Page 78 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
Talon nodded once, sharp and decisive. "Well, now I do know. And I'm not letting you push us away anymore. Got it?"
Before I could respond, he pulled me into a fierce, brief embrace that left me momentarily stunned, then stalked out to join the others.
Jasper remained, his form hovering at the threshold. "I told you they would understand," he said softly.
"Understanding doesn't erase what happened," I pointed out, my voice steadier than I felt.
"No," he agreed. "But it's a start. And Rhodes? I meant what I said that night. Even in death, I never left you. I was always watching over you, even when I couldn't remember why."
Something inside me—something that had been frozen for decades—began to thaw, painful in its awakening.
"We should join the others," I said, unable to address his words directly. But as we moved toward the main chamber where our group was already working to free the trapped spirits,I allowed myself to walk beside his spectral form instead of putting distance between us.
It wasn't healing—not yet. But perhaps it was the beginning of the possibility of it. And after decades of darkness, even that small glimmer felt blinding in its intensity. And for the first time in decades, I let myself remember the way his touch used to feel. Just for a second.
Just long enough for my heart to hope all over again.
Chapter sixteen
Palmer
The spirit room engulfed me in a way I wasn't prepared for. The moment we crossed the threshold, I felt it—a deep, visceral pull like hooks in my soul. The air vibrated with trapped energy, thousands of spirits pressing against their glass prisons. Their silent screams rang in my ears, a desperate chorus that made my skin crawl.
"What is this place?" I whispered, though I already knew. This was where Asrael kept his collection—the souls he'd harvested over centuries.
Something caught my eye among the swirling masses—a familiar shimmer, a resonance that struck a chord deep within me. Without thinking, I moved toward it, drawn by an invisible thread.
"Palmer, wait—" Jasper called, but his voice sounded distant, underwater.
The spirits in their containers seemed to reach for me as I passed. And then I saw them—two spirits side by side, their energy signatures instantly recognizable even after all these years.
My heart stopped, then lurched painfully against my ribs. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. I just knew. The sound of breaking glass was quiet beneath the sound of my rapid breathing. They’d already started freeing spirits, breaking the bondage that had held them captive for who knows how long.
I spun around to my demons, my eyes wild and my voice breaking. "I found my parents."
I didn't wait for a response, couldn't wait. I barely registered the questions and the shocked replies, so focused on what I needed to do.
The already freed souls swirled around us in a dizzying dance of light and shadow, their ethereal forms weaving intricate patterns across the chamber ceiling. Some appeared almost jubilant in their newfound liberation, spinning and twisting with frenetic energy, while others moved with a haunting slowness, as if still processing their release from captivity.
The air itself seemed to vibrate with their presence, charged with an otherworldly electricity that raised the fine hairs on my arms and sent a chill down my spine. Brilliant flashes of silver-blue light punctuated the darkness as spirits collided and merged momentarily before separating again, creating a mesmerizing but unsettling spectacle that made it difficult to focus on anything else.
I was suddenly surrounded by my support system as we moved toward the cluster of spirit orbs where I'd seen my parents. Through the ethereal haze, we could make out their figures—my mother and father, their forms flickering like candlelight in a storm.
"Mom? Dad?" My voice cracked as I reached for their container. My fingers trembled against the glass, and Rhodes steadied my hand with his.
"Let me," he said gruffly, channeling his telekinetic energy to carefully crack the seal.
The moment the barrier broke, my parents' spirits burst free, swirling around me in what felt like a desperate embrace. Tears streamed down my face as their energy touched mine for the first time in years.
"Sweet girl," my mother's voice echoed, barely more than a whisper. "You found us."
Jasper materialized beside us. "We need to move. The magic holding this place together is unraveling."
I could feel it too—the wrongness in the air, the way the walls seemed to pulse with unstable energy. The other spirits we'd freed were becoming agitated, their forms colliding in chaos.
"Everyone out!" Ashland commanded, already herding the others toward the exit. "Now!"
But I couldn't move, my eyes locked on my parents as they tried to maintain their forms. "I can't leave them," I insisted. "Not again."
