Chapter 535: Episode 533: A Surprise for Her
The giant stone mansion was totally out of control.
Toys covered every single inch of the fluffy rugs. Seven kids ran absolute laps around the living room. They completely ignored the fancy furniture. Jax threw a plastic dinosaur at the television. Skye sat on the coffee table and calmly ate a handful of dry cereal.
Roxy just sat on the leather couch. She took a slow sip of her hot coffee and let out a happy sigh.
It was loud. It was messy. It was home.
Then the heavy oak front door chimed loudly.
Mr. Vance, the giant security guard, pulled the door open. Lira walked right into the grand entryway. Roxy’s best friend looked totally different today. She wore a pretty yellow sundress and a huge, nervous smile. She bounced on her heels.
But she wasn’t alone.
Standing right behind Lira was a totally normal human guy.
He wore a nice blue button-down shirt and clean brown shoes. He had neat brown hair and glasses. He looked like a nice, boring accountant. He also looked like he was going to throw up on the expensive rug.
"Roxy!" Lira squealed, running over to the couch. She grabbed Roxy’s hands and pulled her up. "I want you to meet David. We’ve been dating for a few months. I finally decided it’s time for him to meet the family."
Roxy smiled brightly. She reached out and shook David’s hand. His palm was totally sweaty.
"It’s so nice to meet you," Roxy said warmly. "Lira talks about you all the time."
"It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am," David squeaked. His voice actually cracked.
David’s eyes darted wildly around the giant room. He saw the expensive art on the walls. He saw the huge security guards standing by the stairs. He clearly knew exactly who owned this house. He knew he was standing inside the private fortress of the most dangerous, wealthy men in New York City.
And those dangerous men wanted to meet him right now.
"Kitchen," a deep voice rumbled from the hallway.
Zarek stood leaning against the wall. The Dragon King didn’t smile. He wore a crisp dark shirt. His massive arms were crossed tightly over his broad chest. His golden eyes locked totally onto David.
David swallowed hard. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
"We want to talk to the boy," Torian added, stepping out from behind Zarek. The giant White Tiger cracked his massive knuckles loudly.
"Go on," Lira whispered, giving David a totally encouraging push. "They won’t bite. Probably."
David slowly walked into the massive marble kitchen. He looked like a man walking straight to his own execution.
The six Kings didn’t hold back at all. They didn’t have their Beastworld magic anymore, but they didn’t need it. They used pure, terrifying human intimidation. They completely surrounded the kitchen island. They acted like total, ruthless mafia bosses. They wanted to test this normal human guy to see if he was actually good enough for Lira.
David stood awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen.
Syris sat on a tall stool. The elegant Swamp King didn’t even look at David. He held a million-dollar gold watch in one hand. He slowly and totally carefully polished the glass face with a tiny silk cloth.
"So," Syris said softly, not looking up. "You want to date our Lira."
"Yes, sir," David nodded quickly.
Ren leaned against the counter right behind David. The handsome redhead held a giant, totally sharp chef’s knife. He was slowly peeling a tiny green apple. He let the sharp blade scrape loudly against the fruit.
"What do you do for a living, David?" Ren asked, keeping his bright purple eyes completely glued to the knife.
"I’m an architect," David answered. His hands were shaking. He shoved them deep into his pockets so the giant men wouldn’t notice. "I design office buildings downtown."
Torian snorted loudly. "Office buildings. How boring."
Caspian and Kaelen stood blocking the only door out of the kitchen. They stood shoulder to shoulder. They looked like two massive, angry brick walls. They didn’t say a single word. They just stared holes right through David’s head.
Zarek sat at the very head of the marble island.
He didn’t move. He didn’t fidget. He just stared. His golden eyes felt incredibly heavy and completely dangerous.
"Lira is part of our family," Zarek said. His deep voice shook the fancy glasses in the cabinets. "She helped my Queen when nobody else would. That makes her totally untouchable. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?"
David nodded again. He looked totally pale.
Syris finally stopped polishing his watch. He set it down on the marble counter with a loud, sharp click.
