“Abby was a pussy cat compared to me.” She winked. “I’m the real bitch in the family.”

Somehow, I believed that. “Is that why you and your family tossed Abby out? Sent her here and didn’t talk to her again?”

“Oh, we talked. Maybe my mom disowned her, but I never did. We texted—kept each other informed.”

Alex’s door opened, and both Lexi and I turned to him. He was carrying a duffel bag, the same one he’d had when he brought me here over two months ago.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

Lexi stepped toward him, dragging one finger down the front of his shirt. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving. I was hoping we could get to know each other better. A lot better.”

I smacked her hand away. “Don’t touch him!”

Alex rolled his eyes at Lexi and pushed past her. “Jodi, I’m going away for a while. I’ll see you when I get back. If I come back.”

“What? Alex, you can’t leave. I need you.” I raced down the stairs after him.

He opened the front door and stopped in the doorway. He sighed and finally turned to me. He looked as awful as I felt. It was my fault he was hurting. I reached for him again, but he stepped back. “I need time away from all this. From us.”

Wide-eyed, I shook my head. “No, we need to be together.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t stick around while you try to figure out what’s going on with you and Chase. It’s not fair to me.”

“I don’t want Chase! I want you. I love you!” Tears streamed down my face. Things couldn’t end this way.

Alex’s eyes jerked to his right at something behind me. I assumed it was Lexi, tagging along to watch the show. Alex looked at me one last time before turning and walking away.

“Alex!” I yelled, going after him, but someone grabbed my arm and spun me around. Chase. Before I could react, he pulled me to him, pressing his lips firmly against mine. My body responded to him as if this was normal. As if this was what my body had wanted for days. My lips tingled, and the sensation traveled through me. There was nothing I could do to fight it. The power took over. I gave in. My blood surged in my veins. I felt every drop of blood, and it gave me more pleasure than I ever could have imagined. I kissed Chase back, weaving my fingers in his hair. He lifted me off the ground, and our bodies pressed against each other.

I felt like I was spinning. Or maybe the room was spinning. It was freeing and completely amazing. Then my body temperature rose. I was hot all over, and it wasn’t showing any signs of stopping. I was burning from the inside out. I thought of the pain I had felt when Hades’ eyes burned into me. This heat was similar, but I wasn’t in pain. The heat was rising, and I was aware of it, but it didn’t hurt me. Like I was the fire, not the thing being burned by it.

An electric current rushed through me as Chase kissed me with even more intensity. I couldn’t breathe. My head felt disconnected, and my legs shook. My arms dropped down to my sides. I couldn’t hold them up anymore. I was weak. I hung limp in Chase’s arms, yet he was still kissing me. I tried to say his name, but the word wouldn’t come out.

I heard screams and repeated thumping like things were toppling over. Finally, I turned my head to the side, breaking free from the kiss. Chase raised his head and looked at me. He lowered me to the ground, and we turned toward the screams.

Lexi and Leticia cried out in pain. Leticia had blood running from her eyes and nose. Lexi was choking up blood. It was horrible to watch, yet I was frozen in place, unable to move or look away. They collapsed on the living room floor. Randy was lying lifeless on the couch above them. The toppling noise continued, and my eyes flew to the stairs. Tony was tumbling down them. I gasped as his body reached the bottom, and his head slammed onto the floor.

Tony was dead. And I had a feeling all the other Ophi I’d brought here were dead, too.

Chase looked like he was completely drained and in shock. He wasn’t going to be of any help to me right now. I was weak too, but I forced myself to reach for Medusa. She was my only hope in saving the Ophi. I’d never raised more than one Ophi at a time before. Technically, I’d only raised a total of three since I’d become Ophi. I wasn’t sure this was possible, even without needing to spill my blood to raise them, but I was certain I needed Medusa’s help.

The second my hands met hers, I called out, “Medusa, please! I need you. They’re all dead. All of them. You have to help me bring them back.” I was hysterical. My sobs were uncontrollable, and if I hadn’t been communicating in my mind, I was sure Medusa wouldn’t have understood me. I doubted I could form audible words right now.

“I know, my child. I sensed the shift in energy.” She was in front of me, holding my hands in hers. “Concentrate, Jodi. Reach out with your powers. Feel for their souls. We must trap them before they release. If Hades gets hold of them, he will stop us.”

“But how? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Hades isn’t playing by the rules anymore.”

“What do you mean?” She knew something. I knew she did. Why was she being so cryptic?

“There’s no time to explain. Close your eyes and reach for their souls.”

I didn’t argue. It wasn’t the time. I had to save the others. I wouldn’t be the girl who led an entire race to its extinction. I mixed my powers with Medusa’s. It was an incredible feeling. Not like the way it felt when Chase and I combined powers, though. That was an entirely different kind of rush. I saw Tony’s soul leaving his body, but I forced it back inside. I didn’t have time to be nice about it. I had to move on to the next one. I could feel Medusa’s power reaching out farther in the house. Most of the new Ophi were in the conference room. I could sense them as Medusa restored life to their bodies. Leticia was next on my list. I pushed her soul back inside of her and commanded her to come back to life. To breathe. On her first inhale, I turned my attention to Randy. His soul was harder to convince. His body was in bad shape still. Every time I put his soul back inside him, it seeped out again.

Medusa finished with the others, including Lexi, who I’d conveniently skipped over. I continued to struggle with Randy. Why wouldn’t he listen to me? Medusa reached her powers out to him, but she didn’t have any better luck.

“He’s too weak, Jodi. His body was already dying when this happened. Every time we put his soul back, he dies all over again.”

“Are you saying we’re torturing him?” I fought the soul as it found another way out of Randy.

“Yes, my child. I’m afraid so. There’s nothing we can do for him.” She squeezed my hands, trying to console me.

“Keep trying. Don’t let go of his soul. I’ll get Carson. He’ll heal Randy, and then his soul will stay inside him.”

“Jodi, I understand you don’t want to let him go, but Carson has already done all he could for Randy.”

“How do you know that?” I was screaming now. No longer speaking only through my mind. “I can’t let him die. Hades will take him and keep him from me.”

“It’s not Hades keeping him from you, Jodi. It’s his body. You know the rules. When you raise someone, they return exactly as they were before they died. Randy was dying. He can’t be saved.” I felt her ease her powers. She wasn’t helping me anymore.

“No!” I struggled, squeezing her hands, trying to take her powers whether she wanted me to or not. But it didn’t work. I fell to my knees.

“I’m sorry, my child,” Medusa said, as my hands slipped from hers.

Leticia screamed, and I scrambled to my feet. I rushed to Randy, examining him. His shoulder was still bleeding. The couch was soaked with his blood. That’s how the soul kept escaping, through the gaping hole where his shoulder used to be. I pressed my hand to his blood-soaked bandages, applying pressure. Then I willed my blood to mix. I didn’t have much energy left, but I had to try.