Page 91 of Demons In My Head: Exposing the Exiled

The walk to the garden felt like forever and no time at all. My parents' spirits stood near a cluster of wildflowers, their forms shimmering in the early morning light. Mom's long, dark hair drifted in a nonexistent breeze, and Dad's familiar smile, which looked just like mine, made my chest ache.

"Palmer," Mom whispered, her voice carrying on the wind. "Our beautiful girl."

"I'm so sorry," I blurted out, tears threatening. "I should have been there. I should have—"

"No." Dad's spirit moved closer, his form flickering with emotion. "You were exactly where you needed to be. Safe."

I laughed bitterly. "Safe? With Asrael? He used me. Trained me to be his perfect little weapon."

"We know, sweetheart." Mom's spirit reached out, and though I couldn't feel her touch, I sensed her love. "But you survived. You're stronger than any of us could have imagined."

"And now you have them," Dad added, gesturing toward the cabin where the others waited. "A new family. One that will protect you as fiercely as we would have."

I wiped my eyes, refusing to full-on cry. "I miss you. Both of you. So fucking much."

"We're always with you," Mom promised. "But now it's time for you to live, Palmer. Really live."

"And maybe get some payback," Dad added with a ghostly wink.

I couldn't help but smile. Even in death, he was still my partner in crime. "Yeah, that's definitely on the agenda."

"We love you, Palmer," they said in unison, their forms beginning to fade.

"Wait—" I reached out..

"We’re not going anywhere," Dad assured me. "Just resting. Maintaining form takes energy."

I nodded, taking a shaky breath. "Right. Okay. Just… don’t leave me.”Not yet.

I headed back to the cabin, seeing Felix standing there, waiting.

“Port Black then?" I asked, pretending to be braver than I actually felt.

"Port Black," he agreed. "Ready to face whatever comes next?"

I thought about Scorpio, about Asrael's schemes, about all the shit that was probably heading our way. But for the first time, I wasn't facing it alone.

"Yeah, let’s get the others," I said, squaring my shoulders.

Felix disappeared within the cabin, and everyone filed out, ready to take on whatever came next. It was time to go back to where our story had begun. Ashland waved his hands and quietly mumbled some words in a language I’d never heard spoken aloud. The portal flared to life, and I slipped my hand into Misha and Talon’s and looked up at the demons who had changed my life. I squared my shoulders, though I already felt stronger than ever. I wasn’t alone. Not anymore.

"I'm ready. Let's go home."

********The maze materialized around us in a swirl of darkness, the familiar graffiti-covered stone walls and neon lights bringing back memories I'd tried hard to suppress. My hand instinctively went to my face, phantom sensations of that damn bunny mask making my skin tingle.

"Feels different being here now, doesn't it?" Jasper's voice echoed slightly in the corridor, his form flickering between solid and transparent as he adjusted to our new location.

"You have no idea," I muttered, remembering how I'd raced through these same passages, so fucking sure of myself and my mission. The leather corset, those thigh-high boots, that ridiculous mask. I'd been ready to do whatever it took to bring down The Exiled.

I got a split-second heads-up before Snake slammed into my chest, having launched himself from his vantage point.

“Snakey baby!” I squealed, hugging him tightly.

“Careful, baby, you don’t want to squeeze him to death,” Talon said and then paused dramatically before chuckling. “Get it? Ha! He’s already dead.”

Rhodes rolled his eyes. “Yes, Talon. We got it.”

“I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered to my familiar. His little nose twitched as he sniffed me so hard I was concerned he was going to faint. The feeling of his presence in my mind was comforting, and I realized how much I hadn’t feltwholewithout him. “Careful, buddy. You’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t settle down.”