Acropolis (22 page)

"Conor says there's a place in Italy . . .
."

Fiona shakes her head.

"And you trust everything Conor
Reinhardt tells you? Oh,
that's
smart."

I lift my chin, my jaw tight, my pride
wounded.

"Will Reinhardt and Marion Durand are leaving
as well."

The twins gasp as Fiona's gaze searches mine.
I feel her surprise.

"Why?" she whispers.

"Because staying here is the same thing as
dying. There's too much prejudice against the hybrids. They're
scared of us, scared we'll unite. We don't have to be evil. We
don't have to be good," I say.

Hesther looks at Fiona, a smile playing at
the corner of her lips.

"She's saying we have a choice. She's
offering us freedom, Fiona."

"We're in," the twins say together.

Fiona is thoughtful.

"And if we decide to go? What then?"

I watch her, my eyes meeting hers.

"We train on our own. We learn how to be the
best we can be without restriction," I say.

Fiona nods. The lights flicker in the
bathroom, and I know I'm running out of time.

"I don't have access to the main residence
hall," I say as I back toward the door. "If you decide you are in,
spread the word. Give the other hybrids a choice. We're meeting by
the lake before dawn."

And with that, I walk away. It's the best I
can do. With the little time allowed me, I have planted the seeds
of rebellion.

"Did it go well?" Conor asks quietly as I
exit the bathroom.

He is leaning against the wall, and he pushes
away to move beside me. I nod as we walk. He leads me to the small
bedroom, and I walk inside with my stomach tied in knots.

The door clicking shut behind us in the small
room is too loud. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that everything will go
wrong. I'm afraid we will be hurting more people than we help.

"There's no time to worry now, Em. Lay down,"
Conor orders.

I back toward the bunk, sliding onto it
carefully. I haven't changed into pajamas, and I won't. Not
tonight.

"Scoot over," Conor says suddenly, and I
realize he's standing next to the bed.

I look up at him, startled.

"What?"

He smiles.

"Just scoot over, Em. It's not safe tonight.
If anyone tries to get to you before we leave, they'll have to get
through me first."

He pushes me over gently and climbs into the
bed next to me. I'm not sure what to think of this, and I awkwardly
scoot into the wall. I suddenly have six legs, and a million arms.
I can't figure out where to put them all.

"Just lie still," Conor whispers, and I can
hear the smile in his voice. He's enjoying my discomfort.

"There's not enough room," I mumble.

Conor chuckles.

"There's plenty of room. Trust me."

He rolls onto his back, facing the bunk above
us before stretching out his right arm, offering it as a pillow. I
look at him warily, my eyes searching his gaze before finally
settling down next to him, his arm under my neck. The lights go
out, and we are plunged into darkness.

The dark has a way of making everything sound
louder. Every breath Conor takes moves through me, causing tingles
to shoot down into my toes. And every time he shifts, the sheets
sound like sandpaper rubbing together. I need a distraction.

"Do you think this is going to work?" I
ask.

I feel Conor's breath on my neck, and I know
his head is facing me. I'm still staring up at the bunk.

"I don't know, but we're out of options."

I let my head roll to face his. We're only an
inch apart now. Even in the dark, I can make out the features of
his face. We're both silent, still, and then . . .

"Emma, what happened in the woods . . ." he
begins.

This isn't the distraction I was looking for.
I don't want to pretend the kiss we shared never took place, but I
will.

"Never happened," I finish in a whisper.

Conor's finger is suddenly touching my lips,
and I jump as he traces them slowly. My whole body catches
fire.

"No," he breathes. "It happened. It sure as
hell happened."

"Conor . . ."

His finger presses against my lips, shushing
me.

"You and me, right or wrong, it happened, Em.
It happened. I'm not sure I'd be here right now if it didn't. I
shouldn't have told you to forget it."

It's too dark for me to make out his features
as well as I'd like to, and my heart is beating way too fast. It's
loud in the darkness, deafening.

"What are you saying?" I whisper.

His hand is cupping my cheek now, and I close
my eyes against the pressure.

