I tried to duck under his arm, but he grabbed me. The second his skin touched mine, I felt his power. It wasn’t poison like I’d been expecting. It was the energy I craved from him. He wasn’t trying to hurt me—at least not physically. Before I gave in to the power, I saw Jared and Lexi at the top of the stairs. Chase must have heard them coming, and now he was using his power to make it look like he and I were caught making out in the hallway. His lips were on mine in seconds, and without being able to stop myself, my arms were around his neck.
“Damn, Chase,” Lexi said, “I thought you had better taste.”
“Whatever, Lexi,” Jared said. “Way to go, man!” Jared must have thought Chase and I were making up.
They went to their rooms, and when both doors closed, Chase pulled away. “Why can’t you let us be this way all the time?”
I could’ve given him a slew of answers. He was evil. He was a manipulative prick. I wasn’t his little plaything. But the simplest answer, and the one I definitely couldn’t say, was he wasn’t Alex.
“Goodnight, Chase.” I reached for the knob, but he stopped me, taking my hand in his. His touch made my blood ripple under my skin.
“You sure you’re ready to say goodnight?” He moved in closer, and I almost gave in. Almost. But I saw Leticia’s door closing. She’d been watching us. I twisted the doorknob with my other hand and ducked into my room, locking the door behind me. I leaned against the door and relaxed my breathing. I pictured Alex’s face in my mind. He’d be here tomorrow. I could make it until then. Of course, having Alex here was only going to make all this harder on me. I was going to have to guard myself against Chase. I needed to block him, stop him from taking over my blood. I exhaled slowly, regaining control. My blood wasn’t surging anymore. I’d resisted the urge to give in to Chase. All thanks to Leticia. I hoped she’d seen everything. The way my mood changed so quickly. The way Chase looked like he wanted to kill me one minute, and make out with me the next. I hoped Leticia would figure it out. She wasn’t the most skilled Ophi, but she was smart.
Please, Leticia. I needed more people on my side. Before Chase took over my blood, and there was nothing left of me.
Chapter 22
Morning couldn’t come soon enough. I ran to the window and pushed back the curtains. The little girl in me had been hoping I’d catch a glimpse of Alex hiding in the woods, waiting to come rescue me. Life would be so much easier if those fairy tales they tell you as a kid were actually true. But in this scenario, I was the powerful one who was supposed to save the day. I’d saved Alex before. I didn’t mind being powerful. I loved it. But just once, it would’ve been nice to pretend I was a princess about to be saved by her prince.
“Jodi?” Arianna called from the other side of the door. “Are you awake?”
I went to the door and opened it a crack. I wanted to see if she was alone or if Chase had tricked her into getting me up so he could get his claws on me first thing.
She was alone.
“Yeah, come on in, Arianna.” I shut the door behind her and locked it again, which got me a wrinkled brow from Arianna.
“Trying to avoid someone?”
She was good. She knew I was having boy issues. “Kind of.”
“Sweetheart, listen to me. I know you’re still crazy about Alex, so why are you hanging all over Chase?”
My God, is that what it looked like to everyone else? He was chasing after me. Forcing me to be with him. Torturing me. But it came off as me hanging all over him?
“I’m not. I don’t like Chase like that. He’s—” If I told Arianna the truth, would she believe me? I still didn’t know if Leticia knew what was really happening. Maybe she saw the incident in the hall last night as me throwing myself at Chase. Ugh, the thought sickened me.
“Honey, you are torn. One minute you’re holding onto Chase for dear life, and the next you’re taking off. Don’t you see you’re clinging to Chase because Alex isn’t here?”
I wish. If things were that simple, they’d be fixed in a matter of hours, maybe minutes, when Alex showed up.
“Ari, things with Chase are very complicated. It’s hard to explain.”
“I can see that. Why are you hiding from him now?”
“I’m not hiding.” I opened my arms wide. “I’m in my room. It’s the first place he’d look. I’m just not ready to face him yet today.”
“Did you two have a fight?”
“You could say that.”
“Was it about Alex?”
