Chapter 10 Palmer #3
"Three weapons minimum," Hunter reminded me, like I was still that reckless teenager who'd show up to training with just a butterfly knife and attitude.
"Yes, Dad." I rolled my eyes but patted my arsenal anyway.
"Knife on the thigh, backup in the boot, brass knuckles in the bag, I just wish I had my bunny ear blades…
when I woke up in Slade's lair, they were gone.
I will be getting them back, that's a promise.
" My fingers traced the vacant space on my thigh, the cool touch of steel now absent.
I longed for the reassurance and connection to Misha that those weapons once gave me.
Jasper drifted closer, his presence sending a familiar chill down my spine. "The daggers were a courting gift," he said, amusement clear in his voice.
"Courting gift?" Hunter chuckled. "That's old school. From you, Jasper?"
"No, from Misha. The best blacksmith Besmet's ever seen."
"Oh shit, Vale. That giant demon is forging you personalized weapons? Seems you've got yourself a whole demon harem situation brewing."
"Shut up," I muttered, cheeks burning. "We need to focus on getting to Besmet first. Then we can deal with... whatever that is." I waved vaguely at Jasper, who just smirked.
Hunter's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "About that..." He winced as he stood up, and I could tell it wasn't just from his injuries. "I can't go with you."
"What? Why not?" The words came out sharper than I intended, but the thought of going without him made my stomach twist. I wouldn't have given it a second thought prior to him showing up, but he was here now. Hunter had been my backup for years—we moved like two parts of the same machine.
"I have orders," he said quietly. "From Cam and Saige. Before they left for Besmet, they tasked me with finding Saige's sister, Fern. She's missing, and it's important. Really important."
Part of me wanted to argue, to demand he come with us. But I knew that look in his eyes. This wasn't just about following orders—he believed in this mission. And he needed to help his brother. His only brother, whom he'd been led to believe was dead for most of his life.
"Fuck," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Okay. I understand." I stepped forward and pulled him into a careful hug. "Just try not to get captured and tortured again while I'm gone, okay?"
He squeezed me back. "No promises. You know how charming I can be."
"Yeah, like a brick to the face," I muttered, pulling away. My throat felt tight with emotion. Who the fuck are you right now? Hunter and I didn't do goodbyes—we never had. It felt too much like tempting fate.
"I know vaguely where I'm heading. I've got some contacts I'm waiting to hear from." And since fate works in ways that sometimes make sense, his phone vibrated.
As he pulled out his phone, I caught Jasper watching me with that intense, knowing look that made me feel like he could see right through my carefully constructed walls.
"What?" I demanded.
"You're worried about him," Jasper observed softly.
"Of course I am. He's..." I gestured helplessly, unable to find the right words to describe what Hunter meant to me. I almost said he's all I have, because prior to coming to Port Black, that would've been accurate. Now, though, that simply wasn't true.
Jasper's form flickered closer, his cold presence oddly comforting. "He's family."
I nodded. He was my family, and he always would be. Finding someone in life that you not only walked through fire with but rose through those flames? That was rare as hell.
"He'll be fine, darling. Hunter knows what he's doing."
"Yeah," I agreed, watching Hunter pace as his fingers flew across his phone, tapping out a reply to whatever message he'd just received. "He better be."
Because the next time I saw him, we were either going to be celebrating our victories or planning our next desperate move. There was no in-between anymore.
Hunter tucked his phone away and turned to face me, his expression a mix of determination and something softer that made my chest ache. "Got a lead on Fern. Heading out in ten."
"Just like that?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but fuck if this didn't feel like losing another piece of my carefully constructed world.
"Just like that," he confirmed, stepping closer. "But hey, when this shit show is over, come visit me in Emerald Lakes. You need to meet Cam and his crazy family. Pretty sure you and Saige would get along great, and you could really use a female friend."
I snorted, crossing my arms. "Is that supposed to offend me?"
"You can be offended all you like, you know it’s the truth." His smirk faded into something more serious. "Plus, you should see what a real family looks like. Might do you some good."
"I know what family looks like," I muttered, glancing at Jasper, who was pretending to examine a battle axe while obviously eavesdropping.
