“Hey, Uncle Mason.”
“No time for small talk,” I said. “Where’s Carson? Randy’s been hurt, and he needs a doctor.”
“I’m Carson,” said a short blond guy with glasses.
“Great. He’s right inside. In the living room. Arianna’s taking care of him.”
“I’m on it.” He headed inside, but the others stayed.
“So,” Mason said, “before we get settled here, I want to see this amazing power you and my nephew have perfected.”
I looked at Chase, my eyes the size of golf balls.
“Sure thing, Uncle Mason.” Chase took my hand before I could stop him, and the second our skin made contact, I felt the rush of power go through me. More power than any person, Ophi or not, should have.
Chapter 15
“What are you doing?” My voice was barely a whisper.
Relax. Chase’s voice ran through me. He wasn’t speaking out loud. He was speaking through our connection. Through our blood. If I wasn’t already so freaked out, this would’ve totally thrown me. He rubbed the back on my hand with his thumb. Give in to me, Jodi. It’s that easy. Our connections have only failed because you’ve fought them.
Could that be true? Had I been the problem all along? Mason and the others were watching, expecting to see something truly phenomenal. If I didn’t make this work, they’d get right back in their cars and go home. I couldn’t screw this up. I had to listen to Chase and figure this out quickly.
Okay, what should we try to do? I asked, speaking through the connection like Chase had.
Let’s get Mr. and Mrs. Nasty Corpse back in the ground.
Normally, I didn’t approve of treating the corpses or the souls we raised like they were beneath us, but this guy had taken a chunk out of Randy.
Let’s start with him.
You got it.
I took a deep breath and let go of my anxiety. I let the walls come down and allowed Chase’s power to flow into mine. Chase was right. When I stopped fighting it, the power was incredible. My body tingled like an electric current was running through me. I’d never felt so alive—so good.
Go ahead, Chase said. Raise him again and give him a command.
I focused my attention on the corpse. The one who’d attacked Randy. I let my power reach out to his soul. I felt it, heard it crying in agony as I ripped it from Hell. I stuffed him back in his rotting body. “Get up!” I was talking aloud now, so the others could hear. I had to make them see and hear what I was doing. Show them how Chase and I were working together.
The corpse rose and stood before me. Even though I was using Chase’s power, too, the corpse only acknowledged me.
“Grab a shovel and return your body to the earth you dug out of. Once you’re buried, you may release your soul back to where it came from.”
I heard gasps from some of the new Ophi and Leticia. Then Alex’s voice cut through all of them. “That’s torture, Jodi. You can’t make him do that. What’s gotten into you?”
I ignored him. I tuned into my power and reached out for the woman’s soul. Her screams were ear-splitting. She tried to resist me, to fight, but she was no match for Chase and me. I wrenched her soul back into her body, still half-stuck in the ground.
“Dig your way back into your grave. When you get there, you may return your soul to Hell.” My voice didn’t sound like my own. It was deeper and filled with hatred.
Chase squeezed my hand and our connection intensified. I had a feeling the more we connected physically, the stronger our powers would be. I turned toward him and reached for his other hand. Instantly my hair whipped behind me, even though there was no wind. I wasn’t aware of anything but Chase. I stared into his eyes, and he smiled at me.
“You and me. This is how it’s supposed to be.”
“This is amazing.” The power was intense, but in a good way. I wasn’t afraid of it anymore. It felt right being with Chase like this. I wanted more. More of the power. More of Chase. I squeezed Chase’s hands tighter. “Hold me closer.”
“Anything you say, Jodi.” Chase stepped toward me so we were toe to toe, and there was barely any space between us.
I could smell him and almost taste his minty breath. I breathed him in, and my eyes closed in response. The connection between us was intoxicating.
The souls releasing broke my trance. I looked down at the ground. The corpses were buried and the shovels lay next to the graves again.
“Well done,” Mason said. The smile on his face was wide with satisfaction. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“Hey, you can let go of my girlfriend now,” Alex said.