“Somewhat.” I knew that she knew more than she was saying. “Did Leticia come to you? Did she say anything about last night?”
“No. I was in the library yesterday, and I checked the Internet log. Alex was logged in during lessons, and so were you. I’m wondering how that was possible. He’s not hiding out in the woodwork or anything, is he? Because my heart can’t take surprises like that.”
“No.” I couldn’t help smiling. I wished Alex had been hiding out here all this time. “I logged in under Alex’s name. I was trying to find out where he went.”
“Did you?”
I hated that I couldn’t completely trust Arianna, but giving away anything about yesterday was too risky. “Not really. Arianna, please don’t tell Chase about this.”
“Chase was under the impression you left before lessons.”
“I know.” I had a feeling Tony had mentioned finding me in the library and hiding me from Chase. It looked like Arianna and I were both tiptoeing around information we didn’t want the other to know.
She reached for my hand. “I know I’m not your mother, Jodi, but you can talk to me. If Chase does anything to you that scares you or makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me.”
Everything Chase did scared me and made me uncomfortable. “Thanks,” I said.
She looked like she wanted to say more, and I couldn’t help wondering about Abby and Lexi’s father. Had he been abusive? Arianna had already told me he was evil. Was she trying to reach out to me because she’d been in my shoes? She exhaled a shaky breath. “Sometimes even the strongest Ophi needs a little help. All you have to do is ask.”
That was all I needed to hear. I didn’t know Abby and Lexi’s father, but in that moment, I hated him. He’d hurt Arianna. She turned to leave. “Ari.” She looked over her shoulder at me. “You’re the best second mother I could’ve asked for. Abby and Lexi have no idea how lucky they are.”
I meant it. Even though I had to hide things from her, I still loved that she was willing to do anything for me—and the others. She was an amazing mother to all of us.
“That means a lot.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she left.
I got dressed and ready for breakfast. Every time I heard a noise in the hall, I expected Chase to come knocking at my door. He’d left almost too easily last night. I was sure he wasn’t happy with me slipping away like I had, and I was even more sure he was going to make me pay for it.
Finally, the knock came at my door. It had to be him. I slipped into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I couldn’t remember if I’d locked my bedroom door after Arianna left. I waited a few seconds before peeking out the bathroom door that led to the hallway. Chase wasn’t there. That meant he was probably in my room and the bathroom would be his next stop. I slipped out, running into Lexi.
“What’s your hurry?” She brushed off her pants as if I had dirtied them by bumping into her.
“Sorry.” I didn’t have time to get into it with Lexi. Besides, any commotion would draw Chase’s attention to the hallway. I ran past Lexi and down the stairs. I went straight to the dining room where everyone else would be. Safety in numbers. Leticia was already sitting down, and so was McKenzie. I slipped into the seat next to Leticia. Randy’s old seat. It felt weird to sit there, and everyone looked at me like I’d lost my mind.
“I thought a little different scenery would be nice,” I said.
Arianna met my eyes and smiled. “I agree. I think I’ll sit by you, Jodi.” She
put the coffee on the table and sat. I was safely wedged between two Ophi who might have seen a small glimpse of the person Chase really was. I struck up a conversation with Arianna and dug into the Belgian waffles she’d made. I barely noticed Lexi and Jared come in.
“Hey, what’s up with the seating arrangements?” Jared asked.
“I thought we should mix things up. Get to know different people a little better.”
“Then, why are you sitting by two people you’ve known for months?” Lexi had an evil smirk on her face.
Before I could answer, Chase walked in. He looked at my empty seat before his gaze traveled across the table to me. “Did I miss musical chairs?”
“I talked to Jodi this morning about mixing things up.” Arianna came to my defense. “She thought we should sit by different people at each meal. That way we can really get to know each other. We were falling into a rut with the old seating.”
“Hmm,” Chase said. “Well, actually I had just changed my seat.”
Yeah, he’d taken Alex’s seat to make sure he was by me.
“Well, then you don’t mind changing it again.” Arianna smiled. I squeezed her hand under the table.
