stretch of the sea feeling decadent and naughty. The Doras shot down any drones that tried to fly over or near the private villa they stayed in once she moved out of her rental unit and into his. Erik went to sleep on a towel in the sand, and she played in the water nude, allowing the crystal liquid to cascade down her body. The prince had gone into the house while she splashed around alone, and when she stepped back to the villa and used the outdoor shower to clean herself and her hair, he had soft music playing and fresh seafood ready for her greedy belly.

His eyes barely registered her nudity the entire time there, and she knew it was because he got so much ass in Wakanda and everywhere else in the world. It took more than naked tits and a pussy all out to get him going. It felt natural. Walking around all out with him. He was family at one time.

That hit her in the heart.

Erik had been her confidant. The one she went to with complaints about Nakia when T'Challa and Ramonda told her she was being silly and insecure. She couldn't tell Shuri about her feelings because T'Challa was her entire world.

But Erik… he was the kind willing ear. He was the one who told her to follow her feelings. Confront T'Challa and Nakia if she needed to air things out. Erik was the one she confessed to when she suspected that T'Challa had an emotional affair with Nakia despite their continued denials. It was time to leave the marriage when she couldn't control her powers under the continuous strain and agitation. She was tired of the fights, physical and verbal with T'Challa. Everyone around them tired of their unhappiness too. Tired of her. Everyone except for Erik who was her most vocal cheerleader.

Ororo stood there bare, dripping water on the floor, and gazed at the one person who knew what it felt like to be a lost outcast in a world that demanded so much from them.

She broke down.

And Erik lifted her up.

Carried her to his bedroom and placed her on a soft wide bed with a view of the sea. He kissed her from head to toe making her tears subside.

"Don't cry over him. You did what you had to do. Live your life, Storm… okay, Ma? Live your life."

Ororo reached for him and offered herself up for his kindness and friendship. His lips were heavenly pillows on hers and she stroked the scars all over his chest. He made his way down between her legs slathering her folds with a thick wet tongue that parted her sacred opening. His fingers plucked at her nipples and she came in his mouth several times before he offered her the taste of her own essence from his tongue. She allowed him to enter her unsheathed and the heat from his raw length had her screaming his name louder than she had ever called T'Challa's. She clawed his back, pulled on his locs, slapped his ass, and clutched it tight to feel the hard muscles working to pump so much pleasure down deep into her core.

"Ah, baby… I'ma cum… fuck… can I cum inside of you?"

Her fingers trailed up and down his back feeling the pebbled scars, rubbing circles across the slick markings, trying to understand how they arrived there so quickly in a tangled, sweaty embrace, murmuring tender words as if they had always been lovers. If she were a true storm, then surely, Erik had to be a tsunami, matching her whimpering pants, sticky wet thrusts and promises that they would keep this passionate union their secret.

Because it was to be a onetime tryst, Ororo made that prince give her all the positions, and Erik gave it with gusto. He peaked over an hour later, after the previous hour of foreplay he already gave her along with the orgasms. Erik begged her once more to let him spill into her when they returned to missionary and he held her long legs down flat on the bed.

"I'm 'bout to make a big mess, girl, all inside this tight pussy," he growled in her ear.

She arched her back.

"Cum in my pussy," she purred feeling weak for him.

"Yeah?" he asked staring deep into her eyes for consent to fill her up hot and deep.

"Yes!"

Erik bit his bottom lip and groaned heavy in his throat before his hips bucked.

"Fuck, baby! I'm cumming… I'm cumming…ooh shit! Storm!"

He plunged into her one last time and she cradled the back of his neck as he buried his lips into her cheek. His dick swelled and throbbed inside of her.

"I feel you… so hot and creamy, Erik!"

He grunted, and his body jerked. The throbbing inside her walls continued, and he collapsed with a ragged shout that made her shudder and clench her pussy around his dick. He rolled over and she watched his penis slowly go down until it was a soft pressure against her thigh.

"I like how your eyes glow when you cum," he said.

"What?"

"Your eyes glow when you cum. They even fade in and out the closer you get."

Her twisted face made him grin wide.

"You didn't know that?"

"No one ever told me that. I've never seen it happen and I've watched myself in mirrors before."

Erik sat up on one arm.

