Page 23 of A City of Hearts and Feathers (The Order of Anubis #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

K ahil caught Zoe before she fell off the chair. He helped her back to her feet. "We are leaving."

"My chess set," Zoe said, grabbing it off the table. She smiled wonkily at Akamos. "You're beautiful, but you're very scary."

"Thank you, darling. I'll have my driver meet you downstairs as an apology for this inconvenience," Akamos replied, chuckling softly.

"Inconvenience? Zoe was drugged in your club. So much for safe passage," Kahil snarled. Akamos's glamor shivered in annoyance, and Kahil saw the fallen angel's wings and eyes looking at him.

"Watch your tone when you speak to me, boy."

"I fucking won't. If anything happens to Zoe because of this, you tell the maenad responsible that I will find their grove and burn it to the fucking ground," Kahil replied, his grip on Zoe tightening.

Akamos rose to his feet. "I am not Zoe's enemy, so please do not put me in a position where I have to become one."

Zoe clapped her hands. "No more fighting!" She turned and put her arms around his neck. "Kahil, take me home so I can do naughty things to you."

Kahil prayed for mercy. "Okay, Zoe, let's go."

He didn't bother saying goodbye to Akamos. He held his blessed blade down low so it wasn't obvious to any of the clubbers, but he wasn't about to put it away. He should have stopped Zoe from drinking that fucking wine. He thought that Akamos wouldn't allow such a thing to happen to a guest.

Idiot. He might be an angel, but he leads the dark for a reason . Kahil shook the thoughts away and focused on getting Zoe through the throng of people. Her body swayed in time to the music in front of him, her ass grinding up against his dick enough to make him want to throw all his manners and caution to the wind.

Kahil was half hard by the time he got Zoe out of the club. A black 300C pulled up, and the basilisk bouncer opened the back door.

"Mr. Akamos said that this is your ride for the evening," he said.

"Fucking fine," Kahil muttered and helped Zoe into the back seat. He didn't want to be trying to get a cab when she was off her face. As soon as he sat down and shut the door, Zoe climbed into his lap.

"Woah, Zoe, you need to sit down and get your seat belt on," he said, trying to gently move her off him.

"But you are comfier. Just kiss me already," she complained. Kahil turned his head, so her lips hit his cheek.

"Please, balim , this isn't you. You've been drugged, and I don't want to be something you regret," he replied, his voice cracking. Having her wanting him and not being able to act on it was the worst kind of torture. It didn't matter. He would have her truly or not at all.

Zoe toyed with his braid. "It is me. I'm just feeling less uptight for once, so I can say what I actually want to do to you." She leaned in and whispered against his ear. "Which is me riding your dick while you pull my hair."

Fuck. Kahil wasn't going to survive this drive; he was sure of it.

"Can you go faster?" he asked the driver.

"As sir wishes."

Kahil caught Zoe's roaming hands and pressed them gently together before kissing them. He brought her closer and whispered. "If you're a good girl and behave yourself until we get home, I'll give you a night you won't ever forget."

Zoe's eyes went wide, and she pressed her thighs together but not before he smelled her arousal. "I can be so good for you, Kahil, I swear."

"Fuck," Kahil groaned. He was in hell.

Thankfully, the driver got them back to the bookstore in record time. Kahil didn't bother to thank him. He just got Zoe out and into the shop before she climbed into his lap again.

Zoe kicked off her high heels before climbing the stairs. "Hurry up, Kahil. I want to get you naked, and my pussy isn't going to eat itself."

"Fucking hell, you got a mouth when you're wasted," he replied, following her up so she didn't topple backwards and break her neck.

"You have no idea what my mouth can do," she threw over one shoulder with a sly grin.

Kahil was going to murder that fucking maenad. He would make it slow and painful. "You just go and get on your bed. I need to get something," he said, and she giggled.

Kahil went into his own room and grabbed what he needed from his bag. She was going to be furious when she sobered up. He had wanted their night to go so differently. He really hated being a good man sometimes.

Kahil found Zoe with her back propped against the headboard. He was hard enough that it hurt, but he wasn't going to give in and ruin his chances with her.

"Get over here," she said, beckoning with a finger.

Kahil smiled and walked over. "Look at you, already in position."

"I'm trying to be good. It's very hard." Zoe's eyes dropped to the bulge in his pants. "I want it in my mouth."

Kahil took one of her hands and nibbled the inside of her wrist. Damn, her skin was soft. Zoe leaned forward to kiss him right before he locked the handcuff around her wrists and the metal bar of the headboard.

"I knew you would be kinky. It's okay; I'm into it," Zoe said, pulling at the cuffs.

"Close your eyes and open your mouth for me," Kahil demanded, and she did. He wanted to die. Instead, he tipped the vial of antidote into her mouth.

Zoe startled and swallowed. "Ick. What was that?"

"Something to get the drugs out of your system faster," Kahil said and stepped back from the bed. He pulled up a chair and sat down out of her reach.

