Page 33 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
I knew what he meant. I'd seen Slade control maybe two or three people at a time before, but this? He must’ve used his new gas to achieve this level of control. “That woman who let me out of that room at the compound, she told me he figured out how to turn his blood into a gas.”
“Fuck, hold on.” Jasper raced over to a supply cabinet and returned with a gas mask. “Put this on, just in case. It won’taffect me if he tries. This one has a microphone built in, so you won’t need to take it off to talk.”
I nodded and quickly pulled the thing over my head, making sure the seal was tight over my face. A mechanical screech echoed through the hallway as the overhead speakers crackled to life. Heavy breathing filled the air, followed by a pained grunt that was horrifyingly familiar.
My heart stopped.
"Palmer?" Hunter's voice, strained and frightened, came through the speakers. "Palmer, if you're there... don't—" His words cut off with a cry of pain that made me flinch.
"Hunter," I whispered, my body moving forward before I could think.What the fuck was he doing here?Jasper's arm wrapped around my waist, holding me back.
"Careful, darling," he warned, eyes scanning the crowd. "This is exactly what he wants."
He was right, of course. But this was Hunter—my best friend, the only person from my old life who'd ever truly cared about me. The thought of him in Scorpio's hands made me feel sick.
The speakers crackled again, and this time Scorpio's smooth, cultured voice filled the air. "Come now, babe. Did you really think I wouldn't notice our old friend showing up? So careless of you, letting him wander around here, unprotected."
My hands clenched into fists. "I didn'tlethim do anything," I growled, though Scorpio couldn't hear me. "I didn't even know he was here."
The mind-controlled crowd shifted, parting like a wave to create a path toward the stairs—an invitation, or, more likely, a trap.
"I’ll give you three minutes to surrender yourself. We’re waiting on the main dance floor," Scorpio's voice continued, calm and controlled. "After that, well... I'm curious to see how long your friend can maintain his mental fortitude. He's quiteresistant to my influence, you know. Makes me wonder what other secrets he might be hiding."
Jasper's tail wrapped protectively around my waist. "We need a plan," he murmured against my ear. "If we go spirit form—"
"He'll hurt Hunter," I finished. The mate bond pulsed between us, and I could feel Jasper's frustration matching my own. "He knows we can phase through walls now. He'll be expecting it."
Another cry of pain from Hunter made me jump. This time, I could hear what sounded like glass breaking in the background.
"Two minutes, babe."
"I have an idea," I said, turning to face Jasper. "But you're not going to like it."
His eyes narrowed.
"Look, he wants me. So let's give him what he wants."
"Absolutely not."
"Just listen," I insisted. "You can follow in spirit form. He won't be able to sense you if I'm there as a distraction. The second he's focused on me—"
"One minute!" Scorpio's voice sang out, followed by the distinct sound of fists on flesh and Hunter's muffled groans.
The crowd around us began to move, closing in slowly. Their blank eyes fixed on us with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
I grabbed Jasper's face between my hands. "Trust me," I whispered. "Please."
For a moment, I thought he would refuse. Then he hugged me, hard and desperate, before pulling back with a growl, double-checking the fit of the mask on my face. "If he so much as touches you—"
I managed a small smile. "Just be ready."
"Thirty seconds, Palmer, babe! Tick tock!"I ran to the dance floor, desperate to rescue my friend. The puppets laughed as I sped past them, not one of them so much as reached for me. I wasn’t surprised. Slade wouldn’t want anyone else hurtingwhat he wanted to hurt himself. I rounded the final corner and swallowed the pain that threatened to overtake me as I took in the sight before me.
Hunter knelt at his feet, blood dripping from his nose, one arm hanging at an unnatural angle. When his eyes met mine, there was no confusion, only a sharp intelligence behind the pain. We'd seen each other like this plenty of times during our training at Montague, desperate to prove ourselves smart enough to get out of whatever hellish training sequence they decided to put us through that day. This was real though, and what I saw in his expression now was a warning. He was trying to tell me something.
"That gas mask looks fucking hot on you, babe,” Slade said, adjusting his own mask, the studded leather one he’d been wearing at Fight Night. “I guess you figured out my new trick? Aren’t you impressed?”
I held up my middle finger. He didn’t deserve my words.
