16. Bait

"Oh Ku'uk'ulkan, I want you. Not the Feathered God. Just you the person, the protector. The man with so much life and determination behind those eyes. I want to kiss them and count each eyelash. Kiss away the storms and the frustrations of your mind. I know all you do to keep others safe, my king. But when have you had time to rest? To just be. To exist with no expectations other than to be loved.

I want you by my side. I want to be underneath you, aching for you. On top of you, riding. Panting your name, melting into bliss. I want your seed, your heirs. I want your tongue with the taste of me in your mouth.

You need only beg and desire me. Talokan will always be here, but this love of ours is now. If not your love, then give me the air in your lungs. Ku'uk'ulkan, I want to love you.

Please come see me soon! On the beach, just you and me. Let no one else witness our passion.

Your Panthress."

Shuri finished reading aloud.

"Dora?" she asked. Shuri needed opinions. With overseeing Wakanda's technological innovations, she knew her writing skills had gotten rusty. How much was beautiful, mushy, or cringy? Love poetry had a thin line to maneuver around.

One of her ladies, Aminata, a new recruit spoke, "Quite fine, princess. You're telling him what he wants to hear. I don't know many men who wouldn't melt with that." At first, Aminata was confused at her princess's request for her to attend a private council, but she had been told it was for security reasons. They needed to catch that underwater demon with as few casualties as possible. If deceitful words were the catalyst, then so be it.

Shuri wasn't convinced. "I need a male's perspective. M'Baku?"

M'Baku had a dumbfounded expression. Shuri was straight-faced as ever, stopping her typing. Not a bit of shame was radiating from her. Her laptop was in the center of the table, giving them all a clear view.

She acknowledged his wordless reply. "You're right. I'm laying it on a little thick." She backspaced on her keyboard.

"Ooh, tell him "wyd? come pull up" or my "parents aren't home," Riri jumped in, then immediately winced. "I'm sorry I didn't—"

Shuri waved her off. "Valiant effort but no. I doubt he'd know what WYD even meant. I'd literally have to spell it out."

"Ooh, princess tell him: 'draw me like one of your French girls' since you say he's an artist," Aneka suggested, smiling. She was the only one of the Dora Milaje who shared Shuri's love of random movie quotes and pop culture.

"Sorry, Aneka, but Namor probably hasn't seen the Titanic, and he would gag at any reference to French colonizers."

They had been at this all morning. So early that Shuri was still in a hoodie and shorts. But this was her inner circle, so she didn't feel the need to dress up. Shuri typed out and read the sappiest of letters to beckon Namor to their shores, and the others either affirmed or shot down the efforts. She was quickly learning she had a certain sway with him. He wasn't an unintelligent man, so she couldn't be too obvious with her letter. Striking the right balance was difficult!

"You're angelic in every way, you shine like the moon*," Okoye offered. She had acted so above this meeting of the minds to manipulate Namor, but she found herself getting invested."W'kabi said that to me once when he was courting me." Even still, the mention of her husband brought a tinge of sadness to her that only Shuri could recognize.

Another suggestion came. "No, write him: "only you feel on my body! You don't need no other body*."

"Akissi," Ayo gasped in indignation. "Do not allow our princess to degrade herself to this ... this foolishness. We should drag that degenerate from the depths of the ocean and arrest him on the sand. We need not leave crumbs for a mouse. Let him feel Wakanda's full wrath."

"No, he's too heavily guarded. Namora and Attuma alone are nasty pieces of work. If we lure him out willingly with sweet words, his defenses will be down." Shuri explained, popping a juicy orange slice into her mouth. "Hopefully, he'll be so busy with love on the brain, he won't see the panther claws in his chest. Or the Dora, from the shadows, spearing him repeatedly like a slice of Swiss cheese."

M'Baku grabbed an orange from the bowl on the table. Peeling the fruit, he shook his head. "Aye, you women are more ruthless than any man. Only thing worse is to get a man while he performs the natural obligation."

"No, I'm not going to sleep with him. That's too much!" Shuri cried.

Akissi continued on, "Mmmh, it shouldn't be this difficult to think of words. Let's just use the lyrics of any American 70's love song. Bonus points if it's a Motown record."

"Guys!" Shuri shushed them. She pushed away from the table with a confident smirk. "I've it."

"Ku'uk'ulkan, please make me yield. Visit me tonight in my room alone." were the two lines she typed. She would later write it on vibraninum, waterproof paper, and let it sink down into the ocean. Whether he showed his face or not, he watched the waters closely.

"Yield?" They all asked in unison. No doubt this was underwhelming and unromantic compared to her other attempts. But this one had the edge and flavor the others lacked.

She sighed. "It's an inside thing. You all wouldn't understand." She closed her laptop. "But trust me. This will catch him hook, line, and sinker."

What fish could resist the perfect bait?

17. Gift

She stared at him. The distrust in her eyes was very apparent.

"Namor, what's all this?" Shuri asked, frowning. "You called an urgent alliance meeting, and we've discussed nothing political!"

"A gift," he answered cooly. "A nice evening out."

The table was decorated and extended with an assortment of seafood. She was in his private quarters. She would eat what his chefs had prepared at his behest. He had even managed to procure a lit candle. If he told her the difficulties of finding matches that wouldn't lose effectiveness underwater, he doubted she would even appreciate it.

She placed her hand to her forehead, weary. Her hair was in a crown braid, and she wore golden Wakandan jewelry with her simple black dress. The gold on her neck and ears made her look like a queen, but he wished to replace them with jade jewels. He had given her some; she refused to wear them.

"I know what a gift is. You've loaded me with Talokan jewels so much my bag can barely close, had your people sew and knit dresses in front of me, and arranged this elaborate dinner with only me as a guest. What? You cannot spare even Attuma or Namora a plate? This is the fattening up of a pig before the slaughter."

"Don't demean yourself in my presence. How could you liken yourself to an animal when you're a queen?"

She had the nerve to roll her eyes. Disdain flowed from her like perfume.

"First, you're mistaken. Perhaps, you suffer from low self-esteem but not I. I'm the Princess of Wakanda, and I've known and walked in this confidence since my birth. It's simply an analogy. Second, I'm the Black Panther. Pantherrr, which is essentially a big kitty. "

In moments such as this, Namor was reminded of her youth. Or better yet her immaturity. Surely, she had little experience in diplomacy. For her to make such silly expressions with that mocking tone and correct him, she truly knew she was his equal. And that made her all the more tantalizing.

Namor smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. He took another piece of the fresh kill one of his chefs had brought him but didn't bring it to his mouth. This was a deep-sea creature, the Koala Bluefish, that humanity hadn't been able to pervert or wipe out. Something she seemed too ungrateful to enjoy.

Shuri barely touched her plate, only eating a bite when she realized he wouldn't until she did. Also, maybe if she finished eating quickly, he would let her go.

"Princess, is it a crime to want to gaze at something or someone beautiful?"

"Yes, in this case, it's illegal. If you've lured me here under false pretenses, then it's kidnapping."

She stared him down and he considered the possibility of her leaving or, better, her trying to physically fight him.

But unlike how she believed, he was a peaceful man.

Namor told her, "Eat your food, and I'll adjourn this alliance meeting."

So she fiercely tore into her fish, making sure to chew with violence. If she had fangs, she was bearing them to him. But Namor didn't mind. He enjoyed the company.

It was nice to not have to eat alone.

* Miguel - Cadillac lyrics

* Essence - Wizkid, Tems

* wyd = what are you doing?