"I'm not sure, Em. I'm really not sure."

I smile against his hand.

"Unsure is okay, you know. Unsure is where
you discover sure."

Conor chuckles.

"And how do you discover sure?" he asks.

I let temptation get the better of me, and I
reach out to touch his face with my hand. There is light stubble
under my fingers, and I know Conor hasn't had time for anything
resembling a shave, much less a haircut.

"You don't. It finds you," I answer.

I feel Conor's smile against my skin, and he
takes my hand in his, kissing my palm before folding my fingers
around the kiss.

"Should be one hell of a journey," he
whispers, his lips touching my forehead now.

I close my eyes, letting the sensation run
through me as he presses his lips lightly against the tip of my
nose and then my lips. There, he stops, pulling away as he runs a
finger down the side of my face.

"Get some sleep, Em. We've got a hard journey
ahead of us."

I roll onto my side, my back to Conor."

"Conor?" I ask.

He's quiet a moment, his breathing even.

"Yeah?"

"I kind of like unsure."

Conor laughs, his hand playing gently with
the back of my hair.

"Unsure is good."

And with that, I let sleep take me.

Chapter 33

Conor

The hours before dawn come too soon, and I am
shaking Emma awake.

"Come on, sweetheart. Time to move."

Emma stirs quickly, and she sits up, her
hands moving through her hair as I climb out of the bed. I reach
down to take her hand. If she has the power to see in the dark, she
hasn't learned how to yet, and I don't know how to teach her.

"Ready?" I ask when she's standing next to
me.

She nods, and I approach the door. This is
the part of the journey that could get us killed. If any of the
Guardians wake up, we are more than screwed.

"Remember, project feelings of calm. If you
got some kind of sleepy emotions hidden up your sleeve, feel free
to use those too," I mumble.

Emma snorts.

"Got a whole bag of sleepy mojo all ready to
go."

I recognize the sarcasm, and I know she's
terrified. My hand finds hers.

"Let's go."

I pull the door open carefully, my eyes
alert. The room is quiet, still. I step through the door, Emma
close behind me.

"They won't hear you," a male voice says, and
I jump.

Emma gasps, and I place a hand over her lips
hurriedly.

"They won't hear you," the voice repeats, and
I look up to find Gray Harris standing casually in front of us.
He's a hybrid, but I don't know much about him other than his name.
He nods at us, his eyes on Emma.

"I'm Gray, son of Iudal. I can cause
deafness. Both permanent and temporary. They can't hear you."

I watch him warily. Gray is of average height
and skinny with brown hair that is well beyond the need for a
haircut.

"Are you with us?" I ask.

Gray gestures at Emma.

"I'm with
her
, Dude. I don't trust you."

Right away, I can tell I'm
really
gonna like this guy. And
that's sarcasm at its best.

"Are there more hybrids?" Emma asks.

Gray nods.

"They're waiting at the rendezvous. Fiona
told us we were supposed to meet you at the lake?"

"That's right," Emma answers.

"Then let's go. The deafness is definitely
temporary. I give it another hour or so," Gray says before moving
ahead of us.

"Oh well, he's friendly," I mutter as we fall
in behind him.

Emma is antsy, and we are just about in the
courtyard when I see her looking toward another exit in the stable.
She stops moving, and we stop with her.

"What is it?" Gray asks.

His eyes are bright. I can't feel his
excitement, but I know it's there.

"Ace," Emma says, and I nod, my eyes moving
to Gray.

"Go on ahead. We have one more stop."

Gray looks at Emma. She nods, and he takes a
few steps backward before turning to break into a run.

"They really hate me that much?" I ask as we
move to the door leading into the un-renovated sections of the
stable.

Emma ducks into the darkness, and I duck with
her before taking her by the elbow. The dark doesn't pose as much a
problem for me as it does for her.

"They fear you," Emma whispers as she
searches the inky interior.

I see the drex slinking from a corner,
snuffling toward Emma slowly.

"He's coming to you," I tell her.

Emma is watching her feet now, her eyes
squinted.

