Zen sat on the vanity table in Marie’s room at Carmelo’s compound and gazed into the mirror. Marie Elena was a true artist. Surely she didn’t have those large eyes or long eyelashes and she certainly didn’t own pouty lips of a rich berry red. Neither did she own such long mile legs or creamy skin. That was all Marie’s work, right?

“Ai, niña. You are growing into your body still. Give it some time and you’ll be as beautiful as your mom and me. We Arrio have good genes,” said Marie. She closed her makeup satchel, brush in hand. She turned and began to style Zen’s hair in a fancy French braid. Today was the day that her uncle was leaving to cure Mariposa in New Artica. 

She had been warned of meeting several government figures and that she had to dress in her true station as an Elite Low. Marie wasted no time in pouring her into a beautiful slitted bolero skirt and a flowy off the shoulders shirt. All in textures of brown, pretty topaz, and striking sienna, even some sand brown was there. There was a beaded necklace that Marie had given her, to hide the crystal on her neck.

“There. Now for shoes. I ordered some battle boots that go well with this outfit not long ago,” she said searching her closet for those boots. Her walk-in closet was the size of a small room. “There they are!”

“You never buy boots, Marie,” Zen said as her cousin walked out of her closet, holding up a new pair of feminine boots more Zen’s style. 

She shrugged. “I might have had a dream about this same situation, although Mr sexy was missing. How are things going with a Captain at your whim?”

Zen sighed. “ We haven’t talked for three days mostly I don’t know what to say to him. I recognize it’s partly my fault, for trying to snap him from whatever was happening to him, but he actually hurt me! I didn’t think him capable of it.”

Marie studied Zen’s sad eyes and sighed. “We often never mean to harm those we love but we do,” she said, shrugging. “I mean look at my family. Only now at the near end does my father do something about this bond and I’m pretty sure it’s because he wants to marry me off to the next Don of New Artica, D’Angelo.”

Isn’t he the youngest Don?” asked Zen and Marie nodded.

“He is but I want to find my own partner. He will be a perfect match for me even if I doubt it at first. Besides, D’Angelo already has a partner and she’s been waiting for his attention for ages. This quest will make him see Lows differently,” she chuckled glancing at Zen with one of her secretive smiles.

“What? Why are you looking at me that way?” she asked.

Marie giggled. “You have much to go through still to make your secret desires a reality, but they do come true. Now then, let’s get back on topic. What do you truly think about Stephan?”

Zen grinned and began to talk.

Bernado was ready to go and cure Mariposa. Stephan wondered what in hell they had given Bernado to make him ready so early. Zen wasn’t talking to him still. She wouldn’t even come close to him. Was she afraid he would lose it and attack her again? That didn’t settle well with him so here he was at her room door about to knock. Zen was in with her cousin. He could hear them talking from where he was and the subject was making him uneasy. Girl talk had shifted to a dangerous topic. Him. He leaned closer when they lowered their voices. He couldn’t understand them between their giggles anyway, he knocked and a bombshell blonde answered the door. She looked nothing like her father.

“Is Zen ready?” he asked wanting to peek inside the room for Zen but not daring. He had learned from Kiera that it was a very rude thing to do with females. You never knew what they’d do to you for trying.

Marie nodded and smiled turning to the occupant of the room. “Cousin, showtime!”

Zen strode out of the room and Stephan’s heart skipped a beat. Zen was always pretty but now she was drop-dead beautiful with her doe eyes and pouty lips. The skirt showed her long legs when she walked. Her hair cascaded in ringlets around her face where it wasn’t tied back in a French braid, accentuating her high cheekbones and those large brown eyes that shone like polished wood.

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Um, you look…” he was at a loss for words.

“Um you,” she said pointing at the tank top and slightly ripped jeans he wore. They were his best clothes. He hadn’t packed to impress.

Marie Elena took one look at him and shook her head. “That won’t do. You’re going to meet Dons and their family. You have to dress to impress. Excuse us. Looks like I get to see him semi-naked before you do, Zen,” she winked and grabbed Stephan, hauling him into her room and shutting the door.

Zen heard a lot of insults and nos and laughed. Apparently, Marie had asked Stephan to strip. There was a bang and more insults. A giggle. The door opened and Marie stepped out laughing. She turned to Zen. “You definitely have to see him naked,” she said fanning herself and Zen blushed wondering just how much her cousin saw.

“Not nearly as much as I wanted,” was Marie’s answer to her unasked question.

“How does she do that?” Zen muttered shaking her head. Stephan opened the door and it was Zen’s turn to stare. The cream pants fit him like a second skin, they couldn’t be comfortable, and the long-sleeved red shirt was almost see-through. He had a nice back. Stephan was hastily shoving on the coat that went with the pants. He looked good in red and cream. The arachnid colors. His hair fell in disarray around him, with the few blue locks falling to the front.

