Page 10 of A City of Hearts and Feathers (The Order of Anubis #1)

CHAPTER TEN

K ahil tried not to hover over Zoe like a worried vulture. She wasn't so upset now that she had something to focus on. She placed the book on the table and went into another room to fetch some things. From what he could tell from his brief glimpse, it was only part of the missing codex.

Why did you split it up, Oman? The man was smart and loved books, so he must have been scared and desperate to vandalize the codex in such a manner.

Oman should've gone to the Order. Was it pride that stopped him? He clearly didn't think he was impervious to being harmed if he went to such measures.

Now, it was all on Zoe to find the pieces and fix Oman's mistakes.

Fresh guilt surged through Kahil like bitter poison. If he had been quicker to reach Oman that night, none of this would have happened. Zoe would have grown up with her father, wrapped in his love and the magic of their world.

Instead, she was dealing with three overbearing protectors and barely had any clue as to the danger she was in. That was probably a good thing. Kahil didn't want to induce any more of the panic attacks like the one that had struck Zoe downstairs. Not that a small part of him hadn't enjoyed having her pressed up against him, but her fear had been so visceral, he could taste it in the air. There was something about her that had parts of him waking up for the first time in decades, and it was sending his overprotective side in overdrive.

Kahil had grown sullen in the past years, and it was like Zoe had brought out his playful side again. And he did want to play with her.

Zoe throwing the rolling pin at him had ensured his affection forever. She didn't know how much he was feared in the city, and to meet someone who challenged him like that was a breath of fresh air.

Zoe came back in and set a leather kit on the table. She was wearing a pair of black, square framed glasses that looked ridiculously cute on her. She rolled out the kit of small tools and put on a pair of white cotton gloves.

"You brought all of that to Istanbul just because?" he asked, raising a brow.

"I didn't know if I was going to need it. Baba's stock is old, and I thought some of it might need repair," Zoe replied, barely noticing he was in the room. She lifted the top of the leather cover and set it to one side. "Ohhh, how gorgeous. Look at this papyrus. Perfectly preserved. It's unheard of in a codex this old."

Kahil leaned over her shoulder to get a closer look. Anubis save him, she smelled so good. He had a sudden urge to bury his face in her neck and lick the ylang ylang fragrance straight off her skin. He cleared his throat a little and tried to focus.

"It's definitely written in hieratic, and that adds up with the time period that the priests of Sais were operating," he said.

Zoe turned her head to give him a small, pleased smile. "You can read hieratic script too?"

"Alas, I'm too lazy a scholar for that, but I recognize it. Arslan is fluent in it, so he will know if it is legitimate or a fake," Kahil replied, suddenly regretting never learning the language. He reached for the leather cover, and she grabbed his hand lightning fast.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Relax, I just want to touch the cover to check for preservation spells. Oman managed to break up the codex, but this papyrus is still in excellent condition. He must have managed to keep it intact for the last twenty years," Kahil replied. Zoe let him go, her fingers sliding over the feather tattoo as she did. He touched the cover, and magic burned against his skin. "The protection spells are definitely still working. The clever bastard. I wonder how he did it." He took out his phone and took a few pictures. "I'll send these to Arslan and get his thoughts on the matter."

"Arslan knows how to use a phone?" she asked, lips twitching.

"Of course he does. Why wouldn't he?"

"I don't know. It doesn't fit with the ancient, hot Grand Master living in a renovated cistern image he has going on," Zoe replied, turning back to the codex pages.

Kahil frowned. "You think he's hot?"

"Arslan is definitely hot."

"Huh. I'll have to tell him you think so. He'll be thrilled to know he's still got it."

Zoe looked up at him over the top of her glasses. "Why are you pouting all of a sudden?"

"I'm not pouting. Tea? I think we need tea," he said and went into the kitchen. He was, most definitely, pouting that she was attracted to Arslan. Goddamnit .

"I swear I've drunk more tea in the last twenty-four hours than I have in the last year," Zoe said, taking something from her kit that he couldn't see.

"Is that a no, you don't want some?" He opened the cupboards and fridge to inspect what she had on hand. "Cake! Belkis, you angel amongst women."

Zoe didn't reply; she was completely engrossed in her task.

"It's a good thing you are a restorer if Oman separated the codex into pieces. You'll be able to put it back together again once we find them," Kahil said, setting out cups and getting the water on the boil.

"He must have done it for a good reason, but I can't guess what. It's sacrilege," Zoe said, her voice distant.

Kahil had been wondering that himself. "The only answer I can think of is that he thought if he was attacked or killed, whoever did it wouldn't be able to benefit from his death. They might end up with one piece but none of the others."

"Then why leave me a message on the letter to find it?" Zoe asked.

"Another failsafe if he died. He only trusted you to be able to put it back together and not use it for personal gain." Kahil tipped tea leaves into a pot and checked his phone.

