Page 45 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

"I know that he died by being stabbed by someone who knew how to wield a blade and had knowledge of exactly where to strike to cause the most damage." Akamos glanced over at Kahil. "Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not," he replied through gritted teeth.

"I do hope, Zoe, now that you are back at the shop, you will be looking into your father's death as well as this fiasco with the Sais Codex. Have you found it yet?"

Sweat trickled down Zoe's spine. "That is a private matter. I will honor my father's wishes and auction it off when the time is right. Do you wish to be invited?"

"Of course I do. I can't let such an important object end up in Lydia's hands. My people tell me that she has been quite aggressive since you have arrived. She never was all that good at diplomacy despite her position," Akamos said, swirling his wine in his glass.

"And if you do get it, what do you plan on doing with it?" Zoe asked. Kahil shifted in his seat beside her but didn't say anything.

"I'll add it to my magnificent collection. What else would I do with it, darling? Do you think I want to raise an army of the dead and take over Istanbul?" Akamos laughed. "Please, I'm not that gauche. I have enough problems managing the minions that I have now. The last thing I want is more of the little bastards running about."

Zoe laughed politely and had a sip of her wine. It was rich, fruity, and unlike anything she had ever tasted. It was delicious, so she had another mouthful. "Thank you for being honest with me about it. You understand that an auction is still the best course of action to keep the peace. I don't want to be making enemies so early in my career running the bookstore."

"Wise beyond your years. I expected nothing less from Oman's daughter. How do you feel about the Order of Anubis?" Akamos asked.

Zoe looked over at Kahil. "There are parts of it I would definitely like to know better," she said and then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that."

Akamos chuckled. "Aurelio has gotten your attention, has he? I have to warn you, he has quite a reputation for being notoriously hard to seduce. It would seem that the old war dog has finally fallen in love."

"Fuck you, Akamos," Kahil growled.

Akamos shook his head. "He's very pretty, I admit, but the personality is far too surly for me."

"Wrong!" Zoe said and the room swayed a little. "Kahil is so perfect. I want to lick him all over. He makes me laugh and smells so good."

"Akamos, what the fuck did you give her?" Kahil hissed.

"I didn't give her anything." Akamos lifted Zoe's glass and sniffed the contents. He chuckled. "Oh, dear. The maenads are playing games tonight. It would seem they are wanting a little payback against you, Aurelio."

"I'm poisoned?" Zoe croaked.

"No, no, darling. You will be fine," Akamos reassured her. "You've just been dosed with a little lust and madness, that's all. Put your knife away, Aurelio, before you hurt yourself."

Akamos looked at Zoe, and for a moment, her vision blurred, and she saw a pair of black wings stretching out from his back.They were covered in orange eyes that blinked at her at different times. Black horns grew back from the top of Akamos's head and were tipped with gold. Zoe startled. The image shifted, and he was back to normal and man shaped once more.

"Kahil… I need to leave…" Zoe said, reaching for him. She began to tip, and the world went sideways.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Kahil 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."

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