She looked around the room, nodding in satisfaction as Alex and Sarah went white, the fear of their private lives being exposed finally sinking in. Maria looked oddly undisturbed, and Josh? Well, Josh had been dealing with bad press since he was in college. His art shows had pushed the envelope for years. Much more than any of the children, he knew how the game was played.

“Kincaid, do you think?" he asked.

She nodded shortly.

“Almost certainly. The man is a disgrace to the profession. If I could prove this, I could probably have him disbarred.

But I won't be able to. He's always careful to keep his tools well away from his hands. It was probably that pig we caught out front who actually did the work. Broke in here one day when I was at work, Alex was at class, and Sarah was out. It wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes." She sighed.

“We should have gotten a better security system years ago."

Guided by Althea, she was able to locate five other Listening devices.

One was in the kitchen, one in the downstairs bath. A third was in the basement. The Last two were in her bedroom and the master bathroom upstairs.

Is that it?

~Yes,~ Althea replied, the succubus’ voice so familiar in her head by now that she could barely remember a time when the two of them had not been joined. ~That's it.~

She swept the tiny pile of electronics into her hand. She was tempted to take them to Josh's workshop and pound them to pieces with a hammer.

But even the tempting thought of violent destruction couldn't get her to leave the house alone. Not with Kincaid at large. Althea assured her he was nowhere nearby. But that was cold comfort. Who knew what other accomplices he had, ready and waiting for them to set foot outside?

Instead, she took the tiny spying devices to the kitchen. She turned on the garbage disposal and dumped them down the drain, one by one. If the tiny blades didn't hack the electronics to pieces, Kincaid and his lackeys would be welcome to listen to whatever secrets the sewers of

DuPage County had to tell.

A pounding at the front door interrupted her whirling thoughts. She opened it to find the wide-eyed face of Jeremy Edwards.

"Good. You're here," she said, as if she were hosting a dinner party and he had committed the faux pas of showing up Late. "Come into the living room, dear," she continued, gesturing him forward. As she followed, her hands went to the zipper of her skirt. By the time she reached the room where everyone was gathered, she was naked from the waist down.

“Mom! What the hell?" Sarah asked, her eyes glittering with surprise and anger. Jeremy also gaped in astonishment when he turned to see her half-nude. He sat down beside Sarah on the couch, his hand unconsciously reaching out to clasp hers. Of the remaining people in the room, Alex opened his mouth and closed it, Looking somewhat Like a landed fish. Maria was quietly serene as always, and her husband merely looked on, Lifting one sardonic eyebrow as she turned to meet his eyes.

With a slight effort, she willed her tail out, Letting it emerge to its full Length. Ignoring the gasps of shock, she turned so everyone could see.

“So, it's like this, kids..."

When she finished, she stood still, letting everyone in the room get a good Long Look.

~No use giving them a chance to convince themselves they aren't really seeing what they're seeing,~ Althea mused, and she could only agree.

“Dios mio," Maria said, crossing herself reverently. Her eyes, when she looked at Rachel, were bright with wonder. "Truly we live in incredible times, when one of God's own angels can take shelter in a human woman."

“Althea isn't an angel," Rachel corrected quickly. "She is merely the daughter of one."

“And of the first wife of Adam?" Sarah said. Her face was stunned.

“So that Lady we saw at the hospital earlier today? That was her?" Alex asked.