Eve of Chaos

by S. J. Day

  “Her best friend is backpacking in Europe, and her sister lives in Kentucky.”

  “Excellent.”

  “Her parents are local.”

  Sammael moved toward his throne. His lower limbs changed as he crossed the mosaic floor, turning from hindquarters to legs. His wings retracted, sinking into his spine as if they had never been. “Leave them.”

  “My liege, I think—”

  “No, you do not.” He adjusted his black velvet slacks before sinking into his seat and gesturing for Azazel to rise. “Take away her family, and you take away her reason to live.”

  “Why would that be a bad thing?”

  “Her family keeps her mortal, which makes her weak. Why do you think the seraphim choose the unencumbered to be Marks? A soul is most dangerous when it has nothing to lose. We want her motivated, not a grief-stricken vigilante. She might even become an ally.”

  “An ally?”

  “Why not?” He waved one hand carelessly. “She does not believe. It would seem likely that she wants to be free of the mark. Anyone who could assist her in that endeavor would be a friend.”

  “You seek to extort and befriend her?”

  “Or kill her. Whatever purpose suits me best. Discover everyone who means anything to her but whose loss won’t break her. Close coworkers. School friends. Neighbors.”

  Azazel snorted. “Ulrich took care of the neighbor already. She would have been perfect. As close as family.”

  “Ufrich? The Nix?” Sammael’s gaze lifted to the mural of Michelangelo’s Fall of Man on the domed ceiling. “Asmodeus oversteps his place again.”

  “He is ambitious.”

  “He is overzealous. He has already succeeded in killing her once by lending a dragon to Grimshaw.” He looked at his lieutenant. “Watch him closely. He and I may soon have things to discuss.”

  A rare smile curved Azazel’s mouth. “Yes, my liege.”

  Sammael leaned his head against the throne and closed his eyes. “And get someone to clean up the mess that berserker made in the great hall.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Eve steered her car into her assigned spot next to Alec’s and cut the engine. The subterranean parking lot of Gadara Tower was darker and cooler than the ground level. The temperature change was enough to silence the tengu in her trunk.

  With her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel and her senses achingly aware of how pissed off Reed was, she stared at the single placard that displayed both “A. Cain” and “E. Hollis.” Such privileges alienated her from the other Marks.

  Her car door opened. Alec’s large hand extended into her view. She pulled the keys out of the ignition and accepted his offer of help. She’d barely cleared the roofline when she found herself pinned to the rear door by six-plus feet of hard-bodied male.

  “So I’ve been thinking. . .“ Eve began.

  The tengu resumed bouncing around in her trunk. We need to tighten things up, he said, keep information strictly between me and you. Got it?

  “Gotcha.”

  Alec’s hands gripped her waist, his thumbs sliding across her hipbones, his sunglasses dangling from his fingers. “Did I hurt you?” he asked softly. “Earlier?”

  Just the memory of his power surge at the tengu building made her shiver, but she shook her head. “I’m fine. You just took me by surprise.”

  “I didn’t think about how it might hit you.”

  “Do you hear me complaining? I think you saved us from getting jumped.”

  His forehead dropped to hers. “You’re too good for me.”

  “Alec. . .“ Her throat tightened.

  “But that Dear John speech you were talking to Abel about? It won’t fly with me either, so save your breath.”

  Eve shoved at his shoulder. “Eavesdropper.”

  He backed away, laughing. “I’m ruthless.”

  Alec reached down through the driver’s side door for the trunk release just as her cell phone began ringing from its spot in her cup holder. He tossed it to her. The caller ID said only Cal jfornia, so Eve answered with a brisk, “Hollis.”

  “Ms. Hollis. Detective Jones of the Anaheim police Department.”

  She winced at the familiar voice. It held a bit of a twang, as if he had originated in the South, then migrated.

  The mantra of California natives entered her mind unbidden, Welcome to California. Now go home.

  As Alec gestured for her to go to the truck, Eve squeezed his arm and spoke with clear enunciation for his benelit. “Hello, Detective.”

  Alec paused.

