Judy stood outside the hotel she had fled the evening before. It was past the time she'd stated as their designated meeting time. Long past, in fact. Almost an hour. Stupid rabbit that she was, she's stated the time, but not the location. There weren't many options, in the first place. Her little apartment would not play host to a demon. The diner they'd visited was not a viable option as far as she was concerned, at least not until she knew what Nick had done to the waitress and how to reverse it. They had no other common ground now, other than here. His territory.

She knew he was in his room. The spell told her as much. That information made her hesitancy no better. Apologies and conversations awaited her inside, none of which would be pleasant. They were unlikely to be fatal at this point, and that was a good thing. The means by which she had changed those odds was, fittingly enough, the source of the immanent problems she faced. Judy still felt a degree of disgust at herself and the means of facing up to it was in front of her, so why did she hesitate?

The memory of Nick's face, twisted in anger, flitted through her mind. His fury had frightened her immensely, but his hurt was another matter. His pain at the binding and her de facto betrayal was enough to take all the fire out of her.

That said, Judy was an Officer of the High Host. She forced her feet to move and slowly, as though pressing on against a strong wind, she made her way to his door. Her knuckles were a breath from rapping the door when the words "It's open" came wafting through to her ears. Once she was inside, the smell hit her. The scents of musk, sex, and adrenalin practically caked the air. After she left, he had obviously had company. The case for her worst fears being realized grew stronger.

"You're late."

He was sitting on the chair with his back to her. Shirtless, of course. That was his default. It was a small thread of commonality she found to be oddly comforting. That was all she saw, however. He was sitting and facing away from her, making no move to address her directly. She, in turn, stalled out in the middle of the room. She had no idea what to do with herself and her anxiety warred with her preoccupation.

"I am."

"How long did it take for you to realize you gave me a time, but no location?"

"Under the circumstances, I think a little distraction is forgivable."

"And what else have you forgiven yourself for?" His words made her breath catch in her throat. Before she found her tongue, he pressed on. "As you seem to be tongue-tied, I'll lead. What else can this manacle you've put on me do to me?"

"It's not a manacle."

"Then what is it, rabbit? I know it's not just a means of locating me."

"Communication. We can use mind-speech across the bond it creates."

"Ah! You won't have to find me to yell at me, then. Good to know."

Every time he spoke, sarcasm and false good cheer dripped off his words. It infuriated her for its mockery. The barbs in his words referring to her deception merely stung. After last night's contemplation, she thought she'd accepted the wrongs she'd done in the name of a good thing. It seemed she missed a few.

"And what of the part about how I won't like lying to you? Was that another lie, or did you mean the vicious mental tongue lashing I'd get if I ever misbehave?"

"Just the tongue lashing."

"Uhhuh." It was clear he didn't believe her. "Don't try to con a demon, rabbit. We wrote the book on it." At that point, he picked up his pack of cigarettes and shook one out. To Judy's eyes, the talons were longer and the color of his flame more intense. He was struggling to contain himself. "Of course, this "bond" thing is one-way-only."

"No. You will know where I am and be able to speak to me at will. You just have to focus."

"And the honesty?"

"Also, both ways."

"So, if I asked your weakness, you'd be forced to tell me."

Dread flooded through her. "If you asked, I'd have to."

"And yet not." He must have sensed her confusion, because he elaborated. "What I just said was an implied question. You did a moment ago when I suggested the bond was one way. If this spell was a genuine truth compulsion, you'd have been forced to answer."

"How do you know that?"

"You aren't the first angel I've known." His head rolled back and he looked at her for the first time, smoke wreathing his face. "I'll give you this one for free, Carrots. He wasn't any gentler."

A million questions tangled in Judy's throat. Her senses were being assaulted and her mind was not clear. She wanted to speak, but she didn't get a chance to even start on the metaphorical Gordian Knot.

"I assume you want to visit that last location, today."

"The what?"

"The scene you were so upset about me leaving last night. Remember?"

"Yes! Yes, we should check it out. We can try your divination again later. If we find anything."

"Assuming we find a focus."

That was when the world tilted slightly. The fox's sarcastic comment had just sparked enough indignity to get a rise out of her, then he stood up. He was completely naked. Judy's retort died in her throat and the comment about finding a focus suddenly had a very different complexion in her mind. Still facing away from her, he made his way to the bedroom with her eyes glued to him every step of the way. It may have been a trick of her imagination, but for a heartbeat, she was sure she heard, "See something you like, rabbit?"

Once they were outside things were a little better for her. The fresh air helped clear her head and his clothed state, as much as he ever was, prevented further confusing distraction. The mind-clouding scents were absent unless he was upwind. Even that was manageable, but the bewilderment from earlier remained. He'd given his word that he wouldn't use his powers on her and he would never break his word. Demons couldn't unless they wanted to suffer severely for it. He was his usual self, if more on edge. Judy supposed that was only to be expected.

