Текст книги "Stalked by Death"

Автор книги: Kelly Hashway

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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter 13

Chase rubbed his jaw. “I’ve got to hand it to him, I wasn’t expecting that. I mean, I should’ve been, considering I’m in his girlfriend’s bedroom and she’s wearing nothing more than a towel.” He eyed me and raised his eyebrows.

“Get out.” I’d had enough of Chase. I’d had enough of this entire day.

“Until tomorrow then,” he said before he left.

I sighed, long and hard. I dropped my towel and got dressed. I barely had my clothes on when someone knocked on the door.

Ugh! I stormed over to the door. “Seriously, Chase, leave me alone. I’m not in the mood to—” I flung the door open. Leticia was standing there looking confused.

“Not in the mood to what?”

“Sorry, I thought you were—never mind. What’s up?”

“I wanted to check on you. I was in the hall when Alex went storming out and then Chase came out. Is everything okay?”

“Come in.” I didn’t really want to talk, but I needed some girl time. I’d had enough of the guys for one day.

Leticia came in and went right to my bed, plopping down like she was in her own room.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thanks.” She’d totally missed my sarcasm. “So, I was wondering what you know about the others coming tomorrow. Are any of the guys our age? Are they cute? We need some cute guys around here who aren’t totally obsessed with you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on.” Leticia picked up my pillow and hugged it to her chest. “You’ve got Alex, who is majorly hot, and then Chase shows up and he wants you too.”

I wasn’t exactly sure I had Alex anymore. After finding out he’d been keeping this huge secret from me, whether he’d had good intentions or not, I wasn’t sure I could trust him. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

“Yeah, well I wish my life was complicated by two guys fighting over me.” She put the pillow down and started picking at a loose thread on my bedspread.

“No, you don’t. Trust me. When two guys are fighting over you, you don’t have either of them. They spend all their time competing with each other, and you’re left out in the cold.”

Leticia shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d take just one guy looking at me the way either Alex or Chase looks at you. I mean, Alex is totally in love with you. That’s obvious. And Chase couldn’t be more attracted to you. The guy looks like he wants to devour you.”

I knew Chase’s stare all too well. It made me feel drawn to him, and completely scared at the same time. “You think that’s a good thing?”

“Yeah. Have you seen any guy look at me that way?”

“What about Randy? I always kind of thought you two were—”

“God, no! He’s like a brother, or cousin even. Definitely not the dating type. Besides, he doesn’t seem all that interested in girls.”

I sat down on the bed. “You mean he likes guys?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. He doesn’t show any interest in anyone. He just wants to train and learn about being Ophi. When we both first got here, he talked to me all the time, but now, not so much. He probably thinks I’m a hopeless case. I can’t seem to get control of my powers.”

“You’re not the only one.” I tucked my leg up under me.

“Yeah, but your powers are awesome. Right from the start you could do stuff I still can’t do. I’m starting to wonder if I’m even really Ophi. I mean, I should be able to control the souls I raise by now. Maybe Randy’s right. Maybe I am hopeless.”

“No, you’re not, and you don’t know if he even thinks that.” I wasn’t sure how to tell her what I thought was really going on. I didn’t want to bring up memories she might not be able to handle, but it was obvious her lack of control over her own blood was killing her. “Listen, Leticia, our powers are tied to our emotions.”

“Yeah, I know. I take notes during Tony’s lectures.”

I nodded. Leticia was the perfect student when she was in a classroom. She had the theory part of being an Ophi down pat. But out in the cemetery, she couldn’t figure out how to put all that knowledge to use.

“Think back to before Victoria raised the Ophi in Washington.”

Her body instantly tensed, like I knew it would. I didn’t back off. She needed to understand what was going on with her. I wasn’t going to keep this from her the way Alex had kept the truth about where we were from me.

“You changed after Victoria brought your parents back. You’re not the same person anymore. That’s understandable, but it’s also what’s holding you back.”

“You think I fell apart at the sight of my mangled parents.” Her voice couldn’t have been more shaky.

“I think you acted the way anyone would have in your situation.”

