Page 43 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

Zoe laughed softly. "If this club is as posh as Emre told me, I'm hardly going to be the only pretty girl in the room. I think we are going to be fine."

"Speak for yourself. I'm not fine at all," Kahil replied. He reached out and twirled a curl of her hair that rested on her bare neck. "You are distraction itself."

Zoe didn't push his hand away. She looked him over. "Look who's talking."

Kahil wanted to kiss her so badly, his lips burned. He stopped at the last minute, knowing that if he did, they would never leave the shop.

"We should go and get this over with," Zoe said.

"You are right. We should, because if I stand here any longer, I really am going to kiss you, and I won't be able to stop," he said, his brain still not working properly. He winced. "Fuck, I shouldn't have said that out loud."

Instead of telling Kahil he was acting like an idiot, Zoe held out a hand to him. She was smiling, but he could still smell her nerves, as if she was worried he'd reject her. Like that was ever going to happen.

Kahil took her hand, kissing her knuckles softly before twining their fingers together. "Let's do this."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Zoe was trying to play it cool, and it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. For some reason, she thought Kahil would turn up in jeans again. She hadn't expected him to wear dress pants with a black shirt and jacket. The combination of his outfit with his silver jewelry and his long hair, braided back, made her have the alarming urge to lick him all over. He was savagely beautiful without his soft curls to frame his face, the thin scar on his lip begging her to kiss it.

Zoe looked out of the cab window so she'd stop staring at him like a horny teenage girl with hearts in her eyes.Pull yourself together. You have to impress people tonight.

Zoe didn't know what she had expected, but theDionysianexceeded it. Flanked on either side by expensive restaurants, it was built right on the water with an incredible view of the glittering nighttime city. People were dressed in designer clothes, waiting to be shown tables or led into the club. She was suddenly very grateful for Azize's choice of dress.

Two Greek pillars stood on either side of the club's main doors. They were painted black and were twined with living grapevines that stretched to the ceiling and ran along trellises.

Two bouncers dressed in red suits stood on either side of a purple and gold door. To the left was a line that stretched along the waterfront. One of the bouncers spotted Kahil helping Zoe out of the car and walked to join them.

"Miss Kartal, please allow me to escort you inside," he said. His eyes were a brilliant emerald green, and she swallowed down a surprised squeak when she saw his pupils were like a snakes.

"Thank you. I'll happily go with you as long as my bodyguard can join me," Zoe said, and instead of taking the bouncer's arm, she reached for Kahil. There was no way she was going to step inside that building without a firm grip on him. There was something about the dark purple doors that made her even more uneasy.

"And your name, sir?" the bouncer asked.

"Akamos is expecting me. You don't need to know my name," Kahil replied, sounding bored.

The bouncer touched a comm piece in his ear and replied low under his breath in a language Zoe couldn't pick up.

"Mister Akamos has confirmed that you are welcome to join us this evening, Aurelio."

Kahil's smile turned sharp. "Splendid."

Zoe wrapped her arm over Kahil's as they followed the bouncer. He opened one of the purple doors and gestured to a staircase on the other side of the dancefloor.

"Go up those stairs. My master is waiting for you on the second-floor mezzanine. Do not wander, war dog. The maenads are restless tonight, and they are still holding a grudge against you," the bouncer warned. His eyes blinked vertically, and he smiled at Zoe with a hint of fang. "Do enjoy your evening, Miss Kartal."

He shut the purple doors again, and Zoe raised a brow at Kahil. As if reading her mind, he pulled her close to be heard over the music and said, "Basilisk."

Zoe's mouth popped open, making Kahil laugh. She really wanted to know what he had done to piss off the maenads but knew better than to ask.

She remembered enough of the history of Istanbul to know that it had been a place where the wine trade had been massive and that Dionysus worship had been popular.

With the basilisk bouncer watching his door and maenads at the bars, Zoe could only imagine what kind of creature Akamos himself was.

Kahil held onto her hand as they moved through the crowds. Heads seemed to swivel in their direction, and the hair on the back of Zoe's neck rose. It was as if they were stars of a show she had no idea they were in.

"What is happening?" she asked, drawing closer to Kahil.

He put a protective arm around her waist. "I did tell you how delicious you look tonight. This is a club where all creatures of the dark are welcome. Your soul shines so bright, Zoe. It makes them want to stand in your sun just to feel the warmth."

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