The citizens of Prarieview may have gotten their first clue that life in this small city was going to change for them soon as residents noticed several limousines driving through town. For those close to Silvercrest Estates, their speculation was even higher as they realized the vehicles were traveling to the luxury development in town. True to Wisedale's word, though, security was tight, and no one knew what residents lived there unless those residents informed someone or invited them, and to gain entry, a general community non-disclosure was signed. Of course, on this day, a man picked by Valon himself was staffing the security booth when their guest arrived, assuring anonymity.

  High-level members of the Specters were arriving for a week-long retreat. Their destination was Lesttia Manor, an opulent mansion that left them momentarily stunned. Four other houses were in the Manor's cul-de-sac. One had been re-opened, and staff had been recruited to take care of the needs of the visiting members of the Specters. But, of course, their guest house was not the first stop.

  Their cars pulled into the semi-circle driveway of what they had been told was called Lesttia Manor by its residents. The tall white stone walls, heavy wooden accents, and expansive windows spoke of their wealth. Who was their new Boss? They knew very little of them other than the fact that Donte was their representative, and they were wealthy enough to be paying them all to stay out of trouble with little worries. In the history of the Specters, none of the bosses had ever been able to financially support all of the members of the organization like this.

  "Alright, we are going straight to the back. The Lady is still training, but we will make her aware of our presence. When you are dismissed, you will go to the guest house we have provided to rest till this evening." Donte instructed the men.

  They entered through the large, dark wooden doors that had an intricate relief of a tree carved into them. Donte ignored their murmurs as he led them past the grand entrance and through the opulent sitting area towards the backyard.

  "Be mindful of the pool area," Donte warned as they stepped outside to the sounds of exertion—grunts, shouts, and the thuds of impact.

  "Harder, Miza. The point is to knock an opponent out." Valon urged.

  "Fuck you, V," Miza grunted at him.

  "If I wanted to dance, I would've taken you on a date, baby girl." Valon taunted her.

  Miza grunted, sweat streaming down her face as she fought through exhaustion. She was annoyed with how weak she was by comparison. She quickly thought through her options, searching for an advantage. With a swift, practiced move, she executed a perfect takedown, leaving Valon sprawled on the ground. Leaning close, she watched him breathing hard.

  "Hard enough for you, V," Miza mocked.

  "Don't tease me, darling, " he whispered, causing Miza to laugh as she punched him in the chest. She stopped short when she heard clapping and turned as she caught her breath. Her gaze met Donte's.

  "Donnie!" Miza exclaimed, getting up and running into his arms as she picked her up, allowing her to wrap herself around him as she held on tight. "I missed you so much." She said, her frustration melting into joy as she ran to embrace him.

  He held her for a few more moments and then let her down. She peered around him.

  "Oh, Hello. Valon and I were finishing training for the day. I am so happy to see you all arrived safely. I trust your journey was comfortable?" She said, not even phased by the scene the new people under her employ witnessed.

  Her question was met with stunned silence. Sixteen pairs of eyes widened in shock as they took in the sight of their new leader—a young girl who had just bested one of their own. She was it? There were mixed reactions of shock, wonder, and disgust. There was the awe that someone so young could fight someone like Valon like that. Then, they were met by the realization that this child was their new leader. That was a hard pill to swallow. Finally, as they watched the three interact, there was clear evidence that neither man had a purely platonic relationship with her, an idea that they all found abhorrent.

  What had Diaz sold them to?

  Miza watched them with her head tilted. Realizing that no one was going to answer, she shrugged and let out a huff. Taking a moment to observe the men and women before her, she took in their subtle cues. They had so much work to do with them. When they were in Lestania, she never realized how well-trained their faction members were.

  "Ok, well, I guess we are all tired. I know I am. Fighting Donte or Valon is no joke," She said with a chuckle. "Let's regroup for dinner and get acquainted. We are having a little party tonight with the rest of my Nest." She bubbled at them with a final, cheerful wave before she headed off to shower because she was sweating, and the only thing she hated more than being sweaty was her older brother.

  ~

  The lower floor of the manor was crowded. The Nest members and Specters' leadership together filled the space to capacity, but Akierda was navigating it well. He watched as Tyler practically clung to Justin, since he was not used to playing a diplomatic role at parties. But then, neither was he. Like most of the Nest, Akierda was new to the life of a royal. He had only experienced the life of being Prince Consort for about three months from the time that Miza had found him to the time of the coup and he had not adjusted at all.

  Like his Nest-mates, he understood his position and the responsibilities that came with it. It didn't mean that he always knew what he was doing. He didn't know a lot about Lestanian culture despite being on the Island his whole life. Alex had tried to teach him during the time they were separated from Miza, so this time, he didn't feel as useless as he did when he was first brought to the palace.

