Page 24 of Craving a King

The messages just continue like that all through the night.Call me, come see me. The last message simply said,Fine, I’m coming. Coming where? What the hell is going on, and why does he call her ‘lady’? Is that some sort of dumb pet name? If she had not left her phone here, would she really have ditched me to go see him? I try to shake it out of my mind. The fact that she didn’t even remember to take a phone or mention missing one yesterday tells me she was not expecting to hear from him. There has to be a logical explanation. I can’t believe Ella has been stringing me along for a contract. What if she is? What if Adom has been here the whole time coaching her? What if he is just waiting for an OK from her that the contract is secure? I gave her that reassurance last night!

I need to wake her up and get some answers. Otherwise, my imagination will continue to run wild. I mark the messages I readunread; she doesn’t need to know I went through her phone.Great! Now I’m lying by omission.I can’t stew over that now. I will just simply ask her if she knows the last time Adom came to Ghana. I can be smooth.I think.

I place the phone back on the nightstand where I found it and turn to wake her when I hear a knock on the bedroom door. Who the hell is knocking on her door this early in the morning? My servants know better. The knock comes again, and I groan as I get up and throw on my pants from yesterday. Since I’m not in my room, I don’t have access to a proper robe.

I make my way across the room and open the door. “Yes!” I don’t hide my displeasure at the interruption. However, once I see it’s Akua, I soften a bit. “Auntie, it’s 6:30 in the morning. Why would you disturb Ella this early?” No matter how hard I try, I can’t banish the annoyance in my voice.

She looks at me keenly. “Well, I certainly didn’t expect to find you at her door, your majesty. I hope you slept well.”

I hear the scolding she’s giving me without her saying another word. She’s saying,didn’t I warn you this would happen?She’s saying,how will you ensure we have the schools we need if you’re shagging the source?She’s saying,how will this ever end well when you know you can’t give this woman what she will ultimately want because of who you are?She’s saying,you’re going to ruin everything just like you did with your mother. I know what she’s saying, because I’m saying those things, too. However, right now I’m not interested in dealing with that reality. I want to get back to Ella and figure out what the hell is going on between her and Adom.

“Yes, Akua. I slept well. Ella is still sleeping. What do you need with her?”

She raises her hands in front of her and sighs, shaking her head with incredulity. “It’s not whatIneed, your majesty. It’s what her visitor downstairs wants.”

I shut the door behind me and step out into the hallway with Akua. “Visitor? What visitor?”

She gives me a small smile. “Your cousin Adom is here. He says he must speak to Ella at once. I left him in the kitchen.”

“I see.” Though I speak those words calmly and I stand still, my center rocks off balance for a moment. So that’s what he meant byI’m coming. Of course! We are blood, and if I knew where the woman I wanted to be with was, I would go there too. Only I would have arrived faster. There’s no way I’m texting a nonresponsive woman for 18 hours straight. I always knew he was weak.

What does he want with Ella? Is he here to tell her about my mother and how I failed her? Is he here to break us apart and claim her himself? How would he know we’re doing anything but planning schools unless she told him? I know he is possessive and protective ofhis lady—she said as much in the garden. Is she in love with him? Does he touch her?

Suddenly, I don’t feel like performing my morning duty anymore. The idea of him anywhere near her makes me want to break something. I turn my attention back to Akua and place my hand on her shoulder. “Do not tell my cousin you spoke with me. Just let him know you made his presence known.”

I dismiss Akua, open the bedroom door, and return to the bedside. I pull on my shirt and take one last look at Ella before I head downstairs to greet her guest.

* * *

When I enter the kitchen downstairs, Adom’s eyes roll with impatience when he sees me. He is sitting on a stool at the island sipping a cup of my favorite mint tea. I can smell it steeping on the stove. Clearly, he was anticipating Ella. He stands and speaks first, offering his hand to me. I bypass it and lean against the island across from him.

He sighs. “Cousin. So good to see you…I’m surprised you are awake this early. You know, with royalty needing its beauty and power sleep.” His eyes search behind and around me. “Where’s Ella?”

I tighten my crossed arms against my chest. “Ella is sleeping. She had a busy day and a long night.”

He does not take the bait. “Yes, well, I asked Akua to wake her up. I need to speak with her at once. How is it that I am speaking with you?”

I turn and walk to the stove to pour myself a cup of tea. “What is it that you so desperately need to speak with Ella about? I have not heard from you in years—now, suddenly, you are at my doorstep. How did you even find Bonbiri?”I know the answer to that.

He smirks. “Ella told me, of course. She tells me everything. She didn’t tell me you were her keeper, though. I wonder if she knows?”

I slam my cup down. “No, cousin, apparently you think keeping her is your job,” I say through gritted teeth.

He breaks into a grin. “Oh, it is. It has been for the past 15 years.” He comes around the island and steps directly in front of me. “I don’t take the safety of her person or heart lightly. You may be sleeping with her, but I protect her. She is one of the most important people in my life. If you hurt her, I will kill you. Now, where is she? I must speak with her.”

I clench my fists at my sides. “So, you’re not going to tell me what this pop-up visit is about?”

He crosses his arms. “No. It is none of your business.” He uncrosses his arms and leans with one hand on the island. “Now, will you please go and wake Ella? Or would you prefer I do it?”

I slam my fist against the island table, so close I almost hit his hand. I wish I had. “You will not go anywhere in my home. I will go and see if she wants to see you. Stay here.”

He smirks and returns to his seat on the other side of the island and picks up his tea. I eyeball him until he is fully seated and leave him in the kitchen.

A king does not compete for a woman’s affections. If he came all this way to get Ella, he can have her.

Chapter Fifteen

Abandonment

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