Page 43 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
"The... the courtyard," she wheezed. "But you're too late."
My blood ran cold. "What do you mean by too late?"
But she was already unconscious. Fuck.
I dropped her and started running, jumping over bodies and debris. The castle courtyard was on the other side of this mess, and I needed to know if we'd failed. If those poor bastards were already dead, I was going to paint this whole fucking place red.
A dragon crashed into the ground nearby, sending me flying into a wall. "Watch where you're falling, you overgrown lizard!" I shouted, pushing myself up. My shoulder was definitely dislocated. Perfect.
I slammed it against the wall, popping it back into place with a grunt. "That's going to hurt tomorrow."
More fighting broke out around me, but I ignored it, focused on my goal. The courtyard. I needed to get to the fucking courtyard.
Finally, I broke through the crowd and saw it—the execution platform. My eyes scanned the wooden structure, looking for bodies, for blood, for any sign of what happened.
Three men were fighting viciously, and I grinned. I’d recognize that head of red hair anywhere. Bram was back-to-back with Khol, the two of them taking on Asrael. Thank the stars, we were just in time. I scanned the mass of bodies and spotted Saige walking toward the platform, her eyes locked on Bram and her father. Her face was an expression I hadn’t seen yet, one of complete focus and determination, and her entire being seemed to be illuminated, like a flare of brightness in a sea of dark. A demon was heading right for her, and I screamed, “Milady!” in an attempt to warn her, but it was far too loud. He was nearly on her when Saige suddenly flung her right arm out in his direction. Vines erupted from the ground in a direct line from her body to the enemy, exploding from the cobblestones with such violent force that the demon went airborne before the vines wrapped around him, engulfing him and immobilizing him completely.
“Damn,” I whispered. “Milady is a badass…”
Satisfied that she could handle herself, I couldn’t hold myself back another moment. I dove into the fray without a second thought. Fuck Asrael, his time was done.
Chapter ten
Palmer
Hunter left me on the floor, at my request, and I listened as his shuffling footsteps approached the bathroom down the hall. A sniffle slipped out as I fingered a blossoming bruise on my forearm. My entire body felt exposed and beaten up, and my brain was like a cooked egg. The aftermath of too much emotion.
I spotted Jasper out of the corner of my eye, his body flickering like a candle flame in the breeze. It seemed that his ability to be visible was stronger when he was near me, and it grew stronger the longer he was nearby. I honestly had no idea how it worked: it was all new to me. He wasn’t the typical ghost. His eyes were filled with concern, and I could feel his worry through our bond, like a physical touch against my raw, vulnerable soul. I hated appearing weak, despised the very idea of anyone seeing me as anything less than the strong witch I'd become. So, I did what I always did when someone got too close. I got defensive, brushed it off, and pretended I was perfectly fine.
"What are you doing here, Jasper?" I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut glass. I wiped at my cheeks, erasing the evidenceof my emotional breakdown with Hunter. "I thought you were off doing... ghost stuff."
Jasper didn't flinch at my harsh tone. He simply floated closer, becoming more solid as he approached. "I felt your pain. I couldn't stay away."
His words were gentle, but they grated against my nerves like sandpaper. I didn't want gentleness; I wanted to fight, to rage against the storm of emotions threatening to consume me. "I'm fine," I lied, turning away from him to hide the fresh tears welling in my eyes. "You don't need to babysit me."
Jasper's cool hand touched my shoulder, and I shivered at the contact. His touch was a stark contrast to the burning heat of my anger and embarrassment. "Palmer, you don't have to pretend with me. I can feel what you're feeling, remember?"
The thought of anyone having that kind of power over me made my skin crawl, like thousands of icy needles pricking at my flesh. Knowing what I'm feeling? All the time? It's too intimate, too raw, like being stripped bare and examined under harsh fluorescent lights. And now here was Jasper, casually penetrating every defense I'd built with nothing more than our supernatural connection. The violation of it burned in my chest, mixing with the lingering ache of vulnerability that I desperately tried to suppress. I spun around to face him, my eyes blazing with unshed tears and barely contained fury. "Then you should know I don't want your pity, Jasper!"
His expression softened, and he reached up to cup my cheek. I tried to pull away, but his touch was like a balm to my wounded soul, and I found myself leaning into it despite my best efforts to resist. "It's not pity, Palmer. It's empathy. I care about you and want to help you through this."
My defenses crumbled like a house of cards in a strong wind. I let out a shaky breath, and the tears I'd been trying so hard to hold back began to stream down my face. "I'm just... I'm so tired,Jasper. Tired of fighting, tired of pretending to be strong all the time. I just want to let go, but I can't. I have to keep going, keep fighting, because if I don't..." I trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
Jasper's thumb brushed away a tear from my cheek, and he leaned in closer, his forehead almost touching mine. "You don't have to keep fighting alone. You have me, and you have The Exiled. We're here for you, no matter what."
I shook my head. I wanted to believe him, to trust in the promise of his words, but a lifetime of betrayal and deception had left me wary of relying on anyone but myself. "I can't lean on you, Jasper. I can't lean on anyone. The Exiled hate me; they'll never trust me again. I have to be strong on my own."
He sighed, his breath a calming whisper against my skin. "Strength isn't about standing alone, Palmer. It's about knowing when to ask for help, when to lean on those who care about you. It's about trusting that you don't have to face every battle by yourself."
His words struck a chord deep within me, resonating with a truth I'd been too stubborn to acknowledge. I took a deep, shuddering breath, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to lean on someone else. I leaned into Jasper's touch, into the comfort and support he offered, and I let go.
The tears flowed freely now, and I didn't try to stop them. I cried for the pain and the loss, for the betrayal and the heartache. I cried for the girl I used to be and the woman I'd become. And through it all, Jasper held me, his cool embrace a sanctuary from the storm that raged within me.
As my tears began to subside, I looked up into Jasper's eyes, and I saw something I'd never seen before—a reflection of my pain, my vulnerability. In that moment, I realized that Jasper understood me in a way that no one else ever had, that he sawme not just as the brave, capable witch I presented to the world, but as the broken, vulnerable girl I truly was.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice raw and hoarse from crying. "Thank you for being here, for not giving up on me."
Jasper smiled, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding. "I'll always be here for you. No matter what."