“Oh, really?” She stood up. “Victoria brought Randy’s father back. He was worse than my parents, and Randy’s fine. A little angrier than he used to be, but his powers still work. And you. You saw your dead father for the first time ever. And—”

“My powers are messed up royally.” I stood up so we were facing each other again. “I know how you feel, Leticia. I’m going through the same thing.” Actually I was going through worse, but that wasn’t going to get me anywhere with Leticia. “My powers are screwing up big time, and in ways that could hurt all of us. I’d rather not be able to use my powers than do what I’m doing.”

“That’s not true.”

“No?” My voice was getting loud. I was starting to lose it. “I killed a man today. A human. He was trying to help me, and I killed him. And what’s worse is, I couldn’t even bring him back because the car I’d just stolen from my human former best friend burst into flames and took his body with it.”

“Jodi.” Leticia was staring at my hands. They were shaking in response to my blood, which was bubbling so much you could see it through my skin.

I shook my arms out and took several deep breaths. I couldn’t do this again. I couldn’t let my emotions cause someone else to get hurt, or raise another soul.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.” Leticia put her hand on my shoulder. “Can you stop it?” She was looking at my hands again.

“I’m trying. I’m really trying.”

“Think good thoughts.”

Good thoughts? I didn’t even know what they were anymore. Nothing in my life was going right.

“I’m going to get Arianna,” Leticia said. “She’s good at calming people down. I’ll be right back. Just try to make it stop, okay?”

I nodded, continuing to breathe deeply. Leticia ran from the room. There was only one way I knew how to calm down. A hot shower. Yes, I’d already taken one, but I didn’t care. I went right to the bathroom and got in the shower, fully clothed. No time to undress. I could’ve raised half the graveyard by then. I let the water wash over me, and I felt my blood simmer and then return to normal.

“Jodi?” Arianna called from my room.

“In here.” I poked my head out from behind the curtain.

“Leticia said you need some help.”

“I’m okay now.” I turned the water off and opened the curtain.

Arianna stared at me, soaking wet in my tank top and yoga pants. “Are you sure?”

“I know it looks strange, but really I’m fine. I promise. I’m going to put on dry clothes and go to sleep.”

“Would you like some hot tea before bed? I boiled a pot of water. You could join me.”

“Thanks, but no. I want to go to bed.”

“Alex told me what happened.”

I wrapped a towel around me before my wet clothes made me freeze. “Did you know? Did you know I was so close to my home? To my mom?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t know where you were from. I knew we were close to Serpentarius, of course, but not that that meant anything to you in particular.”

I believed her. Arianna was trustworthy.

“Don’t be too hard on him. Alex did what he thought was best for you.”

“It’s not up to him to decide what’s best for me.”

“I know that, but put yourself in his shoes. What would you have done if the situation were reversed?”

“I would’ve told him.”

“Are you sure? Or are you letting your emotions control you?”

My emotions. I wished I could turn them off completely. They were ruining everything. “He didn’t think I could handle it. He thought I’d go back to my old life.”

“Didn’t you?” She stepped closer. “When you found out where you were, what did you do?”

I looked down at my feet. “I flagged down Melodie’s car.”

“Alex knows you pretty well.” She put up her hands in surrender. “I’m not taking sides, but it seems like what you did was exactly what Alex was trying to protect you from.” She walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. “You can’t blame him for wanting to protect you from what happened this evening.”

No, I couldn’t. “Thanks, Arianna.”

“Anytime, hon. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

She left, and I stood there shivering in my wet clothes. I had to fix things with Alex. I couldn’t let this destroy us. I put on pajamas and ran to his room without even combing my hair. I must’ve looked like a drowned rat, but I didn’t care. I had to see him.

I knocked on his door, but there was no answer. “Alex?” Still nothing. I tried the knob. Locked. Where else would he be? I went to Randy’s room and knocked.

“Hey, Jodi.” He looked me over.

“Hey, I know I’m a mess. I’m looking for Alex. Do you know where he is?”

“He was heading out to the cemetery the last time I saw him.”

“Why would he go there?” We’d already reburied all the bodies. Was he training on his own?

Randy shrugged.

“Thanks. See you in the morning.” I turned and ran downstairs, heading right past the Medusa statue and out the front door. The cool air slammed into me. I was only in pajamas and my hair was soaking wet. My teeth chattered, and I shook from head to toe, but I kept going. The lights were on in the cemetery, and I saw Alex sitting up against the mausoleum. I jogged over to him.

