Acropolis (23 page)

"And if we're attacked," Grace asks.

She and I are used to making quick decisions.
I look at her.

"Head for the hill towns near Rome, and ask
about the residence of a man named Alessandro Mancini."

Grace's eyes go wide.

"The S.O.S? Are you sure, Reinhardt?"

I glance at Emma. She nods.

"I'm sure," I say before pointing at the sky.
"Anyone who doesn't have the ability to fly?"

Only Deidra lifts her hand.

"I want to stay with Emma," Deidra whispers,
her body moving conspicuously away from Lyre who is sulking near
the edge of the lake. It doesn't take a genius to figure out Deidra
has been attacked by Lyre before and viciously enough to leave an
impression.

"Emma doesn't fly, Deidra," I say gently.

Lyre laughs."Figures."

"I'll take Emma," Bruno volunteers.

I give him a look that can melt glaciers.

"I can fly on my own," Emma says quietly, and
I look at her in surprise.

She gestures at the drex, and I immediately
shake my head.

"Hell, no!"

Even I know drex's are clumsy. He can fly.
There's no doubt. All Demons can, but there's no way in hell I'm
letting her get on that thing.

Emma gives me an arch look before doing
exactly what I
don't
want her
to do. She climbs onto the drex's neck, moving backward just enough
Deidra can climb in front of her.

"We don't have time for this," Emma says
reasonably.

"She's right," Will adds."We've got to go
now."

The group spreads out. Will, Marion, and
Grace all sprout bat-like wings, lifting slightly in the air as
Fiona, Gwenyth, Hesther, Gray, and Lyre all rise effortlessly from
the ground. The hybrids don't need wings to fly. Bruno lifts a
hand, and he is suddenly lifted off the ground by a whirlwind of
wind and dust. Show off.

"Get off that thing," I tell Emma. "You're
being foolish."

She arches a brow.

"Am I?"

She places a hand on the drex's head, and he
suddenly lifts off the ground, his head hanging as wings I never
noticed unfurl from his back. His draconic tail weaves behind him,
and I am struck by his similarity to the dragon myth. His large,
ugly dinosaur head and small arms are the only thing keeping him
from being even slightly pretty. He really is ugly.

"I swear to God . . . Emma . . ."

"We have to go now, Con," Will says from the
air.

I sigh, my heart in my throat as I
concentrate on my own wings. The air lifts me, and I hover near
Emma.

"No fancy flying," I command.

She smiles.

"I wouldn't even know how."

Thank God that happens to be the truth.

Chapter 34

Emma

I am inside Ace's head, and he is inside
mine. I still haven't learned how to communicate with him in any
way other than through emotions. I'm not even sure drexes know how
to communicate, but he isn't a bad sort despite popular opinion.
He's a sloppy flyer, and he dips when the rest of the group lifts
and lifts when the rest of the group dips.

"Just keep him in the air, and I'll be
happy," Conor mumbles from next to us.

Deidra giggles, but I throw Conor a murderous
glare.

"He's funny," Deidra says helplessly when I
pinch her in the back.

"No, that's your crush on him blinding
you."

Deidra grins.

"Nah uh. I have a new crush. They have the
same last name though."

I cough.

"Will?" I ask incredulously.

Deidra nods.

"You should see that boy in action. He got us
out of the school after knocking two gargoyles out with a single
punch."

I'm officially stunned.

"Wow."

"Yeah," Deidra says dreamily.

"You do realize," I say slowly, "that Will is
three years older than you."

Deidra shrugs.

"And? I'll grow."

I laugh. It's practically impossible not to
smile when Deidra is near.

"Con," Will says suddenly from beside us, and
I hear Deidra gasp, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't overheard our
conversation. He looks too distracted.

Conor flies in closer.

"We're being followed," Will says softly as
he peers over his shoulder.

Conor looks behind us.

"Are you sure?" Conor asks. He looks at me.
"Emma?"

I know what he's asking, and I pat Ace on the
head, using emotion to let him know he's to follow Conor and the
group, and then I pull out of Ace's mind. The emotions behind us
hit me full on—determination, fear, anger, and death. I gasp,
swallowing hard as I attempt to count.