Chase sat down in Arianna’s usual seat, and I did my best to avoid his eyes for the rest of the meal. I kept glancing at the door, expecting Alex to walk in at any minute.
“Expecting someone, Jodi?” Mason asked.
“Huh?” I nearly dropped my orange juice in my lap.
“You keep looking at the door. Were you expecting someone else for breakfast?”
“Yeah, like a few corpses?” Lexi said. “You didn’t raise the cemetery again, did you?”
“No, I—I was thinking about visiting Medusa before training this morning. That’s all.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Mason said. “Most Ophi only connect with Medusa once, when they first come to the school. You seem to do it on a regular basis.”
“Well, my powers are a little different than other Ophi’s. I have a more direct connection to Medusa, so it seems only natural.” I struggled to keep my tone friendly, but that was tough considering I knew the man calling himself Mason was really Chase’s father.
He stared at me, contemplating my explanation. “Well then, why don’t you take Lexi, Jared, and McKenzie to the statue before training, too? They haven’t been formally introduced.”
I nodded. I’d completely forgotten that they had never connected with Medusa. I couldn’t help smiling, remembering the first time I’d connected with the statue. “Great idea, Mason. I will.” I looked up to see Chase was still eating. Now was the perfect time.
I stood up. “Well, it’s almost time to start training, so McKenzie, Jared, and Lexi, come with me. I’ll introduce you to the most amazing Gorgon you’ll ever meet.”
“Now?” Chase practically choked on his waffle.
“Why not?”
“I’m still eating, and so is Leticia.”
“That’s fine. You two have already met Medusa.” I smiled at him, pretending everything was perfectly normal. “Come on.” I waved the others along.
McKenzie came up alongside me. “Chase doesn’t like to let you out of his sight, does he?” She said it like it was a good thing. Sometimes I wondered if it was nice being so naïve.
“Really?” I shrugged, pretending not to have noticed.
“It’s cute how you two can’t keep away from each other.”
Had everyone missed the part where I took off yesterday to get away from Chase? It was like he had them all brainwashed. Well, almost all of them. I couldn’t help noticing Tony keeping a close eye on Chase during breakfast, and Arianna definitely had my back.
I got to the statue and stood next to it. “This is Medusa. Or her spirit anyway. Every Ophi who has come to this school has held hands with Medusa. One hand at a time.”
“Why only one at a time?” McKenzie asked. “I heard you hold both of the statue’s hands.”
I looked at Lexi, who was staring at the statue. I hadn’t even realized this might be hard for her. Medusa had killed Abby for taking both her hands and trying to prove she was as powerful as I am.
“I’m the only Ophi who’s held both her hands and lived.” I made sure sympathy came across in my voice.
“Abby isn’t dead,” Lexi said.
“Not anymore.” I matched the venom in Lexi’s tone.
“Abby died?” Jared asked.
“She held both the statue’s hands, and it killed her. I used Medusa’s power to bring her back.”
Jared started laughing. “Lexi, your bitchy sister got herself fried by a statue and then rescued by the one Ophi she hated.”
“It’s not funny, Jared.” Lexi smacked his shoulder.
“She’s right, Jared. It isn’t funny.” I looked at each of them. “None of you should try it. Medusa didn’t want me to bring Abby back. She said Abby had disrespected her and me. I’m one of Medusa’s descendents. Her blood is in my veins.”
“Her blood is in all our veins,” Lexi sneered.
“Not as much.” Why did I feel like she was going to repeat her sister’s mistake? “Listen, Lexi, I’m trying to protect you.”
“Whatever,” she said. “Get on with the show.”
“Can I go first?” Jared asked.
“Sure.” I motioned for him to face the statue. “Take her right hand first. You’ll feel her life-restoring power rush through you. It’s incredible. Like you’re flying on a cloud and nothing can stop you.”
He reached for Medusa’s hand and smiled. “Awesome.”
“I know.” Once he’d had enough, I had him switch hands. “Don’t get freaked out. It’s going to feel like snakes crawling all over you.”
“I like snakes,” Jared said.
