Chapter 502: Episode 500: Letting Go
A few days passed since the crazy, wild night at the dance club.
The heavy, dark fear that had been hanging over Lira’s head was completely gone. After watching Roxy twist that creepy guy’s arm and scare him away in front of a hundred people, Lira realized she didn’t have to be a scared little mouse anymore. She had the fiercest best friend in the entire world, and she had a whole team of giant, terrifying bodyguards who would never let anyone hurt her.
To celebrate feeling safe again, Roxy and Lira decided to get out of the penthouse and take a long walk through Central Park.
It was a perfectly beautiful, crisp afternoon in New York City. The sun was shining brightly up in the clear blue sky, but the air had a nice, cool bite to it. The leaves on the giant oak trees were just starting to turn pretty shades of yellow and orange, falling gently onto the wide, paved sidewalks.
Roxy wore a thick, warm cream-colored sweater and comfortable blue jeans. Lira walked right beside her, holding a large paper cup of sweet vanilla coffee, laughing at a silly joke Roxy had just told.
They looked just like two normal, happy girls enjoying a beautiful day in the city.
"I still can’t believe you did that," Lira giggled, taking a sip of her warm coffee. She shook her head, her brown eyes completely shining with awe. "Every time I think about how you made that huge guy cry in the middle of the dance floor, I want to stand up and cheer. You are seriously my hero, Roxy."
Roxy let out a bright, happy laugh. She bumped her shoulder playfully against Lira’s side.
"You don’t need a hero, Lira," Roxy smiled warmly. "You are brave all by yourself. You just forgot for a little while. But I promise you, nobody is ever going to push you around again."
"I know," Lira said softly, a huge, peaceful smile spreading across her face. "For the first time in two whole years, I actually believe that."
Roxy smiled and looked straight ahead, taking a deep, slow breath of the cool, crisp park air. It smelled like roasted peanuts from a nearby food cart, fresh pine needles, and sweet sunshine.
As they walked past a large green field where happy dogs were chasing flying frisbees, Roxy felt something amazing happen inside her chest.
She felt completely, totally whole.
For the longest time, she thought she was going to be broken forever. When she was locked in that dark basement, she thought her life was completely over. When she first came to Earth and realized the magic door was closed, she thought she would never, ever smile again. She thought the giant, bleeding hole in her heart would finally drag her all the way down to the bottom of the ocean.
But looking around right now, Roxy realized she had survived the storm. She had made it to the other side.
Her life was finally perfect.
She had six incredibly hot, ridiculously handsome husbands who loved her so much they would burn the whole world down just to keep her warm. She had limitless, endless wealth; she could buy a hundred mansions or a thousand sports cars if she ever wanted to, though all she really wanted was to buy ice cream with her best friend. And she had Lira, a sweet, funny girl who felt exactly like the family she used to have.
Roxy’s mind drifted to her children for a quick, quiet second.
She thought about Drax’s brave smile, little Fedor’s red fox ears, and sweet baby Gianna sleeping safely in Iris’s arms. Her heart still gave a sharp, painful little squeeze. She knew she couldn’t ever truly live without her children. A mother’s heart is always connected to her babies, no matter how many stars and galaxies are between them. She would always miss them. She would always wonder what they were doing.
But as she watched a little boy run across the grass with a red balloon, Roxy knew she could manage this life.
Drax had looked right into the camera and told her to go be happy. He had told her to look at this as a brand new second chance. They were safe, they were strong, and they were ruling their own world just fine. Because she had finally gotten that closure, Roxy knew she could survive. She could build a beautiful, happy life right here in this loud human city. She could manage this.
She wasn’t going to cry anymore. She was going to live.
About twenty feet behind the two girls, the Kings were also taking a walk.
They were giving Roxy and Lira a little bit of space so they could chat privately and do their fun girl talk. But even though they were hanging back, they were definitely not relaxing.
The six massive men had dressed in casual human clothes today—dark jeans, heavy boots, and thick, expensive sweaters that stretched tightly over their huge muscles. But even in casual clothes, they looked completely terrifying.
Torian was glaring suspiciously at a squirrel that ran too close to the sidewalk. Kaelen had his hands shoved deep into his pockets, his icy blue eyes scanning the crowd of humans like a radar, looking for any possible threats. Syris was walking with perfect, elegant posture, making sure no one on bicycles got too close to their wives. Ren and Caspian walked shoulder to shoulder, keeping a close eye on Roxy’s happy face to make sure she was okay.
And walking right in the middle of them was Zarek.
The Dragon King looked like an absolute boss. He didn’t look at the trees or the dogs. His piercing golden eyes were locked entirely on Roxy’s back. He watched the way her dark curls bounced when she laughed. He watched the way she walked with her head held high. Seeing her so happy, so confident, and so completely healed made his fierce dragon heart swell with pure, absolute pride.
Because the Kings looked so incredibly intimidating, the normal people in Central Park naturally stepped out of their way. Crowds parted like the Red Sea when the six giant men walked down the path. It created a perfect, safe little bubble for Roxy and Lira to walk in.
"Should we go get lunch?" Lira asked, pointing toward the tall buildings at the edge of the park. "I heard there is a really amazing pasta place just two blocks from here."
"Oh, absolutely," Roxy agreed immediately, her stomach giving a hungry little rumble. "I could eat a mountain of spaghetti right now."
"We can make the guys pay for it," Lira giggled, glancing back at the scary wall of husbands trailing behind them.
Roxy laughed out loud. "They would buy us the entire restaurant if we asked them to."
To get to the street faster, Roxy and Lira turned right. They walked away from the big, busy green fields and turned down a much quieter, tree-lined path.
This part of the park was much older. The giant oak trees grew very close together here, their thick, heavy branches reaching out and tangling together high above their heads. The thick leaves blocked out most of the bright sunlight, casting long, dark shadows across the paved sidewalk.
It was very quiet down this path. The loud noises of the city traffic faded away, and there were no other people walking nearby.
"It’s a little bit spooky over here," Lira said, her voice dropping to a nervous whisper as she looked around at the dark trees.
"Don’t worry," Roxy smiled, patting Lira’s arm gently. "We have an entire army walking twenty feet behind us. We are perfectly fine."
Roxy kept walking, completely relaxed, looking down at the pretty yellow leaves scattered across the ground.
But suddenly, the quiet, peaceful afternoon shattered into a million pieces.
A figure stepped right out from behind the thick, wide trunk of a massive oak tree.
He moved so fast and so quietly that he didn’t even make a sound. He stepped directly onto the middle of the sidewalk, completely blocking their way forward.
Roxy stopped dead in her tracks. She threw her arm out, catching Lira by the chest to stop her friend from bumping right into him.
The man did not look like a normal person taking a walk in the park.
He looked incredibly ragged. He was wearing a filthy, dirty green jacket that looked like it hadn’t been washed in years. His dark jeans were torn at the knees, and his heavy boots were covered in thick, wet mud. He had his hands shoved deep into his dirty jacket pockets.
He didn’t say a word. He didn’t ask for money, and he didn’t ask for directions.
He just stood there like a solid brick wall.
A cold, terrible shiver ran straight down Roxy’s spine. All the warm, happy peace completely vanished from her chest in a single, terrifying second.
The man did not look past them at the six giant Kings walking behind them. He didn’t even look at Lira.
He tilted his head up just a tiny bit. His face was completely hidden by the dark shadow of a dirty, worn-out baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. But even with the shadows hiding his face, Roxy could feel it.
He was staring directly at Roxy.