"Yeah, you do now." Hunter pulled me into another hug, this one tighter than before. "Don't die in demon land, okay? I'd have to come resurrect your ass just to kill you myself for leaving me with all the paperwork."
I laughed against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of gunpowder and that stupid, expensive cologne he always wore. "Same goes for you. No more getting captured by psycho ex-boyfriends."
"Hey, that was one time!"
"One time too many," Jasper chimed in, his ghostly form drifting closer.
Hunter released me and turned to Jasper, his expression surprisingly serious. "Take care of her, yeah? She acts tough, but she's actually kind of an idiot sometimes."
"Standing right here," I growled, but there was no heat behind it.
"I know." Hunter grinned. "That's why I said it." He shouldered his pack and headed for the door, pausing in the threshold. "Oh, and Palmer? When you see The Exiled... try not to stab anyone before talking? Just a suggestion."
"No promises," I called after him, but he was already gone, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway and trying to ignore the hollow feeling in my chest. It wasn't goodbye, not really. But something told me that when I saw Hunter again, we'd both be different people.
"Ready?" Jasper asked softly, his cold presence wrapping around me like a familiar blanket.
I checked my weapons one last time, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah. Before we go crash the demon realm, I need to address the members of The Exiled. I need to make sure they're prepared for anything and everything while we're gone."
"That's my girl, taking care of the kingdom," Jasper whispered, and for once, I didn't argue with the possessive term. Because maybe, just maybe, I was finally ready to belong somewhere—or to someone. Multiple someones, if Jasper's knowing smirk was anything to go by.
Time to face my demons, explain myself, and hopefully not get murdered in the process. But first, we had a realm to break into.
I weaved through the building, admiring one of Felix's murals as I made my way down to the main level.
It reminded me of how focused and beautiful Felix was.
My heart squeezed without warning. I missed him—my dark, tortured artist. I found myself sighing and glancing at Jasper from the corner of my eye, finding him smiling softly.
"Did you just… mind hug me? Or something? Snake does that to me, you know." I whispered, not wanting anyone listening in as they walked by.
"Mind hug?" he tossed his head back and laughed. "Yeah, darling. Something like that. Why? Did it feel good?"
I found myself grinning before I could stop myself. "Actually, I fucking hated it. Never do it again."
His smile widened, and he lifted a brow. "Understood, Commander Vale. Won't happen again." He saluted me, and I flipped him off so fast it would've impressed Rhodes.
Jasper's presence beside me was a comfort, even if no one else could see him right now.
He needed to preserve his energy. I likely looked crazy as hell smiling and flipping off the air, but whatever.
I felt good. Though the closer we got to the hangout area, which was off the back of the building in the garage bays, the more my nerves started to fray.
"They're going to have questions," I muttered under my breath.
"Let them ask," Jasper replied, his ghostly form shimmering as we passed under the neon lights. "You have nothing to hide anymore."
Easy for you to say, ghost boy. The gang members who worked this level knew me, but they didn't know everything that had happened. About Rhodes pushing me away, about Scorpio... about completing some crazy ass mate bond, and now having a demon ghost attached to my hip.
The scene that greeted us when we arrived was pandemonium.
This was exactly what happened after a traumatic event with nobody in charge.
Panicked gang members rushed around like headless chickens, some of them even fighting each other.
This was playing directly into Scorpio's hands, and I couldn't stand for it.
"Enough!" I shouted. "Everyone, stop what you're doing and shut the fuck up for two minutes."
To my surprise, they actually listened. Maybe it was the commanding tone, or maybe it was the fact that I'd helped save their asses from Scorpio's mind control fuckery. Either way, I had their attention.
"Jasper, how many exits are there?" I asked, not caring if people thought I was crazy for talking to thin air.
"Four ground level, two in the basement, and the roof access," he replied, his ghostly form moving through the crowd to double-check his count.
I clapped my hands together. "Alright, listen up because I'm only saying this once. We have seven exit points that need to be secured. I want three people minimum at each exit. If you see anyone acting weird or suspicious, you radio it in immediately."