Stalked by Death tod-2 Read online

  “Yeah.” I didn’t want to talk about it. I wasn’t sure if I was glad she hadn’t seen me or if I wanted to be in the car with her right now.

  “It wouldn’t have ended well if she had stopped.”

  Was he threatening her? “Would you have hurt her?” I stopped walking and stared at him. I tried to take my hand back, but he squeezed it, sending a burst of power, getting me under his control again.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Jodi. We were meant to be together. I won’t hurt you. Why can’t you see that?” He pulled me along, so we were walking again.

  “If you hurt my mom, it would destroy me.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “And you made Alex leave. That hurt me. You made me torture that corpse, and that hurt me, too. If you really don’t want to hurt me, you wouldn’t try to control me like this. Using your power to get what you want is cruel.” I should’ve been yelling at him, but with him still sending little surges of power my way, a gentle voice whispering the truth was the best I could do.

  “I didn’t make Alex leave. He left because he wasn’t really in love with you. You weren’t in love with him either.”

  I stopped. “Yes, I was.” I tried to take my hand away again, but Chase hit me with another dose of his power, but this time it was the poison. I crumbled to the ground, and he caught me before my head hit a fallen tree branch.

  “Please,” I whispered. “You have to stop. I can’t handle much more. You’re going to kill me.”

  He looked down at me like he was considering what I said. “I won’t let you die, Jodi.”

  “Stop controlling me. Please.”

  “I will once you admit the truth to yourself.” He leaned down and kissed me again. “You love me. You’ve loved me since before me met. You felt it, too. The attraction between us. Alex left because of you, Jodi. Because you love me.”

  No. I wanted to yell, scream, and spit in his face. He was doing this to me. He was controlling me like a puppet. But I knew if I said what I really felt, he’d just dose me with poison again. It really was killing me, whether he wanted to admit it or not. If I was going to survive, I was going to have to play along. Pretend what he’d said was true.

  “Say it, Jodi. Say you love me.”

  He stroked my face, sending just the slightest bit of poison through his touch. He had no idea how much he was hurting me. I had to make it stop.

  “I love you.” I didn’t say his name, and I pictured Alex’s face in my mind while I said it.

  Chase wrapped me into a hug and kissed me. It physically pained me to kiss him back. I hated him. I wanted to claw his eyes out. But I had to play along or he’d kill me and leave me for the wild animals. Chase’s hands were all over me, and I instinctively pushed him away.

  “Need a little more?” I knew he was talking about his power.

  “No! Please, Chase. I’m really in bad shape. I need to lie down. I don’t even know if I’m strong enough to make it back to the school.” A plan was forming in my mind. “Do you think you could go get your car and come back for me?” I laced my fingers through his, trying to play the part of the loving girlfriend.

  “No need,” he said. “I’ll carry you.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s way too far for you to carry me.”

  “Jodi, sweetie.” He kissed my cheek. “How dumb do you think I am?”

  My eyes widened. My acting skills weren’t cutting it.

  “I know, if I leave you here, the second I’m gone you’ll run for the road again.”

  Maybe not run. My energy level was seriously depleted.

  “I won’t. I’m not strong enough to anyway.”

  “Alex may have been an idiot, but I’m not.” He scooped me into his arms and started walking. “Hmm, you may be right about one thing. It’s definitely too far to carry you like this.” Chase stopped and looked around. His gaze fell on Melodie’s car, and he walked over to it.

  “It’s totaled,” I said.

  “A little burned, but not totaled.”

  “The whole thing was up in flames. You can’t drive it.”

  He smiled, and I followed his eyes. He wasn’t looking at the car. He was looking at the body next to it.

  “No! You can’t be thinking of raising him. Chase, that’s going too far.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. I wouldn’t think of raising him without your help. In fact, I’d prefer if you did it. You know, as a way to show me you’re going to be on my side from now on.” He put me down right next to the corpse.

  “I can’t. I won’t do that. He was only trying to help me. I would’ve died if he hadn’t freed me from the car.”

