Stalked by Death

“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.

“I wish it were you.” I verbalized what I knew he felt.

He gave me a small smile. “While you were connected to the statue, Tony said he wants you and Chase to start training together, learning to transfer power little by little.”

Train with Chase? Not at all what I wanted to do. “I’m scared of trying this again.”

Alex put the bowl of water on my nightstand and placed his hand on top of mine. “I know. I promise I’ll be right there with you when you train. I won’t let you out of my sight.”

I shivered at the thought. How could I hide my feelings for Chase and the way his touch affected me with Alex watching us so closely?

Chapter 9

I had to find a way to tell Alex that he didn’t need to watch Chase and me, but was there any way to do that without looking suspicious? I was mentally preparing some lame excuse about Alex missing out on his own training to babysit me, but before I could even attempt to get the words out Arianna walked into the room. She didn’t even knock, but then again she’d said she’d meet me here and my door hadn’t exactly been closed.

“Off with you, Alex.” Arianna shooed him away with her free hand. In the other, she held a medical kit. “As soon as I get Jodi’s arm cleaned and bandaged, she’s going right to sleep. There’s nothing more you can do for her tonight, so say your goodbyes and get moving.”

I smiled, grateful for Arianna’s mothering. Not only was she taking care of me, but she was also saving me from a very awkward conversation with Alex. One I didn’t have the strength for right now.

Alex kissed me lightly on the lips. “Get some rest.”

“I will.” I squeezed his hand quickly and watched him walk out of the room. He paused at the door, but Arianna followed him and pushed him into the hallway.

“Goodnight, Alex,” she said.

I gave a weak laugh as she closed the door. “Thanks. I know he’s trying to help, but I’m exhausted.”

“Of course you are.” She sat down on my bed and rummaged through the medical kit. “Okay, let’s see that arm.” She wiped off the blood around the cut and put some ointment on the wound. “Not bad at all. Just a scratch. You’ll be fine in no time.”

She was right. The cut on my arm was the least of my worries.

“Now, tell me how you’re really doing.” Arianna put the medical kit aside and placed her hands in her lap. “You and Chase—what’s going on there?” My eyes must have widened because Arianna continued, “Oh, don’t go looking surprised. I worked at Serpentarius, remember? I saw young people catching each other’s eyes across the club every night. I know what attraction looks like, and you and Chase are attracted to each other.”

I tried to sit up more. “It’s not like that, Arianna. I swear. It’s not him. I mean, it’s more like his blood, or at least the power in it.” Here I was again, sounding like some blood-crazed vampire.

“Oh, so you haven’t noticed how handsome Chase is? I heard Leticia say he’s the hottest Ophi she’s ever seen.” Arianna waved her hand, dismissing the thought. “But you didn’t notice that because you were too busy being attracted to his power.” Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on me.

“Fine. He’s good-looking. But seriously, I’m not like Leticia. I’m not drooling over him. In fact, I don’t even want to be around him. He scares me. The way he looks at me. The way his touch—” Oh, God, what was I saying? Why was I telling Arianna about Chase’s touch?

She raised an eyebrow. “It’s worse than I thought.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You’re misunderstanding me. I only meant when he transfers his power to me…I don’t like it. It freaks me out, and now I have to train with him, according to Tony.”

“You don’t think that’s a good idea?”

“No. You see what combining powers with Chase does to me.”

“Yes, I’ve seen the physical effects, but what I’m more interested in right now are the emotional effects.” She lowered her voice even though we were the only people in the room. “Are you afraid to be close to Chase because his touch does more than transfer power to you?”

Yes, but I couldn’t say that. It was bad enough Medusa could read my thoughts. I couldn’t have Arianna figuring out what a terrible person I was for feeling this way about Chase.

“I’m going to take your silence to mean I’m on to something.” She stood up. “Well, I’ve kept you up long enough. Get some rest. Sometimes a good night’s sleep helps you see things more clearly in the morning.”

I nodded, even though I didn’t really believe that was true. I shut off the lamp on my nightstand and curled up under the covers. The last thing on my mind before I fell asleep was that I had to find a way out of training with Chase.

The dream hit me sometime near morning. I was walking down the stairs, heading to breakfast, but I stopped when I saw Chase leaning against the Medusa statue. He smiled at me and held his hand out. Without a word, I went to him, feeling the pull of his power in my blood. My body tingled at the sight of him; as I got closer, my blood bubbled uncontrollably.

“I knew you would come,” Chase said.

“I’m supposed to meet—”

“Me,” he said. “I called you here.”

“But—”

“Shh. You’ll understand soon.” He pulled me closer and placed both his hands on my face. Blood rushed to my head, making me dizzy. Chase lowered his face to mine and kissed me. Softly at first. My lips tingled in response. His kiss got hungrier. My body felt like it was on fire, but I kept kissing him, unable to stop. I lost myself in the power. In Chase.