Chapter 537: Episode 535: A Sweet Ending
"You can’t catch me!!!!!" Jax shouted.
The bright summer sun beat down heavily on the incredibly perfect green grass. It was a totally flawless Saturday afternoon. There wasn’t a single grey cloud hiding anywhere in the bright blue sky.
Roxy sat right in the absolute middle of the massive botanical garden. She rested comfortably on a huge, soft, red and white checkered blanket. A cold glass of sweet lemonade sweated in her hand. A warm, gentle breeze rustled the thick green leaves of the giant climbing trees, making a soft, totally peaceful sound.
It was loud. It was so incredibly loud.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of noise seven kids could make.
The five girls were running in absolute circles around the two boys. They were laughing so hard they could barely breathe. It was a totally massive, ruthless game of tag playing out across the safe grass. And the boys were completely losing.
Drake and Jax tried their absolute best to hold their own. They really did. Jax had his dad Torian’s endless, wild energy. The little boy ran across the field as fast as his short legs could carry him. He roared exactly like a tiny tiger. He thought he was being totally terrifying.
But Rowan was way too smart for him.
Ren’s little redhead daughter didn’t even try to run. She just hid completely still behind a thick oak tree. When Jax ran past her, Rowan jumped out and tagged him right on the shoulder. Jax groaned loudly and threw his hands up in the air. He had been tagged five times in ten minutes.
"You have to run faster, Jax!" Torian cheered loudly from the sidelines.
The giant White Tiger was lying flat on his stomach on the soft grass. He chewed on a long blade of green grass. He didn’t look like a scary mafia boss at all today. He just looked like a giant, happy dad totally enjoying his weekend.
Jax ran straight toward Torian to hide. Torian didn’t even hesitate. He scooped the little boy up and completely attacked him with tickles. Jax screamed with laughter, rolling around in the grass with the giant, terrifying fighter.
Over by the shallow, bubbling stream, Cora was making a massive mess. Caspian’s sweet daughter refused to play tag with the others. She just wanted to be in the water. She stomped her bare feet in the cool stream, sending bright drops of water flying everywhere.
Caspian sat right on the grassy bank. He didn’t even care that his expensive clothes were getting completely soaked. The sweet Sea King just laughed. He reached out to wipe a drop of water off his daughter’s cute nose. He picked up a shiny, smooth river stone and handed it to her. She held it tightly, acting like he just gave her a priceless diamond.
Back on the main field, Drake was trying to take complete control of the game.
Zarek’s son stood exactly in the middle of the grass. He puffed out his little chest. He looked so much like his dad it was actually a little bit scary.
"I’m the base!" Drake yelled loudly. "You can’t tag me! I’m the boss!"
Jade and Maya totally ignored him. The two twin girls shared a quick, secret look. They had Roxy’s bright green eyes and a whole lot of completely unstoppable attitude. They didn’t care that Drake was trying to change the rules right in the middle of the game.
They ran straight to Syris. The elegant Swamp King was sitting under a tree trying to read a thick book. Jade grabbed his left arm. Maya grabbed his right. They pulled him up. They demanded that he be their totally impenetrable shield. Syris just sighed softly. He put a totally sparkly pink bookmark in his book. He stood up and actually let the girls hide behind his long legs, protecting them from Drake.
They charged Drake right from behind Syris.
Drake tried to run, but they completely surrounded him. Jade tagged his left arm. Maya tagged his right arm. They giggled loudly and ran away before he could even process what just happened.
Skye sat totally quietly under the shade of a big fern. Kaelen’s daughter just watched the entire chaotic game with her piercing, icy blue eyes. She didn’t want to run. She was perfectly happy just observing the madness from a safe distance. Kaelen sat cross-legged right next to her. The Wolf King looked completely relaxed. He handed Skye a small red strawberry. She took a tiny bite and leaned her head back against his strong arm.
Roxy took a slow sip of her lemonade. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her cheeks actually hurt from smiling so much.
She turned her head to look around the edge of the blanket. The six massive Kings were sitting on the grass completely surrounding her. They were totally at peace. They formed a tight, completely safe circle around their Matriarch, just happily watching their giant family play.
Ren sat on her left. The handsome redhead was busy weaving another beautiful flower crown out of yellow daisies. He hummed a soft, happy tune. Syris had finally sat back down perfectly on her right. His bright green eyes kept darting up from his book to make sure the kids were playing safely.
And right behind her was Zarek.
Roxy leaned her head against Zarek’s massive, solid shoulder. She looked out at her chaotic, beautiful hoard. Zarek immediately wrapped his thick, incredibly warm arm completely around her waist. He pulled her a little bit closer. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her dark curls.
"They’re going to completely wear themselves out," Zarek rumbled. His deep voice vibrated right against her back.
"Good," Roxy laughed softly. "Maybe they’ll actually go to sleep on time tonight. I am so tired of stepping on tiny plastic blocks in the dark."
Zarek chuckled. It was a deep, rich sound. "I’ll carry you. Then you won’t step on anything."
"You can’t carry me forever, Zarek."
"Watch me," he promised totally seriously.
Roxy sat completely still for a minute. She just soaked in the total, absolute peace of the afternoon.
She looked at the high, thick stone walls surrounding the garden. The world outside didn’t matter at all anymore. The busy, loud human city was a million miles away. The cameras, the bad guys, and the stress of the mafia business couldn’t touch them in here.
She thought about the dark, scary days. She remembered the cold fear of her terrible ex-husband. She remembered the totally overwhelming, heavy grief of leaving the magic forest behind. She remembered crying in the dark, thinking her heart was totally broken and could never be fixed.
But looking at this beautiful, chaotic family, she realized something truly amazing.
The terrible nightmares of her past were totally gone. They were gone forever. The scary monsters couldn’t hurt her anymore. The story of her survival was finally, completely over. She didn’t just survive. She totally won.
Out on the grass, Drake finally managed to tag Jade back.
The little boy stopped running. He stood totally tall and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. He looked right at his sister. Then, Drake tilted his head. A totally arrogant, incredibly familiar Zarek-style smirk spread perfectly across his tiny face. He looked exactly like the fierce Dragon King who ruled the city.
Roxy watched that smirk. A warm, totally bright feeling completely exploded in her chest. She smiled a massive, beautiful smile.
Her children were 100% human. They didn’t have magic powers. They couldn’t breathe fire or turn into giant animals. They were just normal kids living in a normal human world.
But looking at the fierce love in their eyes, she knew the absolute truth.
She saw Torian’s wild bravery in Jax. She saw Ren’s cunning mind in Rowan. She saw Caspian’s gentle heart in Cora. She saw Kaelen’s quiet strength in Skye. She saw Syris’s perfect intelligence in the twins. And she saw Zarek’s totally unstoppable, fierce loyalty in Drake.
The magic door was permanently closed. The Beastworld was gone.
But looking at the children playing in the sun, Roxy knew the powerful legacy of her Kings would live on forever.
Here and in the beastworld.