"Maybe that's my power, making your eyes shine like diamonds."

He stroked her hair and then her cheek.

"No one can know about this," she whispered.

No one ever did. Not even his Doras.

The U.N. speeches bored Erik. She had to keep tapping his arm to stop him from reaching for his phone. Steve Rogers and the other honored guests received gold medals with colorful ribbons and they each took a few minutes to give acceptance speeches. Cap made the mistake of mentioning Wakanda during his moment of thanks, and Ororo saw T'Challa's body stiffen. It was difficult being the hidden hand when people outed them.

"This bitch ass," Erik grumbled, "now I gotta hear shit when I come back to this place during assembly."

Erik leaned down and whispered in T'Challa's ear. There was a slight bit of excited back and forth until Erik pushed back with a dour expression. The award portion of the evening ended, and those that had clearance to attend the dinner headed upstairs.

The memory of her time with Erik in the Bahamas had her grinning and reminiscing on how relaxed and fun he was away from the political limelight. She had pushed their past lovemaking so far back in her mind that holding onto his arm made her giddy thinking of his lips all over her suddenly. Ororo marveled at how she could embrace that precious time and it cocooned her from the ill will she had toward Nakia in the restroom. In fact, staring at the back of T'Challa's head made her accept the relief of not wanting to hold onto his attention. She didn't care if he found her stunning anymore. She didn't care that he was holding his fiancé's hand and was in love with a new life without her.

The transition happened so fast that she thought she was fooling herself. Created a whole ruse to numb the pain. However, there was no pain. Not while she clutched onto Erik.

They brought their party to a large round table set up with thick linen tablecloths, opulent dishes, and wine glasses. Cap's entourage was seated two tables away from them, and Ororo watched the Dora Milaje position themselves a discreet distance from their charges. Okoye glanced over at her and Ororo gave her a sincere smile. She liked the General and respected her ability to stay neutral and fair. The head Dora was close to T'Challa, but she was always kind to Ororo. Even when she was flying around the throne room using thunderstorms outside the palace to throw bolts of lightning at her husband while he jumped around the walls to escape her wrath in his Black Panther suit. A hot mess.

"Doing alright?" Erik asked.

She nodded.

"What's that look for?"

"Thank you for being here with me. You helped me sort some things out and I feel stronger. We don't have to pretend to be together anymore."

"Good, 'cause I don't want to pretend anymore—"

Applause erupted as all the honorees entered and stood by their tables. A live orchestral band played on one side of the room and the glamourous feel of the music made the atmosphere romantic. The candles on the table gave a soft dreamy ambiance.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me," he said nudging her arm to make her look at him, "I want to make something happen with you for real, Ororo—"

"Sylvia!" Ororo called out to a friend.

She jumped up and bee-lined her way through dignitaries and gave a dear friend a hug.

"They told me you were here, but there are so many people, and oh my God, did you see Steve in that suit? He's shorter than I thought though," Sylvia said.

Slick finger waves decorated Sylvia's scalp, and she was already tight from drinking the free-flowing wine.

"Honey, I am so sorry about you and T'Challa. I saw him with Nakia and I just thought you must be struggling right now,"

"No, I'm actually doing well."

"Is it true you came with Ambassador Udaku-Stevens?"

"Um, yeah. I needed an escort."

"I could've hooked you up with Sam Wilson. You know he's single… and looking, girl… here he is now. Hey, Sam!"

Sam joined them with two other people, and she took a moment to check on her table. Erik watched her. She waved to him. Grabbing a glass of wine from a passing server's tray, Ororo indulged in the meet and greet before the formal dinner began.

Cap strolled over wearing his medal around his neck and Ororo admired it and joked around with Sam about it. Sylvia encouraged more merriment between them and Sam seemed open to it until T'Challa interrupted and escorted her away by her elbow to a corner where a Dora watched over them.

"How can I help you?" she asked a little tipsy from the wine.

"I do not want this night to continue with animosity between us. It hurts me that you are here with my cousin."

T'Challa's Wakandan accent was full-bodied and she could hear the sincerity in his words.

"I am sorry that I hurt you. I am sorry you think terrible things about my integrity and my relationship with Nakia—"

"T'Challa—"

Her hand went up to stroke his face, but he cradled it to his chest, pulling her in close.