He looked up at me and wrinkled his brow. “You’re going to get sick coming out here like that.”

“I don’t care.” I stood in front of him, shaking uncontrollably. “I understand why you didn’t tell me where we were. You know me too well. You knew I’d go back home, that I’d find some way to at least glimpse my old life. You were right. What I did today was stupid. I hurt Melodie, and I killed an innocent man.”

“Is that all you did wrong?” His stone cold eyes bored into me. He was angry, which meant he was still thinking something had happened between me and Chase.

“I didn’t cheat on you, if that’s what you’re thinking. Chase was in my room when I got out of the shower. He had my locket in his hands. He had gone through my stuff. I was furious.”

“So furious you let him stay and hang out.” He pointed to the locket on my neck. “Did he put that on you?”

I lowered my eyes. “Yes, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”

Alex stood up, chucking the rock he’d been holding. “I think you can’t stay away from him. I think you give him certain liberties the rest of us don’t have.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe this. Was he implying I let Chase—no, I couldn’t even think it. “You can’t be serious.” I’d come here to make up, and Alex was accusing me of screwing around behind his back.

He stared at me and finally his expression softened. “Why do you let him in? Why can’t you tell him to leave you alone? That you’re with me? You said you were going to get him to back off.”

“I’m trying, but he won’t take the hint.”

“He can’t take a hint if you don’t drop a hint.”

“You’re saying I’m leading him on?”

He didn’t deny it.

Suddenly I wasn’t freezing anymore. I was warm. No, I was hot. My blood was going crazy again. I had to stop this. I couldn’t live in the shower. Alex moved closer to me and rubbed my arms. The blood in my veins rippled in waves.

“Jodi.” He was scared for me. He wrapped his arms around me. “Am I doing this to you?”

“My emotions are doing it.”

“But it’s because of me, isn’t it?”

Now it was my turn to not deny something. He pulled away and looked into my eyes. He was searching for something. An answer to fixing what was wrong with me. He pressed his lips to mine. I wasn’t expecting it. We were in the middle of a fight, but here he was, kissing me. It took me a few seconds to respond, to wrap my arms around him and kiss him back. I felt my blood cooling. Alex was calming me. I continued to kiss him, long after I was back to normal. I was afraid to let go. Afraid we’d go back to arguing. All I wanted was to be in his arms.

Finally, he pulled away. “Are you better now?” He held onto my arms, feeling to make sure my blood wasn’t surging through my veins anymore.

I nodded. “Thank you.” Who knew what Alex had stopped me from doing this time? I was just grateful he had.

“I wasn’t sure that was going to work. Lately, it’s me kissing you that gets your blood all riled up. Why did it have the opposite effect now?”

Was he viewing this as a bad thing? “I don’t want kissing you to make me lose control of my powers. It would mean I couldn’t kiss you anymore.” I hoped that would be enough to convince him this was a good sign.

“So, you still want to be able to kiss me? Only me?”

“Alex, I never kissed Chase. I swear.”

“I want to believe you, but I’ve seen the way you get around him.”

I took his hands in mine. “I came here because I wanted to tell you that I believe you. You were only trying to protect me by keeping the truth from me. It wasn’t easy for me to accept. I still don’t think it was your choice to make, but I know you wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. I need you to do the same for me. To believe me and know I wouldn’t hurt you like that.”

“The question is, would you keep the truth from me to avoid hurting me?” He didn’t take his hands away, but he wasn’t giving in to me yet either.

I shook my head. “No. That’s not what I’m doing. I’m telling you the truth.”

He let go of my hands, and my heart sank, but then he reached for my face and pulled me to him. He kissed me hard, spinning me around so I was backed up against the mausoleum. He kissed me until I was completely breathless. When he pulled away, I noticed a light flashing on and off in one of the bedroom windows. Alex couldn’t see it because he was only looking at me. I tried to keep my focus on him, but I couldn’t. It was Chase’s room. He was trying to get my attention. The light stayed on, and his silhouette was in the window. He was watching me. My body tensed.

Alex leaned into me and kissed me again. I kissed him back, but my eyes stayed glued to the window. Glued to Chase.

