Holy monkey, guys...

So an awesome response. So many comments, reviews and PMs. I am really feeling the love, here.

All my love and gratitude to ktvalmiri and TheWyvernsWeaver for the editing and art, respectively. I am a lucky, lucky writer to work with such awesome people and have such amazing readers.

Ok... I'm done...

On we go!

Judy awoke the following morning after a fitful night's sleep. She felt no better about her situation. She didn't have a plan. She did, however, have her first headache. Fifteen minutes of searching for common mortal ailments led her to the shower for a hot soak and then off to the chemist's for a bottle of aspirin. She was gratified to see that she was, in fact, getting better at the whole grooming thing and had gotten her morning routine down to under an hour. Her mood buoyed further for the fact that she genuinely looked good for her efforts. She noticed the attention of a few rabbits and hares as she walked by.

In a moment of paranoia, she checked herself in the reflective glass panel of a bus stop's shelter. Her clothes looked normal. Nothing was tucked in weirdly. She wasn't accidentally displaying her undergarments. Her fur looked smooth and fluffy; no bed fur. All in all, she looked clean, neat and orderly, just as she had planned. A neat blouse over new jeans and well-groomed fur. The only thing she considered was the clothes might be a bit snug. They were form-fitting, but that was what she preferred after the bodysuits she wore under her armor. It was also within tolerances for current fashion in the region, so she was uncertain why she was getting the attention. As Judy walked on, the long, low whistle she got from a passing hare only confused her more. It was what she had read was a "wolf whistle", but coming from a lapidae the term was ambiguous to her.

As both flesh and the whole mortal experience were new to her, she'd have to ask someone. Unfortunately, the only one Judy thought she'd get any kind of real answer from was the last source she wanted to tap: her recent demonic acquaintance. Considering her CO's opinion of her, she couldn't imagine the other angels in the area held her in any higher esteem. Judy found it depressing that it was a demon, of all things, that showed her the most respect.

Recalling her situation with him soured her improving mood.

After the chemist, Judy made tracks to her favorite café and ordered her usual; mint green tea with lemon. Remembering how he'd ordered that along with the rest of her meal gave her another item for consideration on her list of points she missed the night before.

Rather than brood on it, she decided to do something practical, if useless, and pulled up the template she had been working on before bed; a basic assessment cover sheet for an enemy operative. She hadn't entered a name, or even considered submitting it, but every other detail she had amassed on Nick Wilde went into it. Indigo fire, his armor, absurd regeneration, dexterity, combat prowess, collar; all of it. The result made her ill.

Projected classification: High Demon or higher, projected class: Warmaster/Trickster, projected Sin: Undetermined (Pride/Lust/Envy/Sloth/Gluttony); Preliminary assessment: Extremely dangerous. Class 7, black. Do not engage. Supply further information for clarification.

A full two magnitude levels higher than the file on Wraith. Whoever he was, Nick Wilde was far worse than she, or the heavens, thought. That thought scared her more than anything else. Remembering how effortlessly he handled her attacks and played with her weapon sent a shiver down her spine. His ease and fluidity with words unsettled her and the look in his eyes when he licked his fingertip still frightened her. He did it all as if it were nothing.

Her heart was hammering again.

He was terrifying, but it was also the most excitement she'd had since the last siege on a demon stronghold in the deep reaches of the Fringe. Facing down a horde of insane demons in a bulwark of corruption was somehow just as exciting as sitting down to eat with this one individual and for the same reason. Death lurked at any misstep.

That said, she had another puzzle on her paws. He didn't seem evil.

During her stalk, she didn't find any traces of corruption, or even basic demonic power on any of the females who spent their time in his hotel room. She knew he had to feed his Sin somehow, so the question was how. It was a question she pondered very thoroughly as she enjoyed her breakfast tea and lemon poppy seed muffin. She needed more information on Wilde and needed it badly.

