Page 97 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
"No," I corrected, drawing more power through my connection with Snake and Jasper. "You tried to break me. Big difference."
The walls of the maze pulsed with the energy surging through me, but something unexpected happened. Felix's artwork on the wall behind Asrael, an intricate koi fish painted in vibrant blues and greens, began to shimmer under the neon lights. I blinked, certain my eyes were playing tricks, but no, the painted gills actually fluttered, scales gleaming with an impossible wetness as though the fish were truly alive, swimming through concrete instead of water.
What the hell?
My power crackled at my fingertips as realization dawned. This wasn't just about manipulating the veil between life and death anymore. Somehow, I was blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction, bringing imagination into existence through sheer force of will. The implications sent a chill racing down my spine, both terrifying and exhilarating.
What else was I capable of?
"This ends now," I declared, feeling stronger than ever and prepared for whatever came next. "One way or another."
Asrael/Scorpio's laugh turned manic. "Oh, my dear. This is only the beginning."
The air crackled with dark energy as he gathered his stolen power, preparing to strike. But I wasn't that scared little witch anymore, running from shadows and hiding from monsters. However, I could lure him into the maze. I could use it to my advantage, and that was the best plan I could think of.
So I ran. I was Palmer fucking Vale, and I ran. NotbecauseI was afraid, but because I wasdonebeing afraid.
Chapter twenty-one
Ashland
The maze beneath Haunt had always been our sanctuary, our playground of sin and debauchery. I was forced to watch it transform into something else entirely—a twisted gallery where Felix's artwork writhed and bled across the walls like living entities. I’d never seen anything like it, and one thing was fuckin’ certain. Neither had Asrael.
I strained against whatever the fuck kind of power was holding me in place, but it was useless. My demon raged inside, desperate to break free and protect what was ours. The air crackled with Palmer's energy, making my skin prickle and my wings fight to take flight.
Gods fucking dammit. I had been so caught up in my anger at her deception that I hadn’t taken the time I had after the battle to make it right. To admit my feelings for her, to acknowledge the way she fit with us, completed our broken little family. Now watching her dance with death below, purple lightning arcing between her fingers as she faced down that spirit-possessed piece of shit, I realized I wasn't pissed off anymore, I was fucking terrified.
Felix's latest mural—a massive black dragon wrapped around the moon—suddenly peeled itself from the concrete. Its wings unfolded with a sound like tearing silk as Palmer's power warped reality itself. The dragon's eyes flashed with an unholy light that matched the purple power surrounding our little witch. Its mouth began to glow yellow before its jaws opened in a silent roar, fire spilling out towards Asrael. It would’ve ignited him but he switched into his ghost form and remained unscathed.
He looked up to where I was suspended and grinned. "Beautiful, isn't she?" His voice echoed through Scorpio's throat, the sound making my stomach turn. "Such raw potential. Such delicious power ready to be molded."
I wanted to tear his fucking throat out for even looking at her. My muscles strained until I was shaking, but whatever binding he'd cast held firm. Below, Palmer's hair whipped around her face as she pulled more of Felix's art to life. The dragon roared, no longer silent as the power built, its bellow reverberating through my bones.
The walls of the maze cracked and buckled as Palmer and Asrael's powers clashed. Pieces of concrete floated upward as if they were underwater, revealing more of Felix's hidden artwork beneath—demons and angels locked in eternal battle, now awakening under Palmer's touch.
"You can't have her," I growled, though the bastard probably couldn't even hear me from up there. My demon pushed against my skin, desperate to break free. If I could just fucking move...
Palmer's scream of rage echoed through the maze as she hurled a bolt of pure spirit energy at Asrael. The possessed fuck dodged, but the blast caught one of his shoulders, making Scorpio's body stumble. Pride and fear warred in my chest. That was our girl. Our dangerous, magnificent little witch.
But Asrael was ancient, powerful. He was playing with her, testing her limits while wearing that gods-damned smirk onScorpio's face. Each blast of power that missed him brought another piece of artwork to life, until the maze was a writhing mass of living art. Felix's creativity turned into weapons in their deadly dance.
If anything happened to her... The thought made my demon howl. We'd lost too fucking much already. First Jasper, then our home in Besmet, and all the brothers and sisters who died in our war against the crown. I couldn't lose her too. Not when I was finally starting to understand what she meant to us. To me.
The paralysis spell crackled across my skin like static electricity. I focused everything I had on moving just one finger, one fucking muscle. Because the moment this binding broke, I was going to remind Asrael why The Exiled were feared. Why kings and gods learned to think twice before touching what belonged to us.
And Palmer? She belonged with me. With us.
My gaze darted between my brothers, each trapped at different levels of the maze like fucking gargoyles forced to watch this nightmare unfold. Talon's eyes blazed crimson, his claws leaving deep grooves in the concrete beneath him. Felix had tears streaming down his face as his creations twisted and writhed in Palmer's power. Even Misha, usually stoic as a stone wall, was trembling with barely contained rage. Sweat dripped down Rhodes’ forehead, the external evidence of his internal battle to escape Asrael’s hold. Jasper’s body was flickering like a light bulb being turned on and off rapidly. I had hope that even though he was paralyzed, their mate bond would still allow them to sync their powers.
"You were always meant for greatness," Asrael crooned, making my skin crawl. "Everything I did was to prepare you for this moment. To show you what true power feels like."
Palmer's response was another blast of energy that sent Scorpio's body flying backward. The dragon mural swoopeddown, its inky wings casting shadows that seemed to pulse with a life of their own.
"Fuck. You," Palmer spat, her voice carrying clearly through the chaos. "You didn't prepare me for anything except learning how to survive manipulative pieces of shit like you."
Gods, she was magnificent in her fury. And that bastard just kept smiling, kept talking like he was some proud mentor watching his student graduate instead of the monster who'd tried to break her.
"Look how far you've come from that scared little girl you were," he purred. "The power you possess now? That's because of me. Because I saw your potential and nurtured you!"