Chapter 14

Who was I? I didn’t want to be the girl who thought about another guy while kissing her boyfriend. I forced my eyes away from Chase, which, surprisingly, was harder to do than pulling away from Alex.

“Sorry, I’m freezing.” I wrapped my arms around myself.

“No problem. Let’s get you inside.” He put his arm over my shoulder and kept me close as we walked inside.

My eyes rose to Chase’s window. His light was off, but I could sense he was still watching us. I laced my fingers through Alex’s. He walked me to my room and kissed me goodnight.

“I’ll come get you before breakfast.” He gently kissed me again.

I smiled and nodded before going in my room and shutting the door. I leaned my back against it and slid to the ground. I was out of control. I shouldn’t want anything more than Alex. He should’ve been enough. My teeth chattered again, so I got up and took my third hot shower of the day. Then I crawled into bed and pleaded with myself to only dream of Alex, but the second I closed my eyes, it was Chase’s face I saw.

I tossed and turned all night, afraid to let myself sleep long enough to dream. I actually set my alarm and repeatedly hit snooze so I would keep waking up. It was pure torture, but it was better than waking up to a room full of corpses. Or should I say half-full. We were running low on corpses these days.

Alex met me before breakfast, like we’d planned.

“Hey, did you have trouble sleeping? You look beat.”

“Thanks, that’s just what a girl wants to hear from the guy she’s dating.”

He laughed and kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful, but I can tell you didn’t sleep well.”

“I appreciate the little white lie. I woke up a lot. My alarm kept going off.” There, that wasn’t a lie.

“Is it broken? I could look at it for you.”

“No, that’s okay. I think I fixed it.” Yeah, I fixed it, when I finally shut it off.

We passed Chase in the hallway. “Sleep well?” he asked.

I wondered if he had any trouble sleeping. Probably not. “Fine.” I looped my arm through Alex’s as we walked past Chase.

Breakfast was louder than ever. No one could stop talking about the Ophi from Serpentarius coming today.

“What time are they getting here?”

“Are any of the guys cute?”

“Should I set some extra plates?”

“Whoa,” I said. I didn’t really know the details. Chase was the one who had convinced Mason and the others to come. I turned to Chase. “Tell us what you know.”

He downed his orange juice and leaned back in his chair. “Okay, Uncle Mason said they’d be here some time today. He had to close things up there. I’m sure he worked late last night, so I’m guessing they won’t be here before noon.”

Arianna nodded and got up from the table. “I’ll plan for a big lunch then. What are we taking about, number wise? I’ve made up all the beds to be on the safe side, but I need to know how much food to make and how many plates to set.”

Chase counted on his fingers. “There’s Uncle Mason, Aunt Carol, Thayer, Jared—”

“Jared?” I jumped at the name. I knew him. He was Matt’s cousin.

“Yeah, he’s a bouncer there.”

“I know. I used to date his cousin.”

Alex put his hand on my leg. He’d known Matt. They hadn’t gotten along, and Alex had ended up having to kill Matt after I turned him into a bunny-eating zombie, but he knew I had cared about him. He knew it wasn’t easy for me to talk about him. “You going to be okay with having him here?”

I nodded. “But I’m confused. How were they cousins? Matt is—was—human.”

“They weren’t really cousins.” Chase surprised me. I didn’t know he knew who Matt was.

“You knew Matt?”

“Yeah. I told you I used to hang out with humans a lot.” The way he said it made it sound like he and I had had some big heart to heart. I knew it was intended to make Alex suspicious. “Jared introduced us. Their parents were good friends, and Matt always called Jared’s father Uncle Thayer, so Matt assumed Jared was his cousin. They weren’t really related.”

I couldn’t help feeling jealous that Chase and so many other Ophi could be around humans and keep their powers under control. I wanted to change the subject. “So who else is coming?”

Chase eyed me for a second before rattling off five more names.

“All nine of them.” Arianna looked stressed. Sometimes I forgot that she used to work there and knew all of them. “I’ve got a lot of work to do this morning.”

“We’ll clean up after breakfast, and we can help with lunch, too,” I said.

“Oh, no you won’t. You all have more important things to be doing.” She turned and winked at Randy. “I heard someone has almost gotten the hang of summoning multiple souls. Wouldn’t it be impressive to show the other Ophi from Serpentarius when they arrive?”

