Page 69 of A City of Hearts and Feathers

"Please tell me you're wearing the holsters," Zoe purred at him.

Kahil opened the side of his jacket and showed her. "I'm not taking any chances." He even had silver throwing daggers in the lining of his cloak.

Zoe bit her lip. "I don't know why, but I find that so damn hot."

Kahil's grin went deviant. "Come here and prove it."

When she reached him, Zoe went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. She sucked on his bottom lip as her hand palmed his dick through the soft fabric of his pants.

"Hey, none of that. I need to concentrate tonight," Kahil growled. He tapped her ass and gave it a squeeze. "Once we get back, I'm going to enjoy bending you over the nearest surface."

"Don't forget I have to go to the bookstore tonight to get the rest of my things," Zoe replied, biting her lip. "But there are plenty of things to be bent over there."

"Exactly."

They were interrupted by Kerem knocking on the door. "It's time."

"Coming," Zoe called and put her satchel bag over one shoulder. She opened it to triple check the book was tucked safely inside before taking Kahil's hand.

He kissed her fingers. "You have this, Zoe. We are with you."

"I know." Zoe almost told him she loved him again but held off. It would make her emotional, and she needed to focus. She reached deep down and pulled up the part of herself that dealt with difficult clients. She made her face blank and professional. She just needed to get through the next few hours, and everything would be okay.

In the courtyard, Arslan stood beside a seven-foot-tall man with black and red skin. He had elegantly pointed years, and when he turned, his eyes were like looking into two glowing coals.

"Ah, Zoe, say hello to my friend, Cyrus. He is an ifrit who will be transporting us tonight," Arslan said.

Cyrus smiled and bowed deeply. "Lady Kartal, it is an honor to meet you. I had many an engaging conversation with your father and remember him fondly," he said, his voice deeper than any Zoe had heard before.

"Nice to meet you too," she said, a fluttery feeling in her chest that seeing magic always caused.

Zoe knew deep in her bones that there was no way she would ever want to go back to a normal life in London after everything that had happened. Who would pass up meeting fallen angels, sphinxes, and ifrit on a regular basis? All of her childlike faith in myth and fairytales was back, and she wasn't going to lose it again.

They all linked hands and stood in a circle around Cyrus. Speaking in an ancient, long-forgotten language, his magicrolled out of him with small tongues of fire. Zoe gripped tight to Kahil, and Arslan and the world dropped away.

The Libraryof Celsus was located five hours from Istanbul, near Selçuk. It used to be the ancient city of Ephesus, and according to Arslan, it had been the traditional auction place since it was built in 117 CE. The fact that all that remained of the library was ruins and a facade was no reason to stop the tradition.

The site was glowing with warm lights that gave an eerie, ritualistic feeling to the place that raised the hair on Zoe's arms. People and creatures of all types were milling about tables covered in black cloths and holding drinks.

It had a slightly festive air, but there was a tense undercurrent. The light ones were eying up the dark and vice versa.

A long table stood at the front where Akamos sat at one end, magnificent in a blood red velvet suit. Lydia, wearing a peach-colored dress, sat at the other. Before the table was a large, black brazier that burned with fragrant woods Zoe didn't know the names of.

"Don't worry, Zoe. This is a neutral space. If they decide to fight it out, it won't be here," Arslan assured her. He produced four red roses from thin air and began to place them at the feet of the statues positioned in the facade.

"Who are they?" Zoe asked him.

"This is Sophia, the goddess of wisdom," Arslan said, setting down the rose. "Then there is Episteme, goddess of knowledge, Ennoia, goddess of intelligence, and Arete, goddess of excellence."

Kahil winked at Zoe. "It's always wise to honor the gods of the land you're standing on. Just to be on their good side for the proceedings."

"Damn, I should've brought flowers too," Zoe said, staring up at Sophia. She really could do with some wisdom right about then.

Zoe took a deep breath and tried not to think too hard about what she was going to say and do in front of this volatile crowd.

Kahil will forgive you. Stick to your guns and see this through,she told herself for the hundredth time. She was probably about to make a whole bunch of enemies, but she wasn't her father who made friends easily. She was just Zoe, and that would have to do.

The sphinx had been right; Zoe had looked inside to find her answers and finally knew what she had to do. She just had to have the courage to go through with it.

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