I looked down, realizing I hadn’t let go of Chase. I avoided Alex’s eyes as I tried to slip my hands from Chase’s, but Chase smiled and squeezed my hands, sending tingling sensations through my body. I closed my eyes in response.
“I don’t think she wants me to let go,” Chase said.
Chase’s hands were ripped from mine. I opened my eyes to see Alex shoving Chase in the chest.
“Stop!” I yelled, not sure who I was trying to protect.
“Well, well,” said a red-haired girl with long legs. “Looks like they’ll be plenty of entertainment around here.”
“Lexi, why don’t you and the others go see if Carson needs any help with the injured boy.” Mason nodded toward the school.
“Sure.” Lexi smiled at me, but it was the most unfriendly smile I’d ever seen. As she walked past me, she said, “I think I’ll take my sister’s room. I believe it’s right across the hall from yours.”
No way! Lexi was Abby’s sister? Ophi could only be born between the dates of November 29 and December 17, under the sign of Ophiuchus, and the child’s parents had to be 25. It was this strange way that the gods controlled how many Ophi there were in the world. Since Abby and Lexi’s parents were only 25 once, that meant Abby and Lexi had to be unidentical twins. This was not good news for me. Lexi must have hated me for sending her twin to the underworld as Hades’ slave.
I stood there speechless.
Chase smoothed out his shirt and stepped away from Alex. “I’ll show you guys to your rooms.” He winked at me before heading toward the house. The others followed. All but Alex. He stayed behind with me. I could barely look at him.
“I tried to tell myself this was all one-sided. That it was just Chase being a dick. But after seeing you touch him like that—”
“We were only connecting our powers. That’s all.”
“No, that’s not all. You couldn’t get close enough to him. You were clinging to him. And the look on your face.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “You loved every second of that. Whatever it was.”
I shook my head and reached for him. “It was the power, not Chase.”
“Wrong again, Jodi. It was all about Chase. The things he said to you…and you didn’t even disagree with him.”
Oh, no! I’d thought Chase and I were using our connection to speak privately, but we must have started talking out loud. Alex had heard Chase say we were supposed to be together. He’d heard me practically agree.
“Alex, I was—”
“Don’t.” He turned away like it was too painful to even look at me.
“Alex?” I didn’t know what to say, how to make this better.
“I should’ve known.” He smacked the side of his leg with his fist. “Damn it, I think I did know, but I wouldn’t admit it to myself.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Chase. He’s what’s messing up your powers.” He spun around. His face was bright red, and his breathing was heavy. “Ever since you started emailing him, you’ve been different. And to think I thought your emotions were throwing off your powers because you were falling in love with me.”
“I am in love with you!” I reached for him, but he put his hands out to stop me.
“No, Jodi. You can’t love me when you obviously feel this way about him.” He said “him” like it was the most vile word
in the English language.
“I do love you, Alex. I’m sure of that. It’s the only thing I know for certain. I don’t have a clue what’s going on with my powers or why Chase affects them the way he does. But I know how I feel about you, and none of this stuff with Chase changes that.”
He shook his head. “It does change it, Jodi. You didn’t see yourself when you connected with him. You didn’t hear yourself. You made those souls do unbelievable things. The Jodi I fell in love with couldn’t have done that. You’ve changed.”
“No.” My voice was weak. Was he right? I had made those souls suffer. I’d tortured them just to give Mason and the others a reason to stay here. “Mason—”
“Don’t use him as an excuse. You changed. You’re different. You’re mean. Mason had nothing to do with that.”
I squeezed my fists. Ugh! Why wouldn’t he listen to me? “What can I say to make you believe me? Tell me, please.”
“I don’t want you to tell me what I want to hear. That’s useless, meaningless.” He started toward the school.
“Where are you going?” I practically had to run to keep up with him.
“I can’t stay here.”