We went through the others the same way. They all got to feel Medusa’s power. I was really glad Mason—really Ethan—had suggested it, because by the time they were finished, they were all in good moods. Even Lexi.
“Great, let’s go train,” I said.
“Yes, let’s.” Chase came up behind me and draped his arm around my shoulders. “We need to talk,” he whispered in my ear. “Now.”
“We have to go train. We can talk later.” Even though Chase was whispering, I was talking slightly louder than normal, making sure everyone could hear us. I was tired of looking like the lovesick girl who couldn’t get enough of Chase.
Chase didn’t object, not verbally at least. He let his poisoned blood travel through his arm and into me. I crumpled to the floor, my blood like fire.
“Jodi?” McKenzie bent down to me.
“What did you do to her?” Leticia looked at Chase.
Maybe Leticia had figured it out. Maybe I’d get enough help between Leticia, Arianna, Tony, and Alex to get Chase to leave me alone.
“I didn’t do anything. She fell.”
“You don’t seem all that concerned either,” Leticia said.
“It’s Jodi we’re talking about. If blood’s not pouring from her eyes, she’s fine.”
“Is that supposed to be a joke?” We all turned to see Alex in the doorway.
I fought the urge to smile at him. Chase looked back and forth between Alex and me, but I pretended not to notice.
“Alex, you’re back.” I tried to sound surprised. “What changed your mind?”
“Nothing. I realized this is my home. I should be here.”
“I agree.” I kept my voice steady.
“It doesn’t mean what you’re thinking, Jodi.” Alex adjusted his duffle bag on his shoulder. “We’re still done.” I wasn’t sure where he was pulling these acting skills from, but he was convincing.
I got up from the floor. The effects of Chase’s touch had worn off. “Why don’t the rest of you go out to the cemetery? I’d like to talk to Alex for a minute.”
Everyone headed out. Everyone except Chase. I gave him a questioning look.
“What, you thought I was going to leave you two to patch thing
s up?” Chase walked back over to me. Alex moved like he was going to stop him, but he pulled back. He wasn’t supposed to defend me. He was supposed to be angry with me for having feelings for Chase. “Something you wanted to say, Alex?”
“Yeah.” Alex crossed his arms, probably to keep from punching Chase in the face. “I don’t like you. I get that you’re with Jodi now. I can’t change that, but I don’t have to like it. Or you.”
“Good. That’s the way I’d prefer it.” Chase stepped between Alex and me. “Because you were right about Jodi and me being together. We make a better pair than you two ever did. We have more power. More chemistry.” Chase turned around to face me. Oh God, he was going to show off to Alex. I backed away.
“Chase, there’s no need to act like a caveman. Alex gets it. Let’s not rub it in his face.”
“No, I think we will. I want to make sure he really gets it.”
Alex’s fists were clenched. He was ready to let loose on Chase. If he did, everything we had planned would be ruined. Chase would figure it all out, and we’d get no information out of him.
“Fine,” I said, “but he should hear it from me. I owe him that.”
Chase smiled and stepped back so I was face to face with Alex. I tried to say more with my eyes than I could ever say with words. Alex’s face remained steady. He was doing his best to stay in control of his emotions. Instinctively, I reached for his hand.
“Not necessary,” Chase said, before I could touch Alex. “Just because you went around holding my hand when you were with him doesn’t mean I’m going to tolerate you holding his hand when you’re with me.”
I could hear Alex grind his teeth. He was reliving every reason why he’d left. I had to get this over with and make it as painless as possible.
“I’m with Chase now. You coming back doesn’t change that. I don’t love you anymore.” My breath caught in my throat. Even knowing it was a lie, it was still difficult to say.
“That’s right. She’s in love with me now.” Chase reached his hand out and touched my arm very lightly. The tingling sensation inched through my body. I tried to fight it, to resist the urge to pull Chase to me and take more of his power. The more I fought, the more power Chase teased me with. In seconds, I was turning away from Alex and throwing my arms around Chase. He smiled and kissed me long and hard while Alex watched.
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