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?” Jones asked.

  “I have a minute.”

  “My partner and I stopped by your condo an hour or so ago.”

  “I’m at work.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  She rounded the rear of the car. “I’m not?”

  As the tengu began pounding on the trunk lid, he asked, “What’s that noise?”

  “What noise? And why do you think I’m not at work?”

  “Because we’re sitting in your office right now.” His voice rose in volume. “Can you hear me?”

  Her gaze moved to Alec. He waited for her signal to open the trunk. “You’re here?”

  “Where are you, Ms. Hollis?”

  “In the garage of Gadara Tower.”

  “We would like to speak with you, if you have a moment.”

  “Of course. I’ll be up in ten.” She disconnected.

  Alec rested his forearms on the edge of the open door. “I have someone taking coffee and donuts to your office.”

  As convenient as the archangels’ mental switchboard system was, Eve wasn’t sure it was worth the headaches. Information flowed through Alec like a sieve, but not in the same manner as it did through Reed. Handlers were stopgaps designed to alleviate the firm leaders’ burdens. They had only twenty-one Marks to concern them; the archangels were responsible for thousands.

  “They might find the donuts stereotypical and insulting,” she pointed out, shoving her phone into her pocket. She hunkered down in preparation of the trunk opening.

  “Good. They should know better than to pick on my girl.” He hit the truck release.

  The tengu burst free with a squeal. Eve caught him with a grunt, but the force of the little beast’s velocity knocked her on her ass.

  “Pretty Mark!” he cried, snapping at her with his stone teeth.

  She waited until Alec rounded the trunk. Then she threw the demon at him.

  As usual, the vast lobby of Gadara Tower was congested with many business-minded Marks and mortals. The industrious whirring of the glass tube elevator motors and the steady hum of numerous conversations were now familiar and soothing to Eve. She felt safe here, cocooned from the world outside where demons ran amok.

  Fifty floors above her, a massive skylight allowed natural illumination to flood the atrium. The gentle heat from the sun combined with the multitude of planters created a slight humidity. It emphasized the overwhelming scent of Marks to a near suffocating degree.

  Beside her, Alec inhaled deeply, then exhaled in a sigh of pleasure. She felt echoes of the surge of power that hit him whenever he was in close proximity to multiple Marks. That charge was unique to him, the original and most badass Mark of them all. She wondered how he’d managed to remain autonomous for so long, considering how much strength he gained when around other Marks. There was a story there, but Alec wasn’t telling it.

  As they weaved through the crowd, Marks paused to gape at the tengu. It was their first sighting of a masked Infernal. The ripple of unease that followed in her and Alec’s wake was tangible. Eve hoped the advent of the mask didn’t foster too much doubt. The last thing they needed was for frightened Marks to target mortals by accident.

  They’ll be all right, Alec said, shaking the writhing tengu as admonishment to keep still. I’ll see to it.

  Eve knew he would. His strength of conviction was powerful. She glanced at his profile and was struck by
thoughts of Batman’s nemesis Two-Face and the dual sides of Alec’s personality. Alec killed with one hand, but worked to preserve life with the other.

  Since his ascension to archangel, the division within him felt soul-deep to her. But maybe he had always been so divided and she just hadn’t known it. His promotion had come within hours of her Novium, which first established their connection. She hadn’t had time to dig into the brain of the old Cain before he became the new one.

  They moved to a hidden bank of elevators that descended into off-limits areas of the building. She rarely saw her office on the forty-fifth floor. The majority of her business in Gadara Tower was conducted in the subterranean labyrinth of floors and corridors that housed Infernals both friendly and not.

  “Pretty Mark not so nice,” the tengu complained as they stepped into the elevator car.

  “You’re one to talk,” she scoffed. “You tried to brain me, tackle me, bite me—”

  “Fun, fun!”

  Eve flipped him the bird. He stuck his stone tongue out at her.

  “Cut it out, kids,” Alec said, his dark eyes laughing.

  She glared at the speaker in the corner. “What’s with the Barry Manilow? Every time I get in the elevator, it’s Manilow.”

