Page 26 of The Night Firm
"I hardly think they've told me everything," I say, slipping my feet into a pair of heels that match my dress.
"It's a lot for some people to take," she says. "Sometimes it's easier to get it in pieces than all at once."
As Lily leads me out of my room, through the labyrinth of halls and towards the library, I ask a question that's been prickling my mind since discovering the truth. "Why did they hire me?"
Lily shrugs. "Your resume impressed them, I guess?"
"I don't mean me specifically. Why did they hire a human? Why not stick with vampires or…whatever else? Keep it in the family so to speak. Why expose this world to an outsider for no reason?"
She stops and turns to frown at me. "I could tell the moment we met that you belong here. If I can feel it, they can definitely feel it. And besides, you wouldn't have even heard about the job if you weren't the right person."
With that she continues to walk, but once again I'm left with more questions. "What do you mean? I would have seen it in the paper like everyone else."
She laughs. "That's funny."
When she realizes I'm not laughing she stops again. "You're serious. Oh dear. There's just so much you don't know. Granny spelled the advertisement so that only the perfect candidate for the job would find it. In fact, they're the only one who would even be able to see it. You had the job the moment you called the number. You were the only candidate."
We're moving again, and I try not to stumble over my dress as I work to keep pace with Lily's power walk. "She spelled it? Like with magic?"
"Yup. She's got all kinds of spells up her sleeves. She even showed me how to make a potion that changes my hair color, which is really fun for when I'm out clubbing."
I don't have time to unpack that statement as we have finally arrived at the library where the Night brothers and Matilda are waiting. Sebastian gives me a brief nod and a slight smile of encouragement. Liam doesn't make eye contact with me. Coward. Elijah's eyes hold mine for a long moment, and it's as if a cool breeze dances against my skin when he looks at me like that. I feel an uncomfortable stirring in my body as I consider the quietest of the four brothers. Elijah always seems more contemplative. I can practically see his mind working even as he locks eyes with me.
Derek heads to the bar, pours a drink and walks over to me. "For your nerves," he says, handing me the glass. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," I say, for the drink and the compliment. A glance at the bottle he poured from shows this is an expensive whiskey. I savor each sip, enjoying the way it burns as I swallow.
"I had hoped to have more time to explain everything," Derek says, his smile faltering. "This has all happened faster than we expected. I wanted to apologize for my brother. He will never do that again. I give you my word."
Despite his promise, or perhaps because of it, the anger bubbling inside me spills out. I’m not just upset, I realize. I’m royally pissed. “Damn straight he won’t or I’ll shove a wooden chair leg through his heart faster than he can blink!”
Derek stares at me wide-eyed, jaw slack.
Before he can say anything, I turn and glare in Liam’s direction.
He’s studiously ignoring me.
That won’t do.
Won’t do at all.
Downing the rest of my drink, I set the finely etched crystal glass on the table slowly and deliberately and then head straight to over to Liam, getting right in his face so he can't avoid my gaze anymore.
I can feel everyone in the room staring at us.
I stab my finger into his ridiculously muscled chest as I speak with all the authority and rage I can muster. "You had no right to do that, and you will never, ever touch me like that again, am I clear? If you so much as think about doing that again, I will stake your ass so fast you will wish you'd never been born…er…unborn. Or made undead. Whatever. You get my point. Do. Not. Do. That. Again." I say, pushing my fingernail harder against his chest with each word. "Also, you owe me an apology. Or I walk. I'm not working here without one."
He blinks. I don't. I wait. Eyes focused. Heart pounding. My neck is completely healed, not even a scratch, but the memory of the pain still haunts me.
"I apologize," he says, breaking the silence in the room. One of his brothers makes a sound of surprise, but I don't look away from Liam to find out who.
His eyes burn with heat and his muscular chest probably did more damage to my finger than I did to it.
"Why did you do it?" I ask in almost a whisper. For that moment, as his gaze pulls me in, it feels as if we are the only two people in the room.
"To show you the danger you're in. Be careful, Miss Oliver. We're the good guys, and even we aren't that good."
He turns away just as Matilda enters the room. The look on her face is more serious than any I’ve seen so far. Addressing the brothers, she says, “Your guest has arrived. Shall I show him in?"