"We run this city," Syris warned him smoothly. "We have endless money. We have thousands of men working for us. If you ever make her cry, you won’t even have time to pack a bag. You’ll just disappear."
"We’ll throw you in the river," Torian agreed, crossing his thick arms. "And we’ll tie something really heavy to your feet first."
Roxy stood in the hallway with Lira. She covered her mouth to hide her massive smile. The Kings were being completely ridiculous, but she loved how totally protective they were.
David stood totally still. He was completely surrounded by six terrifying giants. They were threatening his life. They were trying to scare him away to see if he would run.
But David didn’t run.
He stopped shaking. He pulled his hands out of his pockets. He stood up a little bit straighter. He turned his head and looked Zarek directly in the eye.
"I don’t have a billion dollars," David said. His voice didn’t crack this time. "I don’t have a security team. I drive a totally normal car and I live in a normal apartment."
Zarek narrowed his eyes. "Then what do you have to offer her?"
"Everything I have," David answered firmly. "I love her. She’s the funniest, smartest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I’m going to marry her someday. I won’t ever make her cry. You don’t have to throw me in the river, because I’m never going to hurt her."
The massive kitchen went totally silent.
Nobody moved. Torian stopped cracking his knuckles. Ren stopped peeling his apple.
Zarek stared hard at David for ten long seconds. He searched the human’s face for a lie. He didn’t find one. The boy was totally terrified, but he was completely telling the truth. He truly loved Lira.
Zarek’s strict, scary mafia boss face totally broke.
A massive, totally genuine smile spread across Zarek’s face. He let out a loud, booming laugh. He stood up from his stool and walked over to David. He slapped his giant hand down on David’s shoulder so hard the poor guy almost fell over.
"Good man!" Zarek cheered loudly. "That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!"
The heavy tension completely vanished from the room. The test was totally over, and David had passed with flying colors.
Torian laughed and grabbed David in a giant, totally crushing bear hug. Ren put the knife away and handed him a cold beer from the fridge. Caspian and Kaelen finally smiled and moved away from the door.
Lira let out a huge breath in the hallway. She ran into the kitchen and hugged David’s arm.
Roxy watched them laugh together. Her heart felt completely full.
She walked up to Lira and hugged her best friend tightly.
"He’s perfect for you," Roxy whispered happily. "You have my complete blessing. I’m so thrilled for you, Lira. You totally deserve this."
"Thank you," Lira smiled, wiping a happy tear from her eye. "I really think he’s the one."
The rest of the afternoon was perfectly totally normal. They ate a massive feast in the dining room. David actually relaxed and joked around with the Kings. The seven kids ran laps around the table, completely wearing themselves out.
The human world felt absolutely perfect.
The dark, terrible nightmares of Roxy’s past were totally gone. Her crazy ex-husband was just a bad memory. The grief of leaving the Beastworld had finally faded into a soft, quiet peace. She had built a completely beautiful, totally chaotic life right here on Earth. She had everything she ever wanted.
Fast forward to later that night.
The giant mansion finally went quiet. The kids were totally exhausted. They were all fast asleep in their beds.
Roxy stood alone in the dark master bedroom. She wore a soft silk robe. She stood by the massive glass windows, looking out over the dark pine forest. The stars shined brightly in the clear night sky.
She leaned her head against the cool glass. She closed her eyes and just breathed.
Peace.
Then she heard soft, heavy footsteps on the thick rug behind her.
She didn’t turn around. She knew exactly who it was. She felt the incredible, totally familiar heat radiating from his massive body.
Zarek stepped right up behind her. He didn’t say a word. He just reached his hands out.
His massive, warm hands totally covered her eyes, blocking out the starlight completely.
Roxy gasped softly. She reached up and touched his thick fingers. She smiled.
"Zarek? What’re you doing?" she whispered.
Zarek leaned down. He pressed his lips gently against her ear. His deep, rumbling voice sent a massive shiver straight down her spine.
"I have one final surprise for you, my Queen."
