Acropolis Read Online Free Page A

to surrender. I thrash
violently, my teeth bearing down.
    "Don't!" Conor warns, and I watch in horror
as his hand transforms, turning to stone against my lips.
    "You'll only shatter your teeth if you do
that."
    I scream against his granite-like palm, my
hands coming up to grip his arm. It isn't hard like his hand, and I
dig my nails in ruthlessly. He doesn't even flinch. He chuckles
instead, the sound causing me to tense as he pulls me off the bed
and against his chest.
    "It's nice to see the fear doesn't immobilize
you."
    Roach growls. "And you wanted to take off her
restraints! Do you really believe she would have been tied to her
own bed if she wasn't a risk? Her fears make her insensible. They
make her dangerous!"
    "They make her fight," Conor says quietly.
"And she's going to need a lot of fight where she's going."
    I am crying now, blood-tinged tears
spilling over Conor's stone hand. He has turned to stone ! Stone ! I am losing my mind. I am hallucinating! I
am finally dying and these are my last moments, a hospital room
full of crazy men with outrageous abilities. Is it possible to be
aware of your own craziness?
    "We need to go," Will says shortly. Conor
doesn't argue.
    "We had to battle . . ." Conor pauses as if
he is afraid what he's about to say will render me even more
senseless. I hate to tell him, but I am already well beyond
insanity. Even though I know it is pointless, I keep thrashing. I
will fight until there isn't any fight left in me.
    "We had a little skirmish outside. They know
she's here. Unless you want real trouble on your hands, we need to
go," Conor says to Roach. Roach still looks angry, his face almost
purple with rage, but he doesn't argue anymore.
    He goes into action instead, moving equipment
around angrily before transforming in front of my eyes. One moment
he is a beady-eyed man, the next a serpentine figure, a mix of
snake and dragon. I scream and scream, thrashing and fighting until
I feel myself beginning to tire. I sag a little against Conor's
chest, still fighting.
    "Shhhhhhh . . ."
    He is crooning softly in my ear as if I am a
child needing soothed. He frightens me. They all do.
    "I need you to try and calm down, Em. We're
not here to hurt you. I know things are scary. But what is after
you is a helluva lot scarier than we could ever be. We're
gargoyles, a race of people created to guard against evil. That's
the short version. We don't have time for the long. Roach, there,
is a specific type of gargoyle. Some of us are unique, have certain
powers. Roach's line has the power of invisibility. He's going to
get us out of here."
    His words are meant to be comforting, an
explanation maybe, and still I fight. He moves as he speaks, his
words breathless as he works to keep up with Roach and Will while
trying to manage me. We aren't in the cubicle anymore, but where we
are is beyond me. We are speeding through the hospital so swiftly,
the walls and floors blur into one. Occasionally we slow, and I
catch a glimpse of the serpentine Roach curling around corners. I
am still screaming against Conor's stone hand.
    "Hang on, sweetheart," Conor breathes as he
pushes through an opening. Wind pummels my hair.
    I take in the scene absentmindedly, concrete
below my feet, a blue open sky above. It is noon, that time of day
when the sun is brutal no matter how cold it is outside. There is
no doubt we are on the roof. I thrash harder.
    "Damned if you aren't a resilient little
thing," Conor grounds out as he tightens his grip before bracing
his feet against the roof. There is a loud "whoosh," and we are
suddenly airborne. Oh my God! I kick furiously.
    "Now is really not the time to keep thrashing
like that," Conor points out.
    His arms loosen somewhat, giving me enough
maneuverability to glance in a direction other than forward. I make
the mistake of looking down. My fingers dig into Conor's arms.
    "OMMMMMMGGGGGGOOOOO," I scream against his
now human-like palm.
    I look up frantically only to find