Page 99 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled
"One psychotic mage down," Palmer panted, her hands still crackling with power. "One delusional demon lord to go."
Scorpio's body stopped convulsing and stabilized; his skin returned to his normal appearance, or close enough. The look Asrael was giving her wasn't even rage. It was wonder, like he was seeing something beautiful for the very first time. My stomach sank as I was still fucking trapped, forced to watch as this ancient monster squared off against our little witch.
Our beautiful, terrifying, absolutely insane little witch who'd just proved exactly why she belonged with The Exiled.
Now, if she could just survive long enough for us to tell her that.
The sound of Asrael's slow clap echoed through the maze. "Magnificent," he purred, using Scorpio's lips to smile that gods-damned paternal smile that made my demon want to tear his throat out. "Simply magnificent, my dear. I always knewyou were special, but this?" He gestured to where the veil had swallowed Scorpio's spirit. "This exceeds even my highest expectations."
Palmer's shoulders tensed, but she didn't attack. Something in her stance had shifted, becoming almost... uncertain? Fuck. No. She couldn't be buying this shit.
"I've had so many students over the centuries." Asrael took a step toward her, hands raised like he was approaching a spooked animal. "So many promising souls that I tried to nurture, to guide toward their true potential. But none of them..." He shook his head, pride dripping from every word. "None of them could hold a candle to you, my dear."
My heart slammed against my ribs as Palmer lowered her hands slightly, the purple lightning dimming around her fingers. What the fuck was she doing? This was Asrael—the same monster who'd killed Jasper and her parents.
"You were like a daughter to me," Asrael continued, his voice thick with emotion that had to be fake. It had to be. "Everything I did—every lesson, every challenge—it was all to prepare you for this moment. To help you become who you were meant to be."
Palmer's head tilted, considering his words. The artwork around us had gone still, no longer responding to her emotional state. Even the massive dragon had settled back against the wall, though its eyes still gleamed with that unholy light.
"I know you felt it too," that bastard pressed, taking another step closer. "The bond between us. The way you trusted me, looked up to me. That wasn't just manipulation, Palmer. That was real."
Something twisted in my gut as I watched Palmer's expression soften. She'd been orphaned. Young, scared, desperate for someone to believe in her. To guide her.
"You..." Palmer's voice cracked. "You really think I'm magnificent?"
No. No fucking way. She was smarter than this! But then I caught it—the tiniest flicker in her eyes. A hardness beneath the vulnerability that made my demon purr in appreciation.
That clever little witch. She wasn't falling for his bullshit; she was playing him right back.
"More than magnificent," Asrael breathed, closing the distance between them. "You're everything I hoped you would become. Everything I knew you could be, if only you'd let me show you the way."
Palmer's lower lip trembled as she looked up at him. If I hadn't seen that steel in her eyes, I might have believed the act myself. "I was so lost without you," she whispered. "So scared."
"I know, my dear." Asrael reached out, his stolen fingers nearly brushing her cheek. "But I'm here now. Let me guide you again. Let me show you what we can accomplish together."
Palmer leaned into his touch, a tear sliding down her face. And in that moment, I saw what Asrael couldn't, her power gathered beneath her skin like a storm about to break.
That's our girl. Get close enough to strike, little witch. Show this fucker exactly what kind of monster he created.
Chapter twenty-two
Palmer
Ilet another tear fall, playing into Asrael's ego. His cold fingers brushed my cheek, and it took everything in me not to recoil. The shadows behind him writhed with spectral forms, their rage a palpable thing that made my skin tingle.
"My dear girl," Asrael cooed. "I only ever wanted what was best for you. To shape you into something magnificent."
I wanted to laugh at how predictable he was. How many times had he fed me these same lines while training me at Montague?
"You killed Jasper," I whispered, letting my voice crack.
His fingers tightened on my jaw. "He was weak. Ungrateful. Just like you're being now."
What he didn’t know was that I was surrounded by spirits. He couldn’t see them, but I could see and feel them as they pressed closer. My parents hovered nearest, their faces twisted with a fury I'd never seen before. Mom reached toward me, and I felt her love wrap around me like a shield.
"I trusted you," I said, and this time the tears were real. Because I did trust him. For years, I'd believed every lie, every manipulation. "After you killed my parents, you were there.”
“Because the bond you had with them made you weak. I had to do that in order for this to happen,” he explained, as though his reasoning justified it all.