  “You’re just lucky. By the way, I’m going up with you.,,

  “The detectives don’t know you work here.”

  “So? It’s clear you’re coming in off the clock. Tell ‘em it’s your day off and you forgot something.”

  She looked down and checked herself out. Her jeans were dirty, her boots were scuffed, and her shirt was torn at the hem.

  Alec grinned. “Your hair needs help, too.” Turning, Eve looked at her reflection in the shiny brass of the elevator walls. Her ponytail was askew, odd loops of hair protruded all around the top of her head, and Infernal ash concealed its natural luster.

  “Oh my god.” She hissed as her mark burned in chastisement. “You let me go around looking like this?”

  “You’re still hot.”

  She glared at him over her shoulder. “You suck.”

  “Abel didn’t say anything either.”

  “You both suck,” she qualified, pulling out her hair band.

  I’d still do you, Reed said.

  Gee, you ‘re a class act, she retorted.

  The car came to a stop and the elevator doors opened with a ding. Immediately the stench of multiple Infernals filled her nostrils and made her nose wrinkle. A waiting area to the right was occupied with a dozen demons of various classes, all bitching about the wait. To the left a female werewolf sat at the receptionist’s desk. She wore headphones and was busy filing her claws.

  As Alec’s presence became known, silence descended, but he paid them no mind. Eve, however, was totally aware of those around them. Marks and Infernals alike watched her warily. Sadly, it was her fellow Marks who looked at her with malice, while the Infernals were simply curious.

  Following Alec down the hallway, Eve read the gilded lettering on the glass doors as they passed them. There was a thin layer of smoke in the air, which—combined with the overall decor of the place—created an old ‘50s film noir feel. Only the labels on the doors gave away the otherworldly purpose of the place.

  When they paused before a door that read Forensic Wiccanology in gold lettering, Eve stepped up and knocked. The knob turned and the door swung inward, seemingly without assistance, since no one stood at the threshold. Inside the room, the overhead lights were out. Pendant lamps hung over various island stations, spotlighting specific work areas but leaving the rest of the space in deep shadow.

  “Eve!” The coarse, raspy voice coming from the back of the room always reminded her of Larry King. Eve waited for the familiar black-clad figure to emerge from the stygian darkness.

  “Hi, Hank,” she greeted him in return. “We brought a present for you.”

  But the figure who appeared wasn’t Hank. It was a young girl with hair as white as snow and yellow eyes like a wolf’s. She was around five and a half feet tall, slender as a reed, and timid in the way she moved.

  “Hello.” The girl offered a shy smile. “I’m Fred.” Eve bit back a smile at the masculine name. Hank and Fred. She was pretty sure Fred was a girl. No one knew what sex Hank was, but Eve thought of him as a man, since he was always in male form when speaking to her.

  “Nice to meet you, Fred,” Eve said, extending her hand.

  Fred shook hands with Eve, then looked at Alec. “Cain.”

  Alec acknowledged her with a quick, dismissive nod.

  Hank stepped into the illuminated circle created by a hanging fixture. His black-clad form altered as he emerged from the darkness, changing from a hunchbacked crone to a tall, dapper gentleman with flame- red hair. Hank was a chameleon, changing form and sex to suit the client. The only things that were immutable were the red hair, masculine smoker’s voice, and black attire.

  “My new assistant,” Hank explained. “It’s been so busy around here lately, I needed the help. Fred is half lililhalf werewolf. Gives her great eyes and a nose for research.”

  Lilin were the offspring of the seductress Lilith— first wife of Alec’s father, Adam, and mother of innumerable demons. Eve had yet to run across the blonde she-bitch, and she hoped she never did.

  “Her fault it’s so hectic,” Alec said, nudging Eve’s shoulder.

  She shoved him back.

  Hank laughed. “Can’t blame him for being right, my lovely Eve. I hear there are a large number of Infernals in town, possibly gunning for you.”

  “Because of him,” she argued, stabbing a finger in Alec’s direction.