"There's . . . twenty of them I think," I say
hoarsely.

Fear envelops me, and I feel Deidra's small
fingers digging into my pants. Her teeth are clenched. Deidra is
more than afraid. She's terrified.

Will looks at Conor over Ace's head. Conor
nods, and Will breaks away.

"What are you going to do?" I ask.

Conor looks me in the eye.

"Fight."

I stare at him.

"What?"

Conor points at the group.

"Follow Grace. Will and I will head our
followers off."

I shake my head even as Conor begins to move
away.

"You can't fight your own kind, and you're
outnumbered."

Will flies in next to Conor, his brow
lifted.

"That's our kind of odds. You should see us
at a Reinhardt family reunion," Will jokes.

Conor laughs, but I feel the tenseness in
them both. They are afraid, but they hide it well.

"Go," Conor says, and I know I don't have a
choice. If it was just me, I'd stay and fight with them no matter
how untrained I am but Deidra depends on me.

I pat Ace on the head again, my thoughts
frenzied, and he knows he's supposed to fly faster. Grace is
waiting on us, and when she sees us draw near, the group moves on.
My heart is thumping hard, and I feel my face heat.

"Please let them be okay," I whisper.

Deidra's hand finds mine on the drex's
head.

"They
will
be fine, Emma. They're
Reinhardts."

I look down at her and see the confidence in
her gaze.

"And that's enough, huh?"

She smiles.

"You don't know much about the Reinhardts do
you?" she asks.

I shake my head. The only thing I know about
Conor's family is that they have bred some pretty great guys. Conor
is kind, a smartass at times, chivalrous, loyal, stubborn,
protective, and strong. He's also a great kisser, but I'm not
admitting that to anyone. He has his issues, but he wouldn't be
human if he didn't. Issues I can get past.

"They're like super heroes," Deidra gushes.
"Their history is full of overcoming tremendous odds. Conor's
father went down battling fifty Demons, and he was winning until he
was injured."

I look back into the brightening sky behind
us. Dawn is here.

"That sounds a little extreme," I say
skeptically. Battles are often exaggerated depending on the person
telling the story. Deidra shrugs.

"Well, I'm not sure it was fifty, but he
fought a lot of Demons and almost won. And he was alone. Will and
Conor are together."

Now that I agree with. I'd give Deidra that
much. My stomach hurts, and I know it's because I'm worried about
Conor, but worse yet, I feel sick knowing he will be fighting his
own people. He will be facing people who raised him, trained him.
For me. For us.

As the sky brightens, I see land in the
distance. We are over water, and I know we've already made it over
the Tyrrhenian Sea. Gargoyles and Demons travel quickly. I am
astounded by their speed. It makes me wonder how fast I could be if
I tried. Even the drex, who lags behind the rest of the group, is
quicker than any creature I've ever met.

"Italy," Deidra breathes, and I wrap my arm
around her waist as the drex dips toward the sea. He drops his head
and fills his mouth with water before lifting again to join the
group.

"That was salt water," I say
distractedly.

"It won't hurt him," Deidra assures as she
rubs the back of Ace's head. She is fascinated by the beast.
"Certain types of Demons crave salt."

I look down at Deidra's head.

"Does that include imps?" I ask with a small
smile.

I remember the big bag of salt and vinegar
potato chips she practically inhaled in my room back at the
Acropolis. Deidra nods.

"Good stuff, salt," she says wryly as the
land below us blurs with the speed.

The group slows, and I notice we are hovering
over a green field. Grace flies into the middle of the group.

"We'll land here," she says. She looks at
each of us in turn. "I don't know the exact location of S.O.S.
headquarters, and I'll need to find someone who can tell me."

"And why should we go there?" Lyre suddenly
asks. She moves through the group, her face angry. "It's another
religious group, right? Won't we end up in the same situation we
were in before? Whose idea was this anyway? Conor Reinhardt?"

Upon saying his name, she spits at the
ground, and I know the history there is strong. I don't feel love
coming from her though. I feel defeat, and I wonder if she's angry
because she wasn't able to ensnare Conor the same way she has other
men. I can feel her mother in her. Lyre is powerful. I shared her
magic briefly at the Acropolis, and I know she uses it to seduce
and control people, especially males.