He was dangerous. That much was obvious. How dangerous remained to be seen, particularly to her. Every angel had a weakness; that one little temptation that was most likely to make them crack and give in. Then, it was the Fall. She had never seen an angel fall, but she had heard plenty. Rumors and stories of what happened to an angel when they fell and the horrors they faced thereafter, in Hell. She needed to know what Wilde's classification was, so she could know how severely at risk she was.

That led her to her next irksome task for the day.

As her CO had made clear, she had no business doing anything other than her transition. Until that was completed, she had nothing else to do. That meant an annoying amount of free time. Ordinarily, she's be scrambling to accomplish the necessary tasks, but thanks to a little demonic assistance, she was ahead of schedule. That meant she had flexible time. Too much of it. Plenty to devote to an off-the-books clandestine operation behind her boss' back, with the help of a demonic fox. Investigating a known operative that scared the living daylights out of her was just an added bonus.

As they had agreed to work together and the next move was a little magic on her end, she was obligated to wait for him. They hadn't made plans the night before. She'd been too confounded by the insane turn her evening had taken to think to. He had managed to coax her into offering up her phone number, however, and she had gotten his in turn.

The last thing she wanted on her call log was a random number, despite the fact that she should be collecting a few as part of her assignment. Mortal contacts and acquaintances were necessary for living in the mortal world. A few numbers wouldn't be amiss. His, however, could prove catastrophic if her superiors discovered who it belonged to.

Pulling out her little phone, she was gratified to see she got full bars. One thing the heavens could be counted for, at least, was decent phone reception. Now, all she had to do was dial. Never had the act of touching three icons on a smartphone been so daunting.

Nick rose languidly from his slumber and stretched in a way too feline for a fox. He was quite content for waking up before noon. Generally, mornings didn't agree with him. As both fox and demon, he was very happily nocturnal, preferring to be active after the heavens had stopped shouting their own glory at the fullest volume. Once the noon hour was past, he found their diminishing pontifications much more tolerable. That said, he was up earlier than intended and he had time before he had to play his next card in his little game.

As he showered the night's activities out of his fur, he thought over his plan. Discovering the little angel's weakness was proving an amusing diversion. Temptation after temptation was sent her way and there were just so many in the Mortal Plane for her to try. It was one reason the Heavens were so reluctant to send angels down, in the first place. Angels had a tendency to fall when tempted. It took a certain breed to endue such things for long. Most agents of the divine had a definitive limit to their stint in service. As the rabbit had only just arrived, Nick had plenty of time to play with this one.

He'd already tempted her many times. He'd offered her a chance to gorge herself on excellent food, taken her possessions, demeaned her openly. All little tests. All inconclusive. The only thing he knew was that she was in no way at the mercy of Sloth. Her boundless energy and drive was evident enough in her attempt to attack him. No. Sloth was out. Wrath was unlikely, as well. He'd goaded her, but her discipline held. Rather, it had held and not been forced, or overblown. Knee-jerk overreaction was usually a dead giveaway.

That left pride, gluttony, envy, greed and, of course, lust. He'd teased her with a little bit of all of them, but nothing conclusive had come of it. Despite flirting with Dani to test her envy, the food for her gluttony, talking down to her to prick her pride and making a pass or two at her, nothing. His attempt at prodding her greed had been too mixed for a clear result. Stealing her dagger was as much a threat to her pride as her avarice. Still, it was early days. He had plenty of ways to test for every sin and two Sins eliminated was certainly a start. Nick simply had to test for them again, and again, for as long as it took.

As he tousled his fur dry after the shower, he got one such opportunity.

Nick's phone kicked into life, playing the ringtone he'd selected for the poor, innocent little featherbrain. He considered letting it go to voicemail. He also considered adding a little magic to his voice to test her weakness to Lust. He ignored both. He wanted to play with her and this was as good a chance as any that he'd get to set her up. As to Lust, well, she was a rabbit. Lust was simply too cliché a vulnerability for a rabbit angel. It would wait for last and if it were true, it was proof the universe truly did run on irony and he'd laugh until he was sick.