“Fine. Let’s go to my room and talk.”
“No.” He took the front stairs two at a time.
“Alex, wait up.”
He threw open the door and stormed past the Medusa statue. He went straight up the stairs and to his room.
“Okay, we’ll talk in your room,” I said, but Alex shut the door in my face. This wasn’t like him at all. I pounded on the door. “Alex, let me in. We need to talk about this.”
“I’m tired of talking,” he yelled through the door.
I tried the doorknob. Of course it was locked. I thought about going to my room, letting him cool off. But I was afraid to. Alex had never been this angry with me. What if he didn’t cool off? What if he ended things instead? I couldn’t give up. I had to make him listen to me. I leaned my back against the wall next to his door, determined to stay here until he came out. I wouldn’t let him leave his room without talking to me.
Lexi walked out of Abby’s room—her room now. She saw me and flashed her wicked smile. Just great. I wasn’t up for another round with her right now. She headed toward me, stopping about five feet away and crossing her arms.
“Don’t tell me your boyfriend’s locked you out.” Her voice was laced with mock sympathy. “I bet he’d let me in his room.” She stepped toward his door, but I blocked her path.
“Lexi, I’m not in the mood for games.”
“Who’s playing games?” She stepped closer, challenging me.
“Alex has good taste. He’d never go for a girl like you, so you might as well turn around and go back to your room.”
She looked me up and down. “Good taste, huh? I kind of doubt that if he’s stooped so low as to date you. But maybe since my sister is no longer here, he didn’t have a lot of choices. You or that cowardly girl—what’s her name? Morticia?”
“Leticia. And for your information, Alex never dated Abby. He couldn’t stand her. Like I said, he has good taste.”
Lexi started laughing. “At least you have some fight in you. Abby led me to believe you were a sniveling little girl.”
I crossed my arms, mimicking Lexi’s former stance. “That’s funny, considering I sent Abby straight to the underworld on Hades’ coattails.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes at me. I’d struck a nerve. She leaned closer, and I struggled not to back away. I didn’t want to look weak or easily intimidated. Good thing there was a wall behind me to keep me from cowering.
“Abby was a pussy cat compared to me.” She winked. “I’m the real bitch in the family.”
Somehow, I believed that. “Is that why you and your family tossed Abby out? Sent her here and didn’t talk to her again?”
“Oh, we talked. Maybe my mom disowned her, but I never did. We texted—kept each other informed.”
Alex’s door opened, and both Lexi and I turned to him. He was carrying a duffel bag, the same one he’d had when he brought me here over two months ago.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
Lexi stepped toward him, dragging one finger down the front of his shirt. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving. I was hoping we could get to know each other better. A lot better.”
I smacked her hand away. “Don’t touch him!”
Alex rolled his eyes at Lexi and pushed past her. “Jodi, I’m going away for a while. I’ll see you when I get back. If I come back.”
“What? Alex, you can’t leave. I need you.” I raced down the stairs after him.
He opened the front door and stopped in the doorway. He sighed and finally turned to me. He looked as awful as I felt. It was my fault he was hurting. I reached for him again, but he stepped back. “I need time away from all this. From us.”
Wide-eyed, I shook my head. “No, we need to be together.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t stick around while you try to figure out what’s going on with you and Chase. It’s not fair to me.”
“I don’t want Chase! I want you. I love you!” Tears streamed down my face. Things couldn’t end this way.
Alex’s eyes jerked to his right at something behind me. I assumed it was Lexi, tagging along to watch the show. Alex looked at me one last time before turning and walking away.
“Alex!” I yelled, going after him, but someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. Chase. Before I could react, he pulled me to him, pressing his lips firmly against mine. My body responded to him as if this was normal. As if this was what my body had wanted for days. My lips tingled, and the sensation traveled through me. There was nothing I could do to fight it. The power took over. I gave in. My blood surged in my veins. I felt every drop of blood, and it gave me more pleasure than I ever could have imagined. I kissed Chase back, weaving my fingers in his hair. He lifted me off the ground, and our bodies pressed against each other.
