Page 10 of Little Music of Night

“But . . .”

I was having a difficult time wrapping my mind around this. But Lisa would never lie to me, and I could see her claws now. I stared at them, then slowly let my attention lift to her face. In place of her blonde hair, there were now feathers. Countless golden feathers that cascaded down the back of her head. Wings sprouted from her shoulders. Her ears were pointed, and her frame petite.

She was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous, even more so than she was as a human.

My eyes filled with tears. “Oh.” This was real. This wasreallyhappening. “Why did you never tell me?”

Lisa let out a soft sniffle, her shoulders relaxing. “Truthfully, I feared your reaction.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Oh my gods. Wait. So?—”

“Christy!”

I jumped as Jon poked his head around the corner. The creepy stage manager always made my skin crawl, but I was paid good money for the work I did here so I still showed up to rehearsals.

“What are you doing?” he demanded. “Why aren’t you fully dressed? We need you ready and in the wings, now. Lisa, help her, and get her up to the stage.”

“Yes, sir,” Lisa said, her voice hardly hiding her disdain.

Truthfully, neither of us liked him.

He left us, and I blew out a breath. Lisa stood up, turning my chair and meeting my gaze in the mirror. She smiled, and I smiled back because now I could truly see her.

“We’ll talk after we secure our paychecks, okay?”

“Yes,” I said. “Can we make time for dinner together?”

“Of course,” she said. “Now let’s get you ready.”

* * *

The waiter poured us glasses of champagne and I sank back in the velvet chair, trying to stifle a giggle. When Lisa lowered her human glamour, she’d opened up a whole new world for me. Everywhere I looked, I saw them.Monsters. Creatures. All blending into the world. And it was wild how humans just naturally moved around them.

Like Lisa’s wings. Everyone naturally gave her space, and honestly, I’d always just assumed that was because of the vibe she gave off. When we first started working together, she’d intimidated me with how serious she could be. But once I got to know her, she became the warmest person I’d ever met.

“So now you know the truth,” Lisa said with a fanged grin.

I shook my head and lifted the flute of bubbling brut. “Now I know. I can’t believe this. My head is still spinning. I would have thought Jon was a monster, but no. Turns out Jack, our sound guy, is a minotaur.”

Lisa laughed, turning heads in the room. A couple of men stared at her a little longer, lust painting their faces. We were in one of my favorite upscale restaurants downtown. Chandeliers glittered, alcohol was abundant, and everyone was dressed to the nines. We’d decided to splurge given how hellish rehearsal had been. Jon was a dick, and there’d been countless issues that had sprung up, including one of the tenors trying to sing through his cold. He was sent home after being yelled at in front ofeveryoneby Jon.

But, at least now I was having a delicious meal with my best friend.

“I’m very glad you can now see through the glamours,” she sighed happily. “I’ve been wanting to show you for so long, but it can be very difficult sometimes.”

We clinked our glasses together and I asked her a million questions. Possibly even a million and one.Why can’t allhumans see monsters? How does magic work? How many types of monsters are there? How many humans have fallen in love with monsters? Is this why there are so many romance books with horned heroes?

“That’s the whole reason I introduced you to the Barista,” Lisa said. “Well, so, here’s the thing. The Barista is famous. He’s a grumpy asshole, but he’s helped so many monsters find their fated mate.”

“Fated mate,” I echoed, thinking about what Bell had said yesterday at the coffee shop. “Wait, I’ve heard that term. What does it mean?”

“It’s like finding theone. Or more than one, for some people,” she said. “The person you’re meant to fall in love with. Who will help you get your own happy ending.”

I took a sip of champagne, mulling it over. Was love really that easy? “It almost sounds too good to be true.”

“But it’s not.” Lisa propped her chin up in her hand. “I’ve seen it so many times, honestly. Monsters and humans falling in love and creating a beautiful life. I’m a little envious at times, but I don’t think I’m ready yet. I like being single.” She turned her head, offering a man across the room a sharp smile.

“Oh my,” I chuckled. “So does this mean . . . Oh shit, I just realized I ran out on my date yesterday.”