Scooping up his phone, he tapped the answer key.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, little angel?"

"We agreed to meet today. We have things to discuss."

"You have the files you needed to collect?"

"Yes… Do you have your information?"

"Naturally. See you in a bit, Carrots."

He ended the call on her, mid-word. An intentional snub. If he was going to rule out Sins until he found her weakness, he'd have to play harder. That meant being less nice than he had been. 'Hardly a chore', he thought as he chuckled.

Nick decided that his breakfast meeting with the rabbit could be a late brunch and meandered his way back to his bed. Candi stirred as she felt him slip between her thighs and apply his tongue in the most effective manner he knew to wake a female up. Minutes later, Nick was thinking maybe he'd make his meeting a lunch date. Candi for breakfast was a treat!

Two hours later, Nick coasted into the same little diner they'd visited the night before and found Judy in the exact same booth they had occupied, previously. The small stack of small plates at her elbow did an excellent job of piquing his interest. Every single one had telltale signs of pie filling. The fact that there were six of them and no two were the same variety of pie was of particular note.

"Morning, fluff."

"Barely."

"Awww… Is somebunny feeling neglected?"

"Not this bunny. Pie has been keeping me company."

"Lot of pie for one mammal," he commented, eyeing the plates pointedly as he slid into the booth opposite.

"Not when it's taken over seven hours." At that moment, a jackrabbit in a waiter's uniform wandered by and Judy caught his eye. "I'd like a slice of the strawberry rhubarb pie, please."

"You want that a la mode?"

"What's that?"

"It means with ice cream," the buck explained.

"I've never had that. Is it good?"

"Coming right up," the waiter, already in motion, responded.

Nick found the conversation enchantingly innocent. His chuckling got her attention.

"Is something funny?"

"Oh, just you, Hopps. It's been so, so long since I last spoke to an angel. It's quite refreshing."

"Could you be any more disingenuous?"

"I think you mean sardonic. Disingenuousness implies insincerity. I am completely sincere, yet mocking. So, while we wait for your… seventh… slice of pie, shall we talk?"

"I suppose so. I don't have much to contribute."

"You must be kidding. Are you telling me that your, supposed, resources are coming up empty?"

"No, and yes."

"Any time you feel like explaining would be great."

"I read through most of the reports while I was waiting for you. There isn't a lot going on. The presumption that the demons are responsible colors almost every report. As we know that presumption is erroneous, all of those reports must be discarded."

"Figures."

"Almost every scene documented or lead followed is in the pursuit of finding evidence of demonic influence, or involvement. Anything else was obviously ignored, or documented haphazardly."

"And, thus, anything that could be an actual lead, or help us is long gone by now."

"Basically. There are a few odd bits documented as part of the scene investigations, but those are few." She flicked through the evidence sheets and read out. "Stray tufts of fur, hair and wool."

"That may be regular detritus on the city streets…"

"A trace of corruption of an unconfirmed type… Some rubbish… "

"Impossible to sample and likely irrelevant, respectively."

"An awkwardly overturned potted plant."

"A strange pebble…"

"How did you know?"

Silken laughter bubbled out of her brunch companion's throat. It was strange that his voice didn't upset her. In her experience, the voices of hellspawn were just a spectrum of howling madness. To see a known demon behaving so civilly was disorienting. It reminded her of their conversation the night before. She knew little of demons, despite her experience. The more she learned, the more intrigued she became. Intelligence and information on their adversaries was always of tremendous value to her superiors. Once she concluded this little adventure, she would have volumes to report. Assuming that she survived her partnership with Wilde and wasn't branded a traitor in the process, of course.

