The zombies were still all over Alex, but Chase had managed to fend off the ones near me. Together we combined our powers. My body trembled as Chase’s power flowed through me. I wasn’t sure how long I could take this, so I sent out commands in waves, releasing soul after soul, hoping I’d get to them all before I collapsed under the power. I stayed focused on the zombies, but it got harder and harder to release them. The power was too much, and I couldn’t control it anymore. My body shook, and my eyes rolled back. Warm blood ran down my face. It was like last time in my room, only this was worse. I could barely stand.
“Stop!” Alex yelled. “You’re hurting her!”
Chase let go of me, and I fell into Alex’s arms. My vision was blurred, but I could see there were only a few zombies left. I heard Arianna and Tony. They were here now, taking care of the rest. I could relax.
Alex sat down on the grass with me in his lap. “Jodi, can you hear me?”
I tried to nod, but couldn’t tell if my head was actually moving. My veins throbbed, still feeling the effects of the power. My eyes weren’t bleeding anymore, and the crisp air was drying the blood on my cheeks. Alex stroked my hair, and I tried to concentrate on his touch, letting it soothe me.
“Why doesn’t it affect you when you two combine powers?” By the tone in Alex’s voice, I knew he was talking to Chase.
“Because we’re not truly combining our powers. I’m giving Jodi my power. Transferring it to her so she gets an extra boost.”
“Why didn’t you say that before?” Tony asked. He lifted each of my eyelids. I didn’t know what he was looking for. Signs of life, maybe. I still couldn’t form words or even move.
“I didn’t want you guys to think I wasn’t powerful.” Chase’s voice was small. “It was nice having everyone suddenly interested in me. I didn’t mean to hurt her, though. She’s so strong. I thought she could handle it.”
“It took a lot of power to release all these souls,” Tony said. “More power than any one Ophi should have.”
“I can work on holding back. Not transferring so much at once.” Chase sounded desperate. “I only let her take that much because there were so many zombies. I thought I had to. I had no idea it would do this to her.”
My vision was getting better…clearer, and I could finally swallow.
“What do you mean, you had no idea?” Alex’s voice was full of venom. “It happened when you did it last time, too. You knew exactly what would happen.”
Tony held his hand up to silence Alex and Chase. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now, I want to get Jodi inside. I think she needs another visit with Medusa.”
Alex carried me inside. I had just enough energy to hold onto the statue’s hands. Medusa’s image came rushing to me as soon as I made the connection.
“Dear child, what happened?”
“Medusa, I need your help. I can’t control my powers. I accidentally raised the entire cemetery. I didn’t really know I was doing it, either. I felt my blood mixing, and I heard screams, but I wasn’t trying to summon anyone.” The words rushed out of me in a panic.
Medusa nodded. “What were you doing when it happened?”
My cheeks must have been the color of a fire truck. “Kissing Alex.”
“Is that all?”
“What? Medusa, yes! We were only kissing. I swear.”
“No, child. What I mean is, did anything else happen? Maybe right before you kissed Alex.”
Chase. Chase had almost kissed me. He’d made me feel the blood in my veins, too.
“So, that’s it.” I hadn’t said a word, only thought it, but Medusa could access my thoughts, too. “You have feelings for Chase.”
“No, I like Alex. I love Alex. Not Chase.”
“Your blood is telling you otherwise. Your emotions are extremely conflicted. You have feelings for both these boys. You know your power is tied to your emotions. You need to figure out how you feel about Chase or this won’t stop happening, and we both know what that will lead to.”
“Hades coming for me.” I was kind of surprised he wasn’t already here.
“You are one of mine, Jodi. I don’t want to lose you to Hades.”
“I don’t want to be conflicted. I don’t want to like Chase.”
“The heart doesn’t always listen to reason.”
“What do I do?”
“Explore those feelings. See if they are really there. It may be the only way to get past this. And, Jodi, do it quickly. You don’t have much time.” Medusa vanished without another word, leaving me to wonder if she knew more than she was saying.
I had enough energy to make it until bedtime, so I let go of the statue. I still had to get my arm bandaged and clean up my face.
“Any better?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, a lot.”
He hugged me tightly before letting me stand on my own. “Arianna said she’ll meet you in your room to bandage your arm.”
Normally, connecting with Medusa healed any cuts I had, but apparently the power overload had taken all of that healing power, because my arm was still a mess. “Okay. I want to get this blood off my face first.”
“I’ll help you.”
We walked up the stairs, slowly. It was the only speed I could handle right now. Alex got me into bed, carefully positioning my cut arm so I didn’t bleed all over my covers. Then, he went into the bathroom for water and washcloths. I closed my eyes and thought about what Medusa had said. I couldn’t get past one thing. How could I explore my feelings for Chase without losing Alex? I knew he wouldn’t let me date Chase while I was still his girlfriend. What guy would?
Alex came back and sat down next to me. He had a bowl of warm water in his hands.
“Is that the bowl from the hallway? The one that always has potpourri in it?”
Alex shrugged. “I couldn’t find anything in the bathroom, so I had to improvise. I’m sure Arianna will understand.”
I managed a weak smile.
Alex started washing the blood from my face. “You know your power overdoses give new meaning to putting a little color in your cheeks.”
I knew he was trying to act normal, make me smile the way he usually did, but I was spent. I was scared I was losing control. Scared I was losing him. Scared I was losing this war with Hades. Because I was at war. I understood that now. The deal I’d made with him wasn’t fair, and he knew it. Hell, it’s why he’d gone along with it. He knew I’d screw up. He knew he’d ultimately get what he wanted…all the Ophi in the underworld, dead or alive.
“Hey.” Alex dabbed more water on my face. “What did Medusa say?”
My breath caught in my throat. What was I supposed to say? If I told the truth, it would crush him. He’d get angry and dump me. With everything else going wrong right now, I needed Alex. I had to lie. I remembered what Tony had told Chase about giving me too much of his power.
“She said I couldn’t handle that much power all at once. I have to ease into this.”
“Makes sense. You know, Chase told us he doesn’t really have this big power. He’s just giving you his power on top of yours.”
“His power is different. I can feel it. I know when we join powers, it’s more of me taking from him, but his abilities are greater than an average Ophi’s. I’m sure of it.”
“If you say so.” Alex shrugged, dismissing the thought. It wasn’t easy for him to sit back and watch Chase work with me in a way he couldn’t. He was taking it as a major blow to his ego.