Page 37 of A City of Hearts and Feathers (The Order of Anubis #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

T hree hours later, Zoe and Kahil finally left the apartment and made their way down to the library.

"You have a gleam of mischief in your eyes right now. Anything you want to tell me?" Kahil asked, lifting their clasped hands so he could kiss her fingers.

"Only that I love you," Zoe replied and fluttered her lashes at him.

"That trick of yours will only work for so long."

Zoe smiled brightly. "We'll see."

Down in the library, Arslan and Kerem were waiting by the study desk Zoe had claimed for the past few days. Being who they were, there was also a tray of tea and snacks waiting for them.

"Glad to see you on your feet," Arslan said, pulling her close into a hug.

"Thank you for healing me," she replied. Kerem was looking at his feet, and she knew why. She let Arslan go and took Kerem's hand. "And thank you for saving me, godfather."

"You don't hate me for killing him?" Kerem asked, glancing up.

Zoe shook her head. "You saved me, Kerem. You did what you had to do, and Ahmet was past listening to reason." She hugged him tight and after a second of surprise, Kerem's arms went around her. "I'm glad we have more time to get to know one another."

"Me too, little one. Me too," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

Zoe finally pulled back and brushed the tears off her cheeks. "Now, that's out of the way. I have a gift for you, Arslan."

His golden eyes widened. "For me?"

Zoe walked over to the shelves closest to them and pulled a book from it. She placed it in his hands. "I'm sorry for everything I put you and the Order through to protect me. This is a small part of my appreciation."

Arslan opened the cover and began to laugh. "The Sais Codex. You… How?"

"It took me way too long to figure it out, but the sphinx was right. I had everything that I needed to make things right. Baba must've had the same idea because he gave me the perfect decoy book to burn." Zoe placed her hands on Arslan's shoulders. "There's only one person I trust with it, and it's you. I didn't want anyone else knowing that it was here and making the Order a target for their bickering. I don't know if it will help with your curse, but it will make good reading all the same."

Arslan shut the book and gathered her in his arms. "Thank you, my darling girl. Thank you."

Kahil was laughing as he stole her away from Arslan and settled her in his lap. "I should be mad that you didn't tell me, but I'll take it out on you later."

"Looking forward to it," she replied and nibbled at his ear.

"None of that in the library," Kerem chided as he set out the tea cups.

Zoe stopped kissing Kahil, but she didn't move from his lap. "What do we do now?"

"Now, we toast," Arslan said, lifting his cup to her. "Zoe Kartal, welcome to the Order of Anubis."