Her thoughts and their conversation were interrupted by the waiter returning and plopping a large slice of pie with a softball-sized scoop of something white and cold, with red veins through it sitting on top. Judy tried to ask what manner of dish this was, but the hare who brought it had vanished without a word. He was obviously less taken with her than their waitress of the previous evening had been with Nick.

Nick took the opportunity to spark a cigarette. Judy was less than pleased at the acrid stink of the smoke, but elected to not comment. Instead, taking a bit of both pie and this "iced cream" stuff on a fork and stuffing it into her mouth. When her taste buds ceased rioting and the demon across the table stopped laughing at her reaction, she prompted him to continue their conversation while she ate. She was content to answer between, or in the middle of, mouthfuls of ambrosial sweetness.

"So, we have nothing," Nick chortled.

"Not nothing, but close."

"The pebble may be useful to focus my divination spell, if it was at the place the siphoning occurred. Was it?"

"A suspected location. Apparently, whatever is doing this leaves very little behind."

"What about the unidentified corruption?"

Judy flipped back to the related file. "It was an alley… One reported as a crime scene several times to the ZPD. Let's see… Mugging… Mugging… Rape… Assault… Mugging…"

Nick snorted. "So, probably just a miscellaneous collection of sins in one spot."

"Looks like it," Judy grumbled.

"So, it comes back to the pebble. Can you get it?"

"We don't know that it even relates to the case."

"It's better than nothing and we won't know until we try. Now, can you get it?"

"Not until I'm done my transition and get an assignment. Even then, I can't guarantee anything I'd be assigned would be related to this case."

"Or that you'd be put near anything like the stored evidence." Judy's eyes flicked up from her nearly empty plate in suspicion, which the fox smirked at. "You're a tracker and a warrior, Carrots, not a forensic expert, or a geologist." As much as the statement was a compliment it was dismissive. At least he acknowledged she was a warrior. "In either case, we'll have to wait a bit. That leaves us with one other option."

Judy blinked. "Option?"

"That treat you just scarfed down must have frozen your brain. Scrying? Remember that?"

"I remember, but we're going to have trouble with that, just like your attempt last night."

"Try anyway. What could it hurt?"

"Hurt? Nothing. Accomplish?" Judy shook her head. "I still need a focus, or all I'll be doing is wasting effort."

"Meaning, something to perceive, I presume? You can't track entropy, can you?"

"Not the way you can. I can feel the currents of mana. Maybe we can spot a pattern?" As she spoke, Judy pulled a small compact mirror from her pocket.

It had been many long years since the last time she had used this skill. It was a simple one, but like most simple things, it was surpassingly easy to screw up. Fortunately, she had her years on the fringe on her side. When not fighting, it was wise to spend your time in meditation, rather than sleep. It was almost as restful and didn't leave one groggy upon waking. It was also an excellent way to clear and cleanse the mind. Perfect for scrying.

Judy settled into her seat and held the mirror up to her face. Slipping into the mental non-space of meditation was easy. Then, it was a matter of focusing on seeing through the reflection. She regretted her attempt. No sooner had her mind reached into the ether than it was attacked by things she had never seen before. Wailing homunculi made of shattered thought and sucking void assaulted her. Rather than fight, Judy fled.

Judy returned to herself with Nick propping her up in her chair, holding a napkin to her nose and the waiter looming over his shoulder. Everything sounded like she was under water. Upon seeing her move under her own power, Nick waved off the hare and reassured the other patrons with a winning smile. Judy giggled, which brought the demon's surprisingly concerned gaze back to her.

"You ok, now, Carrots?"

"What happened?"

"First, you slipped into a trance, like I expected. Then, your eyes rolled up into your head, you collapsed, blood started pouring from your nose; the moment I got you sitting up so you wouldn't drown in your own blood, you started shivering and your eyes popped open, like you just blinked instead of whatever that was. What in the name of Ash and misery just happened?"

"No idea. I wasn't there long enough to find out."

"What did you see?"

