Every Broken Part (Series)

Chapter Three.

"Hey sister."

Aphelia put her hands on the back of my shoulders as I sat down at our table.

"Dude, she's my sister." Rayner shot Aphelia a glare.

"She's my sister too." Aphelia laughed back as Rayner furrowed his eyebrows together.

Our usual group, Aster, Aphelia, Jax, Micah, Rayner, and Ryker were seated in a circle. I took the seat in between Ryker and Jax as Micah handed me a plate of food.

"Saved you some fries, girl." She shot me a wink as the warm plate was placed in front of me.

"Thank god for you."

Micah only laughed as she leaned her head onto Aster's shoulder. I slumped in my seat as I shoved the fries in my face. The euphoria that hit me as I dug into my plate was unexplainable. After a long training session, this was the best thing I could ask for.

"Can you stop having sex with your food? It's gross." Rayner rolled his eyes.

"Cheating on me?"

I jumped as I felt Graizen's lips against my ear. I leaned back as his lips met mine. His eyebrows raised as he tasted the food on my lips.

"French fries?"

I nodded with a huge grin on my face.

"You guys are disgusting." Jax laughed as he scarfed down his food.

"I think they're cute." Aster cut in as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Graizen pushed Ryker's chair over as he placed himself next to me. Ryker didn't even seem phased, he was too busy trying to listen to Aphelia's growing stomach. My heart swelled as I stared at the two of them. You could see the excitement in their eyes, the pure joy as their hands danced along her belly. It wouldn't be long now until Donum welcomed another set of twins. I leaned my head into Graizen's side. I closed my eyes, as his thoughts echoed in my head.

-God. I'm never having kids with her.-

I moved away from him as if a shock ran through my body. Graizen gave me a clueless look as I sat up in my chair. I instantly regretted listening in on his thoughts as the words echoed in my head. He's never having kids with me? Is there something wrong with me? It wasn't just, I'm never having kids. He's never having kids with me. Graizen's eyes remained on me as I ran up to our room, closing the door behind me. I prayed silently in my head that he didn't follow me up the stairs, but I could already feel his presence outside the door. It opened within as second as Graizen stormed into our bedroom. His eyes were calculating as he stared at me.

"You heard that, didn't you?"

I didn't say a word as I looked at the floor. He already knew the answer to that question. He knew the answer the second I left the table. I let out a deep breath as I started pacing around the room. Through everything, we somehow seemed to dodge this conversation. After all the supernatural things we've encountered, it may be the most human of them all to divide us.

"Don't tell me you're mad."

"I'm not mad." I simply said as I turned to face him.

His eyes were sincere as he placed his hands on either side of my head. He rested his forehead against mine as I closed my eyes. I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to ask him the question that was racking at my brain. I already knew the answer. It was enough to break us. I know it is.

"Thia, I don't want kids. Ever."

My heart broke in two as I backed away from him. How could we go all of this time without discussing this? I proclaimed my love for him, and yet this was the one missing puzzle piece. It was the elephant in the room, the knife hanging over our heads.

"Why? Is there something wrong with me?"

Graizen's eyes went wide as he went to me, his arms around mine again. He violently shook his head, rejecting my question. He took a deep breath as he steadied himself.

"I don't want to hear you ever say that again." His voice was dark, his words heavy.

"Then why, Graizen? I don't want them anytime soon. But, I will. One day."

Graizen let out a shaky breath. "I don't want to lose them."

I instantly dropped his hands from mine as if they were on fire. I backed away from him, shock in my eyes. No. This, again? The same reason he gave me for not loving me for all those weeks. The same words I heard as I accepted his rejection practically every day. I thought we were over this, finally past this wall between us.

"No." I fired back at him. "I'm not doing this again with you, Graizen."

Graizen didn't say anything as he stared blankly in front of him.

"You might lose me, you know!" I sadistically shouted to him. "Why don't you just leave me now then, if that's the reason why you don't want to start a family with me."

Graizen shook his head, his face an emotional wreck as he went to me. I put my hands up in front of me, not allowing him to move an inch towards me. I held my head in my hands as my thoughts felt like they were falling apart inside of me.

"We can't live in fear everyday of our lives, Graizen. That isn't living."

"Well it's the way I live!" He fired back, his voice thick and raspy. "That's the way I've lived every day of my life and I'm never going to change, Devinthia."

A single tear fell down my cheek as I stalked past him. The door slammed behind me without my hand even having to touch it. I heard Graizen bang against the door, but I ignored it as I ran to Aphelia and Ryker's room. Aphelia was already at the door, holding her arms open for me. I fell into them, as I sobbed into her chest. This was the one of the first times I cried since I developed my powers.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I quickly shook my head as I hugged her even tighter. It's almost comical, how Graizen still manages to build this wall between us. No matter how many times I knock it down, it always seems to rebuild itself.

I simply will never win.