"I loved you, Ororo. I still love you. That love has changed because I am with Nakia now, but before we broke apart… you were always in my heart. I could not fix your heart to stay with mine and I am sorry I made you so unhappy. I struggled with my feelings especially when N'Jadaka confessed to being in love with you—"

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"N'Jadaka has feelings for you."

"When did he tell you this?"

"Right after we filed for divorce. After our legal separation. I thought he was rubbing it in my face by bringing you here."

"I asked him to take me."

"You did?"

She nodded.

"I wanted to… ah shit, T'Challa. We just sucked together. There were good times, but maybe… maybe we were never meant to be more than friends. I think you might fit better with Nakia. You two have more in common—"

"We have a lot in common too, my love…"

His eyes wandered, and he dropped her hand.

"Nakia," he said.

The future Queen of Wakanda glared at T'Challa as she approached them like a whisper.

"You still call her my love?"

"My love, we are just discussing—"

"Continue, I will leave you to your conversation."

She stepped away without making a scene, keeping it all classy, and quiet.

"I'll leave you to that," Ororo said.

He tugged on her arm when she turned to leave.

"Please stay clear of N'Jadaka."

Ororo ignored his words. It was not a polite ask. It was a command. And she wasn't under the rule of a King anymore. She was her own woman. Free to see who she wanted.

Mingling with more guests, Ororo walked around the venue to clear her head and interact with people not from Wakanda. T'Challa sat at their table with haunted eyes as Nakia spoke to him with agitated hands twisting a cloth napkin. Okoye was close to the table and her eyes told the world that she was done with the back and forth with all of T'Challa's relationships. She clucked her tongue to herself feeling sorry for him. She didn't see Erik at the table and she scouted around the cavernous room looking for him. He was posted up in a circle of older women from the U.N. who questioned him with great fervor. Ororo walked past him and his eyes pleaded for her to save him, but she kept moving and he scrunched up his face in defeat.

He loved her?

Was that the intensity she felt from their lovemaking in the Caribbean? The reason why he wanted to kiss her so badly in front of his cousin. Erik wanted to claim her now that she was free?

A dinner bell rang signaling everyone back to their tables. Ororo meandered around the room once more to prepare herself to face Erik. She knew a secret about him and needed to figure out how to play her hand. Deep in her gut, Ororo really wanted to sit in the cut and observe how he moved.

Show me how you love me, now that I know, she thought to herself.

"Dinner time!" Cap said wiggling his fingers and then rubbing his belly as he walked with her.

"I hope it's not chicken," Ororo said.

They stepped lively past a throng of admirers.

"After you," Cap said allowing her to go before him to get past the group.

"Thank you, Sir—"

The blast brought a shriek from all the people surrounding her.

Ororo ducked down as debris crashed around her. Cap lunged his body forward to shove two older women he had just spoken to from being decapitated by the chandelier slowly detaching from above. Ororo centered her concentration on her solar plexus and shot her arms out.

"Get back!" she yelled to people who could still move.

Focusing her powers on flying she shot up into the air and grabbed a hold of the chandelier and lugged it up onto the next floor where she flung it aside. Down below in a haze of yellow smoke bombs, she saw a dozen figures in dark clothing surge into the room and close around Cap. They zapped him with something small and he crashed onto his back with spasms jerking his body around. In her peripheral, she caught T'Challa and Erik instantly converting into their Black Panther and Golden Jaguar suits. Erik was up the wall and moving across the ceiling toward her.

"Storm, you alright?!" he said lifting potential falling debris away from the massive hole.

"I'm good, I don't see Cap—"

A golden force field slammed her into the wall, lifted her, and slammed her through a glass window. She flew backward into the chilly night air spinning over and over with glass cuts in her back bleeding through her dress until she could direct her energy to the giant gray-black cloud above her…

Wait.

Ororo felt shame rise in her throat. She was always a great bullshit detector when it came to enemies cloaked in camouflage. Upon their arrival to the U.N. building, she noticed the storm clouds and wind, but her inner electromagnetic detection skills had been distracted with Erik and concentrating on how to bend T'Challa to his knees. She ignored her intuition to scan the atmosphere as she would normally do if she were on a job. Overwhelmed with turmoil and conflicted emotions surrounding her personal life, she missed that the clouds and wind were manufactured.

