The Eighth Gate

32 | Burned Intentions

 Mary watched with hazy eyes as flames licked and ate up the key she’d tossed into her smoldering fireplace. She was sitting down before it, her legs crossed under her while her arms were wrapped around herself, unconsciously shielding herself from the memory of being surrounded by fire.

Once the key disappeared into a melted puddle, she closed her eyes. Now Mia was free. Now she could rest in peace.

With Noah gone, Mary didn’t think she could manage to fall asleep last night. Sleep left one with their defenses down, opening them up for any attack. She was terrified a demon would bust through her window and kidnap her again. Avery wouldn’t be able to protect her like Noah could if that happened.

Somehow, though, Mary managed to slide into a restless slumber—something that she both blamed and thanked her pills for. She’d only gotten a few hours of sleep, though. Now, as she sat in her living room while her parents were at work, she was feeling drained and unmotivated. She knew she was feeling down because of the pills they’d woken her up and made sure she take before they left, and because Noah’s absence felt like a gaping hole in her chest, unfillable until he returned.

Still, her day hadn’t been all bad. She awoke to a text from Mason, asking if it was true she hadn’t slept behind bars the night before. Mary replied that it was, stating that the officers had taken pity on her situation. He then apologized on behalf of his father for his behavior at the playhouse, where he’d yelled at Mary and demanded they stay away from each other.

Mary insisted Mason needn’t apologize for him and played it all off as if everything was fine. But the truth was that it wasn’t. Mayor Montgomery had a darker side to him Mary didn’t like, and she hated how two-faced he was to his people, smiling for photographs and acting charming on T.V.

Then Tam had texted her, asking if she could come over because she wanted to talk to her. Mary knew she probably wanted to apologize, but was still wary of agreeing to let Tam enter her house since last time she’d texted her saying she wanted to “talk” Tam had knocked her out and dragged her to a lighthouse. And now with Noah gone, Mary couldn’t just ask him to poof over to Tam’s place and assure that she really was who she claimed she was.

Tam sent her a picture of herself wearing the necklace she’d thrown across the study at her house during their fight. It had a cross dangling from it that kept demons from possessing her.

Still, Mary was not convinced.

She’d texted Mason, asking for advice. He managed to coerce Mary into letting him come over so that he could be there as back up when Tam came, just in case she turned out to be a demon. Thoughts of what Mr. Montgomery had told her the day before filtered into her mind, reminding her that if she was caught with Mason he wouldn’t be happy.

Mary absently touched the hickey he’d given her, the skin of her neck feeling a bit sore, as if she had a bruise there. Mason’s father had definitely seen it yesterday. And, given his son’s increased interaction with Mary, he probably got the wrong idea. He probably thought there was something going on between them.

Before Mary could dwell on the subject any further her doorbell rang, sending Caspar into a barking fit. Mary shooed him away from where he was leaping and scratching the front door. She opened it and was met with a pair of deep green eyes.

She couldn’t resist scanning her eyes over the rest of him as he did the same to her. Then his lips crooked into a half-smile.

“Hey, beautiful.”

Even though she was a walking zombie because of her pills, her heart skipped a beat.

“Hey,” she replied breathlessly. She opened the door wider to give him room to pass through. “Come in.”