“It’s so unfair. I don’t know what to do to make this stop.”

A gust of wind blew all around us. We shielded our eyes as it stirred up the ashes that paved the way to the Fields. Without opening my eyes, I knew Hades was here.

“Did I hear you say you don’t know how to make this stop?” He touched down in front of me, and his swirling black smoke performed a trick I hadn’t seen yet. It didn’t just dissolve. It became a black suit jacket.

“You’re all dressed up with nowhere to go.” I wasn’t in the mood for niceties. I was majorly pissed.

“On the contrary. I’m dressed for dear Melodie’s funeral.” His hand grazed Melodie’s cheek, and she pulled away. Her face was bright red where he’d touched her, where he’d burned her.

“Don’t touch her!” I stepped toward him, grabbing Melodie and pulling her behind me. “You killed her. She wasn’t supposed to die. Are you so pathetic that you have to stoop to killing innocent people to lure me back here?”

He smirked and leaned down so he was right in my face. “Are you so inhuman that you are willing to allow me to kill so many of your former loved ones while you continue to plot against me? Why don’t you tell Melodie how the lives of the Ophi mean more to you than hers?”

Melodie gasped behind me.

“Don’t listen to him, Mel. He’s just trying to make you hate me. Remember, he’s the one who killed you. This is his sick game.”

“No, Jodi Marshall. It’s yours. You started it when you raised your human soul.” He walked around Alex, invading his personal space and running his fingers across Alex’s shoulder and back, finally resting on his other shoulder. He clamped down, and his hand burst into flame. Alex collapsed under the pain, falling to his knees.

“Stop!” I reached for Hades, willing my blood to mix. When our hands met, the heat was intensified. Hades let go of Alex and laced his fingers through mine.

“You have some fire power of your own, I see.” My hand burned against his. Most of the heat was coming from him, but he was right. I could make myself hot to the touch when I mixed my blood. “Very interesting.” The flames on his hand doubled, and I yanked out of his grip. “Still no match for me, though.” He blew on his hand, extinguishing it.

I held my hand, palm up, examining the blisters on my skin. Damn, that hurt.

“Tell me, Jodi Marshall. Will you choose to stay in exchange for Melodie’s life?” He turned and held his hand out like he was asking me if I wanted the prize behind door number one. “Or do I need to kill your mother next?”

“Don’t touch my mother!” My blood hadn’t even simmered down before it was raging once again.

“If that’s what you wish, then simply release the human half of your soul, and your mother will remain safe.” He walked over to Melodie. “But I think, because of your outburst, I’ll keep this soul for myself.” He gently patted Melodie’s hair.

“You’re always changing the rules, and you make sure every deal you make has you come out the winner, no matter what.”

He held his hands behind his back, looking totally at ease. “When you made the deal with me that night in the cemetery, you thought you’d outsmarted me. And if you want to be technical, you were the one who breached that deal. You raised souls that were off-limits to you.”

“I didn’t mean to. My powers were out of control thanks to you and Chase. You sent him after me. How was that playing by the rules?”

“Easy,” Alex whispered, standing at my side, still holding his burned shoulder.

“I never said I wouldn’t try to tempt you with more power.” He said it so matter-of-factly, like he believed he’d done nothing wrong. Maybe that was the problem. Hades was unaccountable for his actions. He didn’t answer to anyone.

“You’re basing your argument on a technicality? Is that the best you can do?” I stopped mixing my blood. Instead, I pushed all the poisoned blood to one corner of my body and focused on the life-restoring part of my power. I touched Alex’s shoulder. At first, his face scrunched in pain, but then it eased. He smiled at me.

“Thanks.” I’d healed his burn. I did the same thing to my left hand, healing the blisters.

“Impressive. I was under the impression only Medusa could heal the Ophi.” Something in those words made my brain spin into overdrive. Medusa. Hades hated that we had her soul. She was so powerful, and when she died, that power should’ve been turned over to him. Only we kept it, with her soul, locked in the statue. The statue. I was right. Medusa had the answers I needed. She was the answer.

“I’m a lot like Medusa. But you already know that, don’t you?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s why you’ve been gunning for me. After we made our initial deal, you found out about my special connection to Medusa. You realized that I could give you what she never did. That’s the real reason you want me here. To drain my powers and keep them for yourself.”

“And the prize goes to…” He laughed. “Just because you figured out why I want you dead doesn’t mean you can stop me from getting what I want.” He waved his hand, and Melodie shot backward. The gate to the Fields of Asphodel flew open, and she was hurled inside. It was terrible to watch, but even worse to hear. Instead of screaming, she yelled my name. She wanted me to help her, but I just watched her go.

“You know, Jodi Marshall, I could make this worth your while.” Hades circled me, stopping directly behind me on the second time around. With a wave of his hand, Matt’s image appeared next to Alex. Hades leaned toward my right ear and whispered. “Which one of them do you truly love? Are you happy with Matt right now?” His hot breath sent chills down my neck and spine. “I could make Matt human again in his own body, and you could stay human, too. All you’d need to do is relinquish your Ophi soul to me. This would all end. No more torture. You’d have the normal life you’ve always wanted.”

I did want a normal life. I wanted the pain and suffering to end. This war with Hades couldn’t go on. We’d all end up dead. I’d already lost so much. My blood tingled in my veins, almost as if it was speaking to me, begging me not to give in to Hades, to what was easy.

“I’ll give you until tomorrow night to decide. After that, it’s all-out war.” He walked around me so we were face to face again. “I’ve been going easy on you, but if you don’t agree to this offer, you’ll see a different side of me. And rest assured, I will get what I want, one way or another.” He waved his hand, and his suit jacket once again swirled around him in a cloud of smoke until he was gone. Matt’s image was also gone.

Alex rushed to me, taking my hands. “What did he whisper to you? And what was with the image of Matt?”

“He wants to make a deal with me.”

Alex’s eyebrows rose. “Another deal?”

“I know. I’m getting really sick of them.”

Alex’s face hardened as he pieced together what the deal was. “He wants you to choose Matt and stay human.” He nodded. “Maybe you should do it.”

“What? No!” I cupped his face in my hands. “Alex, I won’t leave you here.”

“You do know that’s not the same as telling me you love me.” He was questioning my feelings for him. He thought my human emotions had taken control of me. That I wanted Matt now.

Arianna turned away, giving us a little privacy.

“I do love you. Nothing is going to change that.” Change it, no, but it wasn’t exactly that simple, either. I’d been kissing Matt before I came here. I couldn’t deny I had feelings for him. Even though it was my human soul acting on those emotions, I’d still technically cheated on Alex. After the whole thing with Chase, I didn’t know if Alex could handle this too.

“Alex, there’s something I have to tell you. It’s been eating me up inside.” I wasn’t sure which shook more, my voice or my hands. Alex laced his fingers through mine, giving me the strength to continue. “When I’m focused on my human soul, it’s like I’m a different person. The person I would’ve been if I hadn’t come into my powers.”