Page 5 of A City of Hearts and Feathers (The Order of Anubis #1)

CHAPTER FIVE

Z oe reminded herself for the millionth time that she wasn't a coward even though the day had been unhinged from the start. She stood in front of the door that led out onto the rooftop with a phone in one hand and a rolling pin from the kitchen in the other. Her knees were jelly, and her heart was racing too fast. She wasn't asleep, but her nightmare man was real and had just saved her from a real-life monster.

If you want to know what happened to your father, I'll tell you .

It was too much of a temptation for Zoe to resist, and the bastard knew it. Her mother had always said her father's murderer had been a thug trying to rob the bookstore. Zoe had believed it because no one had suggested otherwise.

Zoe had seen for herself that the stranger couldn't reach her. She had the phone number for the police on speed dial. If he wanted to hurt her, he would've done it on the street.

Zoe let out a long breath and opened the door that led to the rooftop. She remembered eating dinners up there with her parents amongst the potted lemon and kumquat trees. The stranger was sitting on a sun chair under a string of faded colored lights. His mouth twitched into a grin.

"Not a little mouse after all," he said and glanced at her rolling pin. "What did you plan on doing with that, Zoe?"

"Hitting you with it," she replied. She sat down on the inside of the door and rested her back against it. There was no way he could reach her. "Who are you?"

"I was a friend of your father's. Well, kind of. He was a friend of the Order, which made him an acquaintance," he replied with a smile.

Zoe frowned. "The Order, like the one Kerem is in?"

"The very one."

"What's your name?" she asked. She wanted something to tell the police if she had to.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He studied her for a long moment before he said, "Kahil."

The name sparked a recollection of Anita ranting at Kerem that morning before they left. "Wait a second. You know my mother too?"

Kahil nodded with a slight grimace. "I met her once. It was the night your father died. She…screamed at me a lot."

Zoe's teeth ground together. Anita had known who he was the entire time Zoe had nightmares about the tattooed man growing up. She could have put her at ease with a word, but she hadn't. What had her mother been thinking?

Zoe cleared her throat. "Yeah, that sounds like her. If you didn't kill my father, who did? I remember you were standing over his body, covered in blood," she said, fighting back the urge to start crying. That fucking day kept coming for her.

"And I remember you were in a pink party dress with your hair in pig tails," Kahil replied. He toyed with a silver ring on his index finger. "I'm sorry, but we still don't know who killed him. I came over that night because we thought his life was in danger. When I got here, he was already bleeding out on the floor. I tried to stop it, but I was too late. I'm sorry you had to witness that."

Zoe studied Kahil's face for a long moment. He had a scar on his top lip that cut through his stubble, and eyes that had seemed golden in the club light, but now she saw one was amber and the other a darker brown. He looked between thirty-five to forty. Far too young.

"That was twenty years ago. You don't look any older," she said, shaking her head.

He smiled brightly at her. "It's a gift I have along with my abundance of charm. Do you know anything about the Order?"

"Only that Kerem said it's called the Order of Saint Christóphoros, and my father said I could trust them," she replied.

"That is what we are called here in Istanbul. A cover, left over from the time of the Byzantines. Some still call us the War Dogs of Byzantium." Kahil pushed up the sleeve of his black shirt. On his forearm was a tattoo of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead. He was holding a set of scales in his hand. On one side of it was a heart, the other a feather. "We are officially called the Order of Anubis. Your father was almost inducted into our ranks but chose not to go through with the initiation ritual after Anita got pregnant with you."

Zoe pulled her knees up to her chest. She wished she had another vodka tonic with her. "Okay, so you're a club of some kind? That doesn't explain why you haven't aged or what the fuck that creature was that attacked me. Or… Or why you can't get into the bookstore because of invisible barriers! None of this makes any sense."

Kahil clicked his tongue in irritation. His mismatched eyes scanned her face to see if she was kidding. "Wow. Anita really made sure you didn't remember a goddamn thing, didn't she?"

"If she knew anything about this, she has never breathed a word to me about it. I grew up believing you had been some random robber who had killed baba for money," Zoe said, swallowing the tears lodging in the back of her throat.