I concentrate on Ace, and he lowers as the
group around us moves to the ground. I climb off the drex and move
toward Lyre with Deidra at my back.

"This was not Conor's idea. It was mine."

Lyre snorts.

"And that's any better?" she asks. "Why run
to the S.O.S.? Do you hate yourself that much?"

I stare at her.

"I don't hate what I am. I don't even know
enough about what I am to embrace it fully. I'm seeking Alessandro
because I was told to."

Lyre steps forward, closing the distance
between us.

"By who?"

"By Enepsigos," I answer.

The group murmurs.

"Impossible," Grace mumbles, and I look at
the faces surrounding me. There is disbelief written on their
features.

"We don't talk to our Demonic parents,
Chase," Fiona points out as Gray crosses his arms.

"Crazy as it sounds, I'm sort of inclined to
agree with Emma," he says. "How else would she know about the
S.O.S. and Alessandro?"

"Because of Conor?" Lyre says angrily.
"Seriously? Are you all that blind? Do you question nothing?"

Bruno walks behind Lyre, his dark eyes going
obsidian.

"And what about you, Lyre? You came too."

"To escape!"

I move so close to her now, my shoes brush
the front of her footwear.

"To escape where?" I ask. "Believe me or not,
Alessandro is the answer to our problem."

Lyre laughs, the sound harsh.

"He's also a friend of Gibson's. He works
with the gargoyles, you dimwit."

I don't appreciate the name calling, but I
don't back down.

"He's the key," I say slowly, meticulously,
mechanically.

Suddenly, I feel funny. It's my mouth moving,
but it isn't my words. It isn't even my voice coming out of my
mouth now. Lyre's eyes widen, and she backs away from me. Bruno
reaches over Lyre and touches my shoulder, but I don't move.

"Enepsigos," he whispers.

"Alessandro has ties to the hybrids. No
matter his position, he will not harm you. You will find sanctuary
there," Enepsigos answers.

Once again, my mouth is moving but it's not
my voice. It's strange being inside my own body with no control
over it. Grace steps in front of me, and I know she sees the fear
in my eyes, but she ignores it.

"Enepsigos, can you tell us how to get to
S.O.S. headquarters?"

A laugh escapes my mouth.

"You are a smart one, gargoyle. I'm pleased
you have joined my daughter. The hybrids will play a big role in
history. They will change the tides of war. I have faith in you
all."

Grace's jaw tightens.

"S.O.S. headquarters?" she asks again.

I feel the anger before I know it's coming,
and I brace myself.

"Do you rush me, Grace Withers?" Enepsigos
roars.

Grace backs away, her hands held up.

"I don't," she says quietly.

Calm settles over me, and I know my Demon
mother is beginning to depart.

"S.O.S. headquarters is hidden in the hills
outside Tivoli. Follow the drex. I've made sure he knows the
way."

And with that, I fall to the ground, gasping
and weak.

"Geez!" Deidra cries out as she sprawls on
her knees next to me, her hand on my back.

Marion kneels on the other side of me.

"Are you okay? Emma?"

I look up, my eyes wide.

"She's gone," I whisper.

Marion nods.

"It seems so."

Gray laughs.

"And that, Lyre, is why I'm inclined to
follow Emma. Any more questions?"

Lyre's face is red, and she backs away. I
feel the fear in her. I am as afraid as she is. It's isn't
comforting knowing my real mother can pop into my body whenever she
wants. That's more than just an invasion of privacy. It completely
trespasses the boundaries of personal space.

"Do you need some help," Bruno asks, his hand
suddenly in front of my face.

I look up at him. I'm not fond of touching
Bruno. The last time I did, he seemed to get off on the power he
felt from my mother, but I take his hand anyway, and he pulls me
up.

"That was impressive," Bruno whispers before
letting me go. Fiona rolls her eyes from behind him. I want to
smile, but I'm too weak.

"Let's go," Grace orders. She looks at me.
"Emma, I guess you're leading us this time."

I nod and swallow hard before climbing onto
Ace's back. He is quiet, his head down, and I feel my mother's
power within him. He is subdued. I pat his head as Deidra settles
in front of me.