Roxy listened to every single terrible detail. She held Lira's hands while the sweet girl cried on the big velvet sofa. She let Lira let out all of her fear, all of her sadness, and all of her terrible memories about the mean ex-boyfriend.
When Lira was finally done talking, she took a shaky breath and wiped her wet eyes. She looked so small and so afraid.
Roxy reached over and gently wiped a stray tear from Lira's cheek. The warm, fun human girl was completely gone. In her place was the fierce, protective Queen of the Beastworld.
"He is never going to touch you again," Roxy promised, her voice totally steady and calm. "He is never going to hurt you, and he is never going to scare you again. But we are not going to sit up here and hide in the dark like scared little mice. Hiding gives bad men the power. Tonight, we are taking the power back."
Lira blinked, sniffing softly. "What do you mean?"