"Nothing. I was attacked."

"Attack… what? That's impossible." Judy raised a sardonic eyebrow at the statement, as she pinched a fresh tissue her nose. "Right. Stupid thing to say. Obviously, it is possible. What does it mean?"

"It means scrying is out. As is anything else along those lines."

"And divination isn't going to work until we can find something to help amplify the spell. Damn."

"I'm sure you know what that means, Slick." Judy commented acerbically. "Legwork."

Nick's groaning was a small compensation for her recent pain. Judy relished it as she went to clean herself up a bit. It'd been less than a day and she felt utterly outmatched. The failure of her scrying was not pleasant, or a positive result, at all. However, it was highly educational. So far, he'd held all the cards and been one step ahead at every turn. This was the first time he demonstrated surprise and lack of knowledge. He also showed a surprising interest in her wellbeing. She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd simply left her there to die and considered the pact they'd made null. It might have been an act, or just upholding his end of the bargain. "Support" can mean many things, after all. However, it was a puzzling turn of events.

As she wiped the last of the blood off her face, she felt a small upwelling of satisfaction. Much as her demon comrade was full of surprises, he was also a pain in the tail. The fox's disappointment was a small start on getting the arrogant jerk back. The thought that his support didn't extend to escorting her to the washroom, like a gentlemammal, was surprisingly bitter in her mind.

Once she left the washroom, Judy found an unpleasant sight at the table. The waitress from the night before was now on shift and very attentively doting on Nick. It was clear that the doe was infatuated. Her work skirt was shorter and upon a quick inspection, Judy had other concerns. The skirt in question had obviously been hastily rolled to be shorter, probably specifically for Nick. No panty lines were visible and how she stood was obviously flaunting herself for him.

As Judy approached, she kept an eye on the doe. She was really going all out. Her hips were rolled forward, legs saucily apart, hooves on hips, shoulders cocked, slightly leaning back, back arched, neck curved to the side. Everything she did accentuated some part of her femininity and drew the eye to her most desirable features as a female. Judy had to admit it was an eye full, by mortal standards. One Nick was happily enjoying. Even the deer's voice and expression were carefully adapted to increase appeal. Neither left anything to question, as to what she wanted.

Judy taking her seat didn't break into the awareness of the waitress at all, so Judy had a chance to get a much clearer look at her. Hooded eyes, hungry grin; her voice was a low, purring tease. The behavior was fascinating to her. Uncomfortably so. Judy was certain that if Nick even hinted at it, the waitress would be ready and waiting in a storage room, almost instantly.

Judy cleared her throat and was disturbed a moment later. As warm as she'd been the night before waiting table and openly welcoming she now was to Nick, when Candi turned Judy's way, the deer's eyes were calculating, hard and dismissive. Never before had asking for a check been so uncomfortable for her.

Judy paid her tab and ushered the fox out the door. She had to swat the fox's paw away before he offered his card. Candi's distaste for every moment Judy was present was intense enough to be palpable to the small rabbit. As soon as they were outside, Judy turned on the fox.

"What was that?"

"That was a very ungraceful exit from an eatery."

"Not what I meant and you know it. What was wrong with her?"

"A little female jealousy, I think."

"Why would she be jealous? She was perfectly fine last night."

"Indeed, she was…"

A sick suspicion that had already begun to form in Judy's mind just got a whole lot stronger. "She spent the night with you."

"And most of the morning. I'm surprised she made it to her shift."

Judy was incensed as she watched the demon next to her light a cigarette. He'd been late to their meeting because he'd been too busy having sex with the waitress. That wouldn't have bothered her if it weren't for the drastic change in behavior that Candi had displayed. It wasn't concrete proof, but it was definitely more evidence as to what kind of demon she was dealing with. No more were ruled out, but one was definitely creeping ahead as the most likely Sin she was dealing with.

