Page 31 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

"Thought I already did. If you want another one, you only need to?—"

"Arslan is here," Kerem interrupted them, and Zoe took a step away from Kahil.

"I'll go get the door for him," she said and hurried down the stairs.

Kahil tossed the wrappers in the bin and put the kit away. "Say it if you're going to."

"Be careful, Kahil. She is too good to be a notch on your whittled bedpost," Kerem said. His tone was calm, but his eyes were filled with all kinds of threats.

"I don't intend to make her one. I genuinely like her, Kerem," he admitted.

"She likes you too, so I ask you again to be careful. Don't encourage her if you don't mean it."

Kahil didn't have the chance to say anything else before Arslan appeared with Zoe. He so rarely left the Order's grounds that it was odd seeing him out in the real world.

"I don't understand whybabawould put an extra non-magical codex in with the box that had the real one in it," Zoe said to Arslan. His golden eyes glanced between Kerem and Kahil. Kahil could read the question in them, so he lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug.Don't worry about it, old man.

"Oman wouldn't have added in the extra manuscript without a reason, so let's see what it is," Arslan said, turning his attention back to Zoe.

Zoe got her restoration kit out and put her gloves on. There was something about the little white gloves and the glee in her eyes that made Kahil want to kiss her senseless. He couldn't remember what it felt like to get that excited over anything. He wanted to know what it tasted like.

"I'm going to have a look around the shop's perimeter," he said and went down the stairs before anyone could object.

He needed to get away before he was caught staring at her again. Maybe heshouldlet Kerem take care of her instead of him. Zoe was too damn distracting. It didn't matter what wild thoughts went through his head. Kahil knew he couldn't walk away from her. She had made him care, and he needed to focus on his duty, and not how kissable she was, before it got them both killed.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Zoe tried to focus on the pages in front of her and not on Kahil taking off again. He was doing his job, and she had to do hers. She still didn't like it when he wasn't around. Kerem was doing something in the kitchen, and Zoe wondered if the men had an argument when she was out of the room. It wouldn't surprise her.

"Don't worry. Kahil won't go far," Arslan said, reading her concern far too easily. "Both light and dark followers are being audacious at the moment, and it makes us all nervous."

"I wonder if finding the rest of this codex is a good idea at all," Zoe said, placing the two pieces she had side by side. "You can read them if you like. Kahil said that you wanted the codex to break your curse?"

Arslan shook his head. "I alreadyknowhow to break my curse. Kahil thinks that this codex will have a secret that will make it happen quicker."

"If you know how to fix it, why haven't you done it yet?" Zoe asked.

"I need a specific ingredient. Very rare. Almost impossible for it to exist, let alone find," Arslan explained.

Zoe frowned. "So you don't want my codex at all?"

"I'd still put a bid in for it but only to stop the light and dark from fighting over it." Arslan stroked his beard, his expression thoughtful. "At least I hope it would stop them from fighting over it. It's too dangerous for either side to possess. If nothing else, if I had it, it would force the others to leave you alone."

"But it would make you a target," Zoe argued. She didn't like the sound of that at all.

Arslan smiled. "It would hardly be the first time, precious."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Don't let it worry you. Now, let's look at this other manuscript." Arslan changed the subject, bringing her attention to the stack of papyrus pages. "I hate to disappoint you, but it's a fake. A very good one, but a fake all the same. These hieratic passages are taken from The Book of the Dead and were very common in Egypt. I have no idea why Oman would have it when he traded in the authentic."

"Perhaps he wanted to use it as a decoy?" Kerem suggested, passing Arslan a steaming cup of mint tea.

Zoe compared the fake to the real codex. "I suppose to the untrained eye they would look the same. He could have left a message in it somewhere for me."

"Was there anything else in the box?" Arslan asked.

"Not that I could find. You can check it for any more magic if you like," Zoe said, still focused on the codex. She would have to find a way to bind the pieces back together once she found them all. How many parts had Oman hidden around the city?

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