Page 145 of Cherish

“Relax, City Boy. The food won’t hurt you.” Hudson rolls his eyes before addressing Polo. “I’ll make some calls. By the time you get to the Piazza Castello to cross back over, I’ll have a stack of jeans waiting for you at the Witch Court.”

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” He nods before turning to me and extending his hand.

I take it, murmuring, “Thank you, Polo, for everything.”

He pulls me in for a quick hug, then whispers, “Take care of yourself, Grace. Hudson’s a stand-up guy, and I don’t think he’d do very well if something happened to you.”

Before I can react, he steps back. Then, with a wave and an “adios, amigos,” he shifts and hauls ass through the very large wheat field we are currently somewhere in the middle of.

“So, now what do we do?” Heather asks, looking baffled.

But Macy is already on it, spinning a portal open right here in the crops. “Have you ever been to Alexandria?” I ask my cousin as dark, colorful sparks fly. I’d told them all about Remy’s pin drop on the Curator’s location what feels like a lifetime ago.

“No, but I’ve been to Athens. I just looked it up. It’s about a thousand miles from Alexandria, which is pretty much as close as I can get us.”

“Athens? Seriously?” Eden looks impressed.

Macy shrugs. “There was some kind of paranormal education summit there when I was six or seven, so my parents made a family trip of it. I don’t remember much, except the Parthenon.”

“The Parthenon?” It’s my turn to be impressed. “Really?”

She just nods toward her portal. “Next stop, the Acropolis.”

78

Hex Marks

the Spot

It turns out the Parthenon looks exactly like it does in books and Disney movies. Sitting atop the Acropolis on the outskirts of Athens, the remains of the ancient temple are incredibly impressive—especially when I think about the fact that it was built in the fifth century BCE. Made of tall marble columns and built in the shape of a large rectangle, it doesn’t feel like it should be as awe-inspiring as it is. But something about the feeling of standing atop a mountain filled with some of the most ancient ruins in the world is incredibly special.

Even before Hudson comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “It’s a hell of a view, isn’t it?”

I nod as I continue to stare at the lights of Athens spread out beneath the dark mountaintop. “I wish we had more time to take it all in.”

“That’s the story of our lives, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” I turn in his arms and hug him as tightly as I can. “We need to come back here someday and actually explore—when Mekhi’s life doesn’t hang in the balance.”

“It’s a date,” he promises me with a soft smile. “And no, that’s not jinxing anything.” Then he steps back so I can shift.

“Last one to Alexandria has to figure out where the Curator is,” I call, right before I reach for my platinum string and turn into my gargoyle form.

“Already shared Grace’s pin from Remy in a group text,” Heather says, holding up her phone triumphantly. “We just need to fly a straight line between here and there and aim for the harbor. I’ll fill you in when we get there.”

Jaxon lifts his brows, obviously impressed by her thoroughness.

Even Flint grins at her and says, “Let’s hear it for the human.”

Heather flushes with pride, and I can’t help smiling along with her. It makes me happier than I can say to have my oldest best friend getting along with all my new best friends. So far, she’s also made it through the dangerous part of this world better than I ever could have imagined. I just pray that it keeps up, because the last thing I ever want is for her to get hurt, especially doing something that I made her a part of.

I give everyone a moment to have their laugh, and then I shut it all down with one well-placed phrase.

“We’ve got to go.”

They nod, and then the dragons step back to shift in a flurry of rainbow sparks that lights up the whole night.

After a few minutes of prep, the others climb on the dragons’ backs. Hudson on Jaxon, Heather on Eden, and Macy on Flint.

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