Irritatingly for her, Judy immediately received counter evidence. She noticed the fox pull a large coin out of his pocket and start rolling it across his knuckles.

"What is that?"

"Nice try, rabbit."

The coin fascinated her. "No, what is that?"

"I'm sure you've heard of Coins of Mammon. They're the currency of Hell."

"I've seen some too. They're compressed mana, aren't they?"

"Uhhuh." The fox replied disinterestedly. "Currency and power source. Someone thought it was a good idea."

"I've only ever seen copper and small silver coins. That's huge!"

"I love hearing those words…" Judy's instant reaction to his off-handed remark was curtailed as the large coin sailed into her paws. "That's a platinum Lucifer. Largest coin we have. Enough power to open a stable portal from Hell to anywhere, except Heaven."

"And you're playing with it…"

"It's just a coin, little angel. You want it?"

"I'll pass, thanks." She commented as she sent it his way with a flick of a thumb.

His smile widened as he received it back and sent it spinning across his knuckles, again. Judy wanted to assign the action to his Greed, but as always, nothing he did or said was strong enough to be concrete evidence.

"So, where to, Carrots? Canvassing the city for clues?"

"Come on."

The following hours were a torture for Lieutenant J. Hopps. In all the files Judy had acquired, there were eleven locations that she deemed worth checking out. She decided as much because she was the only one who cared to weigh in on the subject. While she was trying to spend her time constructively, Nick was doing anything and everything to not be helpful.

If it wasn't a pretty female it was a food cart, or his phone. There was always a distraction. Always something more important that doing the job. There was precious little to find, but that wasn't an excuse to do nothing. True, there was absolutely no sign of corruption, demonic, or otherwise, at any of the scenes they checked. There was nothing odd at all. Judy still checked everything. Nothing in the mana currents, static matter, or aether. The process of checking out every aspect, as well as the physical scene was not quick and was made slower by Nick's laziness, as well as a lack of transportation.

Under normal circumstances, a full Mortal Affairs Liaison Officer, or Wager Officer, could expect to receive a fully equipped vehicle for use. They had to complete their Transition procedure and acquire a driver's license, but those were built into the program. As she had not completed anything of the sort, she was stuck with public transportation. The busses, trains and trolleys that crisscrossed the various regions of the habitat-rich metropolis were quite efficient, but there was still a lot of backtracking they had to do.

Watch your destination slip past and then have to walk back to find it, again, was wearing. It was also wearing having to herd an easily distracted fox from place to place. Babysitting duty was not in her job description, let alone of an arrogant, red-furred lothario who favored brimstone cologne. Keeping him on task had been almost an all-day affair. Several times, Judy found herself having to track Nick down by scent and aura, only to find him in a shop or chatting up a passerby. The final straw for Judy came in the form of Nick vanishing shortly after arriving at the final stop of the day.

It was already evening and there was nothing to show for the effort expended. Judy was tired. Nick was gone.

Again.

Scenting required focus and little else, but Judy had spent almost all her mental energy already. Tapping her reserves to the bone, she managed to find him three blocks away in a bar. His second drink was already half-empty, if Judy was reading the situation correctly. She was surprised there wasn't a barfly buzzing around him just yet. They were in a business district and it was just after 5:00pm. Happy hour was in full swing. Judy was fed up. The final location she'd selected would wait until the morrow. Now, she had to even the score a little and maybe, just maybe, put a demon on a leash.

She had to be careful. His class of demon was unknown, but she knew he liked females. In her experience, males tended to be a bit stupid when it came to females. She just had to play to that weakness.

Putting on her best scowl and adding a little pout, Judy stomped over to his stool and hopped up on the seat. Before his astonished eyes, she pulled the lowball out of his paw and downed the rest of the double of bourbon in a swallow.

"You ok, Carrots?"

She placed the glass on the bar top and glared at him. "No. I am not ok. I'm tired. And annoyed. And we are leaving."

"We're what?"

