Every Broken Part (Series)

Chapter Thirteen.

D E V I N

Endless screaming.

That was the first noise I heard as I awoke. My arms burned as I soon realized they were bound with chains, hanging from a wall that wouldn't move. Anxiety overtook my features as I realized I was once again separated from Graizen. I had him. I had him in my arms. The screaming continued as I looked up to see who it belonged to. I almost cried of relief as my eyes fell on his dark hair.

"Ryker!" I cried out, wishing I could reach him. "Ryker! It's me. I'm here!"

"Dev?"

He looked up through his tears, his cries ceasing. His voice was hoarse, his eyes were bloodshot. Even though we were possibly about to face our death, I felt relief at his presence.

"I thought I saw her." He blurted out. "I thought I saw Aphelia in the crowd. That's why I left you. It wasn't her."

My heart broke in two. I pulled at my chains once more, causing a surge of pain to go up my arms. I ignored it, as I focused on consoling my brother. These chains must be binded with magic.

"I found Jax, he brought me to the leader of Inferno, Killiam. Next thing I know, I'm here."

Jax brought him here? To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I was about to speak, until Killiam appeared in the bright room. I tried to move away, fear instilling my body. Killiam only laughed at my reaction.

"I'll skip my introduction, since this is the second initiation ceremony we've had today." He laughed to himself. "The rules are the rules, and I'm afraid I cannot change them."

He threw a knife onto the ground. The sound of the blade hitting the floor echoed throughout the empty room, piercing my ears.

"Think of it as survival of the fittest. I only have one spot available in Inferno."

With that, he left as quickly as he appeared. Our chains instantly broke open, sending us both to the ground. It took a minute for me to regain myself before I realized what Killiam meant. He wants one of us to kill the other. I looked at the spot where the knife was. My heart stopped as I noticed it was gone. I looked at Ryker, who was staring at it hauntingly in his hand.

"Ryker..."

"You don't deserve to die, Devin." His eyes fell on me. "You're my little sister. You really think I'd let you die for me?"

I shook my head, tears pouring from my eyes. No. Ryker isn't going to let himself die for the sake of Inferno.

"Ryker, it doesn't have to end like this. Nobody has to die."

"Don't you get it?" Ryker's anger was only growing. "We're all already dead, Devin! I'm already dead. The second Aphelia died, so did I."

Ryker was ready to plunge the knife into his chest before I used my magic to break the knife into pieces. Without effort, the knife shattered in thin air. Ryker's eyes widened in amazement.

"You are not giving up. You know why? Because I'm not letting you. I don't care if you don't want to be here, because guess what? I want you to be here and I will do everything in my power to make damn sure you will be."

Ryker only nodded; he was speechless. Clapping surrounded us as the room we were in disappeared. The clapping and cheering was overwhelming as lights hit my eyes, overwhelming me. Killiam was the first body to emerge from the lights as I forced Ryker behind me.