Page 94 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
"No. Yes. Maybe?" I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to breathe through the overwhelming input. "It's different. Like... like someone's trying to tear open the veil, but they're doing it wrong. Violently."
Snake chirped in agreement, his little body trembling against my neck. My familiar could sense it too, this perversion of natural order.
"Scorpio," Misha growled, and the name alone made bile rise in my throat.
“Yes, but this is new. Different from his mind control bullshit. How would he even know how to do something like this? This feels—"
A sudden wave of nausea hit me so hard my knees buckled. Ashland caught me before I collapsed to the ground, his strong arms keeping me upright as reality seemed to splinter around us.
"We have to stop him, whatever he’s planning, he has to be stopped." I pushed away from Ashland, forcing myself to stand on shaky legs. "But we need to be smart about this. He's expecting us to rush in, guns blazing."
The space around me suddenly vibrated, and it felt like the air itself dropped in temperature by twenty degrees.
"You have no idea what I'm expecting, babe."
Fuck.That voice. Snake's claws dug deeper into my shoulder as cold dread slithered down my spine. My eyes darted around the room, but I couldn't pinpoint where Scorpio's voice had come from. The veil was twisting, warping reality in a way that made my stomach churn. It wasn’t something I could see yet; it was a feeling, a powerful sensation deep in my soul.
“Damn, I can feel it,” Rhodes stated, holding up his arm to reveal his hairs standing on end. This was bad.
"Show yourself, you coward," I spat, even as the guys moved to form a protective circle around me. Sweet, but pointless. This wasn't their kind of fight.
His laughter echoed through the maze, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Oh, Palmer, still so defiant. It's adorable, really. But tell me, how's that working out for you? Running to your demon lovers for protection?"
I felt rather than saw Ashland tense beside me, raw power rolling off him in waves. But before any of them could react, I held up my hand.Wait.
"Better than being your lab rat," I shot back, trying to track the distortions in the veil. Something was off about his voice, about the way it resonated through both realms simultaneously. "What did you do to yourself this time, Scorpio? Finally fuck up one experiment too many?"
"Experiment?" He chuckled, the sound grating against my nerves like broken glass. "No, babe. I've evolved. Transcended the limitations you're all still bound by. Would you like to see?"
My stomach lurched as the shadows ahead began to twist and writhe. Snake's claws dug deeper into my shoulder, his mental presence radiating pure terror. Whatever was coming, it was bad enough to frighten my usually fearless familiar.
"Oh fuck," I whispered as Scorpio emerged from the darkness. He'd always been tall, but now he seemed to tower over us, his form distorted and wrong in ways that made my brain hurt trying to process. His usual leather face mask was gone, revealing features that flickered between solid and spectral.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He spread his arms wide, and I noticed his skin seemed to ripple, like something was trying to break free from beneath it. "All that power you felt when you opened the veil? It's nothing compared to this."
"What did you do?" I managed to ask, even as bile rose in my throat. The energy coming off him was toxic, corrupted.
"Like I said, I transcended," he started, but then his whole body jerked violently. "No! Shut up!" His head snapped to the side like he'd been struck. "I won't let you—"
"Palmer, get back here." Talon pulled me between him and Misha. I hadn't even realized I'd been walking toward Scorpio.
"He's fucking lost it," Felix added, stepping slightly in front of me.
Scorpio started laughing maniacally, the horrible sound echoing through the maze. It was so much louder than should've been possible.
"Who are you talking to, Slade?" I asked.
"NONE OF YOUR GODS DAMNED BUSINESS!" he roared as his body shook even harder. "Fuck you! No! I said n—"
Scorpio's voice cut off abruptly, and his body completely stilled as he stood near a paint splattered wall.
"Careful," Ashland whispered.
"Be ready," Rhodes growled.
Slowly, Scorpio lifted his head, and his expression had completely changed. A warm smile, one that I'd never once seen him wear, spread wide. Shivers raced down my spine. I'd never seen that smile on his face, but I had seen it so many times on—
"There's my girl."