"L-E-A-V-I-N-G."

"Spelling it out for me? Really?"

"You seem to be a bit dim at present, so yes."

"A little bourbon isn't enough to affect my faculties. Demonic metabolism." He punctuated his comment with a smirk and signaled the bartender to refill. "So, what am I missing, oh petulant one?"

Judy wilted a bit. "The part where I'm tired and footsore and I need a break?"

"We can take one here. Food and drink are available. Company. Plenty of seating. If that changes, I have a very nice lap you could use." The demon sipped his refreshed drink and smiled. "Look, Hopps, if you're that beat you can just go home. There's no shame in calling it quits for the day. I'm staying here."

"I just need a rest and this place isn't restful. There are too many mammals and too much noise. I've had as much as I want to of both those things for a while." Judy groaned, laying it on thick. "My place is clear across town. Can't I just use your hotel? It's not far from here, right?"

The pause in the demon's movements was tiny. Almost imperceptible. Nothing more than a tiny hitch in his movement as his glass rose to his lips, again. Anyone but Judy would have missed it and even she only caught the pause from the change in the reflected light on the amber liquid in his glass. She had caught his attention. Odds were good he'd take this chance to tempt, or at least test her. His misdirected attention would serve her well. Confirmation came as his intended sip became a long swallow, draining his glass.

Ten minutes later, Judy was in the fox's den. His hotel was a very nice one as hotels went. It wasn't the Palm, but still quite respectable on the price scale. Heaven would never set her up in a place like this. The suite was furnished in a modern style; furniture with clean lines and simple construction littered the place. Interestingly, there was very little that was indicative of his residence. It barely looked lived in, even for a hotel.

That didn't mean her host was unfamiliar with the space. His coat landed neatly on a chair without him looking. His wallet and phone landed on a spot with familiar ease of the coffee table. Again, without looking. Now, he was entirely without encumberment, other than his trousers. It was a fact Judy was keenly aware of. Part of her plan, but also something she took note of despite herself.

It amused Judy that Nick was abruptly of such a very different mind once she proposed going to his hotel. A little application of "Doe Eyes" and acting pouty had him all too eager to take her home. He obviously didn't take her seriously as a threat, now, so her plan would work much more easily. Once they were inside, he took her coat and told her to have a seat while he poured drinks. While he was in the next room, assembling said libations, Judy prepared.

She didn't have many options for keeping him under control. There were a few binding spells, but he would be able to break them. Then, he'd potentially kill her. Possibly with derision, alone. Any magic she could apply to him directly would probably get that result. Her only recourse that had even a solid chance of working was a spell that was purely passive. Passive, but very powerful and one she could control, if she was the one to cast it. It had its dangers. Quite a few of them. If he was the type of demon she feared he was, she would risk far worse than treason and banishment. She would very likely fall.

A worthy risk in the here and now. If necessary, a worthy sacrifice.

When Nick stepped back into the room, Judy dispensed with a little dignity for the sake of her task. She feigned exhaustion and slipped a little too close for simply taking a drink from someone. While Nick blinked in surprise the taser prongs found his side, below his arm and out of his line of sight. Once he was on the ground, she went to work. The chant was quick and simple, forming the spell in her paws with great ease. This was not the first time Judy had used this spell, but it had been a very, very long time. As Nick stirred on the floor, she released the spell and watched as it wrapped around his form and slid under his skin. A quick test of the spell left her confident that it had worked.

Demon black eyes opened and fixed her with a deadly gaze, emerald fire straining to escape along his lashes and an indigo inferno dancing fitfully in their depths. He stood, never breaking eye contact and moved towards her. She gave ground. The room darkened as his presence filled the space, dimming and blotting out the world around them. Step by step he pressed her back, cornering her and pinning her with his stare, until her back hit the wall behind her.

He loomed over her with menace dripping off him and whispered in a sickly-sweet voice, "Little angel, what have you done?"