Every Broken Part (Series)

Chapter Fifty-Two.

G R A I Z E N

One Week Later.

I always thought losing my parents was going to be my defining moment. I had thought it was going to be the darkest time of my life. The darkest thing I ever had to experience. Watching my link, my other half, my Thia, die in front of my eyes, was my defining moment. I had lost every part of me in that moment. Everything in me was lost as the life faded from her body.

I blacked out that day.

I blacked out, and the next thing I knew, I was holding Demerith's burning heart in my hands. I had killed him, and didn't even have the simple pleasure of remembering all of it. Freya had taken off by the time Demerith was killed. I was a raging fire in those moments, destroying everything in the room. All hope was lost, every part of me was gone until I heard it.

The one sound that brought me back. The sound that I've been replaying in my head this past week, to get through the moments until I see her golden eyes again.

A heartbeat.

I will never forget that sound, the moment when hope was in the air once again. I brought her to Donum as fast as I could, listening to the slow, yet steady, beat of her heart the entire way. It wasn't fast at first, it wasn't even promising. For the first night, I convinced myself I was the only one hearing her heartbeat. It was the second day that confirmed my hope. The second day, Ryker heard it too. Then, on the third, we all heard it. It was the fourth day that I broke down once again, wondering if my Thia would ever return to me. Wondering if I would ever see her smile again, feel those lips against mine. The fifth day was the first day I ate anything. My stomach rejected the food right away, vomiting it everywhere. The sixth day, I was able to keep it down. I sat by her bedside every night, every hour of the day.

Until today.

Today, the seventh day, I found myself in front of someone else's hospital bed. It wasn't easy, coming here again after everything. It also wasn't easy leaving Thia's bedside, but I had to do this. He was awake when I walked in. Ryker told me he slowly returned to his normal self after I killed Demerith. Today, I was going to find out if that was true. Today, I would bury the demons between us.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill me." Jax laughed, relieving some of the tension in the air.

"Me too." I smirked back at him, sitting in the chair next to his bed. Jax sat up, facing me. I could tell he wanted to escape this hospital room. He wanted to find her. But, she was in a worse mental state than he was.

"Ryker told me, that she tried to kill you." Jax said, referring to the girl I was thinking of.

"She's no longer Freya, Jax." I quickly replied.

His features immediately softened, as he tried to remain strong. I could tell he was breaking apart just by sitting there, by being in that bed.

"But that doesn't mean we won't find her and heal her until she is Freya again."

His eyes lit up as I said this.

"Look, I'm sorry about-"

"I know." I cut him off. "Me too."

This was the most we've spoken to each other in the past year. As I stared into his eyes, the air between us began to clear. We didn't need to say anything else as I gently put my hand onto his shoulder. The relief that was running though me was unexplainable as tears brimmed behind my eyes.

"I'm glad you found her, Graiz. You let her in."

"She's gifted. She was all along." I shakily said, laughing to myself. After doing everything to protect her, she very well may be stronger than any of us thought possible. My Thia doesn't need protection from anyone. She is a walking flame.

"When she wakes up, kiss her. Don't waste a single second with her."

I simply nodded. "I'm going to go back to her room."

He nodded back as I made my way back to Thia's hospital bed. My heart stopped as I found it empty. My hands began to shake as I searched frantically around for her. No.

"Graizen."

I turned around at the sound, the sound of my name from her lips. It was the most beautiful thing my ears ever heard and ever would hear. She was standing behind me, tears filling her eyes as I ran to her. I pulled her into my arms, dropping to my knees as I cried into her chest. We sat like this for what seemed like hours until I pressed my lips against hers. My whole world felt complete again as countless emotions flowed through me. The amount of love I felt for this girl was overwhelming. It will be the death of me.

"Don't ever die on me again, okay?" I shakily said. Devinthia nodded as we walked over to her bed. I laid with her, pulling her against me as we stared up at the ceiling.

"Are you okay? Are you in any pain?"

My voice was frantic, assessing her body. She shook her head, pressing our lips together once again. I was never going to get over the feeling she gave me, the electricity that ignited from every touch between us.

"It's not over, is it?"

"No." I kissed her forehead. "I'm afraid it's not."

"What happens now?" She tilted her head up towards me.

"We live. We heal."

Devinthia nodded, pulling me even closer to me. I wanted to live in this moment forever with her. I find myself saying these words more than I ever thought I would. I wanted to escape into our own world, unable to be disturbed by anything else. I would give my life for her, just as she did for me. Whatever we had to face, we would face together. We would fight together.

"Then what?" Her soft voice asked.

"Then, we prepare for war."