Page 89 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled

"What the actual fuck?" I whispered, bread forgotten at my feet.

"Language," Jasper scolded, and his voice... it wasn't that ethereal ghost-whisper anymore. It wasreal.

My eyes burned. Probably from all the mac and cheese powder still floating around. Definitely not because I was getting emotional about hearing my brother's voice properly for the first time in centuries.

"How?" Ash demanded, moving closer to examine them both.

Misha was already there, hovering protectively near Palmer's other side. "Her power is... different now. Enhanced. When she woke up, she reached for Jasper and..." He gestured at the floating witch and semi-corporeal ghost.

"I can hear you all, you know," Palmer said, her voice echoing strangely. Her eyes were still glowing, but now I could see they weren't just lit up—they were swirling with colors like the northern lights. Fucking beautiful.

"Bun-Bun, you're looking particularly floaty today," I said, because apparently my mouth had decided to just do its own thing. "Love the hair. Very witchy."

She actually laughed, which made her bob in the air like a cork in water. "Talon, you're covered in... food?"

"Long story involving a blood mage and some very aggressive fruit." I waved it off. "More importantly, how are you doing this? And can we keep Jasper solid? Because I have so many brotherly noogies to catch up on."

"I heard that," Jasper muttered, but his lips twitched.

Felix moved closer, studying Palmer intently. "This is more than just spirit magic. It's like... she's tapping into something bigger."

"The veil," Palmer and Jasper said simultaneously.

"I can feel it," she continued. "Like a curtain between worlds, but it's not just separating life and death. It's... everything. All the realms, all the magic." She squeezed Jasper's hand. "And I think I can manipulate it."

Well shit. That was both awesome and terrifying. Mostly awesome though. I mean, floating witch girlfriend,andsolid ghost brother? Sign me the fuck up.

"Does this mean we can touch you now?" I asked Jasper, waggling my eyebrows.

"Touch me and die," he replied sweetly.

"Already dead, bro."

"I'll kill you."

"Boys," Palmer interrupted, but she was smiling. The glow in her eyes dimmed slightly, and she started to descend. Mishacaught her before she could hit the couch, cradling her against his chest.

"Careful, kukola," he murmured. "You're still recovering."

I noticed Jasper's form was getting fainter, too. He looked at his hands with a mix of resignation and hope. "It's temporary. For now."

"But we can work on it," Palmer said firmly. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

"Speaking of practice." Ash stepped forward. "We need to figure out exactly what you can do now. And quickly. Because if you can manipulate the veil itself..."

"Scorpio will want that power," Rhodes finished.

I picked up the bread I'd dropped, dusting it off. "Well then, we’d better get our Bun-Bun fed and ready to head home." I tossed a loaf to Misha. "Because if anyone's going to help my ghost brother get his body back, it's going to be us."

Palmer's eyes met mine, and even without the supernatural glow, they held enough power to make my demon heart skip. "Us," she repeated softly. "I like the sound of that."

I fucking loved the sound of that.

Chapter twenty

Palmer

Itraced my fingers over my forearms as my guys started making preparations to return home. I could still feel the residual energy, still crackling beneath my skin. The power that had surged through me when I'd opened the veil still lingered, like static electricity waiting to discharge. Holy fuck, that had been intense. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I could channel that kind of raw power.