Randy smiled and took another bite of his pancake. “That’s why I’m eating a little extra this morning. I want to have enough energy to get it right this time.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him summoning the dead had nothing to do with food. He was so excited.

“I’m ready to get out there when you are, Randy.” I finished my coffee. I usually tried not to drink caffeine, but with the little sleep I got it was a necessity this morning.

“Just let me finish these first,” he said with his mouth full.

“Are you two training alone?” Alex asked, keeping his voice low.

“I think that would be best. Randy is really close to getting this right. I want to help him as much as possible.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll take Leticia and work on controlling souls after they’ve been raised. She’s getting better. I think in a few more days she’ll have it.”

“Take her to connect with Medusa before you go out. I think that will give her the confidence boost she needs.”

“Good idea.”

“Does this mean you and I aren’t going to work on joining our powers?” Chase was standing right behind me. I hadn’t even noticed he’d gotten up from his seat.

“Oh, um, yeah. Not today. Helping Randy is more important right now.”

Chase shook his head. “I doubt that. Uncle Mason is going to be pissed if he gets here and finds out we lied about our combined powers.”

I looked at Alex. He was trying to stay calm, I could tell. I also knew him well enough to know it was a struggle for him.

“We’ll tell Mason that it’s a power drain on me, and we had to slow down our training until my blood gets used to the connection.” I pulled that out of nowhere, but I thought it sounded pretty good.

Chase glared at me for a second before walking out of the dining room.

“Guess that means I’m stuck with him this morning,” Alex said.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I’d rather have him where I can see him. I don’t trust him, and I don’t want him near you.”

Randy shoved his last pancake into his mouth. “Ready.”

I laughed. “Me, too.”

Alex smiled at me. “See you out there in a few.”

I nodded. “Good luck today, Leticia. I have a good feeling about this morning.”

She smiled, but it was a timid smile. “Thanks. I’ll do my best.”

I took Randy out to the row of graves that still had bodies in them. I picked two at the end of the row. I sort of remembered them being a man and a woman, possibly a couple at one time.

“This will work,” I said.

Randy took a deep breath and pulled a pocketknife out of his jeans. “Wish me luck.”

“You don’t need luck. You’ve got this.” I was trying to be more encouraging, like a good teacher.

Chase came out of the school and watched us. Or should I say watched me? Randy was the picture of concentration. He cut the tip of his right index finger and dripped blood on each grave. I tried to focus on Randy, on helping him tune in to his own blood and raise both bodies in front of him, but it was hard to do with Chase staring at me. I hoped Alex and Leticia would get out here soon. As the corpses climbed to the surface, I saw Randy shake.

“Relax. Remain in control. You need to give two separate commands now. At the same time. One aloud and one in your mind. Your blood will carry the silent message to the soul. Got it?”

He nodded, but he swallowed hard, showing his fear.

“I’m right here if you get into trouble, but I know you can do this.”

Before the bodies were fully out of the ground, Randy started spouting orders. “Stop! Don’t come any closer. Stay where you are. Don’t move until I tell you to.” He got quiet, and I knew he was repeating the orders in his head, but the one corpse, the male, wasn’t listening.

“Jodi!” Randy yelled.

“Stop him, Randy.” I didn’t want to take over. I didn’t want another incident like with Leticia. If Randy thought I didn’t have confidence in him, he might never master his powers. “You can do this. Concentrate.”

He stumbled backward, falling over a headstone. He toppled to the ground, cringing like a baby. I’d never seen him so scared. It wasn’t like him at all. The zombie stalked over to him.

“Stop him!” I yelled again. “You have the power, not him. Use it!”

But Randy didn’t even try. He cowered on the ground while the zombie jumped on top of him. Randy’s scream pierced the air as the zombie bit into his shoulder.

“Randy!” Leticia yelled, running toward us. Alex was right with her.

I was frozen, unable to believe what was happening a few feet in front of me. The zombie collapsed on Randy’s chest. Alex rushed over and pulled the corpse off. I saw Randy’s blood dripping down the side of the man’s mouth. The poisoned blood had killed him instantly.

“It’s okay,” Alex said, leaning over Randy. “It’s not that bad. Really.”