  “Well, then you wouldn’t want his death to be in vain.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re either with me or against me, Jodi. Believe me, you don’t want to be against me.” His expression softened, and he cupped my face in his hands. “I really don’t want to hurt you. We’d make such a great team.” He lowered his hands to right above my heart. “But I will hurt you if I have to.”

  I looked at his hands, poised and ready to send a burst of poison straight to my heart. A burst I was sure would kill me.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked.

  “Because I need you to see that you and I aren’t like the others. We’re better. I deserve the best, and that’s you. If I can’t have you, I will kill you. So, you better start proving that you want to be with me.”

  My eyes stung with the realization that I was defenseless against him. Part of me wanted to let him kill me, to end it so I didn’t have to become the monster he wanted me to be. But if I died, that would be the end of the Ophi. I was sure of it. My death would mark the end of my deal with Hades. He’d go after the others, until there were no Ophi left.

  I stared Chase in the eyes. “If you want me to love you, then you need to be someone I could love. Not a monster.”

  “I’m powerful. That doesn’t make me a monster. You fighting me is making me a monster. If you would’ve just come back with me, none of this would’ve happened.”

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll go back with you.”

  “No.” He crossed his arms like a bratty child. “Now you need to prove yourself to me.” He nodded at the corpse. “Raise that soul and make him carry you back to the school.”

  He was crazy, and I was crazy for not fighting him.

  “Jodi, you have five seconds before I dose you with more poison than you can stand.”

  I squeezed my fists, feeling my blood already mixing in response to my emotions. I glared at Chase. “Fine, but understand I will hate you for making me do this.”

  “No, you won’t. You will love me, Jodi, or I will kill you.” He motioned to the body.

  I stepped around him, careful not to make contact. I didn’t need any of his power. I reached out for the soul, muttering an apology at the same time. He recognized me instantly, and when he realized I was forcing him back into his charred body, he screamed in agony. I cried, but I continued to control him, to hurt him more than he’d ever been hurt. I watched the corpse rise and come toward me.

  “Good girl,” Chase said. “Now, make him carry you.”

  My mouth didn’t want to move. It killed me to say the words. “Carry me to my home. Follow Chase.”

  Chase smiled as the corpse reached for me and picked me up. His burned body was wet and bloody in some places where his flesh had melted away. I struggled to keep from throwing up. Chase laughed.

  “See, it would be so much easier if you decide to love me.” He walked with a smile the entire way back.

  The corpse struggled under my weight, but no matter how much he hurt, he couldn’t stop. He was powerless against me. We reached the school grounds, and I saw Tony was in the cemetery teaching the others. He’d taken over the lesson for me, but he stopped the second he saw us. His eyes went back and forth between me and the corpse. “My God, Jodi. What on earth have you
done?”

  “She’s a ruthless one,” Chase said. “But man are her powers awesome.” He looked at me and smiled. “Come on, sweetie, don’t you think the poor guy’s had enough? You can walk the rest of the way, can’t you?”

  He was pinning this all on me. Making me look like the bad guy. I wanted to punch him in the face. To tell everyone the truth about what had happened. Instead, I commanded the soul to put me down. His flesh stuck to me in several places, and the tearing sound it made was sickening. He stared down at his arms in obvious pain.

  “I release you. Please, return to where you were. I’m so sorry,” I choked out. Tears filled my eyes.

  Chase came over and put his arm around me. He sent waves of power through me. Not enough to consume me. I was sure he didn’t want anyone else to know what he was doing. “Aw, hon, I know you feel bad about making him do that.” He took my face in his hands and said, “I forgive you.” He kissed me, and I truly wanted to die.

  When he pulled away, everyone stared at me in horror, and there was nothing I could do to convince them of the truth.

