“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.

“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.