FINAL GATE (#3 GHOST PORTAL series)

TWENTY-SEVEN

When Jessamine landed in his arms, Avery's first instinct was to recoil, to panic. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been red with fury, her soul black with chaos. She'd been a woman trapped inside herself with monsters, her screech echoing in his ears as if it were now a part of him. She'd been blood embodied—a walking, clawing creature who sought to drink it, become it. Her energy was dark, heavy, petrifying; and his attraction to her was deep, sickening. Too much to remember all at once.

But he let the truth weigh down on him, helping him not let go of Jessamine. Because now, she was a frazzled mess, a frail thing collapsing into his embrace, nestling her nose into his shirt. She was pallid, shaky, but overall alive; a wounded warrior who'd been through hell and back. A human, devoid of cruel creatures that were eating her on the inside.

The force of Jessamine's return to the mortal world had sent them both toppling backwards. Avery was sprawled on the concrete, Jessamine in his arms, her body between his legs. And she was holding on to him for dear life. Her breaths were sharp, but she was jumpy. Her eyes were closed, and he feared watching for when they'd open; last he'd seen them, they were venomous with crimson rage.

He peered instead at the portal that he'd witnessed Ada being sucked through. He'd overheard snippets of the conversation on the other side—Jessamine's panic at not being able to open the door, and the demon urging her to hurry. Seconds later, the door blasted open in his world, and Ada was gone. No goodbyes, no good luck for the rest of your life, no apologies for all her wrongs, her lies. Nothing. Where once her blue glow had graced the world was nothing but an empty space.

It was an emptiness Avery should have enjoyed, as he'd wanted nothing more than to be rid of Ada. For her to die, disappear, or simply no longer be in his life, he didn't really care; but this? Her now dwelling in the demonic world she was so afraid of? He wasn't sure what to think about all of it. She was a liar, a contributor to the world's problems, but she'd tried with all her might to save the realm. To save Jessamine, to save Avery.

And he hadn't gotten a chance to thank her for that. He'd instead been shoved backward as Jessamine fell onto him, and the door slammed shut, hopefully to never open again.

Strangely enough, the door's redness dimmed; the gruesome glow from behind it no longer blinded the eye. The whispers had long since stopped, but after all this, they hadn't resumed. No noise peppered the air in the basement—nothing but Avery's thumping heart-beat and Jessamine's heavy breathing.

The door's frame seemed to melt into the wall. It was still there, but inactive, no longer a usable portal; at least, not on this side. The atmosphere was mild: not hot, not chilly. No muggy, blood-soaked air, no stench of death. Nothing. Avery smelled nothing.

Jessamine fidgeted in his embrace. With a wince, he glanced down at her, prepared for her bloodshot eyes to pierce his soul. Prepared for the demons to soar out of her and cackle at him, telling him he'd made a mistake, they'd tricked him, they were back.

But as her eyelashes fluttered, all he saw was green. The grassy hue of a spring meadow, the swirls of emeralds, a pinch of ocean blue spotting the corners, a dark forest outline. Her eyes—the real Jessamine. The eyes he'd fallen in love with without even knowing.

Her breathing was still ragged. He propped her up to ensure she was able to let oxygen in and out of her lungs properly. She blinked, squinted, turned her neck here and there to gather her bearings.

"Hey," said Avery, immediately flinching at his lackluster choice of a greeting. "You okay?"

She rubbed her temples and leaned into his arm, which he was using to help keep her upright. "I'm... no, not really."