DEMON DOOR (#2 GHOST PORTAL series)

FIVE

Avery gawked at Ada. "Wait—there are more portals? More demon doors?"

He sensed heat rising up from his chest, sprawling from the base of his neck to his temples. All this time he'd believed one portal existed—the one in ruins before him now, ashes scattered all over the grass, and its ghosts hovering at the edges of the forest, likely eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Wow," he hissed through his teeth, "don't you feel like you left this little section out while explaining your realms and purposes to us?"

Ada's expression remained unchanged, her gaze neutral as she looked at him, looked past him. "Let me remind you that I didn't even have to tell you the bare minimum that I did, young man." Her lips puckered slightly, and she arched her spine, lifting herself a few inches above Avery. An intimidation tactic? A means to show she was—she thought—superior? "I only gave you some information to aid you in understanding what your purpose was, and why you needed to dispose of Jessamine. And you opted not to, so I don't feel like that little section was necessary to explain."

Jamie, who'd been silently staring at Ada while Avery fumed, raised a finger to the air, as if requesting permission to speak. "Um," he cleared his throat, "how can there be demon doors everywhere? I get the ghost portals, sure; there are a lot of deaths, which equals a lot of ghosts, I'd assume. But demons? How? They all showed up at the same time at different locations around the world?" He scrunched his eyebrows. "Just like that, random spirits rebelled, or whatever it takes to become demonic?"

Ada clasped her hands behind her back; her form was so near invisible that Avery saw her fingers entwining, squeezing. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"Okay," Avery waved his hand at her, "then can you explain what makes it complicated? Because this is a huge piece of news that I think we need to consider if we want to help."

Ada scoffed. "Who said you were helping? I asked you to leave. You shouldn't be involved in this."

Avery stomped a foot to the ground. "But we—"

"—you shouldn't be here." Ada's glow intensified, but it dimmed almost as quickly, as she winced and backed away to scour the area. "I don't owe you or anyone else explanations, and in any case, I don't have time to discuss our origins or the demon's creation with you." She shrank in size and the blue of her body grew fainter, grayer. As if she'd filled herself up with a burst of power, but lost it. "I am a Guide, here to guide spirits. Yes, I received a prophecy long ago, and yes, I wanted to thwart it, but the damage is done, no? You," she jutted her chin at Avery, "and Jessamine made your choices. Choices that led to the prophecy being fulfilled. There is nothing for you to help with. All I can do now is pick up the pieces and prepare for war."

"War?" Avery gulped, and the heat that had shot up to his forehead became cold, tingly. "You're going to fight the demons? Fight Jessamine? Is that what you mean?"

Ada flinched again. "Guides are benevolent beings, and we don't seek violence. We avoid it. But," she puffed her chest, sucking in a large breath, "we're also protectors of spirits, of Limbo, and of the Afterlife. If they're threatened, it's our role to step up. Fight... yes, it's a strong word. Perhaps too strong in this context. Defend is more what I intend to do."

Guides, Guides—Avery wracked his brain for why the concept irked him so suddenly. Every time Ada said it, every time he said it, thought it, a ripple of weird energy ran through him, as if prodding at him to remember something. But what? He'd never come across a Guide before, never read about them, never caught one on camera—that he knew of.

So why were Ada's kind and their roles bugging him so much?

A surprising flashback came to him, prompting him to press down on his temples with his middle finger and thumb. "Ugh," he said softly, as images whooshed into his head and immobilized him, choked up his breathing.