Page 58 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
I could feel her power quivering, fighting between holding on and letting go. She was right there. She could do this, gods dammit.
The storm mage's lips were light blue, and his eyes rolled.Come on, Saige!I inhaled and spoke as calmly and as sternly as I could. "Now, you need to release Cam and focus this power where it belongs."
She nodded frantically, drawing in a deep breath, and abruptly, the hold her power had over her and everyone else evaporated. Her wide eyes stared at me, as though she could see right through my mask, right into my soul. Did she know who I was?
The moment was broken when Cam began loudly taking gulping breaths, and she spun back to her mate. The corner of my lip lifted as I watched her examine his body for injuries. She did it. I knew she could.
A gust of wind from the dragon overhead whipped through the courtyard, the scent of blood and fire heavy in the air. I prepared to jump back into the action when I detected something else mixed into the aroma of battle. A hint of sweetness. Something that certainly wasn't real.
Cherries.
I ripped off my mask and spun in a circle, scanning the faces and bodies that surrounded me. She wasn't here. Logically, I fucking knew that. Why was my mind choosing right now to start pulling stunts like that?
"Ashyyy!" Talon appeared at my side, a baseball bat raised above his head in triumph, his face splattered with crimson. "Best day ever," he shouted over the noise of battle and nodded to a particularly large group of Asrael's men that were making their way to the platform. His eyes glimmered with excitement at his proposition for bloodshed. "Let's party!"
I shook my head, forcing the invading thoughts of family and little rabbits away. "Lead the way," I growled, my voice rougher than usual. "Let's kill these fuckers."
The time for thinking was over. Now, we needed to fight.
The battle grew more chaotic with each passing second. Talon and I cut through the wave of soldiers like they were nothing but training dummies, their bodies falling in our wake. My blade sliced through flesh and bone, the satisfying resistance as it connected with its target grounding me in the moment.
"On your left," I shouted, spinning to avoid a spear thrust as Talon ducked and swung his bat with enough force to shatter the attacker's kneecap. The soldier went down screaming, only to be silenced permanently as I drove my boot into his throat.
"Thanks, brother," Talon grinned, blood splattered across his face like war paint. His eyes were alight with the thrill of battle, that unhinged gleam I'd seen a thousand times before. "This is better than Felix's birthday orgy last year!"
I snorted, parrying a sword strike and countering with a fatal thrust to my opponent's chest. "Don't let him hear you say that. He worked hard on that orgy."
Another wave of soldiers rushed at us, their movements jerky and uncoordinated—evidence of Asrael's mind control. Poor bastards didn't stand a chance. I grabbed one by the collar, using his momentum to hurl him into his comrades before following through with a sweeping attack that opened three throats in one motion.
The platform was getting closer. I could see Asrael barking orders, his face contorted with rage as his plans unraveled before him. Khol was nowhere to be seen—probably got knocked off the platform during the fighting. Not my problem.
That's when it hit me again—that sweet, unmistakable scent cutting through the stench of blood and death.
Cherries.
My nostrils flared, head whipping around as I searched for the source. It was stronger this time, more distinct. My heart began to pound harder, and not from exertion. Was she here? In this gods-forsaken hellscape of a battlefield?
"Fuck," I growled, barely dodging an axe that would have split my skull. I grabbed the attacker's wrist and twisted until I heard the crack of bone, then drove my knee into his face.
"You good?" Talon called out, twirling his bat between his fingers before bringing it down on a soldier's collarbone with a sickening crunch.
"Fine," I snarled, refocusing on the task at hand. Compartmentalize. Push it down. Kill these motherfuckers.
We fought our way forward, step by bloody step. My muscles burned with the exertion, but the pain was welcome—a distraction from the turmoil in my mind. I caught a flash of Felix's dark hair to my right, his blades dancing with deadly precision as he carved his own path toward the platform.
"Hey, Ash?" Talon shouted as he executed a perfect spinning kick that sent a soldier flying. "You smell that?"
My stomach clenched. "Smell what?" I knew damn well what he was talking about.
"Cherries," he said, sniffing the air dramatically while simultaneously driving his elbow into someone's face. "Like, really strong cherry scent. Reminds me of—"
"Focus on the fucking fight," I cut him off, my voice sharper than I intended. The last thing I needed was to be reminded of her right now. Of how she'd left without a word. Of the hole she'd torn in our world when she disappeared.
Push it down. Lock it up.
Talon raised an eyebrow but didn't press further. Instead, he let out a wild whoop as he launched himself at a cluster of soldiers, bat swinging with reckless abandon. I followed in his wake, my blade finding vital points with practiced precision.Blood sprayed across my mask, warm and sticky, adding another layer to the macabre artwork already decorating it.
But the scent wouldn't leave me alone. It was everywhere now, teasing my senses, making me question my own fucking sanity. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks, conjuring her presence in the midst of chaos and bloodshed because part of me—a part I refused to acknowledge—wished she were here.
