Page 74 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
I closed my eyes, forehead resting against the wall that separated us. So close, yet completely unreachable. "I'm going to get us out of here. The others—they'll realize something's wrong when we don't return. Can you reach Talon and Felix?" I asked, my voice lower now. "Through your bond?"
The silence that followed made my heart sink.
"It's blocked," he growled, frustration clawing at my throat. "I just tried again, but I've been trying since I got down here. Asrael must've done something to block it."
"Of course he did," I sighed. "He wouldn't leave anything to chance."
I paced the small cell, my mind working frantically and coming up fucking empty. My fist slammed into the wall, pain shooting up my arm. "Damn it! There has to be a way. We can't just—"
"Rhodes," Jasper interrupted, his tone gentler now. "You know what's going to happen, don't you?"
I froze, unwilling to acknowledge the dread pooling in my stomach. "He said punishment. Public humiliation. That doesn't mean—"
"It's Asrael," Jasper said simply. "And I've been his favorite toy for too long. He doesn't share what he considers his property, and he certainly doesn't tolerate betrayal."
"Don't," I growled, panic rising in my chest. "Don't talk like that. We're going to figure this out."
Through the small gap near the floor, Jasper's fingers appeared, reaching across the narrow divide between our cells. I dropped to my knees, extending my hand until our fingertips barely touched.
"You know he's probably going to kill me," Jasper said, and the calm acceptance in his voice broke something inside me. "I need you to promise me something."
"No," I rasped, gripping his fingers tighter. "No last requests. We're both getting out of here."
I felt rather than saw his sad smile. "My time as Asrael's plaything was nothing but darkness. You were the best part of my days and nights, Rhodes. I don't regret a single moment."
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "I should have been more careful. Should have protected you better. I should've let you go."
"But then we wouldn't have had any of this, and that would be the true tragedy."
We sat in silence for several minutes, holding onto each other through that small opening, memorizing the feeling of skin against skin.
"Promise me you won't blame yourself," Jasper finally whispered. "Whatever happens tomorrow, know that loving you gave me more life in these past months than I'd experienced in centuries before."
"I can't lose you," I admitted, the words scraping my throat raw. "I don't know how to exist in a world where you're not."
His fingers tightened around mine. "Listen to me carefully, Rhodes. Even if Asrael takes my life tomorrow, I will not begone. Not really. I vow to you, on everything we've shared, that I will find a way back to you and my brothers. Death itself won't keep me from watching over you."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted desperately to hold onto that promise. But I'd seen too much, lost too much to trust in happy endings.
"Just stay alive," I begged. "Whatever he does to you, just keep breathing. I'll find a way to—"
The sound of approaching footsteps cut me off. Jasper's fingers withdrew from mine, leaving me clutching at empty air.
"Remember my vow," he whispered urgently. "I will always be with you, Rhodes. Always."
The door to my cell swung open, and Asrael himself stood framed in the doorway, a cruel smile playing at his lips.
"It's time for your special preparation," he said, gesturing to the guards behind him. "Can't have you interfering with tomorrow's entertainment."
As they dragged me to my feet, I caught one last glimpse of Jasper's fingers through the gap—reaching out, but finding nothing to hold onto.
The guards dragged me down winding corridors, my muscles still leaden from whatever they'd injected me with. My mind raced, frantically searching for escape routes, weapons, anything that might save us. But the drug they'd pumped into my system made even walking a struggle, let alone fighting.
They tossed me into another cell, this one smaller than the last, with no adjoining wall to Jasper. The isolation was deliberate—Asrael ensuring we couldn't communicate anymore.
I slumped against the cold stone, my demon thrashing beneath my skin but unable to break through the chemicalrestraints. Fucking coward. Even with all his power, Asrael couldn't face me without drugging me first.
The door swung open after what might have been minutes or hours—time had lost all meaning. Asrael glided in, his pristine white robes a stark contrast to the filth of the dungeon.
