Chapter 66

Beatrice

It was my first day working in the new office Lucifer had set up for me, and I was freaking out a little. I loved the office. It was amazing, though I was certain the leather furniture was a bad idea. I’d made my feelings on leather very clear, but Lucifer had argued that it looked nicer than fabric. I wondered how he’d feel after he saw the claw marks many of my patients were sure to leave on the furniture.

“You need a receptionist,” Lucifer remarked as he looked around my office.

“I can’t afford a receptionist,” I reminded him. “Don’t even think about telling me you can hire one for me.”

He flashed me a grin. “What makes you think I’d suggest something like that?”

“I have no idea,” I muttered in response.

There was a knock at the door, signaling my first patient had arrived in the waiting room.

“If you had a receptionist, they could have told you your patient is here,” he pointed out.

“The knock also works,” I told him. “Come on in, Evie.”

Evie’s smile quickly disappeared when she saw Lucifer standing in my office. By this point, I was certain everyone knew about my involvement with him. I’d be shocked if Evie didn’t know, but she still seemed surprised by his presence.

“Evangalina,” Lucifer greeted her with a nod. “How have you been?”

“Fine,” she replied with a fake smile pasted on her face. The muscles around her mouth were so tight from holding the smile that her lips barely moved when she spoke. “I didn’t realize you’d be here.”

“This is my home,” he replied.

“Something you probably shouldn’t mention to my patients or their witches,” I muttered. “They all know this office is in the demon realm, but I didn’t mention your house. That seemed like too much for most people to handle.”

“Definitely too much,” Evie agreed with her forced smile still in place. “I’m sure it’s a lovely home.”

“It seems I’m making Evangalina uneasy, so I’ll talk to you later,” Lucifer said, leaning in to brush his lips against mine. “I need to run out to check on a few things. Call if you need anything. The cell service should work in the areas I’m heading to.”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

Evie said nothing until the door closed behind Lucifer. Jezebel’s reaction surprised me most. Unlike Evie, Jezebel didn’t seem the least bit phased by Lucifer’s presence in my office.

“Wow!” was all Evie said.

I laughed at her reaction. “I often have that reaction to Lucifer.”

Jezebel hissed. “She’s shocked, not impressed by him. Evie is with Rainer, and she has no interest in any other fallen angel.”

“I am not with Rainer,” Evie argued before adding, “You don’t think he’ll stop by here, do you?”

“It seems unlikely,” I replied. “It’s possible Lucifer will send him by at some point today to check on me, but I doubt it will be while you’re still here. Lucifer knows you want to avoid Rainer.” He didn’t approve of her avoiding Rainer. We’d discussed it before Evie’s arrival today. Lucifer felt Evie was being unfair to his friend.

“And he’d have no reason to have anyone check on you this soon,” Evie added. “I should be fine.”

I decided against pointing out that she looked more disappointed than relieved.

“Rainer will come if he knows I’m here,” Jezebel announced. “He can’t stand being away from me.”

“You’re sure he doesn’t know we’re here?” Evie asked, reaching up to fix her hair.

“He has no idea you’re here,” I assured her. “I told Lucifer how important it is for my patients to have a drama-free session, so he won’t run off and tell Rainer you’re in my office.”

As expected, Jezebel hissed at me.

“Of course, you already know he could easily find out you’re here,” I reminded her. There were records kept of who entered and exited the demon realm. The lists were reviewed several times a day by fallen angels. It was possible Rainer would review the list with Evie’s name on it. I’d warned Evie of that fact when I’d rescheduled Jezebel’s appointment.

“This may not work,” Evie said with a sad sigh. “I might need to find a different therapist for Jezi.”

“No,” Jezebel interrupted. “I’m sick and tired of your issues with Rainer affecting my happiness, too. I like Beatrice. She listens to me, and I need to talk to her about how much it hurts being away from Rainer. It’s not fair that I only get to see him twice a month. It makes me sad. Now, you want to take Beatrice away from me, too? I won’t let you do it.”

We both stared at Jezebel in stunned silence. I knew Jezebel felt this way. One of the things we were working on was her resentment toward her witch. Until today, Jezebel hadn’t outright told me any of this, but she felt Evie was only considering her own feelings. That hurt more than her separation from Rainer. Few understood how sensitive Jezebel was. She kept it well-hidden from the world—extremely well-hidden. I’d seen the softer side of Jezebel.

Evie scooped Jezebel up and held her close. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t realize how much this was hurting you. How could I have been so selfish? You’ve always liked Rainer.”

“He’s our warlock,” Jezebel whispered.

“I wish it was that simple,” Evie said on a sigh.

“You make it hard on purpose,” Jezebel accused. “I want to talk to Beatrice now. I want to talk to her alone.”

Evie nodded and set Jezebel on the leather sofa. “I’ll be in the waiting room.”

On those words, she walked out of the room. After the door closed, Jezebel sighed and muttered, “That witch gets on my last nerve sometimes, but I love her.”