It is definitely the codex we are looking for. If Oman left one clue for Zoe, then I'm positive there will be more, Arslan said.

Kahil typed back. I will get her to look for them. She thinks you're hot, by the way .

Try not to be too jealous. She is a beauty herself, but I am sure you've noticed.

She's a job. I notice only threats to her life like a good bodyguard.

Lie to Kerem, but don't waste my time, nipote .

Kahil huffed and tossed his phone back on the counter. Bossy old man.

"What's wrong now?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing. Arslan says it's definitely the codex we need to find, and he said to look for more clues that Oman might have left you."

"Okay," she replied, turning over another papyrus page. She had a dazed look in her eyes as she studied the pages, a small happy smile on her face. With the afternoon sun turning the apartment golden, Zoe seemed to glow, her hair like honey.

And I bet she tastes just as sweet. Kahil put cake into his mouth to deal with the sugar craving he was suddenly having. He needed to stop staring at her like he was a horny crow and she was the new shiny thing that had caught his attention.

Kahil focused on making the tea and not on his dick. They had enough problems to sort out, let alone getting that tyrant involved.

"Do you want tea over there?" he asked.

"And risk it spilling on the codex? No. I'll come to you." Zoe pulled the last section of the pages free and took off her gloves. She brought the gutted book of fairytales with her, placing it down on the counter before sitting on one of the barstools. "Did Arslan say what kind of clues I should be looking for?" She sipped her tea and flicked through the ruined pages. Kahil leaned back against the sink opposite her, as far away from temptation as he could get.

"It would be something only you would know, like the message in Coptic. It must be hidden in that book if he intended you to follow the trail to the next piece," he suggested.

"Let's start at the beginning." Zoe shut the book before opening the cover. She flipped through the first few pages that were still complete, pausing on the title page to brush her fingers over Oman's messy handwriting. "He wrote an inscription for me. I wish I would stop feeling like I was getting kicked in the guts every time I saw his handwriting."

"Grief is weird like that. I don't think it ever goes away. Not entirely," Kahil replied. How many people had he known and lost in the past five hundred years? Too many to count. Enough that he hadn't wanted to get close to anyone again for a long time.

Zoe frowned at the page, her fingers resting over the date. "This isn't right. Oman had been reading this book to me for months before his death, but this date on the dedication is for only a few days before he died."

"Maybe he forgot to inscribe it when he bought it?" Kahil said.

"No, baba always said that writing dates and your name into your personal books was important because it helped to connect you to what you were feeling the first time you read it. He would have never used the wrong date," Zoe argued with a shake of her head.

"So it might not be a wrong date but an important one." Kahil walked back into Zoe's childhood bedroom and grabbed the organizer she'd left on the bed. He passed it to her. "Here. He's your baba , and I don't want to overstep."

"You're not. I didn't even think of the organizer." Zoe opened it and began to flick through the loose-leaf pages. She found the day and time written down and frowned.

"'Met with Hasan regarding recent carpet shipment', and there's a name of a shop and some numbers?" Zoe said, turning the organizer to show him.

Kahil recognized them immediately. "That is a shop in the Grand Bazaar."

"Do you think he's still there? We can go right now and see him," she said, rising out of her chair.

Kahil put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back down. "Not until tomorrow morning, balim . It's too late to go to the Bazaar tonight."

"The sun has barely set, and they are open until 7 p.m.. I remember that much," Zoe argued.

"The Bazaar at night doesn't belong to the light or the neutral. It belongs to the dark. I'm not going to risk taking you there like a delicious snack served up on a platter," Kahil replied. He let his hands slide off her shoulders. "Trust me on this, Zoe. We can go tomorrow. You already found part of the codex today. Take the win, hmm?"

Zoe sighed. "Okay. I suppose there are plenty of other books downstairs for me to explore. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going back to the Order for some gear and to buy something to make dinner. You barely have anything in that fridge," he replied.

"You can cook too? Maybe I won't mind this bodyguarding thing after all." Zoe smiled and ate a mouthful of cake. She fluttered her long, dark lashes at him. "Tell me you clean, and I might have to marry you."

"And you would be very lucky to have me," Kahil teased back. He didn't like the way his heart skipped a beat at that eyelash flutter and the fake proposal. "Is there anything you don't eat?"

Zoe shook her head. "When someone else is taking care of me, I will eat whatever they put in front of me."

"I'm definitely going to take care of you, balim ," he promised. It sounded a bit too much like innuendo, so he quickly added, "It's a part of the contract."

Zoe finished her tea and got up. "If you say so. Can you buy more simit? You might be able to live off sugary treats, but I want something savory to snack on." She went back to the dining table where the stack of codex pages were, already preoccupied.

"Don't leave the shop while I'm gone, no matter what," Kahil said. Zoe murmured something that sounded like an agreement.

Kahil headed for the stairs. Maybe getting some fresh air that wasn't laced with her sultry perfume would be a good thing.