The electric feel of his skin sang to me, like his whole body only existed so that lightning could take human form. Being this near to him fed me, energized me, reminded me of the glory of being alive.
How could I complain about being a Rain Chaser when it felt this good?
Then the hurt came.
The first spark bit at my tongue, like licking a battery. Then his body felt like it was less human and more like a live wire. I opened my eyes in time to see his snap open, the storm so alive inside his irises they were blue-white and blinding.
What surprised me, though, was the lack of fear on his face. This had to be the first time he’d had the lightning pulled out of him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been shocked to learn about his divine parentage. Yet he wasn’t panicking.
If my whole body was starting to leak pure energy I would have freaked the fuck out.
Leo just kissed me harder.
The sizzling sensation radiated out of him and into me. In the back of my mind I was aware that Cerberus was growling and the sound was louder now than before, but the only thing I was able to focus on were the literal sparks flying between the demigod and me.
I was like an empty glass, and as I kissed him, the cup filled. When I felt as if I couldn’t take any more, that even the slightest drop beyond this would cause me to tear apart, I pushed myself away from him, breaking the connection between our mouths with a gasp. My skin was prickling from the inside, alive with bees. It hurt, but was overwhelmed with the power flowing through me.
For once the pain wasn’t dragging me down.
Leo was panting, his eyes bright and wild. “Whoa.”
I didn’t waste any time replying. The power was active and ready, and I had no idea how long it would hold out. All I knew was I needed to unleash it now before it vanished.
I’d never done anything like this. When Seth had used me, he’d commanded the energy. Any time I’d done it on my own I was drawing from the source, like drinking from a faucet. Leo was more like a Dixie Cup, and I was going to drain him in an effort to keep us alive.
I kept one hand on his chest as I disentangled myself from his grip. At first he seemed unwilling to let me go, but when I withdrew, he let me. I found my uneven footing once again, and with a hand pressed against his abs, I lifted my other palm to the sky.
Sparks danced across my fingertips, fireworks like snaps of blue and white. I drew from the energy inside me, everything I’d drained from him, and it felt like a long chain inside me being tugged tight, the links straining. The tension passed through me and into him, and he let out a small “Oof” before bracing himself on me.
Where his hands met my shoulders, new chains formed within me, and I stumbled forward a step, as if my fingers were pulling me ahead. The bracelet on his wrist was glowing faintly, and I wondered what this might do to him if he wasn’t wearing it.
My answer came when the pain I was inflicting on him slammed back into me like a full-body punch.
My breath came in short puffs, and I closed my eyes, refining my focus. So this was the sensation of having death turned back on you.
The electricity swelled up all at once, as if it had been held back by a dam and was unleashed, flooding through me in an excruciating explosion. Lightning burst from my palm, and like with Seth before, I worried the sheer volume of the pain might shatter me. Yet part of it, something inexplicable, edged towards pleasure. It was unlike anything else I’d ever experienced, this god-fueled power surge, and apparently Leo would suffice just as well as Seth had.
Except I was the one in charge here.
Instead of being used as a puppet, now I was the master. It was so much power I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle it.
The first bolt hit the middle dog head right between the eyes.
It yowled, a sound so loud and fearsome my insides quivered. The two other heads began to growl and whine, each responding in turn to the pain being experienced by the middle head. I wondered if they could feel it too, or if each head had its own brain and therefore different pain receptors.
If I made it out of here, I could think about the biology of underworld canine guardians all I wanted. Now was the time to focus on finding a way around this thing.
The dog rose to its full height, easily twenty feet high or more. The shadow it cast blotted out the light of the flaming sky and created an aura of artificial cold around us. It was so sudden and so chilling my breath fogged out in front of me like it would on a cool winter’s day.
Drool poured from the corner of the center head’s mouth, a long string of thick liquid that dropped slowly to the ground nearby, forming a miniature pond of dog spit. The two other heads continued to snarl, this time from much higher up now that the creature was standing.
I hadn’t liked the thing when it was napping. Now that it was awake I understood completely why Hades used it as his sigil. As mascots for hell went, it did the trick nicely.
I also knew that Cerberus had only one job to do for its master, and it was a job the creature took so seriously that failur
e was not an option.
Cerberus existed to keep the dead from leaving the underworld.