Marie clapped her hands. “Now you’re both ready Let’s go to Papa.”

Zen fiddled with her bead necklace as she followed her cousin to meet her uncle. Yes, she knew she was doing the right thing, but saying and doing were two different things. Now when it came to actions, fear had climbed into her belly and was causing a nauseating effect. She shook and stopped walking for a minute. All she could think was that here she was again giving her life for someone else and while that seemed noble, she didn’t feel it.

Stephan watched as Zen shrunk in on herself and started shaking slightly. If this were before he attacked her, he’d take her in his arms but…he glanced down and fiddled with the hem of his shirt. He glanced back up watching the live girl turn so quiet. He growled. To hell with it. She’d just have to smack him again. He slipped his arms around her, hugging her to him, and placed his head over hers, sliding his hands over her cold skin.

“It’s ok,” he whispered rubbing her back.

She seemed to come to life and turned burning eyes to him. “What would you know?”

“More than you think. It’s alright to be scared, Zen,” he whispered in her ear and she gulped a few tears leaking.

“I-It is?”

“Yes,” he murmured facing her and wiping her tears away. “What you are doing is honorable and far more than most could. Stand up and own that. You are a very giving person.”

Zen chuckled sadly and turned away. “But you don’t trust me.”

Stephan backed up. “It's the crystal I don’t trust. I’ve always trusted you even with Edline.”

Zen sniffed. “Edline?

“Yeah. Do you think I trust people with her past and BEI all the time?” he said with a quirked brow.

Zen wasn’t sure about anything he’d told her, but she agreed that Edline was a topic he’d never breach if he didn’t trust her, which meant he had trusted her way before they met at the boat crash, possibly as far back as the Constantines.

She blushed. “You didn’t even know my name then.”

“It wasn’t needed. I was right. You saved Edline from Yolinda and got hurt twice for her, even got sick with a de-coagulation poison that nearly killed you. I was right to trust you, so never say I don’t trust you. It's the crystal I have never trusted.”

Zen nodded leaning against him and borrowing his strength. He believed in her but that didn’t absolve what he had done a few days ago to her. She slipped from his hold and nodded feeling more assured, and started walking again. She noticed they had been left alone in the hall but Marie Elena had placed one of her markers to guide them to the meeting room.

Turning, she found him staring at her kind of lost.

 He didn’t know what to do to bridge the gap widening in front of them. He’d tried but once more she’d rebuffed him. She grabbed his hand and led him toward the meeting room but she still seemed distant. She hadn’t given him time to even try to apologize. She dropped his hand and fixed her clothes and hair and motioned for him to do the same. He ignored her and opened the door, ready to get this over with.

Rosa was snuggling next to Carmelo when the meeting room’s doors were opened and in stepped the pilot mercenary and Zen. She noticed the wide distance between the two still. Her daughter was a stubborn person.  She didn’t approve of this mission. She didn’t trust her brother. Marie Elena had never shown signs of a bond before now, and there was something wrong in her brother’s shifty eyes. The way he wouldn’t meet her gaze. He knew that she would expose him for the liar he was. He was once more using her child’s generosity and naivete to fulfill his bidding. Carmelo hugged her to him and she obliged.

“Cariño, why does Zen not see what’s in front of her?” asked Carmelo confused. Isaias had said those two were awfully close but right now they couldn’t be worlds apart.

Rosa sighed. “Zen is hurt by what he did to her, but she doesn’t see her error in this. She’s only driving him further away. She’ll learn her lesson por las buenas o las malas.” She turned to face him. “Anyway wasn’t I just as blind?”

Carmelo hmmed and both stood regally apart and faced the rest of the room.

 Isaias was surprisingly wearing an arachnid bandana to hold his slightly long hair from his face. It had spiders all over it. He still wore his Guerreros uniform. Marco was wearing concealer on his tattoo. He had more freedom as an arachnid and could use his abilities whenever. He was thinking of making the tattoo a reality. The only bad thing would be leaving Isaias, and he was pretty sure he could convince him to follow. Bernado slept in a cozy recliner. The junk he had pumped into him by his doctor fixed him in less than three days, but took a few years off his life, and made him really sleepy otherwise. The airplane ride was going to be good for a big nap.

“Everyone is here,” said Carmelo as Rosa pinched Bernado awake.

“You leave for New Artica in a few minutes. You are taking my jet as Bernado has been indisposed to provide you with one.”

Rosa snorted and muttered something about uncouth Dons. Carmelo wrapped his arm around her and continued. “This is a long flight. Originally this is for the mission with the crystal but as a precaution, it has been written as a trip to visit Mariposa. The jet waits at the Arrio hanger. Rosa and I can’t come for obvious reasons.”

The others agreed with that precaution. All except Bernado who kept sneering. There had to be a way to tear his sister from Carmelo. Maybe the other Dons could help? He smiled and followed the entourage of people in the way of his true goal.