The made their way through the streets to the last place she had earmarked for review the day before. Passersby seemed to be especially attentive to both of them. Nick stole the show, but a lot of attention was coming her way, as well. It may have just been a lingering sensitivity from earlier, but it felt as though she was being observed. Mostly benignly, but there was an undercurrent of something unpleasant. Nick would have been a perfect target for her blame, but he was in front of her as often as not. It didn't match up.

Eliminating the fox as the reason for her discomfiture was not salving to her anxieties. Now she had the fox and whatever was staring at her to contend with. Judy found some small relief in their arrival at the site they had abandoned previously.

It was a wash.

With Nick's assistance, they were done in minutes and without him wandering off as a diversion, the data was entered into her tablet moments after their checks were done. The analysis generated would have been more useful as an example of Zen thought: lots and lots of nothing. Nothing in the ether, mana currents, material substrate, physical location or astral resonances.

"Well, Carrots?"

"Don't ask questions you know the answer to. It's a waste of time."

"You act like we have anything else."

"We don't have anything else. As of now, we don't have anything at all!"

"What are you so upset about, rabbit? We knew this was a long shot."

"That isn't helping."

"Do you want to put on your ranty panties and get it out, already?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your shoulders are riding at ear level and you're getting crabbier by the minute. You may as well get it out. It's not like I can go anywhere."

"What is your problem? Souls aren't going to Heaven or Hell. The Wager is in jeopardy and you seem to be content watching the whole of Creation burn!"

"The Wager was between the Divinity and the Devil eons ago to keep angels and demons from obliterating each other and the mortal plane going up in smoke as collateral damage. All it's done is enforce the status quo here for time out of mind. Both of the original holders of the thrones are long dead and no one in either realm has the guts to even question it."

"You think genocide is a better option?"

"I think it'd be a mercy."

Judy was aghast. The statement itself was everything she'd expected from a demon, but actually hearing it was repulsive. Making it worse was the bitterness and revulsion in his voice. There was more to what he'd said than the words, but before she could ask he flinched. His eyes squeezed shut and a small snarl crossed his features. She watched his momentary weakness with morbid fascination and a strange sense of sorrow. It all vanished in a flash.

Nick shook himself and he was back to his usual blithe self.

Without waiting for her he traipsed off, calmly stating, "I'm getting hungry. There's a place around the corner worth stopping at if you haven't been there," over his shoulder.

Judy was stunned. Nothing in this day had gone the way she'd expected, even her indignation. She wanted to be furious; to drag him someplace and beat him until he told her what on earth was going on, but she knew that was a joke and a bad one at that. He'd never allow her to succeed and he'd probably laugh at her attempt.

Tentatively, she focused on the bond and pinged him. He was exactly where he said he was going moments ago; just around the corner sitting at a table, ostensibly waiting for her. The weight of all the unknowns was draining. Resigned to her fate of ever-increasing bewilderments, Judy tromped off to join him. At least, she'd get some food out of the situation.

Judy took her time approaching him when she arrived at the bistro. It was a cute little place, by her standards. Considering the number of small tables, especially for paired mammals, it was probably a favorite date spot. After the other odd moments comprising her day that was not a welcome thought, both for the inappropriate mental path she was then sent down and the implication of their combined presences. Adding to her sense of discombobulation was the fact that he was acting decidedly like himself, despite the moment he'd just had in the alley.

In the time it had taken her to find the gumption to pursue he had evidently been less than laconic. No sooner had she planted her rump on the chair opposite him than a waiter materialized. Café au lait, fruit-filled croissant and a few choice samples from the sweets selection appeared in front of her, including a pair of honey-glazed strawberries.

"What is this?"

"Food."

"Not what I was asking, fox."

"Good food."

Judy grumbled, but bit into the pastry and moaned appreciatively. Nick chuckled mildly.

"What's funny?"

"Your turnaround in mood. From grumpy to gleeful in a single bite. It's quite charming."

"Compliments won't get you anywhere with me."

"It got you to blush."

Judy's paws flew to her cheeks and ears, only to realize they were, in fact, warm. The heat grew as she realized he'd not only played her but gotten her to give herself away. All she could do was find another topic. Considering the measured amusement in his eyes, she'd better do it quick, or he'd continue the same vein. That possibility had her heart rate increasing notably and she did not like it.

"Is this some kind of petty revenge for the Summons?"

"Yes, I'm buying you food and flirting with you as a very cunning form of revenge. Well spotted."

"This wasn't what I wanted."

Nick sputtered, "In what way? You decided I wasn't doing my part and put the whammy on me. Never mind the fact that I warned you it was pointless and I was absolutely correct. The assurance you got from it was too good a thing to pass up. Now, you may regret what you did a little bit, but you won't undo it." Nick placed his coffee back on the saucer in front of him and leaned in before delivering a crushing line. "Not that you could, either."

