Page 95 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
Horror dawned as I realized what I was seeing and hearing. "Asrael," I breathed.
I felt the others tense around me, ready to attack, but I held up my hand. This was spirit realm shit—their powers wouldn't do much good here.
"No," I breathed, stepping back until I hit Misha's solid chest. "This isn't possible. You're dead."
Scorpio's body moved with Asrael's familiar grace, and that paternal smile still stretched across his face. "Death is such a limited concept, my dear.” He shot a pointed look at Jasper, bringing his point across. “You of all people should understand that."
Snake hissed, his tiny body trembling against my neck.Yeah, buddy, I feel the same way. The wrongness of seeing Asrael's mannerisms puppeting Scorpio's body made me want to vomit.
"What did you do to him?" I demanded, though I wasn't sure which 'him' I meant.
"I simply... expanded his consciousness. Showed him true power." Asrael's voice came from Scorpio's mouth, but then the body convulsed and Scorpio's darker tones broke through. "Get out! This is my—" Another violent shake. "Quiet, boy. The adults are talking."
"Palmer," Jasper's ethereal form flickered beside me. "His spirit signature... It's not possession. It's worse."
"How could it be worse than possession?" Felix muttered.
I knew though. The pieces were falling into place, and holy fuck, was it bad. "You merged with him," I said, horror dawning. "When you possessed him, you didn't stop there. You fused your spirit with his living body."
"Very good!" Asrael/Scorpio clapped, the sound echoing unnaturally. "I always said you were my brightest student."
"This is fucking sick," Talon growled, but I barely heard him over the roaring in my ears.
Because this? This was a perversion of everything I stood for as a spirit witch. Spirits were meant to cross over or fade away, not violently merge with the living. Not to mention this was a demon soul in a mage's body. It wasn't natural, no matter what. The energy coming off him felt wrong, corrupted, like rot spreading through healthy tissue.
"Why?" I asked, buying time as I frantically tried to figure out how to handle this clusterfuck. "Why him?"
"Because he was there," Asrael's voice purred. "So hungry for power, so willing to break every natural law to get it. I want you to know, you were my first choice. I waited for you. I always seem to be fucking waiting for you. But you never came. Disappointing."
"I'll kill you a hundred fucking times over before you'd even get close to her," Jasper boomed, his voice matching the same volume and intensity as Asrael's.
Asrael laughed. "Oh, Jasper. How I've missed you." His calculating gaze slid to Rhodes, and I braced myself. Asrael was a master at everything, but he was by far the most talented mind-fucker I'd ever encountered. "Are you planning to start fucking him again, Rhodes? Will that be out in the open this time, or another big secret that getsyoukilled next time?"
His words hit like a fist to the face, and I knew they’d affected every single one of my demons, but nobody reacted. Nobody gave him the reaction he was looking for. Well, not until the lowest, deepest growl I'd ever heard in my life started. I glanced at Rhodes and found him visibly shaking with repressed anger and pain.
The sound coming from Rhodes was pure rage, but there was pain there too. Deep, raw pain that made my heart hurt. I wanted to reach for him, but Asrael's smug expression stopped me. He'd always been like this. An expert at finding the sorest spots and digging his fingers in until you broke.
"What's wrong, Rhodes?" Asrael taunted through Scorpio's twisted face. "Not feeling chatty about your dead lover? The secrets you kept that got him killed?"
"Shut your fucking mouth," Misha barked, sending a blade flying at Asrael that he side-stepped all too easily.
Asrael's laughter echoed through the maze, distorted and wrong. "Or what, Misha? You'll kill me? Been there, done that. And look at me now—stronger than ever."
My stomach turned as his form rippled, Scorpio's features blending with something darker, more demonic. This wasn't just possession or even fusion—it was an abomination, and it was worse than whatever he’d transformed into on that platform before he’d died. "You're not stronger," I said, forcing steel into my voice. "You're desperate. So desperate you had to hijack someone else's body because you were too weak to maintain your own form."
His smile faltered for a split second.Gotcha, asshole.
"Careful, Palmer," he warned, but I was done being careful. Done playing his mind games.
"Or what? You'll try to possess me next?" I laughed, harsh and bitter. "That's what this is really about, isn't it? You're jealous. Jealous that I can manipulate the veil naturally while you had to resort to... this." I gestured at his twisted form.
Snake chittered in agreement, his tiny presence burning with protective fury. The guys tensed around me, ready to strike, but this was my fight. My mentor. My monster to face.
"You understand nothing," Asrael spat, his composure cracking. "I transcended death itself! I—"
"You're hiding inside Scorpio like a fucking parasite," I cut him off. "Some transcendence."
The air crackled with dark energy as his anger built. Good. Let him lose control. Better than letting him play his usual manipulation games.
