Page 25 of The Night Firm

I nod, processing that, and he doesn’t speak to stop me as I turn to leave.

I wander around the mansion trying to find my room until I bump into Lily, who's wide-eyed and jittery. "I've been looking everywhere for you. We have to get you dressed. Come on!"

She practically drags me to my room, and once there, opens my closet and starts pulling out dresses. "It needs to be perfect. This is a big deal."

I can't tell if she's excited or nervous or both. I'm not sure how to feel. The Night brothers seem pretty powerful. Who could they possibly be this jumpy about seeing?

My mind is still reeling from my conversation with Sebastian, and now I'm supposed to play dress up? I sit on the bed as Lily fusses with my hair.

"Is it true?" I ask Lily. I assume she knows everything. How could she not?

"Is what true?" she asks, twisting my hair expertly into a Dutch braid any hair stylist in New York would be jealous of.

"You're all vampires."

She freezes, and then moves to stand so we are face to face. “Not all of us.”

A blink.

The pink hair is gone. The dark complexion changed.

The being that stands before me is naked, skin a deep-moss-green. Hair thick like vines, adorned with white flowers and auburn branches. Eyes like emeralds.

The smell of spring’s first rain overtakes me.

And as quickly as it appeared, the vision is gone.

Lily smiles across from me, rosy hair falling over her shoulder. “Now let’s add some make-up.”

I nod, unsure of what I just witnessed, curiosity and fear mixing within me. "What about Matilda? Is she a vampire? Or is she…like you?”

Lily retrieves a blue eyeshadow and begins applying it to my face, pursing her lips. "Granny Matilda is something else, but that's her story to tell, not mine."

"Is it rude to ask what you are? I don't mean to be impolite. This is all just so new to me."

She smiles, and I see a shadow of the wild woodland creature she truly is.

"I'm a dryad," she says simply. "A creature of the forest, the soul of a tree."

I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried. Everything poses more questions than answers. "Am I safe here?"

She narrows her eyes. "The Nights won't let anything happen to you."

I scoff at that. "Liam just tried to kill me."

She rolls her eyes. "Liam can be a giant ass sometimes. He's hotheaded, impulsive and prone to reckless acts. But if he wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. That much is certain. No, what he did, it was a warning."

"Nothing like getting into a near deadly car accident on my way to my first day, then getting attacked and bitten by my boss." The snark is strong in my voice.

Lily sighs. "I know it doesn't make sense, and it's a crap way to start your work here, but I promise it will get better. Give them a chance."

I don't know how to respond, so I stay silent as she finishes helping me dress in a sapphire blue gown that matches my eyes and is cinched at my waist and flared at my hips, cascading down my legs in layers.

When she's done, she pulls back to admire her handiwork. "You look incredible. And you have such perfect porcelain skin. You could pass for a vampire if you smelled different," she says, wrinkling her nose.

"Uh, thanks?"

She laughs. "I'm so glad you finally know. It's been agony waiting for those dummies to tell you everything."