her seat. The standing crowd also sank into their chairs. The couple on the floor gaped at him; the wolf with his terrible maw and the lili with her perfect pouting lips. Locked together in a mock embrace, they seemed to forget that they had been tearing each other apart mere seconds ago.
“Are you done?” Alec asked them with a raised brow.
“It stinks down ’ere,” Eve mumbled through her plugged nose.
“He insulted me,” the lili said, disentangling herself and pushing to her feet.
“She has a nice rack,” the werewolf rumbled, straightening.
Alec looked at the lili. “You couldn’t take that as a compliment?”
“I could die today,” she muttered. “I want to go out with some respect.”
“We could all die today,” Eve drawled, dropping her hand. The wolf shifted into his naked human form and she whistled.
Alec gritted his teeth. “It’s not polite to stare.”
“I have a better chance of dying than most,” the lili retorted, glaring at Eve. She turned her demonic green gaze to Alec. “You suck. I thought older brothers were supposed to be protective.”
“If I’m older than you,” he countered, “I’m not your brother.”
Eve’s mouth fell open.
“You could act on the principle of it,” the lili argued.
“She’s a lilin,” he explained to Eve, grabbing her elbow with his free hand and tugging her away from the blatantly interested wolf. “One hundred of them die daily. They never know when their number is going to be up.”
“Brother?”
“She wishes,” he scoffed. “My dad hasn’t talked to Lilith in ages. And that lili is too impetuous to be older than me.”
“I’m confused. Who’s Lilith?”
Alec looked at the receptionist just as she was lifting the phone receiver from its cradle. “Cain’s here,” she said to whoever had answered. She beamed at Alec, then winked. Wrapped around that flirtatious eye was the detail that labeled her a werewolf, formerly under the rule of Mammon, the demon god of avarice.
“Lilith was my dad’s first wife.” Alec hefted the punch bowl and directed Eve down the hall. The sound of their booted footfalls on the polished concrete echoed ahead of them. Behind them, furious whispers followed.
Eve’s sloe eyes widened. “First wife? I thought Adam had Eve, and that was it.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”
“No, seriously. Why didn’t I know that? No one’s ever told me that.”
“Angel.” Alec opened a glass inset door that said Forensic Wiccanology in gold sticker lettering. “One thing at a time.”
Inside the room, the overhead lights were out. Pendant lamps hung over various island stations, spotlighting specific work areas.
“Cain!” The coarseness of the voice was reminiscent of Larry King and it originated from the distant right corner. “It’s been far too long since you came to see me.”
Alec’s head turned to find the robe-clad crone who approached with a shuffling stride. As she moved from the shadows into the light, she changed from a hunch-back into a lovely, willowy redhead. Her robe altered from an all-encompassing shroud to a tightly fit and strategically cut gown.
“Hello, Hank,” Alec greeted. He held out the punch bowl. “I need you to find the Nix who touched this.”
Hank’s full lips curved in a winsome smile. “I’ll do my best.” She looked at Eve, her head tilting. She shifted form again, taking on the appearance of a firmly muscled, carrot-topped male. The gown changed into a black dress shirt and matching slacks. “Nice to meet you.”
Eve blinked rapidly. “Hi.”
Alec touched her elbow. “Evangeline, meet Hank. Hank, this is Eve.”
“Hi, Eve.” Hank licked his lips.
Eve waved lamely.
“We’ll check in later,” Alec said, pulling Eve toward the door.
“Bring her with you when you come back.” As Hank moved away, his form returned to that of a stooped crone.
Once they were in the hall, Eve took a deep breath and wondered if the stench of Infernals was affecting her brain. She looked at Alec. “I feel like one of my teenage acid trips has come back to haunt me.”
“Not possible.”
“What is Hank?”
“An occultist. A demon who specializes in the magical arts and tapping into the power that threads through all of nature.”
“No, I meant is it male or female?”
Alec shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Great. What is this place?” She tried breathing through her mouth to avoid smelling anything, but it was pointless. The odor was steeped into the walls. “Unless my nose is completely wrong, I’d say most of these beings are demonic.”
“Your nose isn’t wrong.” He pointed down the hall. “It’s an amalgamation of things. Various Infernal entities are kept here because they’re useful in some