The Mark of Zorro

A masked crusader...a lovely, feisty senorita, an adventure across California, and a love that becomes legendary... Diego de la Vega has wealth and power at his fingertips. As the son of the de la Vega household, he should be a force to be reckoned with. As trouble in California grows, the more this charming caballero becomes focused on poetry and music instead of defending the people who need his protection. But as night falls and the moon is high, a horseman known as Zorro the fox rides through the hills, striking fear in the hearts of villains who would do evil. Diego keeps his identity so secret that not even his beloved father knows he is Zorro. Forced by his father to choose a bride, Diego turns to the once great, now impoverished Pulido family. He sets his sights on winning the hand of Lolita Pulido. When Diego is granted permission to court her by her family, he assumes he will marry immediately. But Lolita is a woman of passion, of loyalty, of conviction and will have nothing to do with the tiresome, foppish, albeit strikingly handsome Diego. No, her heart belongs to another, the masked avenger who has saved her life and reputation. As foes close in on Diego and Lolita is once again threatened, he must once again don the mask and ride into the night. Johnston McCully's original story The Curse of Capistrano is reproduced here with new historical and pop culture commentary by USA Today Bestselling Author Lauren Smith.