The blood drained from her face. "How did you know?"

"You just told me, but it was just confirming a suspicion. Angelic magic tends to have specific requirements and relies on mutual agreement a lot. We don't have that, therefore…" He left that statement hanging in the air for a moment and sipped his coffee. "Now, you have me on a tether and feel safer. What more could you possibly want?

"A clear conscience."

"A clear conscience..." The exasperation in Nick's voice was compounded by his paw flopping onto the tabletop in disbelief. "When did you acquire this taste for luxuries?"

"It's not a luxury."

"On this Plane it is, sister. What, did you think all the training you went through about the risks of coming here were a lie? A scare tactic? All the warnings about connections to mortals and the complexities of conflicting interests were a joke?"

Judy blinked and her mouth hung open. That was a direct quote from the Black Hat that ran her Ethics in Mortal Affairs trainings. He was ancient even by celestial standards and as part of the basic training regimen at the Officer's Academy of the High Host. It was not something a demon should know and he couldn't have gotten that information from another angel. It was so innocuous a detail that it would never be relevant. The only way you could know that was if you heard it firsthand. It was a chance she had to take. In three words Judy could discover a huge amount more about the being she was shackled to. It may give her more questions than answers, but it was paramount that she know.

A quick mental calculation led her to choose the words most likely to hit. She knew the rank he would have earned and that was all she needed. In a firm, clear voice, she uttered, "Lieutenant Nicolas Wilde."

The fox's expression went blank and his eyes went full demon black in an instant. Then he flinched just like he had in the alley, only bigger. His paws came up to his head and his pain only grew as the moments passed.

"Nick? Nick! Are you ok?"

His breathing was speeding up; claws digging into his skin. Judy could hear his heart hammering in his chest as he struggled with something only he could see. She reached out to lay a paw on his arm and he lept away as though burned as soon as she made contact. Shaking his head and muttering, "Crazy rabbit," mostly to himself, Nick beat a hasty retreat out of the bistro, leaving a stunned rabbit and several confused patrons behind.

The waiter reappeared and was very considerate. Judy was only half aware of his consolation for the date ending so suddenly and so poorly. With all the expedience of long practice, he bundled up all their meal leavings and bagged them. Judy was present enough in mind to quickly thank him before speeding out, bag in paw.

There was no time for subtlety. Judy mashed down on the bond she shared with the demon and followed him without preamble, or uncertainty. She'd known there was more to him than what he had shown the very first night and now she was sure. He was a fallen angel.

She found him in a park about two miles from where he had left her. It was a quiet place. Open and airy, with a few fountains scattered through the green spaces, it felt comfortable and completely abandoned. That was probably why he chose there to stop. As she entered the space, a faint tingle of power rippled over her fur. He was keeping mortals away with a ward. Not her, though. The flare of the tattoo on her arm told her it was their connection alone that allowed her to pass so easily. It would take a real force of will for anyone to pass through it, otherwise.

Sitting on a bench too large for such a small mammal with his head laid back against the back, to all the world he looked like he was basking in the sun and nothing more. Judy recognized the façade for what it was, now. A way for the world to see enough to not take notice while he collected himself again.

Judy took a seat next to him and waited. She knew he was aware of her presence. Even upset, he had demonstrated a preternatural awareness of his surroundings, particularly when it came to her. She didn't need to wait long.

"Do you know what happens to an angel when they fall?"

Judy shook her head, only to realize he still had his eyes shut. Feeling stupid, she said. "Not directly. Only rumors and what Command tells us."

"So, nothing."

Judy chuckled. It was more evidence of what he had been; an old joke that every soldier knew, right after, "Don't call me "sir". I work for a living."

"Mushrooms."

"Kept in the dark and fed shit."

For a moment, they shared a laugh; one watery and anxious, the other raspy and worn. Then, he continued in a voice that grew sepulchral in its tone as the words flowed.

"An angel cast from the heavens ends up in Hell. After nine days of hurtling through the void, you slam into the broken rock and caustic ash of the place for the first time, you're asked one question. Your Sin. Whichever sin you name is the one that takes you."

Judy wanted to ask what sin he had committed, but held her tongue. He was talking and there was no way she was going to interrupt, lest he come to his senses and stop.

"What they do to you in the House of your Sin cannot be described. They break you. Take everything from you. Destroy what you are and remake you in the image of what made you fall. The light of creation is beaten, tortured and raped out of you until you are a husk. Then, corruption takes its place and you're filled with it. You become Gluttony, or Wrath, or you lose your mind to the corruption. The slavering hordes of demons you've no doubt obliterated on the Fringe were of that sort. The mind-broken. If you manage to endure the tortures and retain your mind, you become something else. A Ranked Demon."

"Like you."

