Page 102 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled

The quiet was shattered by heavy footsteps in the hallway. I didn't need to look up to know it was Ash—his presence filled any room he entered, and right now it was filling this one with determination.

"Up," he commanded, and I bristled.

"I'm fine here."

"Wasn't a request, Lixy." His hand landed on my shoulder, warm and insistent. "You need to eat something, and we need to talk."

I glanced at Palmer, still peacefully unconscious. "What if—"

"Jasper's here," Ash cut in. "He'll watch over her."

As if summoned, my brother's ghostly form materialized beside the bed. Even mostly transparent, the concern on his face was clear. "Go. You're no good to her if you collapse from exhaustion."

"Fuck, now I'm getting lectured to by a ghost," I muttered, but stood anyway. My joints cracked in protest, and Ash's grip on my shoulder tightened.

"When's the last time you actually moved?" he asked as he steered me toward the door. I looked back at Snake, who was eyeballing me hard. “Keep an eye on her.” I swear that little bastard winked at me as I shrugged in response to Ash’s question. "Does shifting in the chair count?"

"For fuck's sake." He practically pushed me into the living room, where the others were gathered around the massive dining table. The smell of food hit me, and my stomach growled traitorously.

"Look who finally joined the land of the living," Talon called out, his mouth full of what looked like pasta.

I rolled my eyes and dropped into an empty chair just as Rhodes slid a plate in front of me.

My stomach clenched as I started shoveling food in. I was so hungry I wasn't even really tasting a thing. After a solid minute of stuffing myself, I asked, "So what's the report?"

"The club is secure, so are the docks," Ash said, taking his own seat. "We've got eyes on every entrance and exit."

"Any sign of Scorpio's men?" I asked between bites.

Misha shook his head. "Nothing yet. But with their leader gone... they're probably regrouping."

“Rooster said that they made an attempt on the docks after Palmer rallied everyone after Scorpio’s attack. He told me she had everyone so wound up and determined to defend what was ours that they sussed out the threat before anything even happened,” Ash explained, pride glinting in his ice blue eyes.

“Now the whole gods damned gang is obsessed with her,” Misha grumbled, but I saw the way the corner of his mouth lifted.

“It’s weird, right? Asrael and Scorpio are both dead, no longer a threat…” Ash trailed off, rubbing his chin, no doubt thinking about whatever would come next, but the food in my mouth turned to ash at the mention of Asrael. That fucker had nearly destroyed everything we'd built here. Had almost taken Palmer from us before we'd really even had her.

"Hey." Ash's voice pulled me back. "Lixy, she's here, she's safe, and she's ours."

"And she's fucking terrifying," Talon added cheerfully. "Did you see what she did to your murals? That shit was insane!"

Despite myself, I smiled. "Yeah, that was... something else." My art had never felt more alive than when Palmer wove it into her battle against Asrael. It was like she'd seen straight into my soul and understood exactly what each piece meant.

"We need to be ready when she wakes up," Rhodes said, his tone serious. "Her power levels are off the charts now, and she'll need help learning to control it."

"Plus, there's the whole 'bringing Jasper back to life' thing," Talon added. "Which, by the way, is crazy as fuck to say out loud."

I pushed my empty plate away, feeling steadier with food in my system. "So what's the plan?"

"For now?" Ash leaned back in his chair. "We wait. We protect. And when she wakes up, we show her exactly what it means to be part of this family."

Family. The word echoed in my chest, warm and right. Because that's what we were now—all of us, including our fierce little witch who'd turned our world upside down.

"Fine," I said, standing. "But I'm going back to watch over her."

"After you shower," Ash ordered, his tone brooking no argument. "You smell like sweat had a threesome with a coffee shop and anxiety."

I flipped him off, but headed for the bathroom anyway. He wasn't wrong; I did need a shower. And Palmer would probably appreciate waking up to someone who didn't look and smell like they'd been sitting in the same chair for eighteen hours straight.