But it was that bad. The zombie had bitten a chunk of flesh from Randy’s shoulder. Randy was bleeding all over the ground. Alex pulled his shirt over his head and applied pressure to Randy’s neck.

“He needs a doctor.”

Chase stepped forward so he was next to me. “One of the Ophi who’s coming here from Serpentarius used to be a doctor. An Ophi doctor. His name’s Carson. He can help.”

“What if Randy doesn’t make it until then?” Leticia panicked. “He needs help now.”

“Bring him to Medusa,” I said. “She’ll give him enough power to keep him alive. Then we’ll bandage him up as best we can until help gets here.”

“Arianna should be able to bandage him up,” Alex said. “But we have to get him inside first.”

Chase walked over and grabbed Randy’s legs. “You got his upper body?”

Alex nodded.

Leticia and I walked with them, making sure they weren’t going to accidentally bump Randy into anything on the way inside. Arianna was dusting the Medusa statue when we came in.

She gasped. “What happened?”

“He was bitten by a zombie,” Alex said. “He needs a doctor, but in the meantime we have to stop the bleeding.”

Randy fell in and out of consciousness.

“Bring him to the couch.” Arianna waved the guys toward the living room.

“No,” I said. “He needs to connect with Medusa. His power is draining out of him. He won’t make it if we don’t do something fast.”

Arianna nodded. “Okay, but be careful not to overload him. He can’t handle that in his weakened state.”

Alex and Chase carried Randy to the statue, and I took his right hand, connecting it to Medusa’s. Since I had to hold Randy’s hand in place, it meant I was in on the connection, too.

Medusa appeared to me. “His injuries are too severe. My power cannot sustain him, my child. It is not enough.”

“I know. Help is on the way, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you, Medusa.” Tears trickled down my cheeks. I couldn’t let Randy die. I could bring him back, but he’d come back exactly the way he was when he died. I’d be raising him just so he could die all over again. There had to be something I could do. I felt fingers lightly graze the back of my hand. By the tingling sensation that followed, I knew it was Chase. What was he doing? Alex was right there. He was bound to notice.

Then I got an idea. “Medusa, can I transfer some of my power to Randy? Would that help?”

“Transferring that much power would severely weaken you. I am the only one who can give my power without being affected. I don’t advise you doing this, Jodi. Let Randy take what he needs from me.”

I hated feeling helpless. This was my fault. If I had stepped in and stopped the zombie, Randy would be okay.

“I feel a surge in your power, my child,” Medusa said.

Oh, God, Chase was still rubbing my hand. Medusa could tell something was affecting me. Did she know it was Chase?

“My emotions are running on high. It’s my fault this happened.”

“Whether or not you could have prevented this, you can’t let your emotions consume you. It is affecting your power.”

“I know.”

“That’s enough for now. Any more of my energy, and Randy will not be able to handle it. His system will crash.”

“Thank you again, Medusa.”

I took Randy’s hand away from Medusa, and mine away from Chase. “Let’s get him bandaged up now.”

Arianna had a medical kit waiting, and she cleaned the area before applying gauze and medical tape. It seemed like every time she got everything in place, she had to change the gauze because it was soaked with blood.

“There’s no need for you all to stand around like this. You’ve got more time to train before the others arrive. Standing around here isn’t helping Randy. Now go.” She shooed us from the room.

We were all in a daze, but we walked back outside. I hoped the fresh air would make me feel a little better, but it didn’t. I could see the corpse of the woman still sticking halfway out of the grave, waiting for Randy’s next command.

“I need to release her soul,” I said.

Alex put his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll come with you.”

Leticia and Chase followed too, not saying a word. I stood facing the woman and willed my blood to mix. Once the tingling sensation spread throughout my body, I said, “I command you to return to where you came from. I release your soul.” She fell forward, her face in the dirt.

“So, I guess we spend the rest of the morning digging graves?” Chase said. “Sounds fun.”

Leticia moaned. “I spend half my life digging graves.”

Chase turned to me. “Well, I bet Jodi and I could get the bodies to crawl right back into the ground. No digging required.”

“I wish you’d crawl into the ground,” Alex said.

“What’s the matter, bro? Worried your girl and I will make too good a team?”

Before Alex could answer, two cars pulled up. The Serpentarius Ophi were here. Mason got out of the first car and came right over to Chase.

“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.