  “Good point,” Hank stepped closer to examine the oddly quiet little demon under Alec’s arm. “A tengu? Fascinating. The mask hasn’t worn off. Or else they’ve managed to create more of it.”

  “That’s what I need you to find out,” Alec said. “Also why this one’s so aggressive.”

  “Traitors,” the tengu hissed, glaring at both Hank and Fred.

  Fred snorted. Hank laughed. “My theory is that his behavior is a side effect of the mask. Over the course of my experiments, I’ve discovered that the infusion of Mark blood and bone doesn’t sit well with Infernals over an extended period of time. I’ll examine this fellow and see if I can prove it definitively.”

  “Keep me posted,” Alec said.

  “Of course.” Hank looked at Eve. “It looks like he did a number on you.”

  “He had friends,” she grumbled, dusting off her jeans with her hands.

  Hank faced Alec and altered into a Jessica Rabbit look-alike in a Morticia Addams dress. “I have also been playing with reversing the mask.”

  Eve perked up. “Would it make Marks blend with mortals?”

  “It should make Marks smell like demons.”

  “Eww. .

  Hank shifted back into his masculine form. “However, so far I’ve only been able to make demons smell like Marks.”

  “Yikes.”

  “Destroy that recipe,” Alec ordered.

  “Already done.”

  Fred reached out to the tengu. The little beast hissed at her, but she seemed unconcerned. “I’ll take him.”

  Alec handed him over. The demon snapped at Fred with his teeth. She snarled and bared deadly canines.

  “My teeth are bigger,” she growled.

  The tengu whimpered and curled into a ball.

  “Does it bother anyone else,” Eve asked, “that the demons are so far ahead of us in regards to experiments and genetic mutations? The correct word is ‘genetic,’ right? Or is there something else I should call it?”

  “Infernals don’t lack research subjects,” Hank explained. “Marks, on the other hand, are trained to kill. They rarely capture for torture or experimentation.”

  She looked at Alec. “We should work on that.”

  “We are.”

  No elaboration, but she was getting used to that.

  “Hank,” Alec went on. “Do you still have
that punch bowl I brought you? The one the Nix gave to Eve?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you ever get anything from it?”

  Hank frowned. “Nothing definitive. And once the Nix was dead, I put it away.”

  “I need you to dig it out. He’s back.”

  “Back? Like Montevista? And Grimshaw’s kid?”

  “Exactly.” Alec caught Eve’s elbow. “We’ve got an appointment upstairs.”

  “I’ll holler when I find something.” Hank waved his hand along Eve’s length and she suddenly felt cleaner.

  Glancing down, she found her clothes in pristine condition. “You rock.”

  “Of course.”

  Eve yelled into the darkness where Fred had disappeared, “It was nice meeting you, Fred.”

  The lili shouted back from a seemingly great distance, “Bye, Eve. Bye, Cain.”

  Not for the first time, Eve, wondered how big Hank’s office was. She was about to ask Alec when she found herself standing in the reception area of her office.

  “I hate when you do that,” she complained, blinking past her disorientation.

  “Don’t want to be late.”

  Candace, the Mark who was her secretary, stood with a smile. “Good afternoon, Ms. Hollis. Cain. I took coffee in to the detectives, as you requested.”

  He nodded and pulled Eve toward her frosted glass office door. She took a deep breath while he turned the knob. He was cool and calm while she was neither. She’d only spoken with Jones and Ingram briefly a few months ago, but it had been enough to tell her that they were good men. Men who were fighting the good fight with only mortal skills. And she had to look them in the eyes and lie to them. The mark on her arm burned with the sin, which didn’t make sense to her at all. It’s not like she could tell them the truth.

  Detective Jones pushed to his feet when she entered. He was a nondescript man clad in a dated suit dyed a shade of curry that hadn’t been used for clothing in the last thirty years. His partner, Detective Ingram, stood at the window looking at the city below. His taste in garments was better, but the handlebar mustache he sported set him back a few decades, too.

  “Nice view,” Ingram said, eyeing her carefully. “But I was hoping to get a bird’s-eye view of Disneyland.”