[[Until We Become Lions]]

Chapter 31

A few hours later.

Back in her prime pickpocket days, Danijela had to rely on the swiftness of her feet to carry her well far beyond her target within seconds to avoid detection, or worse, a broken nose. She had mastered the craft but hung it up not too long after Evee had been born. Could an old dog keep the same old tricks? She was about to find out. As soon as a soldado came to her door, requesting her presence at the top of Torre del Leon , she had nearly sprinted out of her room to the elevator. Diego had said his father would call upon her. Was he going to deliver the crushing news that swayed back and forth in her stomach like a guillotina? That their paradise was about to end before it could ever truly begin?

She had just gotten back to her room after checking on Diego, only managing a quick rinse in the shower before the message came. The boy was quiet and content when she went to meet with him. He masked his feelings well, as a future politician should. Not just in regard to his feelings concerning his father, but also about the unseen issue between himself and Evee. Danijela knew just as Evee was in the tumultuous stage of adolescence, Diego was not far behind. She would find no answers where they weren't willing to share. She had tried to get Evee to come with her after the two sisters managed to calm down after their crying session outside of the clinic, but Evee was hesitant to make the first move. Evee had twiddled with her sunflower locket afterward, shaking her head no, but the fact she still had the locket was a sign of progress that she was at least still thinking of him.

Danijela wished she had those sorts of adolescent worries. She wished that was all Evee was worried about. Instead, Danijela was drowning with anxiety, chronically tucking her hair behind her ear as she paced the small elevator shaft up the tower. Wondering what happens when the day comes that Antón is no more. She could imagine the Marquessa gleaming with unbridled joy as she kicked Danijela out to face off against the terroristas that roamed the island while keeping Evee as a special pet project. Or perhaps she and Evee would be given to Dr. Reyes for whatever his next big development was. Or it could be worse. McKay could endlessly proposition her until she had no choice but to give in if only to make sure she and Evee had money to support themselves.

The doors to the elevator sprang open. She wasn't sure what to expect when she stepped out. Would her love be hooked up to a dozen machines? Would she recognize him after last night? What news did he have to share with her? She stepped out, marching forward towards the silhouette that stood at the furthest region of the room. They stood at the window where she and Antón had spent their last moments together before everything seemed to crumble to pieces. Danijela recognized the signature suit and the air of power that radiated from him. He turned to greet her, the setting sun creating a halo effect around his head. Like the universe was crowning its one and only king. Antón smiled at her in the only way he knew how - with unbridled confidence and charisma. Her feet clambered against the floor as she sprinted towards him. Only at the last second did she put a hitch in her step to stop them both from spiraling out through the window as her chest collided with his.

Antón's arms wrapped around her as she let out a sound of both relief and grief. Relief that he looked just as he did before he was taken away from her, and grief in anticipation for whatever news he was about to share with her. She clutched his face between her hands, kissing him as though he would slip through her fingers and away forever.

" Mi león. mi sol y estrellas. Estás bien? "

She searched his face for signs of sickness. Antón chuckled, disarming her worry. He reached up and gently pulled her hands into his own as he lowered them down.

" Fue solo una falsa alarma. No soy una gallina de primavera, ¿recuerdas? "

"But, the blood, I- I was just so scared."