Page 35 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
Slade raised his hands, and every one of his puppets started screaming, not in pain, but in a synchronized chorus that mademy teeth rattle. The sound built to a crescendo, and I realized too late what was happening.
"He's drawing power from them," Jasper's voice was urgent in my ear. "Palmer, we need to—"
The explosion of power knocked us off our feet and even sent Jasper flying. I saw Hunter hit the wall hard, his head snapping back with sickening force seconds before I slammed into the bar, glass shattering around me. The burning sensations along my arms as some of the alcohol splashed told me I’d been cut a few times, at least.
"I was going to keep you alive." Slade's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "But now? Now I think I'll just take what I need from your corpses."
I pushed myself up, ignoring the glass cutting into my palms. "Hunter?" I called out.
No response.
Jasper materialized beside me, his form flickering with effort. "Palmer, his power... we need to get creative here.”
"You think?" I spat blood onto the floor and squared up. "Any brilliant ideas?"
Slade stalked toward us, his possessed army moving in perfect synchronization behind him. The green in his eyes had spread, consuming the white and pupil until they were just glowing orbs in his face.
"Well," Jasper said, "I do have one idea. But you're really not going to like it."
Through our bond, I felt Jasper's intention a split second before he spoke. "Remember how our powers merged when we..." He cleared his throat meaningfully.
"Now isnotthe time to bring up our sex life," I hissed, dodging a chair that went flying past my head.
"Actually, it's exactly the time." His voice was urgent. "The mate bond—we can use it. If you go spirit form while stayingconnected to me, your spirit powers and my actual, well, spirit itself…"
"I might be able to break his hold," I finished, catching on. "It’s a mental hold, and what is the spirit of a human if not their very fucking mind?!"
"Exactly! I think you can reverse it."
Scorpio's laugh cut through our planning. "How touching. The ghost and the witch, working together." He gestured, and two of his puppets dragged Hunter's unconscious form to their master, through broken glass and debris, leaving a trail of blood. His dark curly hair had come out of his bun and dripped with blood from a wound I assumed happened when he hit the wall. I didn’t think it was possible for his arm to look worse, but it appeared to be hanging on by skin alone. Fuck, he was in bad shape. I clenched my fists, rage building to an inferno. "But you're forgetting something crucial." He pressed his boot against Hunter's throat. "You're out of time."
"Palmer," Jasper whispered, "now."
I closed my eyes, letting the mate bond flood through me. The transition to spirit form was easier this time, more natural. I felt Jasper's power merge with mine, amplifying it, directing it.
"What are you doing?" Scorpio's voice carried a note of uncertainty that bordered on hysteria. He knew something big was happening. Good.
I opened my eyes, seeing the world through an ethereal haze. Every person under Scorpio's control glowed with that sickly green energy, connected to him by threads of power. But now, I could see something else—weaknesses in his control, places where his power flickered and strained. Spots where the green shades of infectedness softened and waned. Those fracture points were where I could see the spirit of the individual, desperately trying to regain control.
"Something impossible," I said, and pushed.
The sensation was overwhelming. Dozens of minds pressed against mine as I forced my way into Scorpio's network of control. Each person under his power became a battleground, their consciousness reaching for my offered freedom while his power tried to maintain its grip.
"No!" Slade snarled. The green in his eyes flared brighter as he fought to maintain control.
Blood began to trickle from his nose, matching the warmth I felt running down my own face. The strain was immense, like trying to hold back an ocean with my bare hands.
"I can't—" I gasped, feeling my grip starting to slip.
Jasper grabbed my hand, and his power surged through our bond. "Yes, you can. Together."
Hunter stirred at Slade's feet, his eyes fluttering open. Even through the haze of spirit form, I saw the moment he assessed the situation. His good hand moved slowly toward his boot, where I knew he kept a blade.
"You think you can match my power?" Slade's tone was strained now. "I've evolved beyond anything you could imagine. I am—"
The knife caught him in the thigh, buried to the hilt. I would’ve been surprised if it wasn’t lodged in his femur. Scorpio's concentration shattered for just a moment, but it was enough.
I pushed harder, feeling Jasper's power amplifying mine. The green threads connecting Scorpio to his puppets began to snap, one by one, then dozens at a time.