I felt like I was spinning. Or maybe the room was spinning. It was freeing and completely amazing. Then my body temperature rose. I was hot all over, and it wasn’t showing any signs of stopping. I was burning from the inside out. I thought of the pain I had felt when Hades’ eyes burned into me. This heat was similar, but I wasn’t in pain. The heat was rising, and I was aware of it, but it didn’t hurt me. Like I was the fire, not the thing being burned by it.
An electric current rushed through me as Chase kissed me with even more intensity. I couldn’t breathe. My head felt disconnected, and my legs shook. My arms dropped down to my sides. I couldn’t hold them up anymore. I was weak. I hung limp in Chase’s arms, yet he was still kissing me. I tried to say his name, but the word wouldn’t come out.
I heard screams and repeated thumping like things were toppling over. Finally, I turned my head to the side, breaking free from the kiss. Chase raised his head and looked at me. He lowered me to the ground, and we turned toward the screams.
Lexi and Leticia cried out in pain. Leticia had blood running from her eyes and nose. Lexi was choking up blood. It was horrible to watch, yet I was frozen in place, unable to move or look away. They collapsed on the living room floor. Randy was lying lifeless on the couch above them. The toppling noise continued, and my eyes flew to the stairs. Tony was tumbling down them. I gasped as his body reached the bottom, and his head slammed onto the floor.
Tony was dead. And I had a feeling all the other Ophi I’d brought here were dead, too.
Chapter 16
Chase looked like he was completely drained and in shock. He wasn’t going to be of any help to me right now. I was weak too, but I forced myself to reach for Medusa. She was my only hope in saving the Ophi. I’d never raised more than one Ophi at a time before. Technically, I’d only raised a total of three since I’d become Ophi. I wasn’t sure this was possible, even without needing to spill my blood to raise them, but I was certain I needed Medusa’s help.
The second my hands met hers, I called out, “Medusa, please
! I need you. They’re all dead. All of them. You have to help me bring them back.” I was hysterical. My sobs were uncontrollable, and if I hadn’t been communicating in my mind, I was sure Medusa wouldn’t have understood me. I doubted I could form audible words right now.
“I know, my child. I sensed the shift in energy.” She was in front of me, holding my hands in hers. “Concentrate, Jodi. Reach out with your powers. Feel for their souls. We must trap them before they release. If Hades gets hold of them, he will stop us.”
“But how? Isn’t that against the rules?”
“Hades isn’t playing by the rules anymore.”
“What do you mean?” She knew something. I knew she did. Why was she being so cryptic?
“There’s no time to explain. Close your eyes and reach for their souls.”
I didn’t argue. It wasn’t the time. I had to save the others. I wouldn’t be the girl who led an entire race to its extinction. I mixed my powers with Medusa’s. It was an incredible feeling. Not like the way it felt when Chase and I combined powers, though. That was an entirely different kind of rush. I saw Tony’s soul leaving his body, but I forced it back inside. I didn’t have time to be nice about it. I had to move on to the next one. I could feel Medusa’s power reaching out farther in the house. Most of the new Ophi were in the conference room. I could sense them as Medusa restored life to their bodies. Leticia was next on my list. I pushed her soul back inside of her and commanded her to come back to life. To breathe. On her first inhale, I turned my attention to Randy. His soul was harder to convince. His body was in bad shape still. Every time I put his soul back inside him, it seeped out again.
Medusa finished with the others, including Lexi, who I’d conveniently skipped over. I continued to struggle with Randy. Why wouldn’t he listen to me? Medusa reached her powers out to him, but she didn’t have any better luck.
“He’s too weak, Jodi. His body was already dying when this happened. Every time we put his soul back, he dies all over again.”
“Are you saying we’re torturing him?” I fought the soul as it found another way out of Randy.
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