The Acropolis excerpt 1 Emma Chase POV "We're just above my home," Conor whispers suddenly in my ear, and

I jerk. Logical Emma wants me to look down. Instinct tells me not to, and even without looking, I can feel the panic attack coming on. "Deep breaths," Conor reminds me. I start breathing in and out the same way pregnant women in labor do. It isn't attractive, but it is better than passing out. "Deeper breaths, Sweetheart. You really don't want to meet my mother while only half-conscious. She's hard to deal with after eight hours of sleep and a whole pot of coffee." I am practically panting now, my eyes squeezed shut. "You're not helping," I say through gritted teeth. Conor chuckles. "The only way to defeat these fears of yours is to face them." It isn't that I disagree with Conor's logic, it's that I honestly don't want to agree with it. I keep my eyes squeezed shut, my breathing hard until I feel my feet hit something solid. And even then, I still pant like an idiot. "You can look now," Conor says, his tone laced with amusement. "Your mother is going to love this," Will murmurs as he comes up beside us. His words, dripping with sarcasm, finally makes me open my eyes. We are on a pleasant street in early afternoon. There are houses spaced a nice distance apart. We are facing a two-level red brick home with a wraparound porch and burgundy shutters. The sun glints off a pool just visible from where we are standing on the front lawn. There is a black Mercedes parked in the drive in front of a closed garage.

"Are you counting yet?" Conor whispers to Will. Will smiles. "Already on four . . . . " There is a scream from inside the house. I jump, my body instantly ready to bolt. Conor is prepared, his arm still tight around my waist, and he pulls my thrashing frame more tightly against his chest. "Calm down, Darling. That's just Roach scaring the hell out of my mother. He was in his gargoyle form, which means once he reverted back to his mortal form, he was naked as the day he was born. And, Lord knows, you didn't want to see that on my front lawn."