They hid something above the swirling black sky that looked like brackish water.

Erik ran along the outside of the building, his legs pumping him higher above the structure.

"I'm okay!" she shouted.

He gave her an okay sign, and she pointed above her head.

"There's something hidden up there, a ship of some kind…Erik!!"

The golden energy field blasted from within the cloud like a lasso and snatched Erik up by his neck and flung him far away. Ororo flew up into the dense clouds and the unnatural gases there choked her like a hand squeezing her neck and crushing her lungs.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist dragging her away from the entity. She saw the vibranium wings of Sam Wilson's Falcon suit.

"Backing you up!" he said. A clear protective gas mask covered his face.

"Thanks!' she shouted feeling fresh air invigorate her lungs.

"Better?"

"Yeah!"

He released her, and she dropped three feet before floating a safer distance from the hidden enemy. Whatever was there powering down and Storm flew across the building in search of Erik. She saw the Golden Jaguar moving on arms and legs leaping across high-rise structures making his way back. Ororo admired his speed and agility.

"I'll monitor this. They can use your help inside," Falcon yelled.

Storm flew back inside the hole her body made and dropped back down into the chaotic dining room. The Dora Milaje helped survivors make their way out of the building, their sonic spears attacking the intruders as they hustled people to the stairs.

The Black Panther fought a swarm of intruders with the help of Okoye. Nakia ran to Cap's side and helped drag his limp body away from the fighting. Erik pounced into the room, claws on attack mode and he joined his cousin in beating down people. Erik ripped off the masks of two dark-clad enemies.

Mutants.

The fuck?

Storm didn't have time to ponder their identities and hovered in the air helping to lift tables and heavy chairs off the injured.

"Where's Cap?" she shouted to him.

Nakia was no longer assisting the Avenger. She scuffled with a man twice her size and gave him some serious work to the midsection and face.

A teeth-shattering sonic boom erupted, and the pressure made Storm cover her ears as one side of the dining room wall collapsed creating another immense hole in the building.

"They've got Cap!" Erik shouted.

His Golden Jaguar suit shimmered in the room from the blows it absorbed. He ran after the men that dragged Captain America away toward the blasted opening. Black Panther followed him in pursuit. Nakia ran to help victims and fought men while she did it. Multitasking at its finest. Storm grinned.

Storm turned her attention to the two cousins moving in tandem fighting near the gaping blast site. They were a perfect match while helping one another when needed. Golden Jaguar leaped onto the back of a bulky man and pummeled him until he released his hold on Cap. Storm blasted that man out of the building allowing his body to drop to his death fifty floors below. Black Panther beat the dog snot out of another man that put Golden Jaguar in a surprise headlock as he scrapped with another mutant. Back and forth the fighting went as Storm snatched other enemies and snapped their necks in mid-air. Another intruder tried to drag an unconscious Cap outside but a sonic spear sliced through him, pinning him to the floor.

Okoye stepped forward and yanked the bloodied spear out.

Nakia ran over to them. Splattered blood drenched her gorgeous dress. She had torn strips off the sleeves and skirt to help bind wounds and create tourniquets.

"We've gotten most of the people out of this room and down the stairs. The other Doras are assisting and protecting. There are still many wounded who can't move without emergency care. I've done all I can."

"Nakia, stay with the wounded and protect them. Okoye, stay with Cap until he gathers his wits again," Black Panther ordered.

"Udoti, Sam!" Okoye said pointing out into the night air.

Okoye rarely cursed so Storm whipped her head to see what she pointed at.

Sam's wings twisted down behind him as a magnetic force lifted him toward the dark clouds above.

"Ororo, if you would please," Black Panther said.

She raised her hands and grabbed a hold of the fake clouds and twisted them to do her bidding. She dragged a giant air funnel down around Sam and lifted him away from the force that struggled to maintain control. She snapped her hands together and broke the hold, but Sam spun in a freefall. Storm whipped her hands to the right to drag him toward the building with an airstream, but the force above grabbed him again. Something was wrong with Sam's suit. No juice was getting to his wings. A connection was broken.