"We knew you would be pulled into our world quickly, but you really are going to have to go in headfirst, little girl," he replied, pushing his hands through his long hair in frustration.

"I'm thirty-three years old. Call me little girl in that tone again, and I will throw my rolling pin at your head," Zoe snapped.

Kahil laughed. "Do it if it helps you feel better, but I can guarantee it won't hit me."

Zoe pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm really tired, upset, and freaked out, so if you could give me some straight answers, I would appreciate it."

"You're not freaked out. I've seen freaked out. If you take a moment to breathe and think, you will realize that you're actually curious about all of this. You're not afraid of magic or monsters because you grew up knowing about them even if you can't remember it. Oman made sure of it to keep you safe," Kahil replied, all the teasing gone from his tone.

"He told me lots of stories about stuff like djinn and werewolves and fallen angels. Myth and fairytales. Not about invisible barriers in the bookstore," she argued.

"Maybe they seem that way now, but Oman was a part of our world, and he was trying to teach you about it. He was a neutral, neither light nor dark, like the Kartal family has been for centuries." Kahil held up a hand before she could open her mouth. "No. Be quiet for one second. You wanted straight answers, and I'm trying to give them to you. The Order of Anubis protects Ma'at. The balance between good and evil." He tapped the scales on his tattoo again. "We protect those that need protecting. Kill the creatures that need killing, including humans who deserve it. No, that didn't include your father."

Kahil leaned back in his chair. "Your family has always been neutral in the bickering between the creatures of dark and light. They were always respected by both sides and traded with everyone. That changed when Oman discovered a very ancient book, and everyone wanted it. It caused both sides to lash out in their desperation to obtain it."

Zoe rubbed at her biceps, a sudden chill settling over her. "That guy on the street who jumped me… He said something about a book."

"That wasn't a guy. It was an alukah. They are like vampires and live off blood. Their leader wants the book like everyone else because of what they think it contains."

"Say I believe all of this," Zoe said, getting to her feet because if she didn't move, she would scream. "What's so special about this book? And why hasn't anyone just broken in here and taken it?"

"It's complicated, and I think you've probably had enough shocks for one day—" Kahil caught the rolling pin she threw at him.

"I'll tell you if I want you to stop. I've been lied to my entire life, and you seem to have the answers, so spit them out," she snapped, her temper getting the best of her.

Zoe blinked, and Kahil was suddenly standing in her doorway. He was so tall that he filled it entirely, and she had to step back just to see his face. She could smell his aftershave of frankincense, black pepper, and a hint of blood. Being close to him was like sniffing church incense and violence.

"Don't throw things at me," he hissed, the wooden rolling pin in his hand splintering. They glared at each other for a long moment, and then his fierce expression broke. "You're bold, Zoe. I'll give you that. Most people would have looked away by now."

"You don't frighten me," she lied, raising her chin.

Kahil smiled like he knew she was full of shit. "Invite me in, make me tea, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Zoe's eyes narrowed at his audacity. "I'm not inviting you in for tea. I don't know you. I don't know what is keeping you out, but I think I'd like it to stay up."

"Smart girl," he said, leaning against the doorframe and crossing his arms. "But I'm not the one you need to be scared of. It's the rest of Istanbul that's going to be gunning for you and that book once they know you're back in town. The Order is all that stands in the way of both sides tearing you apart. You and I are about to become best friends, and I can guarantee that you're going to get down on your knees and thank me before all of this is done."

His words sent unexpected heat prickling up her spine, which Zoe didn't like one bit.

"I don't get on my knees for anyone. Either you tell me what's going on, or we are done here." Zoe began to shut the door when the broken rolling pin was shoved in the gap to block it from closing. She opened it again. "Well?"

"I have my tea black and strong," he said, removing the rolling pin. "Trust me, Zoe, you'll need tea as well if you really want to know everything tonight."

Zoe sighed, knowing he was right. It was late, and she was already sobering up. "I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

Kahil smiled like a hungry wolf. "Not a chance."