"Kahil? Come on, I thought you were going to fuck me?" Zoe complained, tugging hard at the cuffs and making her breasts bounce. She squirmed against the sheets, the skirt of her dress riding up higher. "Don't do this, Kahil. Just fuck me. I know you want to."

"I do, Zoe, but not like this," he said, rubbing his face with his hands. "I'm going to sit here and wait until you are sober. Then, you can decide for yourself if you still want me. I'm not going to let some maenad's magic take my first time with you."

Zoe groaned. "Please, please. My pussy hurts because it wants you so bad."

"You'll be okay. I promise." Kahil wasn't sure if he was going to be. He got up and went into the kitchen for a bottle of water for her and a beer for him. He willed his dick to behave itself. It wasn't listening. He ground his teeth together and took some deep breaths. The elixir he gave her would have her sober within twenty minutes; he just needed to keep her busy until then.

Back in the bedroom, Zoe was staring at the roof, her eyes full of tears.

"Do you want some water?" he asked.

She nodded, and he held the bottle to her lips. She had a mouthful, and he pulled it away. "You know you are a terrible person, and this is torture."

"For me too," he grumbled and stroked the hair from her face. "You'll thank me as soon as you're sober."

Zoe shook her head. "I don't want to be sober. It will make me too nervous to kiss you, and I want to kiss you so badly."

"You don't ever have to be nervous around me," Kahil assured her. He had a deep drink of his beer and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do you want to hear a story while we wait?"

Zoe nodded, and her foot crept up to rest on his lap. He supposed that was okay as long as she wasn't kicking him. He put his beer down and ran his thumb down the arch of her foot.

"Harder," she moaned, and he almost had to leave the room again. Kahil resigned himself to massaging her feet for her. It was about as platonic as he could get and still be touching her.

"Long ago, I was born into a wealthy house as a second son. My father was a mean, demanding asshole that I couldn't stand," Kahil began, his fingers stroking her skin. "I did what all silly boys did at the time and ran away. I went to Genoa to my favorite cousin's place. He was gearing up to go and fight to protect Constantinople from the oncoming war with Mehmet II."

"What was your cousin's name?" Zoe asked, her voice sounding clearer.

Kahil hesitated. What did it matter if he was going to tell her the rest of story? "Giovanni Giustiniani. He ended up leading the defense of the city. We were part of the same house of d'Oria. He was this larger than life, powerful man, and I couldn't help but want to be just like him. He knew my plight of being a 'spare heir' and therefore the lesser son, and he let me sign on with his men to travel to Constantinople."

"You've really been in this city all this time?" Zoe asked.

"On and off since January 1453. I won't tell you the horrors of the siege or the days of atrocities after the fall." Kahil's memory slashed at him, but he refused to let them have any power over him. He couldn't bear to let them have free rein. "The contingent of men I was fighting beside retreated to Galata with many of the Venetians. My cousin Giovanni had already died of his wounds, so I was all alone, trying to get what remained of our men to safety. I had been stabbed by a Janissary warrior and knew I would die before I could ever get to a boat."

Zoe ran her foot along his thigh to try and comfort him. "What did you do?"

"I did what any good Christian boy did when he knew he was a dead man. I tried to find a church to get some last rites. I ended up on the doorstep of the Order. I didn't think anyone would be left in there, but I hoped for a priest." Kahil laughed softly at the foolish boy he was. "I got Arslan instead. He had sent the rest of the Order members out to try and help the citizens from the invaders. I'll never forget his golden eyes hovering above me, telling me that he wasn't in the mood for taking in strays."

"He did though," Zoe said softly.

"To this day I don't know why he did it. Maybe he was lonely. Or maybe the alchemist in him was too curious to pass up the chance for an experiment." Kahil ran a hand over his braid, the scattered feelings from that night bombarding him. "Arslan had been trying to modify the Sais elixir for centuries, but he didn't want to sacrifice any of the Order members in case it went wrong. Instead, he gave me the choice. He didn't know if he could save me, but he said without it, I was certainly dead. He said if I lived through it, my life wouldn't be my own anymore. I was okay with that. I never wanted the life of privilege I had been born into anyway. That night, Aurelio d'Oria died, and Kahil Reis was born. I've been Kahil ever since."

Zoe made a soft sighing sound. "Thank you for telling me. It makes sense now why you and Arslan are so close. You're all each other has had for so long."

Kahil rubbed her feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Embarrassed and desperate for a pee," she said, and Kahil got up to unlock her cuffs.

"I'm trusting that you're clear again," he replied, placing the small key in the lock. "Are you yourself?"

"I'm painfully sober. Whatever you gave me worked fast, and now I'd like to go and die of shame in the shower," Zoe said, her face redder than he'd ever seen. "I am also going to pee the bed if you don't hurry up."

Kahil unlocked the cuffs, and she quickly hurried to the bathroom. He sat back down on the bed, and after the shower went on, he knew she wasn't coming back any time soon. With a sigh, he finished his beer.