a false alarm.â
Isabelle slumped her shoulders. âWhen I tune in remotely to him, using the water in his body, he doesnât feel like anything more than a non-magickal human male.â She paused and looked morose. âNot even a witch.â
Thomas nodded. âIf he were the demon, youâd know it.â
Adam pulled his headset off one of his ears. âAnd I donât think heâd be watching Wheel of Fortune , if this was our guy. I donât think demons like Pat Sajak.â
Isabelle sat up a little straighter. âHe could just be playing with us. The demon has to be able to seem convincingly human. Otherwise witches would be spotting him all over the place. Maybe he knows weâre watching and heâs masking. Or maybe heâs become humanized during his stay here and heâs grown to like TV game shows.â
Thomas and Adam only stared at her. âI think youâre reaching,â Thomas said finally.
âIâm just trying to think outside the box here, guys.â
Adam leaned toward her. âIsabelle, I think outside the box with the best of them, but I still suspect heâs a non-magickical human male just home from work with one hand down his pants and a beer in the other.â
She tossed her headset to the table in front of her with force. âDamn it!â
Thomas considered her for a moment. âItâs not over yet. Mira heard this manâs name for a reason. He could be connected in some way with the demon.â
âMaybe.â Isabelle chewed the side of her thumb and slumped in her chair.
âI need to talk to Isabelle alone, Adam.â
âOkay. Iâll keep listening to Wheel of Fortune ,â said Adam with a sarcastic thumbs-up and grin. He placed the headphones to one ear. âI think I know this puzzle. Buy a vowel!â
âLet me know if anything unusual happens or if he leaves.â
Adam nodded. âSure thing, boss.â
Isabelle looked confused, but Thomas led her into the other room anyway. Only a long worktable stood in what would be the formal dining room. Wadded up painterâs drop cloths lay discarded in the corner. She stood near the table, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked at him expectantly.
âI just want to make sure youâre okay with all this,â Thomas said. âI know youâve been traumatized by the death of your sister and I need to make sure that youâre not going toââ
She raised her eyebrows. âWhat? Freak out? Break down and cry at a critical moment?â
âI donât think youâre the hysterical weeping type. I just want to make sure youâre all right.â
âI appreciate your concern, I really do, but Iâm fine, Thomas. In fact, Iâm more than fine now that Iâm aligned with the Coven and helping to find this demon. And we will find him. This Alexander guy might be a dead end, but that doesnât mean we wonât have other promising leads.â
Relief swept through him. It was nice to hear her being positive. âIâm glad you feel that wayââ
She uncrossed her arms and her expression softened. âNow whatâs with your hair?â
He blinked at the abrupt change of subject. âExcuse me?â
âIâve established that you do, indeed, possess pupils, but whatâs up with the hair? I mean, itâs beautiful. Itâs so long, glossy, and sexy. I want to thread my fingers through it every time I see you. But it seems strange on a man like you because youâre all about work and never about play.â
He blinked again. âMy hair is about work, actually. It holds power for me. Earth witches donât hold magick in the center of our chest the way fire, water, and air witches do.â
âIâve dated earth witches, so I know you guys do that but Iâve never really understood how.â
âMy hair is charmed to hold a reserve of power for