"They jammed his nanotech," Storm yelled.

She created an air funnel walkway and Black Panther and Golden Jaguar ran up the path to assist Sam.

"You two are good here?" Storm asked looking at Nakia and Ororo.

Nakia knelt by Cap who clutched his head with dizziness clouding his unstable gaze.

"We have it under control. Go help our boys," Nakia said.

Their eyes connected. Nakia grinned.

Storm reached out and patted Okoye's shoulder.

"Protect your future Queen, okay?"

"Without question," Okoye said with a wink.

"Wait for me," Cap said struggling to stand up.

"No, these people are after you. You'd be handing yourself over easily. Rest up and protect the civilians with Okoye."

Cap resisted, but Okoye made him move away from the jagged gaping hole in the wall with her arm around his waist. Storm tied the bottom of her dress. Nakia grinned.

"I can't fly around with my unmentionables showing!"

Storm took two steps and leaped into the void. She spun to create momentum and sped her way to Sam. Black Panther and Golden Jaguar did their best to assist with repairs to Sam's wings using parts of their own vibranium suits to jumpstart him. She could see the purple and gold energy in their suits flowing into Sam's wings as he hovered.

"Cap is okay," Storm said floating near them.

"We need to see what's up there," Erik said.

"They want Cap, so I don't think they'll fuck with civilians anymore," Sam said as his wings powered back to normal.

Storm created a force field within a small patch of cloud so that Black Panther and Golden Jaguar could stand.

"Ready to face them?"

T'Challa's voice caressed her. Within his suit, he was truly a sight to behold as Black Panther, and Storm appreciated his job and the role he played in the world. Her eyes flicked over to Erik. He flexed his claws ready to beat ass at the drop of a hat. That forceful energy moved her.

Storm felt a deep pride seeing T'Challa and Erik work together as representatives of their ancient bloodline. Two sides of one family coin. The last time they were in their suits together in close proximity, they were at each other's throats in combat, battling for a throne. Now they were fighting together to save an ally.

"Reveal them, Storm," Black Panther said.

Storm rose into the air. She felt the power behind her eyes as the energy within her manifested like a whirlwind. Electromagnetic energy surged through her and she threw her hands up and wrenched the clouds away like she was ripping a flimsy curtain away from the Oz within.

The secret within was a massive oval ship the size of five Naval aircraft carriers made from a material that Storm had never seen before. No wonder she couldn't detect it when she arrived at the U.N. building. It was smooth and fleshy with the color reminding of a labradorite moonstone. It was a biotech entity with a power source at its core that matched the power source within Storm. What did it want with Captain America?

A vibratory humming efflux spread around them, but it was less powerful than it had been before. They could take it.

Storm snatched the entire living vessel and dragged it toward the men. It fought her, but she maintained control and pulled it down further. Sam flew with Black Panther and Golden Jaguar hanging from his hands. He flew in an arc and dropped the Udaku men onto the craft. They skimmed the vessel with fast feet.

Tendrils of electrical charges shot through her veins.

"Hurry, it's powering up again!" she shouted.

She reached out for more energy around them, pulling up hidden waves from the earth. She scanned the entity that masqueraded as a ship and sensed humans and mutants inside. It was like a giant whale floating in the sky with beings dwelling within it. The entity emitted a low decibel sound, and the shimmering dark surface flashed gold within.

"It's like dolphin skin," Golden Jaguar said in awe as he continued running his claws across the surface looking for some fallible entry point, "you can see inside of it as it pulses."

Each time the Black Panther or the Golden Jaguar tried to breach the ship with their claws and hands, the surface became slippery pushing back on their blows like a giant slab of wet clay.

She concentrated on the entity even more and located a heat source, something akin to the heart of its power. The surge within it grew, making it increasingly difficult to contain. Sam walked across the back of the ship and ended up near Golden Jaguar. Storm flew higher pulling the ship with her. The enemy drained her faster than she could restore her own energy.

Cap stood at the edge of the hole watching them. He still looked weak. Okoye stood next to him with her sonic spear ready.

"Udoti!" Black Panther said.

His hand rested on the surface and his eyes stared down at it too. The ship listed to the left, and they all heard a strange sound from within.