  Akierda was born Zetka. He lived in the Zetice, a prison city inside the capital, his whole life. Before the Adiamorphic regime, Miza's ancestors noted that venuemaos had been brought to the Island and those who were thought to have signs of the malady were sent to live in a specific area of the city under guard. It was a complex contagion to battle in the guardian realm because it could feed off the celestial energy present throughout the island. Over the centuries, the population of those tainted with venuemaos grew so large Empress at that time decided to give them space and walls to keep their Venuemaos at bay. The Zetice, though, did not remain just a quarantine zone. During Alivar's rule, he used the clergy well. Anything that benefited him was considered a sign someone was tainted with venuemaos.

  By the time Alivar's rule ended, it was clear that true venuemaos had made its way into Lestania and had tainted her at the very core, but of course, the Royals would deny that. They were descendants of the Goddess. Admitting the taint was also in the royal family would confirm that Alivar had lied about his sister and risk the tight hold the Royal family had on the people and the Imperial House Council. The Ruling Royal needed the Council to back them or risk a usurper taking the throne, as Alivar did with his sister. They convicted just enough of their citizens and sent them to the Zetka with limited resources to keep the rumor that Alivar was abusing his power contained.

  Akierda wasn't a criminal, nor did he necessarily have a great deal of venuemaos in him. He simply was born in the Zetice, like many, he was seen as inherently impure. Due to that he was looked at as lower than most Lestanians. What else would people think or do when the Royals said that the Zetka held venuemaos, making them a danger to their society?

  Then came Miza.

  He had been given clearance to be on a work crew that did the jobs in Lestania that few wanted to do. He was happy about it. In the Zetice, it was customary for children to be parentless and not be able to eat regularly. Children couldn't care for themselves or really contribute, so the moment they could get rid of them, parents often did. There was a little grace. When he was younger, an orphanage was built in the Zetice person the young princess's desires, but it was hard to regulate it because no one was allowed in the Zetice to check on it. The people running it didn't believe those children deserved any of the help they received and would often take the money or resources for themselves. He was a street kid like many, so when he had a chance to secure food for himself and the other kids he had formed a little family with, he took it. He was doing work with the sanitation crew when suddenly the prettiest person he had ever seen ran up to Akierda, who was covered in dirt, excrement, and grime, and grabbed him up.

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  When she first appeared, he didn't know who she was. They didn't exactly keep the updated of the royal family. He could remember every detail of that moment vividly.

  He was lying on the ground as his boss yelled at him for dropping a bucket of muck, clutching his bruised jaw. He had curled himself into a ball as the man started to kick him. Akierda had heard his manager stumble back before he was pulled up by a pretty little brown girl who was shouting at the other man for laying hands on her mate.

  Her eyes held fury. She was smaller than him, but in that moment it was the safest he felt. The attention of everyone in the area was on them, and as they had been cleaning out a filtration system in the neighborhood square, there were many witnesses to their future queen's ire.

  When Valon and Donte came charging through the crowd looking for the young girl who had run off, only to find her with her pretty dress dirtied, standing protectively in front of a boy they had never met. Of course, the moment the manager realized who she was, he started apologizing for offending her. Everyone, by that time, knew that the lines of succession had changed. When he heard her say 'mate,' he knew that not only was the youngest princess of the Imperial family angry because of her firm belief that others should be respected, even the Zetka, but that he had caused harm to someone who was technically a prince consort. Her reaction at that moment told all of them, to respect her mates no matter what. The rumors surrounding that incident spread quickly, and every opinion about it was strong.

  Their family was viewed through the eyes of Alivar's rule. They were seen as a perversion by many who were loyal to the Elder Prince and argued that succession should not change on the whim of perversion. But all who were present that day saw her power, so claiming that the youngest daughter simply had a perverse view of family didn't work and had lost Mark-Anthony favor amongst those who were not his loyalist.

  Akierda still struggled to see he was not the tainted boy from the Zetice others saw him as, but his family didn't question anything. Miza simply informed Donte and Valon when they arrived that day that he was one of them and they took him home and had his manager sent to the Zetice himself. His family saw him for who he was and never questioned him from the start. Didn't question that he was male, despite him growing up with people calling him names when he insisted he was a boy. They accepted him as he was. Illiterate. Ignorant. Poor. It didn't matter. To them, he was their equal even when he struggled to see it himself.

  He belonged to Miza just like the rest of them. Now that he was back with her, he reminded himself that he was just as worthy daily. He used affirmation to give himself the confidence to navigate their life together. He wasn't the same Zetka boy. He was a prince. He would be a king consort if it weren't for her bastard of a brother. And even if he were the same boy, he now knew that he was still worthy of love and care regardless of the circumstances of his birth.

  Akierda was brought out of his musings, noticing the excited chatter die down as Miza and Valon stepped out of the Nest's room with Donte close behind. All eyes were on the girl in her long blood-red gown that offset the sea of black suits and ties that matched her gown. Their suits were her first gift to them, a symbol of them stepping into a new era of the Specters. They watched with curiosity as she walked around the back of the room until she and Valon arrived at a pair of black Chesterfield Chairs sitting artfully outside of the open library area. They both took their seats, with Donte standing dutifully behind them.