His eyes opened. They weren't the black pits so common to demons, but they were just as empty. "Like me."

Judy felt guilt and horror for the being sitting next to her. Now she knew. He was Fallen. The enormity of what he had endured explained his behavior. She'd have repressed the memories, too. Then, he spoke again and the world pitched under her.

"Twice."

Her mind stuttered, trying to grasp what he was telling her. He had fallen twice. Such a thing was impossible. Her mouth moved on its own and she barely breathed one word.

"How?"

That was when all hell broke loose in a purely mundane way. The moment was vaporized by a barely incoherent shriek of rage from the throat of an enraged fox that bore down on Judy, wielding a paring knife. The comicality of it would have pulled a laugh from her throat if Judy hadn't been furious at being interrupted at such a crucial moment. Her perspective lurched sideways for a moment, which confused her until she comprehended two things. First, the lurching was his paw slipping out from under hers, where she had been holding it on the bench seat. The second was the fact that Nick now held her assailant by the throat and had already removed the armament she had been wielding.

Nick was grateful for the distraction.

He was blabbering. Telling secrets, not lies. Giving insights, not distractions. For some reason, he wasn't keeping his mouth shut and the headaches were happening more often. Momentary flashes of things that hurt too much to be borne arced through his mind, leaving him reeling and as he now saw, vulnerable. They had started after that miserable angel had stunned and bound him. Now, they were a threat.

Nick was angry. First, at himself for letting her trap him and, second, at her for what this was doing to him. He had set up this little charade with the nameless piece of meat he had by the throat to teach Hopps a lesson. He would, and reinforce it until she never forgot. While he was at it, he would get a chance to vent and maybe, just maybe, get control of the situation back a little bit.

Judy scrambled off the bench and approached the demon and attacker. The tableau was ludicrously surreal. As she watched the vixen who had attacked her seemed to be visibly fighting, but not the demon who had her by the throat. That she seemed to enjoy. Instead, she was struggling to get at her.

"Wilde, what is this?"

"This sorry excuse," the vixen shuddered and smiled, "was last night's dinner."

Dread filled Judy's gut. She knew there was nowhere good that this situation could go. "How did she get like this?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination, shall I?"

"Tell me."

"Do you know what happens when a mortal gets exposed to too much of a demon?"

"It depends on the type. This looks like…"

"Obsession. Or addiction. This little morsel got a little too much of me and now, well… I'm fairly certain she's here to run you off her turf, shall we say?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean exactly that, Carrots. She probably thinks we were on a date and her jealousy got the better of her."

Judy struggled to not react to his words. They echoed her own perversely distracted thoughts from earlier in the day. To hear that this female was convinced enough to act so rashly was disquieting. She couldn't help the poisonous thought from passing through her mind: was this his intent and if so, to what end?

"Now, unfortunately, we have a problem."

"Do we?"

"This." Judy watched as he lifted the mammal hanging blissfully in his grip. "What do we do with this?"

"We let it- HER go." The fact that she had to correct herself mid-thought disgusted her.

"She'll only try again."

"Then, what do you suggest? Don't you have some demon magic you can use?"

"I could erase her memory, but that would be cruel."

"How would that be cruel? She wouldn't remember!"

"I can remove myself from her mind and any trace of it, but the hunger she experiences when I'm absent is another matter."

"Can't you remove that?"

"No. If I alter her memory, the addiction will remain and she'll have no idea what will sate it. She'll spend the rest of her life chasing the high. She'll be a junkie or a prostitute within a month. Probably both and dead within a year."

"Is there no other way?"

"Do you have any magic that can fix this?"

"No." Judy replied miserably. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be asking. Do you have any other solution?"

"She can die."

"NO!"

"Is that your choice? You'd see her suffer the rest of her miserable life because you think it's better to be alive and suffering than dead and moved on to the hereafter? Which is the merciful option, little angel?"

"I… Can't make that choice."

In one fluid motion, too quick to stop, the demon's paw slipped under the hapless female's chin, hooked up against her jaw and snapped her head to the side with a gut-wrenching crunch. "Now, you don't have to."

Judy watched the now-lifeless husk slump to the ground in front of the indifferent demon. She watched in ghoulish horror as the soul of the vixen slipped from the body and was collected delicately by the fox, who corralled it in the cage of his talons.

Nick summoned up a speck of putrid green hellfire on the tip of his claw and addressed the soul. With the speed and ease of long practice, he drew a sigil on the air and pushed it gently towards the soul. When it touched, there was a mild sizzling sound and the soul flinched minutely. He nodded and released the little ball of quintessence.

"What have you done?" Judy croaked.

"Took care of a problem. I also marked the soul, so I can track it with divination tonight when the souls are stolen. See? I helped."

Aghast was too small a word for what Judy felt. His callousness was indescribable. She didn't understand. She couldn't. All she could do was feel. