“Jodi, please calm down. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but we have enough to deal with right now. Matt isn’t hurting here.” Alex was trying to reason with me, but he was missing one key thing. Matt was hurting.

“He is, Alex. He’s in pain because he used to be in Heaven. He used to be happy. Hades took that away from him because of me. If I can’t get him back there, then I’ll get him out of here.”

Alex wrinkled his brow. “You’re talking in riddles.”

Great, a little trick I’d learned from all the Ophi prophecies about me, no doubt.

“Jodi.” Tony was trying to use kid gloves on me, talking slowly and keeping his voice gentle. “This is one thing you are just going to have to accept, to let go.”

“No.” My mind was made up. I wasn’t letting this go. I wasn’t going to accept this. Matt deserved better, and I was going to give it to him.

Alex took my face in his hands. “That part of your life is over. I know that hurts sometimes, but you have to move on.” His eyes pleaded with me. I knew how this looked to him. Like I was worrying about yet another guy who wasn’t him. I didn’t want him to feel that way. I loved Alex. He was everything to me. But Matt was in here because of me, and I had the power to do something about it. I couldn’t just ignore that to keep Alex from getting his feelings hurt. We were talking about eternity versus a moment of unhappiness. I wouldn’t damn Matt to this place for the rest of time to keep Alex from a little discomfort. It wasn’t fair.

“Tony, can I have a minute alone with Alex, please?”

He looked back and forth between us and then at Matt, who obviously had gotten tired of standing there and had wandered off again in his circular pattern. “I’ll be right over there if you need me.” I wasn’t sure who he was talking to. Did he think Alex would need help getting me to listen to reason?

As soon as he was out of earshot, I hugged Alex and said, “Do you trust me?”

He pulled away slightly. “Don’t make this into a trust thing.”

“When you hear what I have in mind, you’ll understand what I mean.”

“Let me do one thing before you tell me, because I have a feeling I’m going to get royally pissed, and I need to do something first.” He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. My blood tingled throughout my body in response to him. I knew he didn’t need it, and I hoped he wouldn’t think I was using my blood to sway his opinion at all, but I allowed my power to transfer to him. He instantly deepened the kiss, pulling me closer.

I didn’t want him to stop, but I had to talk to him. I had to say this before I lost my nerve. When he kissed me like this, my mind became mush. All I could think about was him, and I could already feel thoughts of Matt slipping away.

I pulled my mouth from his. “Alex.” He tried to find my lips again, but I turned away. He found my neck instead, trailing his lips down to my collarbone. I couldn’t think straight. I shivered from the chills he was sending down my spine. My lips found his. The more he kissed me, the more power I sent him. It was my body’s natural reaction to the pleasure he was causing me.

I was losing this battle of wills. I forgot about Matt. I forgot about my plan to get us out of here. My fingers found Alex’s hair, weaving through his unruly and totally sexy dirty-blond locks. His lips found my neck, making me moan. The world stood still. I may have been in the underworld, but I was in Heaven with Alex.

Something bumped into me, and I turned slightly to see Matt. He’d broken his pattern and walked right into me. Alex continued to kiss any part of me his lips could find. I gently pushed him away.

“Alex.” He tried to pull me to him. “Alex.” I was firmer this time, but he still wasn’t stopping.

“Jodi,” Matt said. I nearly fainted. He’d said my name, without me talking to him first.

Alex stopped, jolted back to reality by the sound of my name coming from Matt. Alex looked at me, completely confused.

“He walked into us.” I felt my cheeks redden. Matt may not have been totally coherent, but having my ex-boyfriend walk into me kissing my new boyfriend still felt awkward as all hell.

“He recognized you again.” Alex wasn’t happy about this. Part of me wanted to go back to kissing him and make him forget about Matt and the way he held onto my memory. But if Matt was reaching out to me, it meant my plan might actually have a shot.

“I know. It’s weird, right? He isn’t like the others here. He remembers. I think it’s because he’s not supposed to be here.”

“Please, don’t start that again. I was hoping you’d forget whatever it was you were planning after—”

“You kissed me? Was that your plan, to make me forget Matt?” I wasn’t really mad at Alex. He was desperate. He’d already lost me once, and he was trying everything he could to keep it from happening again. I pressed my hand to his chest and sighed, letting him know I wasn’t angry. “I just wish you’d understand how much I love you.”

Alex lowered his eyes. “Loving you isn’t that easy. There’s always something or someone competing with me for your attention. I just want it to be you and me.”

God, I hated being the Chosen One sometimes. Why couldn’t I just be a normal girl with a normal boyfriend? No. I knew the answer to that. I wouldn’t have Alex. In the end, he was the one I wanted. All of this would be worth it, as long as I had Alex.

“I want that, too. I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen. But first, there’s something else I have to do.” I took a deep breath, preparing for Alex’s outburst at what I was about to say. “I have to raise Matt. I want to take him with me when I raise my human soul.”

Alex burst out laughing. I actually had to back up because he doubled over and grabbed his gut. The others rushed over to see what was going on. Exactly what I wanted to know.

“Is he okay?” McKenzie asked.

Lexi’s eyes widened as she shook her head at Alex. “He looks hysterical, and I don’t mean funny. He looks like he’s having a fit or something.”

“Alex.” I waited for him to stop laughing and explain the joke I’d clearly missed.

“I’m sorry.” He was breathing heavily, and his face was bright red.

“What was so funny?” Did he really think I’d been joking?

“Absolutely nothing.” He looked at me, and all the warmth left his face. “I just had to laugh because, otherwise, I would’ve flipped out and attacked poor old zombie-Matt over here.”

Matt was still standing by my side. He didn’t seem to comprehend anything that was going on around him—not that I did either.

“He’s not a zombie. Please, don’t call him that.”

“I know he’s not. I’m not mad at him. He’s just the next in a long line of guys who have come between us.”

“That’s not fair. You know that’s not true. The only guys who have come between us are Matt and Chase. And you can’t even really include Matt because he and I were together before you and I were. If anything, you—”

Alex put his hand up to stop me. “Don’t. Don’t go there. I didn’t take you away from him.”

“I know. I’m sorry. That was stupid.” Ugh, I hated this. Alex wasn’t wrong about things coming between us. I got why he was upset, but it wasn’t like Matt and I were going to run off and live happily ever after as humans while Alex rotted in the underworld. I’d never do that to him, and he had to know that.

Alex ran his fingers through his hair, tugging the ends in his fists. “I’m so damn tired of this. When do I get to have you? Really have you?”

Lexi laughed. “Why am I not surprised Jodi’s a prude?”

I glared at her. “That’s not what he meant, Lexi.” At least I didn’t think it was. I knew that was on his mind. We hadn’t been together like that yet, but he was talking about more than that, and she was cheapening our relationship.