  "Good evening, everyone." She said. "I feel so honored that you all could join me here in my home. My mate has told me about the progress he has had with you all over the weeks he has been away from us. I understand this transition is difficult, but Diaz and I have had many conversations about your organization." She dropped her smile and gazed over and Julianna, the honey in her voice melting away. "I want to be clear, though, that the lack of discipline you have exhibited over the last six months will not be tolerated any longer."

  Miza paused, scanning the crowd. The icyness of her dissatisfaction became clear to the Specters' leadership.

  "Lihte, will you please bring our guest." She said gently. The boy nodded an walked quickly to the study. Everyone sat in silence until he came back a moment later, dragging a battered man with a cloth gag in his mouth as he kicked franticly, trying to fight his way out of Lihte's hold. No one dared to speak when they saw who it was. No one dared to blink as the man was dropped a few feet from Mizarmonie's chair. He looked around the room, attempting to yell through the gag for help.

  "Julianna," She called, " join me, please."

  The woman hesitantly stepped forward. Lihte presented a dagger to the girl, who nodded her thanks as she took it while she watched Juliana approach.

  "I want to remind you all that no one in the leadership of this organization walks away. That has been your way since Diaz's predecessor was in power. That is an agreement we will keep because we deal in sensitive information." Miza smiled up into the shocked woman's blue eyes. " Juliana, dear one, it was your job to keep the members of this organization in order. It's time to clean up your mess." Miza expectantly as she held out the dagger to the dismayed woman.

  Julianna took the blade into her shaking hands and looked at the man on the floor. He was the love of her life. She couldn't do that to him. That's why this had gotten so fucked up in the first place. She just stood there staring at the dagger in her hand. The girl couldn't be serious, but no one spoke up for either of them.

  "Hmmm," Miza hummed. "It's clear that you are weak when it comes to doing the job you were given. I see now why Donte made the decision he did."

  She grabbed the man up by his hair with a firm grip as he started to thrash, begging as much as he could through his gag. It didn't matter, though, as she snatched the dagger from Julianna and brought the knife down across his throat, allowing the deep crimson liquid to flow unchecked as she unceremoniously dropped his body.

  She walked back to her chair where the rest of the Nest had gathered during this gruesome show of power. The Specters watched as all six of the people that throughout the night they had learned were the young girl's partners in a non-monogamous family watched unflinchingly. Did they not care that she had just cut someone's throat in the middle of their home? Miza regarded them all, watching their reactions, seeking the fear, disgust, or even sadistic thrill in any of them.

  "My name is Princessa Mizarmonie Hyodolshi Lea." There were gasps as some of them recognized he surname Hyodolshi from her family's business dealing in the underground markets. "You will never refer to me as this, whether in my presence or not. To all of you, I am My Lady, or I am Mistress. Outside of our organization, you forget that I have a name, but do not forget who I really am." She paused to give them a moment. "I want to make it very clear that you will not disappoint me again, Julianna, and that no one in this organization has the right to step out of line. You all as individuals, will make the choices of whether this organization will be led with love or with fear. This week, you will undergo an intensives. You will learn the new expectations for how this organization will be structured, how it will function, what your jobs are, and how I have led the faction I head at home. You will carry out your assignments, and you will do your best to ensure that I do not have blood on my hands again. Am I clear?"

  "Yes, Mistress." A chorus of scared voices rang out.

  "Perfect!" She chirped as Carrie stepped forward to bring her a drink. "Let's continue with the party." She said as she stood to grab her drink and step over the body and blood on the floor.

  ~

  By the end of the week, the Spectors' leadership had a clear view of the parameters they were to operate within. During the day, while their Mistress was at school, they trained in combat and agility, practiced scenarios, and practiced skills. They quickly realized that they were expected to level up.

  In the evenings, they engaged in a variety of bonding activities where they got to know each other more and learned a little about their Mistress. They learned about how their new prospect system would work. Before the end of the week, the captains were given a list with the training and retreat schedules and the names of the soldiers in the organization that reported to them. They were also given the brief that while it was the family's goal to provide them with as much comfort and ease while participating in the organization, they were all soldiers. They operated as a business for legal purposes now, but they were still a criminal organization that was now under the power of a future queen.

  The family had a mission, and while it was clear that over the weeks, Diaz had been given more information about what their Mistress was planning, he did not divulge it. Nor had Miza or Donte cleared the rest of the Specters to know the details yet. Diaz, however, felt honored that a Goddess would let him serve her and knew she would do her best to protect the members of the organization and their families. He was grateful that his misfortune had been addressed by the Lady so that he could do what his wife had asked and protect their family while not having the throw his other one to the wolves.

  kitty