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Nico's POV:

The air stung my lungs as I gasped for it.

It felt like I couldn't get enough of it no matter how hard I tried.

My heart was already thundering in my chest and my mind was rushing far too fast for me to make out a coherent thought.

Yet despite that, my body was moving, every muscle in my body aching as I rolled myself over and struggled onto my feet

A high pitched ring, as well as my own heartbeat, were the only thing I could hear, and my vision was blurred and unable to focus on anything.

I could just barely make out the slick sweat covering my body, the heat I was feeling making breathing even more of a chore than it already was.

That and the tight pain in my chest that immediately sent my pupils thinning.

My body was panicking. That's about all I could make out.

The awful tearing noise and shredding pain hit me at once, effectively causing me back onto my hands and knees with a hoarse cry.

My wings fell limp beside me as well.

Never in my life had it hurt that much.

The skin on my back was already sensitive, only telling me that I didn't any time to heal from the last time they sprouted

My uneven breaths heaved out of me and I tried to piece together some kind of reasoning, but no part of me could calm down enough to give any answers.

It almost felt like it was fighting it, rejecting whatever led me here.

I tried to force my body to move again, being met with a harsher resistance as my stomach violently twisted

I quickly clasped a hand over my mouth the taste of blood and bile hitting my tongue.

My eyes squeezed shut, trying everything in my power to just regain control over my own breathing.

I swallowed the burning in my throat, leaving my hand trembling against my face as I focused on just that

It felt like my body wasn't even my own.

These movements, these reactions, the completely helpless feeling shredding all of my thoughts.

Which all felt disgustingly familiar.

The trembling in my hand soon spread to my entire body, the feeling of collapsing all together becoming more apparent by the second.

I hardly noticed the hand gripping shoulder over the all too familiar feeling of a pheromone against my body.

I instinctively tensed, not expecting the opposite effect of what I was preparing for.

This pheromone wasn't as strong as the one I was used to, nor was it anywhere near as harsh.

The forceful effect of it never came, instead it felt like a cool mist spreading from the hand on my shoulder.

Little by little these conditions my body was going through disappeared, my senses eventually returning to me.

As soon as I could, I lifted my head, seeing the distressed expression of my brother.

His stance and shape of his pupils showing he was the one doing this.

A small bit of relief sparked through me at his presence as his pheromone caused the effects of the one prior to finally dissipate.

My muscles relaxed, my breathing was still heavy, but now my own, and my head was no longer rushing

I was only able to enjoy the feeling for a short moment

Reality shot back into me like a bullet not even a second later

Which caused my panic to return even stronger than before.

"No..." I heard the word croak out of me at the realization, the memory.

My eyes shot around the room, piecing everything together as it returned to me.

I slowly rose to my feet, taking as quick of steps as I could towards the bars in front of me.

"No no no no-"

I was stopped when my wrists were pulled behind me, the chain I just realized I was attached to being pulled taught just before I could reach my destination.

I pulled against them, my nails piercing my palms as I balled them into fists.

Pieces of what happened flashed through my mind as I tugged, the slight groaning of the chains not being enough to drown it out.

The look on her face, the fear in her eyes, the sound of my father-...

"Dammit!" the word tore itself from deep in my chest.

My voice echoed through the cells seemingly causing everything to still.

My wings folded tight against my back as the fact of what happened sunk deeper and deeper into my mind with each passing moment.

Tears welled up in my eyes within a matter of seconds as I a few steps back, the chain still intact.

Khloe... she...

I didn't want to finish that thought.

I couldn't.

And the reality was that I didn't have to.

The twisted feeling in my stomach returned as well as the heaviness in my chest.

One hand lifted up against my hand while the other gripped the ring that hung around my neck, trying to breathe through the lump in my throat.

Tears began to stream down my face regardless, the overpowering feeling of loss and defeat hitting me all at once.

"Nico... Nico!" Xander's voice cut into my thoughts, forcing my eyes onto him as he stepped in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

His eyes widened once he had the front of me in his view, sudden panic and confusion taking over his features.

He'd never seen me like this.

No one had ever seen me like this.

Not even me.

He took a few seconds to look me over, thinking over something in his head before he spoke.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice soft but steady. his worried look didn't show through his voice, "Where's Khloe?"

Just hearing her name caused my heart to lurch, and by the sudden look on his face, I'm sure it showed on mine.

His eyes softened, the tension in his shoulders releasing in sorrow.

"No... No, Nico. He couldn't- he wouldn't have-"

"He killed her." My voice came out as barely a whisper, my head turning to the side as I spoke.

My hands dropped to my sides, letting my hair cover my eyes.

I didn't want to see his reaction.

I don't think I could've handled it.

"No... that's...she... she might just be-"

"I heard her neck snap, Xander. Right after he blinded me and had me dragged out of there" I spat, turning back to face him.

He physically flinched at what I said.

"Are you sure that's what happened...? I mean if you didn't see it then maybe...?"

He was grasping at straws, trying anything for just a small spark of hope that she was okay.

Which deep down I appreciated, but I know what I heard.

Given my past, I knew enough to differentiate certain things.

"No other bone sounds like that when it breaks," I explained quietly, wiping my eyes with my fingers.

That was all it took to convince him.

The memory replayed itself in my mind, the sound echoing through my head.

Followed then by him just tossing her body to the floor.

Like trash.

A mix of anger and complete misery built within my body, causing me to just break down entirely.

I fell into the embracing arms of my brother.

After all of that.

After all the attempts to try to stop this or sway his attention.

After all the stress and sleepless nights

After all we were ready to sacrifice if it just meant that she was safe.

That she was alive.

After all of that, I lost.