Page 56 of Wanted
“For you two, we’d do them anytime,” he responded. “Chocolate sprinkles for our American woman? Syrup for our future princess?”
We nodded, and he retrieved to the bar.
“Do they really have to import the stuff they decorate the waffles with? Why can’t we grow it on our own? Is it that difficult?” Kamila asked, seemingly over her period pain. I hoped that she wasn’t one of the girls who suffered a lot during their periods. I wished that it was a one-time thing.
“Yes, sweetie. Daddy has import deals with all the important food companies and their CEOs.” They spent their summer vacations here with us, fucking their brains out at Pussy Buffets, Crack & Nut, and whorehouses while their wives and children enjoyed our child-friendly beaches. “It’s much cheaper that way. We have to spare expenses.”
The smoothie and the waffles arrived. I sipped on my tasteless water as my daughter munched away on her waffle, delighted at the foreign tastes on her tongue. Sweet or salty waffle dishes and other American habits of mine were rarely welcomed on Katantia, stamped as too exotic and luxurious even for the queen of this place.
I would love to take my children home and show them my world. Kamila would love the sunshine in California. The boys could take on surfing… “Mom, you’ve got that look again.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” I responded, shaking myself out of my nightmare. There was no way out. The day I let that fucker inside of me, that was the day I signed away my life. I had no idea that he was hunting for a bride. He had so many willing victims. Why the hell did he end up choosing me to grow his seed inside of me?
I should resent my children. But I didn’t. I never could. They were the only innocent beings in all of this.
“Kamila?” I caught my daughter with a spoonful of chocolate in her mouth. I hadn’t touched my waffle, so she took a bite from mine. She chewed, nodding that she’d heard me. I had to get this off of my chest. My parents might have abandoned me in California with a grandmother that couldn’t care less. But I wouldn’t do the same. I wouldn’t be comfortable with my child being sucked into a mess that I rode into freely. I didn’t come here out of my free will but still. I had a responsibility. “Listen to me, sweetie.”
She swallowed her bite, sipping on her smoothie. Then she said, “Yes, of course. What’s up?”
“There are tough times ahead.” I’d taught her the word euphemism. She knew the concept. My parents had been found dead shortly after I got married to the future King of Katantia. My babies’ grandfather was assassinated in his kingdom. There are a lot of coincidences in Katantia, and I can’t help but be wary. “We have to stick together. You, your brothers, and I.”
“What about Daddy?” she asked, knowing exactly what she was digging up.
“Let Daddy worry about himself. He’s the king.” Sighing, I continued, “I’ll always be here for you, you know that?” A quick nod. “And I love you the most. I’ll be by your side forever. Even if you think we’ve lost our connection when you’re mad at me when you hate me for giving birth to you in this country… I’ll never leave you. I know I don’t have much to offer but my word…”
“Mom, everybody loves you. What are you talking about? Everyone we meet is head over heels for you!” Kamila intersected. She withdrew her hands from the table. “I love you. I could never hate you.”
“Listen to me. You have to think of yourself. Nobody else will. These men in your family… Even when I tell you to keep your brothers close, what I mean is that you keep control of the situation. They think they have a right to own you. Well, they don’t. You’re my daughter. I didn’t want you to live here, but you do. I’ll have to live with that. Be selfish, sweetie. When it’s between them or you, I hope you choose yourself.”
Kamila shook her head in disbelief. Her frown didn’t sit well with me. I gave her mixed signals. I was very well aware of that. One day, I preached the gospel of family. The next, I told her to be a self-centered bitch. “I’m special, mom. I know. I will never forget.”
“Good. Now, eat up, and we’ll go buy records from the vintage store downtown.”
We ate our food, drank our refreshments, and paid the bill. I didn’t leave bills for Aram to trace. I paid in cash even after the owner insisted that our meal was on the house.
“You can be really strange sometimes,” Kamila commented with a chuckle as she put on her seat belt in the car. “Should I be worried that you’ll turn into grandma?”
I laughed it off. But it wasn’t funny. Kamila’s grandma had been vilified ever since her husband’s assassination in the year Aris was born. I’d laid the groundwork, so I could never become public enemy number one. Like Kamila said, the people loved me.
There was one person that didn’t.
King Aram Wraith.
KAMILA
Alex’s office was filled with trophies, jerseys, and signed sports memorabilia. The trophies and the basketball jerseys were his, but the signatures on the baseballs, sneakers, and tennis rackets were from other people, names that I didn’t recognize. Every day of this wicked week, when it was time to come in here and discuss the updates, I found myself lost in the history that this room held. Images of Alex with various people graced the walls. His genuine smile lightened up each frame. I took it all in, and my heart crumbled.
Jordan hadn’t made it easy for Alex. He hadn’t been around for his son when he was very young. But Alex turned out resilient and genuinely happy nonetheless.
Rape? That’s not a word in my vocabulary, cunt.
Fylox, Alex, Jordan, and I were assembled in front of the desk, sitting in separate chairs that we’d brought over from the meeting room close by. After his practice ended, Alex had joined us in sweatpants and a hoodie with his team’s logo on them. In any other circumstance, I’d be happy. But I wasn’t.
Jordan rubbed the back of his neck. “We might have to go underground.”
“Dad, I’ve publicly made a commitment to the Princess of Katantia,” Alex reminded him.
“Let me worry about that. You’re a renowned basketball player. You haven’t married her yet. You could have any other bride in the world. You won’t be crucified for switching partners,” Jordan argued. I twitched, feeling a lump in my throat. I was close to tears, and Alex noticed. He put his arm around me, drawing me to his body. He planted a kiss on the top of my head, and he reassured me that everything would be okay.