"There's a power leak inside! It's going to explode!" he shouted.

"Drag it out to sea, Storm!" Golden Jaguar yelled sliding down and jumping onto Sam's wings.

Sam flew along to collect Black Panther and once they were away from the entity, Storm mustered her powers and flew with the ship out toward the Atlantic. A strong vibratory humming began again, and the ship grew louder in volume shooting pain into Storm's ear.

When she felt they were a safe distance, she thrust her hands forward to hurl the ship further out to sea. But she was stuck to it. Unable to release the vessel or herself from it, she felt the helpless dread of knowing she would blow up with the ship. She didn't think she had enough energy to create a shield from the blast, and a crackling electrical charge began to build around her. Ororo did all she could to shake the leviathan from her grasp.

Air squeezed from her chest. She whimpered at the thought of dying.

In her peripheral, Falcon swooped low and fast. A pull of gravity arched her spine in mid-air and she saw the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean down below as her head dropped backward from the bending of her back.

"Storm!"

Golden Jaguar's voice sounded like a faraway echo. She looked up to the sky and saw him falling toward her as the entity above him imploded, then expanded like a supernova in a far-off galaxy.

"I got you girl!" he whispered as air squeezed from her lungs.

Ororo heard thunder and foreboding rumbling skies. Erik's arms wrapped around her tight as his suit lit up with golden kinetic energy. There was too much power absorbed in his suit from the ship. It reached critical mass and glowed like a brilliant sun. He would explode before the entity finally did.

"Let go of me, Erik. It'll kill you too!"

He smothered his body over hers and whispered in her ear "I love you," and it all went black.

###

Ororo came back to consciousness with searing pain pounding in her head. Hot painful aches raced up and down her sides and her back. She tried to move but found her arms pinned to her sides. She dug down deep and tried to power up her body, but Erik's face came into view above her.
"Just chill. You're okay. Give yourself a moment," he grimaced.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Wind knocked out of me from that fall."

His suit was intact but there were scorch marks and rips in the front and back.

"Where are we?"

"On the ground," he chuckled.

There was a cut on his lip. A small trickle of blood laced the skin. She swiped it away. Trying to sit up, he held her tighter.

"Relax."

"Is it gone?"

"Yeah. You got it away in time."

"How many causalities from the attack?"

"Twenty."

They sat quietly for ten minutes until she made him release her so she could sit up and stretch. Her dress was a filthy mess and shredded from her fall. There was bruising on her legs, but very few scratches on them. She heard the loud moaning wails of firetrucks, police cars, and emergency rescue vehicles in the distance.

"The Feds are sweeping the building, and there's a recovery team out on the water. Nobody knows anything except there were some mutants involved. Cap is being questioned," he said.

"T'Challa? Nakia and them?"

"All good."

A slick black SUV pulled up in front of them. Ororo noticed the indentation in the ground where the impact of their fall was. It was six feet deep. No wonder her head and body ached like she'd crushed every bone.

Erik lifted her, and she limped with his help to the vehicle. One of their bodyguards opened the door for her and Erik lifted her up into the seat. When he joined her, they both exhaled hard and groaned from their beat up bodies.

"This was the worst date ever," she said, and they both busted up laughing with throaty cackles.

"I deserve a do-over," he said.

Her eyes danced across his face.

"Yeah, you do," she whispered.

Ororo reached out and touched his face, dropping her fingers to his beard and then his lips. He kissed her fingers, and she sighed.

"You saved my life."

"You saved a lot of lives," he said.

"You could've died with me," she said with a hitch in her voice.

"As long as I'm with you, no matter what, I'm good."

Ororo felt the hot leaking of tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Wakanda is blessed to have you in their lives, Prince N'Jadaka."

The sound of his Wakandan name made him bite his lip, and he looked away from her.

"I'm blessed to have you in my life too," she said.

Ororo leaned over and rested her head on his chest. After a moment, she lifted her head and kissed him. She pulled away when the SUV moved.

"Your eyes are glowing," he said.

"For you," she quipped.

Erik grinned, and they stared at the U.N. building, watching helicopters fly around it.

"For our second date, I want to go back to the Bahamas. Bonnets and brown liquor," she said.

"Deal," he said kissing the top of her head.