DEMON DOOR (#2 GHOST PORTAL series)

SIXTEEN

With his door blasted open by Ada, Avery had little choice but to get out of the vehicle before she yanked him out by the skin of his neck.

Jamie hurried out, too, muttering about unnecessary force and beings with powers taking advantage of their humanity. He stood beside Avery, against the car, arms folded as he grimaced at Ada.

Avery had a similar grimace gracing his features. "Jamie is right. Was that necessary?" He gestured at his still opened door, nearly hanging off its hinges from the force Ada had used to pry it open. "You didn't need to break my car. We knew you wanted to keep talking when you got back. Asking nicely goes a long way. And we were actually getting ready to get out. Sheesh."

"I don't have time to be nice," said Ada, her voice so low it was almost threatening. But she wasn't growling or snarling, which meant she was simply being her usual demeaning self. Asserting her authority over him and Jamie, reminding them who was in charge.

She's going overboard.

"We have so much to discuss and very little time for niceties and courtesies," she continued, moving out of the way as if to let Avery and Jamie walk off.

"Right, but you'd already said get out of the car, so you didn't need to rip the door off," said Avery, insistent. He glared at the door, imagining dollar signs hovering over it, showing how much money he'd have to spend to get it repaired.

She needs to not ruin other people's property because she has temper issues.

"I apologize," said Ada, sounding anything but apologetic as she raised her hands, palms facing Avery. "If there's a way to fix it, we'll do that when we get a chance. If we survive this. In the meantime, please do tell me about your encounter with Jessamine, downstairs. Leave no detail out."

Avery swallowed too much air and started coughing. Not in shock at Ada's request—he knew she was going to ask—but at the onrush of emotions that took over him at the mention of Jessamine's name. He'd said it several times since the clash with Jessamine, and so had Jamie. And yet suddenly, coming from Ada, it was infecting him on the inside, painful to his heart and lungs.

He did his best to recompose himself, not wanting Ada or Jamie to know the difficulties he was experiencing with only a name. "She wasn't herself, first off."

Ada nodded. "You implied as much before. But what made her not herself?"

Avery gulped. "Uh, everything. Her appearance was darker, malicious. Her eyes," he gulped again, this time with more pain, "they were rimmed with red. They even turned fully red a few times. So much red."

"A red glow?" Ada squinted at him.

"All around her, yeah. Changing in intensity depending on what she was saying. And blood," he indicated his clothes, "staining her outfit, her face, her skin... all over. She smelled like blood."

He omitted the fact that she'd given him a whiff of cinnamon, too, and how he wondered if he'd imagined that. With his lust for her, had he thought a whiff of cinnamon was swirling in his nostrils? He associated her with coffee and cinnamon, because that was her aroma when they first met. And to tell that to Ada would show his attachment to Jessamine. Ada and Jamie would worry about him, they'd think he wasn't up to the task, and they'd be more depressed than they already were.

I'll keep that to myself, still. No need to inform them of the effect she had on me.

"Depending on what she was saying, hm," said Ada, lips bunching. "And what was she saying? Do you remember that?"

"Remember?" Avery flinched. "It's ingrained in my brain forever. Mostly threats, reminders that she could kill me. And a lot of talking to herself."

"To herself?" Ada arched an eyebrow.