"Just how well can you see in the dark?" she
asks.

I grin.

"Noticed that, huh?"

The drex's nose hits Emma's tennis shoes, and
his head lifts. Emma runs a hand over his leathery hide, and I
shudder. Out of everything that has happened, I understand the drex
the least. He's ugly as sin and beyond creepy even for me.

"You move around well in darkness," Emma says
as I pull on her arm.

She follows me out of the stable, the drex
behind us. The creature keens, and Emma shushes him.

"All gargoyles have the ability. Demons do as
well."

"Oh," Emma answers as we skirt the school's
courtyard. There are stone gargoyles stationed at the forest's
edge, and we avoid the area.

"I think you have the ability too. It's just
a matter of learning how to do it," I say softly as I help Emma
over one of the garden's stone walls.

The moon isn't as full as it was a few days
ago, but it's bright. I can see the lake in the distance, the
moon's reflection shimmering on the surface. There are figures
moving near its edge, and I know everyone else has made it to the
rendezvous point.

"We've got to hurry," I say urgently.

Emma nods, and we break into a run, my arm on
Emma's to keep her from stumbling. Even with the moon's glow, my
eyesight is much better than hers. There are murmurs as we draw
near, and I know the hybrids and gargoyles at the lake have noticed
the drex.

"No F-ing way! She does have one!" I hear one
of the Garner twins say excitedly.

Someone shushes her, and I'm pretty sure it's
her sister. I can't tell the two apart, and I honestly don't ever
try.

"Well, the Garner sisters showed," I whisper
to Emma.

Emma doesn't answer. The drex has felt the
presence of the other Demons, and he's getting excited. It's taking
everything Emma's got to keep him calm. I see a figure break away
from the group at the lake.

"Need any help?" Will asks as he climbs up
the hill. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"We're good. How many showed?" I ask.

Will looks at me, his face stronger than I
remember. Will is definitely an idealist, and finding a cause is
giving him purpose. It's giving him a reason to fight, and for the
first time, I realize my cousin is a force to be reckoned with.

"Fiona, Deidra, the Garner twins, Bruno,
Gray, and . . . Lyre."

Emma and I both look at Will.

"What?" I ask.

Will shrugs. Emma pulls at the drex's head,
leading him over to Will and I. Will backs up, but he doesn't seem
afraid.

"Lyre's scared she'll be exterminated if she
stays. She's strong. She could be an asset," Emma says softly.

Emma is definitely more open-minded than I
am.

"We also have another gargoyle," Will says
suddenly, his gaze on the group below.

My eyes follow his, and I take a deep
breath.

"Grace," I say quietly.

Will nods. The drex shakes its head, and Emma
looks at me.

"I think we need to hurry."

I don't argue. We move as a group down the
hill, meeting up with the other hybrids and gargoyles at its base.
Emma is looking up at the moon.

"You okay?" I whisper. "No going psycho on me
tonight, sweetheart. I don't think I can get us away from Satan's
army, and a posse of gargoyles."

Emma's gaze finds mine.

"I think Enepsigos has us covered on the
Demon front."

My eyes narrow, but I don't question her.
Even after the bathroom incident, I've been aware that Enepsigos
has been communicating with her daughter. Emma hasn't said
anything, but I've noticed the glassy stare, the startled jumps.
I'm more in tune with Emma than I should be. It's a little
startling.

Her hand finds mine, and she squeezes it
briefly before letting go. I look at the rest of the group.

"You realize that we may be followed? That
there will be Extermination notices written for each of us?"

Everyone nods, and my eyes find Grace
Withers. I am impressed by her presence until I see the way she
watches Fiona. She's become attached to her mark the same way I
have mine. Maybe not romantically, but she definitely sees Fiona as
a friend. And yet, she still looks conflicted. I know the feeling
well. Grace and I have been Guardians for a little over a year now.
It's hard to break the rules when we've finally gotten used to
following them.

"Let's go then. I suggest we go Southeast
toward Monaco, cross over the Tyrrhenian Sea, and then move into
Tivoli."