Rise of the Blood by Lucienne Diver

yeah.” Because now that he’d mentioned it, the croissants and grapes I’d had for breakfast hours ago were not cutting it.
    “And shopping?” Jesus asked hopefully.
    “Have you forgotten that we have a mystery to solve?” I asked him.
    “Never fear. I’ll keep my eyes open for anything suspicious. Like a girl who doesn’t like to shop,” he added under his breath.
    “I heard that.”
    “Heard what?” he asked, all innocence.
    “Never mind. We’ll meet back down here in twenty,” I told him. Shopping might not be a priority, but food and caffeination were other matters entirely.
    “But—”
    “ Twenty or we leave without you.”
    He gave a longsuffering sigh and a tight nod and led the way to the elevators. Our room was small but nice—photos of the nearby Temple of Apollo at sunset, some of the fallen columns and pedestals peeking out of a springtime profusion of flowers. Any other adornments were unnecessary. Nick headed straight for the window and twitched back the sheer curtain obscuring the view. He whistled, and I took a step back. The view looked out over…nothing. Or, more accurately, nothing but sky. We were above even the clouds, which seemed totally unnatural. Panic started to flutter against my breastbone like a frightened baby bird.
    “Could you…?” I nodded at the curtains as Nick’s head whipped around in response to the tension in my voice. Instantly, he let the curtain fall back into place.
    “Sorry. Are you sure you’re going to be all right to go out and eat? I could bring you back something.”
    “I am not going to let this defeat me. Let’s go.”
    He smiled. “That’s my girl. Just let me use the facilities.”
    He disappeared into the bathroom. I fought down the baby bird and forced myself closer to the window a step. Then two, then I stopped, told myself it was just stupid and that I could handle this , but I knew I was lying. I made myself take the last few steps without pause. My inner alarms started blaring, my heart started racing, sweat broke out all over. What if this was my precog kicking in, telling me I was right to be afraid?
    There was only one way to know. I reached out for the curtain like it was a live snake and twitched it back, flinching as I did, feeling stupid the whole time. Nothing happened. I didn’t get sucked into a vortex or whatever I subconsciously thought would happen. It didn’t lessen the fear.
    I looked out. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, and, now that I really looked, I could see that the view outside wasn’t an instant drop off. There was a lip of land where the groundskeepers had laid out a little garden with a bench to sit on and enjoy the view (ha) and a fountain gurgling away with a central figure shaped like one of the Korae pouring water out of an amphora.
    But the Korae wasn’t alone. I felt something else down there. Someone else. Malevolent, glaring. I couldn’t see him…her…it, but that expression “if looks could kill” suddenly meant something deep down in the pit of my stomach. I momentarily forgot about the height, my need to know stronger than my fear. I stepped forward one more baby step and stared down. Nothing. Paranoia? Ambrosia withdrawal? Reality? I didn’t know. And the not knowing was worse than the growing ball of acid burning its way through my stomach.
    “Ready?”
    I jumped and spun around, that baby bird all riled up again.
    Nick stood between me and the exit, hands up as though I might strike him. That was when I realized I’d ended up in a battle stance, ready to kick his ass from here to Athens and back again.
    “You scared me,” I accused.
    “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to.”
    He had on khaki shorts and a deep blue V-neck tee that picked up the midnight blue of his eyes. Next to him, I was a rumpled mess. “Five minutes,” I promised him, looking at the room clock and knowing I’d never hear the end of it if Jesus made it to the lobby before I did.
    “But while I change—”