“Wow! I’ve heard rumors about your powers. I can glamour people, but that’s as far as my magic goes. What else can you do?” Deirdre’s smile was electric, and Lilith found herself returning the gesture. Though she was pale, as all vampires were, the woman seemed to glow with happiness. Her platinum hair was swept into a high ponytail, and her lipstick matched her outfit flawlessly. Deirdre would be the perfect person to get her out of this slump and have Esther feeling like her old self again.
Azrael cleared his throat. “I think Jessie might be a good match for you, Lilith. Let me pull up her schedule.”
“I want Deirdre.”
He blinked, a look of confusion flashing across his features briefly. “She’s not a counselor.”
Lilith brushed her hair behind her shoulder. “So? I like her energy. Do you have another vampire on your staff?”
“We’re all dark angels.”
“Well, Deirdre it is, then.” She looked at her newfound friend. “When can we begin?”
Deirdre cut her gaze to Azrael before looking at Lilith. “I’m just a web designer. I’m not qualified to offer professional advice.”
“Perhaps I don’t need professional advice. Perhaps I simply need a friend.” She held up her hand, and Percival perched on her fingers.
Deirdre’s smile widened. “You want to be my friend?”
“According to Lucifer, I’m a miserable wretch, and it’s time I made a change. What do you say?”
“I say hell yeah!” She jumped, shaking her fists with excitement. “This is fangtastic! Want to go grab a drink at The Fang and Flask?”
“That sounds fabulous.” She turned to Azrael. “Thank you for your help.”
“Hold on.” He raised a hand. “Lucifer said?—”
“He said I needed to talk to you, which I’ve done.”
The angel narrowed his eyes. “He said I needed to pair you with a counselor.”
“And I’ve chosen Deirdre. Do not challenge my decision, reaper. You said yourself counseling doesn’t work on the unwilling, and I am unwilling to talk to anyone but Dee.” She looked at her friend. “May I call you Dee?”
“Of course.” She rolled her eyes as if the answer were obvious.
Azrael let out a long, slow exhale and looked at Deirdre. “Let me know if I need to intervene.”
Dee laughed. “We’ll be fine. Ready?”
“I am.” Lilith followed her out the door and glanced back inside the office. The moment she crossed the threshold, the deep blue accents returned to pink.
“Why does Lucifer say you’re miserable?” Deirdre asked as they stepped onto the sidewalk outside the counseling center.
Percival perched on Lilith’s shoulder, and she stroked a finger over his back. “I suppose it’s because I am. I must be, or Esther wouldn’t be sick.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I believe that’s the problem.”
Dee pursed her lips, and they walked in silence the rest of the way to the bar. Lilith chewed the inside of her cheek. Sharing the miserableness her existence had become would be harder than she thought. Her new friend idolized her, though she wasn’t sure why. Everything Lilith touched turned to ruin: her marriage to Adam, her plan to rescue Eve, even the lesson she’d tried to teach the insufferable demon today had landed an innocent witch flat on her ass with coffee in her lap. Now she’d have to burst Dee’s bubble and tell her just how lame the Queen of the Night had become.
They entered The Underworld portion of The Fang and Flask and made their way toward the bar in the back of the room. Tables dotted the center of the space, and a row of secluded booths lined the far wall.
“They have an amazing AB Negative on tap, though I guess you already know that,” Deirdre said. “I’ll get the drinks; you grab a table.”
“Tell them to put it on my tab.” Lilith chose one of the booths and slid onto a bench.
Dee returned with two goblets and sat across from her before taking a sip. “Mmm… If they didn’t charge an arm and a fang, I’d give up hunting and drink this for the rest of my existence.”