  Chapter 19

  I was in serious trouble. Suddenly everyone was looking at Chase like he was the good guy. I was the girl who was out of control with power. Only I didn’t want the power. I wasn’t trying to use it. It was all Chase, but no one else could see that. Even Jared, who I’d hoped had seen a glimpse of Chase’s true colors, was looking at me like I was no better than him. I needed help. I needed Alex. But since Alex wasn’t here, I had to hope Medusa would be enough.

  “I’m really drained. I need to go visit Medusa before lunch.” I tried not to sound as disgusted with Chase as I actually was.

  “Sure, babe. No problem. I’ll go with you.” He didn’t let go of me. He clearly didn’t trust me and was only acting sweet to keep up appearances with the others.

  “No, you missed training this morning. Stay. Finish up with the group. I’ll be fine.”

  I looked to Tony for help, hoping he’d back me up the way he usually did. He clearly seemed upset and confused by my behavior, but he nodded. “I could use your help, Chase.”

  Chase wrapped me in a hug and whispered in my ear. “Don’t do anything foolish, Jodi. I’ll find out if you do. I promise you that.” He kissed me, dosing me again with his power. He was seriously going to kill me.

  I wobbled back, still feeling the effects of his touch. Why couldn’t anyone else see what he was doing to me? If Alex were here, he’d notice it. He’d put an end to it. I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that came with thinking about Alex. I turned toward the school and walked inside. I hurried to Medusa and squeezed her hands.

  “My child, what’s happened to you, now? Your power is all off balance.” Her expression was one of worry. “You need to release my left hand. You have too much poison in your blood right now. You need the blood from my right side.”

  “But if I let go I won’t be able to talk to you, and I need to talk to you.”

  “I can still appear to you. Go on and release my left hand.”

  I did as she said, and the life-restoring power flowed through me, replenishing my energy. I sighed, relief washing over me. “Thank you. I needed that.”

  “Now, tell me what’s happened.”

  “Chase. He’s evil, Medusa. He’s trying to kill me. He keeps sending me waves of power, but somehow he’s only sending me power from the left side of his body.”

  “I can tell. You are filled with it. Jodi, I must warn you that, if you allow this to continue, you will turn evil. You’ll become like Victoria and Troy. Only worse.”

  “Worse?” I was practically screaming in my mind. “How is that possible? They were awful.”

  “You must stay away from Chase.”

  “How? He drove Alex away—or I did because my stupid blood was attracted to Chase’s power.” Attracted to his power. Did that mean I was evil? If I was craving the evil in Chase, that had to mean I was evil, too.

  “No, Jodi,” Medusa said, reading my mind. “There is more going on here.”

  Again she was keeping something from me. “What do you know? I keep getting the feeling that you’re hiding something. What aren’t you telling me, Medusa?”

  She shook her head. “I see more than you think, but I’m bound to the deal the Ophi made with Hades when they rescued my spirit. I cannot reveal to you what’s truly happening. If I do, the deal will be broken, and Hades will claim my soul once more.”

  I couldn’t let that happen, but if she knew what was happening to me, there had to be a way for me to find out. “Can you give me a clue? Anything?”

  “All I can say is this: That which has the power to save, has the power to destroy.” She shook her head again. “I’ve said too much already, and you’ve had enough of my power for one evening. Be careful, my child, and good luck.” She vanished, and I let go of her hand.

  That which has the power to save, has the power to destroy. What did that mean? All Ophi had the power to restore life or to kill. This wasn’t anything new to me. Ugh! A hand pressed against my back, and I knew it was Chase before he even transferred his power. I whipped around.

  “Don’t. Please. I finally feel like myself again. Please, don’t do this.”

  Chase grinned at me. “Don’t you see? I’m trying to show you who you really are. Your true self is who you become with me.” He pulled me to him, hitting me with his life-restoring power, making my body tingle and crave his blood. I couldn’t fight it. I gave in, and before I knew what I was doing, I was kissing him.

  The door opened behind us, and Lucas stumbled in. He was clutching his throat and choking. Not again!

  I pulled away from Chase and reached Lucas as he fell to the floor. “Lucas?” I felt for a pulse, but there was none. He was dead.

