The Eighth Gate

31 | Encore

Mary awoke feeling completely rejuvenated, like she had just woken up from a long and peaceful night’s sleep, one that she had needed for quite some time now. She stretched where she lay, feeling the unfamiliar texture of the blankets touching the skin of her stomach and thighs.

That was when her memory came back to her. She gasped, opening her eyes.

Mason.

“Sleep well?”

Mary sat up with a startled jump, her heart skipping a beat. She fastened her gaze on the ghost of her best friend standing at the foot of her bed in front of a mirror that was weirdly out of place, and even more weirdly turned around. His arms were crossed, his head cocked to the side. His gaze was unreadable, although it did momentarily dip down to her bare torso, reminding her that all she had on was a bra.

“Noah,” Mary greeted him breathlessly as she tugged her blanket up to her chest. “I—I didn’t think you’d be here.”

“Were you expecting someone else?” His voice held an edge that led Mary to believe he knew about Mason’s overnight stay. But had it been overnight? Just how long had it been since he’d snuck out of her room?

Perhaps he hadn’t fallen asleep with her at all. Perhaps he had simply waited until she did, and then made his escape. It sounded like a Mason Montgomery thing to do.

“No,” she said quietly, surprised to hear a disappointed note in her voice. “I wasn’t expecting anyone at all, actually. I thought Tam would take longer to wake up. Is she okay?”

Noah nodded, still with that guarded look to his eyes. “I talked to her inside her head. It was pretty cool. I fell asleep in her body and suddenly I was in a green, empty room, and she was there. We could even touch each other.” For the first time this morning Mary thought she saw a flash of emotion skitter across his face, something like embarrassment. Then his face closed like a door again. “She was worried about you. She saw everything that happened in the lighthouse after I took control of her body. She told me she felt sorry about the fight you two got into and is going to apologize.”

That news brightened up Mary’s mood. “Really?” She smiled hopefully.

“Yes,” he replied, not returning her grin. “Now I wonder if it’s possible for me to possess people who aren’t being controlled by demons. Not that I would,” he added quickly, his nervous side shining through beneath his unusually stoic demeanor. “I’m just curious.”

“You could un-possess a lot of people that way,” Mary said. “Like Daniel. As far as we know, there’s still a demon in him.” She shuddered at the thought of him, feeling a brief flutter of panic in her chest.

“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed. “Anyway. So how was your night?”

The edge was back into his voice again. He definitely knew something.

“It was…” Thrilling. Pleasing. Passionate. Memorable. Breathtaking. “Rejuvenating. I got a lot of much needed rest.”

“Really? Because the presence of a half-naked Mason Montgomery in your bed this morning suggests you didn’t get much rest at all.”

Mary winced as if she’d just gotten slapped by the harshness in his words. Still, she was surprised to note that she cared more about the fact that Mason had stayed with her until morning than the fact that Noah knew about it. What did that mean?

Suddenly Noah exploded. It was like he had been holding his ball of rage inside him, bridling it with a rubber band that had finally snapped.

“I just don’t get it!” he yelled. “That kid’s a pig. Do you know how many girls he’s been with? How many lips have kissed his mouth? And still you—you let him touch you! Now you’re just as filthy as he is!” His voice was so loud Mary heard the mirror behind him crack, even though it wasn’t even facing her. He gripped his hair, his gaze flashing with pain. But mainly all Mary could see was that rage that had become all too familiar to her now. This was manic, hysterical, uncontrolled anger. The deranged, blinded look in his eyes said as much. It made Mary tense all over. “What the hell is it about him that makes him so special, huh?” he demanded of her, chest rising and falling. “What the hell,” he continued, and Mary screamed and ducked her head as a book flew across her room, “does he have that I don’t? Sure he’s richer, sure he’s better looking, but he’s an asshole!” Another object flew across her room, this one a flower vase that crashed into her wall and crumbled into a million pieces, raining onto the floor. “He’s a perverted, shameless asshole and you’re an idiot for falling for his charm!”