Every Broken Part (Series)

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

D E V I N

"Ouch."

I cursed as an ache shot up my side. I had been running tirelessly for miles around the borders of the city. Graizen had been avoiding me ever since that kiss. I honestly don't know what to think of it all. I know that he felt it too.

He had to.

It was like I could feel his emotions through the kiss. Today is Friday, the day we are supposed to have my ceremony. The one I wasn't supposed to know about. I have no idea what to expect. I hope I'll just carve my name into a tree or something. My thoughts disappeared as I collided with a hard body. I groaned, as I hit my head against a hard chest. I caught my breath as I stopped in place, my eyes catching sight of Locke.

"You're quite clumsy." He laughed as he reached his arms out to steady me.

"You're quite creepy." I said in the same tone. My lips curved into a smile as we walked alongside eachother. "Seriously though, how do you always seem to know where I am?"

"I know everyone else in this town. But, not you. I'm just trying to figure you out." He stated.

"Figure me out?" I laughed as I wiped beads of sweat from my forehead. My heart was still pounding hard in my chest from my run. I could barely catch my breath as we made our way back into the village.

"Yeah. You seem to take this whole kidnapping thing really well."

"You haven't seen the half of it. You should've seen how I treated Jax when," I suddenly stopped after I mentioned his name.

I hadn't visited him since the incident. Aphelia has been giving me updates on his mental state. He isn't doing well at all. I can't help but carry the burden that this is entirely my fault. I was the one who triggered it. I'm just not sure if we'll ever get him back.

"Hey," Locke slouched his back, so we were eye to eye. "Don't blame yourself. Jax has been down this road before. You were the one who brought him back to us. Just give him time. Losing your link is the most unimaginable pain. Most people don't even live through it."

I became silent at the thought. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I never met Jax. I certainly would've never been introduced to this world. As we made our way into the main streets of the city, I noticed something was off. Everyone was gone. The city streets are always filled with wandering people and classes going on.

Something isn't right.

"Where is everyone?" I turned to Locke. He looked just as confused as I was.

"I have no idea." He answered. "This is-" Locke was cut off as a large figure hit him in the back of the head. His eyes rolled back as he dropped to the ground. An unknown man was standing above him as I stared at the scene in horror. He pulled out a knife as I put both my hands in the air.

"Easy, don't hurt him." I calmly said to the unfamiliar man. He didn't back down as he pointed the knife at me.

"Where is everyone? Where is your leader?" He demanded.

I didn't say anything as he grew impatient. His eyes scanned the city as I assessed the situation. Where the hell is everyone? How did this man get in here? Someone invades our city and I'm the one who is left defend us all? This is an unfortunate turn of events.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I blurted out.

I wasn't about to out everyone and point to the main house. Then again it doesn't take a genius to figure out which one it was. It was the biggest house in the city. It was also directly across the town square. In a flash, he had me in a rear headlock. My breathing remained calm as I pulled at his arms.

"Tell me where they are! Where is Graizen? Where is the Rex?" The man yelled into my ear.

"There is nobody here with that name. Just calm down and leave. Nobody needs to get hurt."

I had no idea where this confidence was coming from. All I knew was that I wasn't letting this man anywhere near Graizen. I wasn't letting him near anyone here. I felt his arms relax, as I took this as my chance. I elbowed him straight into the ribs. He fell back, as I escaped his grip. I grabbed him by the neck, flipping him onto his back. He let out a cry of pain as the wind was knocked out of him. I quickly grabbed his knife from him, holding it up to his throat.

"Now, leave. This is my home. If I ever see you here again. I will not hesitate to use this." I spat out.

The man smiled as I heard clapping from behind me. I snapped my head around to see Graizen and Aphelia with proud looks on their faces. Slowly, everyone in the village came out of their houses as they all formed around me. Realization dawned on me as I let go of the man. Locke was standing up with everyone else, an accomplished look on his face.

"Nice job, Devin ." Aphelia was the first one to approach me. "I knew you were one of us." She smiled as she pulled me into a hug. I hesitantly hugged her back. I was still processing what had happened. Graizen was the next to come up to me, an awkward look on his face.

"You passed the test. Good work." His voice was void of any emotion. He began to walk away as I quickly pulled him back. He looked shocked as I grabbed him. I quickly ignored it.

"Can we talk?" I quietly said. I made sure he was the only one to hear me.

"I'm busy. I don't have time for your high school drama right now, Devin ." He jerked his hand away. It was like he had just slapped me in the face. I was done with the way he treated me. That kiss may have meant nothing to him, but it meant the entire world to me. I turned away from him as I felt a tear slip from my eye. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I gasped as two large pairs of arms pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. I instantly recognized them as Rayner and Ryker. I could barely breathe, I felt like I was in a twin sandwich.

"Um, I can't breathe." I muffled before they both instantly pulled away. Ryker punched Rayner in the gut, causing him to bend over in pain.

"You need to lay off those cookies, Rayner." Ryker teased. Rayner gave him a glare before rubbing his stomach. I rolled my eyes at them. Rayner gave me a concerned look as he took in my appearance.

"You okay, Dev?" His face was serious as he scanned me over. I nodded, as I crossed my arms together.

"Yeah, tired." I shrugged.

Aster was the next to approach me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.

"You did so great!" She jumped. I gently smiled to her. Micah gave me a fist bump as she stared at me with a proud smile.

"Not too bad for a human." She smirked.

"Half human." I corrected. They both laughed.

"What's up with you and Graizen?" Aster questioned. My eyes widened at her sudden question.

"Nothing, I think I'm going to go rest." I quickly stated before running off.