  “Chase, help me.” I couldn’t believe I was asking him for help, but no one else was around, and with the way my energy level had been roller coasting, I wasn’t sure I could raise Lucas alone.

  Chase bent down next to Lucas while I mixed my blood and focused my power on bringing Lucas back to life. I reached for his soul. It was still in his body, so it should’ve been easy for me to bring him back, but his soul wouldn’t listen to me. Something must have happened when Chase and I connected. He’d affected my power somehow. I struggled, feeling my body shake. I reached out for Medusa’s hand, but Chase grabbed me instead.

  “Chase, what are you doing? I need help. He’s fighting me. I can’t bring him back alone.”

  Chase laced his fingers through mine, and I waited for the tingling feeling that came with Chase’s power. I didn’t feel it. He wasn’t helping.

  “Chase! Please!”

  “I’m trying, Jodi. I’m giving you everything I have. Why isn’t it working?” His voice was strange, as it had been in the cemetery when he was putting on a show for everyone.

  “Oh, God!” McKenzie gasped.

  My eyes were closed, focused on Lucas’s soul, but I knew the others were here now. They were watching. Chase was determined to have them see me fail. He was pretending to help, but really he was letting me fail. Letting Lucas die. He couldn’t get away with it.

  “Chase, you jerk. You’re not helping me! You’re not giving me any of your power.”

  He squeezed my hand, sending his poisonous blood to me in such a concentrated form I instantly crumbled under the strength of it. I fell to my knees as it burned through me. He was going to kill us both. I had no choice. I stopped focusing on Lucas, letting his soul leave. I concentrated on pulling free from Chase. I jerked my hand from his and fell to the floor sobbing.

  “No!” McKenzie screamed. “Lucas!” She threw herself on his body and wept.

  I pounded my fist against the floor before glaring at Chase. “Why? Why did you do that? You poisoned me! You let Lucas die! We could’ve saved him.”

  Chase faked sadness. “Oh, Jodi. Don’t do this. Don’t look for someone to blame. We weren’t strong enough. You couldn’t save him. I don’t know wh
y, but you couldn’t. No one blames you.” He bent down and reached for me, but I backed away.

  “Don’t touch me!” Everyone was staring at me now. Looking at me like I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. I’d lost Randy and Lucas. Alex had walked out on me. Chase was poisoning me, and no one would listen. It was driving me mad.

  “Let me take you to your room.” Chase was still pretending to be the perfect boyfriend.

  “Jodi,” Tony said, “maybe you should let Chase help you.” Oh God, Chase even had Tony fooled.

  “No.” I turned to Arianna. She was my last hope. “Please, Arianna. Will you help me?”

  She nodded and extended her hand to me, but Chase waved her off. “Lunch is ready, right? You all go eat. I’ll take care of Jodi.” Chase turned to Mason. “Uncle Mason, will you take care of Lucas’ body?”

  “Of course,” Mason said. He looked at me and shook his head. “Jodi, I suggest you listen to Chase, before things get even more out of hand.”

  They were all turning on me. All but Arianna, and Chase wouldn’t let her near me. How had this happened? Chase reached for me, giving me a small pleasurable dose of power. The one I couldn’t fight. Instantly, I became a different person. I knew I was angry with Chase, yet when he touched me like that I wanted nothing more than to be with him. Yes, I was definitely crazy. Arianna gave me a puzzled look, no doubt completely baffled by the change in my reaction to Chase.

  He took me up to my room, holding my hand to keep me passive and under his control. He brought me to my bed and tucked me in.

  “See, Jodi. It could be like this all the time. I don’t have to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I nodded. After using my power to try to save Lucas and getting a dose of poison from Chase in the process, I needed Chase’s life-restoring power. I didn’t want him to leave. I willingly held his hand.

  “You understand now, don’t you?”

  I did. He was stronger than me. If I didn’t give in to him, he’d kill me and the others. He’d proven that with Lucas. “I understand.”