Page 74 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

Kahil whirled about, dropped his knife, and crashed into her. "Zoe, Zoe, Zoe."

"Hi, you okay?" she said, her face pressed into his chest.

"You came back," he whispered.

Zoe's mind fuzzed. "Did I… Did I go somewhere?"

Kahil pulled back from her, part sob, part laugh coming out of him. "Yeah, baby, you could say that." He kissed her, and she hummed against his lips. This was definitely the way she wanted her morning to go. She dropped her hands to his perfect ass and gave it a squeeze.

"You busy or do you want to meet me in the shower in about ten minutes?" she asked.

Kahil grinned and kissed her forehead. "Let me send Arslan and Kerem a message to let them know you're okay, and that I'll kill them if they interrupt us for the next two hours. I want to wash you, fuck you, and feed you before I let anyone come near you."

"Sounds like my kind of plan." Zoe gave his ass a parting squeeze before heading to the bathroom. She felt like she was a bit high. Everything seemed brighter and louder. She peed for an absurdly long time, and she wondered again just how long she'd been asleep. She brushed her teeth and stared at her face in the mirror. She leaned closer and nearly choked on her toothpaste. Her dark brown eyes now had flecks of gold in them.

What the hell happened to me?Zoe spat out her toothpaste and touched the skin about her eyes. It was tender but not sore. Just another thing to ask Kahil. She stripped and got into the shower, her need for hot water overpowering any other strangeness that was going on.

Unlike the rest of the apartment that was elegant and understated, Kahil had a ridiculously lavish shower made of marble with so many water pressure settings that Zoe wasn't game enough to mess with them. She sat down on the marble bench and let the hot spray pound her.

Zoe stared at the scar on her stomach again, running her fingers over it. Ahmet did that to her. He'd killed her father and almost her as well—all for that damn codex. She rubbed atthe skin over her heart, the feeling from the dream of Anubis shoving it back into her chest still acute.

The shower door opened, and Kahil's gorgeous bulk joined her in the steam. She really was the luckiest girl in the world.

"How are you feeling,balim?" he asked, taking a soft cloth and soaping it up.

"A bit disoriented and confused," she admitted, standing up so she could put her arms around him. "What happened?"

"What do you remember last?" Kahil ran the cloth over her shoulders and down her back in gentle strokes. Zoe groaned, the sensation against her skin was overwhelmingly good.

"Ahmet yelling at me, pain, and then nothing," she said, her hand resting on his hip for balance.

"He was about to slit your throat, and Kerem stopped him," Kahil replied, a slight hesitation in his voice.

Zoe swallowed the lump in her throat. "He's dead?"

"Yes, he is. It was you or him. Kerem chose." Kahil lifted her chin. "I'm sorry that it was him, Zoe. I really am."

Zoe nodded, her tears mixing with the water on her face. "Does Zeki and the others know?"

"Yes. Arslan and Kerem went and saw them yesterday. They are devastated, but glad you're alive."

Zoe put her hand over her scar. "Howam I alive?"

"I carried you back to the Order. Arslan healed you and…and you drank the elixir. You made a vow to serve with us," Kahil said, his voice hitching.

Memories of an infirmary, Arslan speaking to her, drinking from a black Canopic jar…all of it came rushing back to her.

"I remember," she said, swaying a little. "Did I die, Kahil?"

The muscles in his jaw feathered. "Yes. It's a part of the process. Anubis sends back those he wants to serve him and keeps the others."

Zoe stared up at him, the dream coming back to her. Had it really been a dream or something more? "That's why you looked so freaked out in the kitchen. How long was I…"

"Three days," he replied. Her knees wobbled, and he lowered her back onto the bench. Zoe focused on breathing in and out, her mind racing. Kahil crouched down in front of her.

"I'm okay. It's just a lot," she said, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I suppose that explains the dream I had."

"What dream, love?"

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