Page 23 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
I couldn't breathe. The parallel was too clear, too painful.
"Two weeks later," Jasper said, his eyes met mine with an intensity that froze the blood in my veins, "we returned to that village. The boy's home had burned to the ground three days prior. Both parents dead. Convenient timing, wouldn't you say?"
A strangled sound escaped me.My parents.
Jasper hesitated, and I could see it on his face. He didn’t want to tell me anything else. It was only going to get worse. The realization I was slowly coming to, he had already reached and accepted.
“I have to know,” I begged, eyes wild. “Please, tell me. What happened next?”
He took a shuddering breath and studied my face, looking for what? I had no idea, I just needed to fucking know. Resignation settled across his features, and he nodded once before beginning.
“I think all of this started when Ashland began showing all of his strength, and Asrael was jealous of Khol getting to train him as his own. Khol and Ace had this connection between them, even though they weren’t blood, they were bonded."
Ashland had been raised by Khol the Cold?
"Anyways, the boy was distraught, catatonic with grief. Asrael played the savior again, swooping in to rescue thisnewly orphaned child with extraordinary abilities." Jasper's jaw clenched. "That was the moment I knew something wasn't right. I started watching him more closely after that. Counting dates. Tracking patterns. It became clear these weren't coincidences.”
My chest heaved as memories flashed through my mind. Asrael finding me, bringing me to Montague Industries. His gentle hands as he guided my training, his proud smile as I mastered each new skill. All built on a foundation of blood. My parents' blood.
"He killed them." The words fell from my lips like stones. "He killed my parents."
"Palmer—"
"The Exiled didn’t do it. I fucking knew it!" My voice rose, sharp and brittle. "All these years, he told me nobody knew who killed them. That I was lucky he found me." A laugh tore from my throat, hysterical and raw. "Lucky. I was fucking lucky! And then, when he felt me slipping from carrying out his plans, he tried to manipulate me. If I’d have killed The Exiled, I never would’ve known because I never would’ve thought—”
Jasper's hands found my shoulders, steadying me as I sucked down panicked breaths. "I'm sorry," he whispers, and I could see the guilt in his eyes. "I should have realized sooner. I should have stopped him."
"No." I shook my head, vision blurring with unshed tears I refused to let fall. "No, this isn't on you."
I spent years of training under his watchful eye. Years of seeking his approval, his praise. Years of trusting the man who murdered my family.
"He groomed me," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Turned me into his perfect little weapon. And I let him. I fucking let him."
"You were a child," Jasper argued, but I was beyond reason now.
"A child who grew up." I slammed my fist against the mattress, suddenly wishing we weren’t still locked together so I could go beat the shit out of something. "A child who became exactly what he wanted. Who did his bidding. Who would have died for him."
The realization hit me like a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs. How many others had there been? How many families were destroyed so that Asrael could collect gifted children like trophies?
Oh no… Hunter.
My best friend, who had lost his family in a cabin fire. Motherfucker.
"I'm going to kill him." The vow emerged with a clarity that cut through my rage. Not a question, not a threat, it was a promise, cold and absolute. "I'm going to watch the light leave his eyes while he knows exactly why he's dying."
Jasper didn't try to talk me out of it. He simply nodded, having his own reasons for wanting revenge. "We'll do it together."
I turned to face him. "I need to know everything, Jasper. Every dark corner, every secret. No more surprises."
His eyes met mine, centuries of knowledge and pain reflected in their depths. "Then I’ll show you."
I nodded, my mind already racing with possibilities. "We'll need help," I said. "The others, all of the victims, they deserve to know the truth."
As we lay there, still connected, I felt a shift in the air around us, and in a blink, we were back to corporeal form. I gasped sharply, feeling Jasper pulse deep inside of me as the sensation of overwhelming fullness took over. My eyes darted down to where we were joined, panic taking a firm hold again.
Jasper's hand cupped my cheek and whispered, "Shhh, darling." My eyes snapped to his wildly. "You're okay. It's almost complete, okay?"
His voice was deep and soothing. I found my muscles relaxing at his assurance. The uncomfortable sensations began to morph into feelings of satisfaction and contentment. I felt like purring, I was so pleased.
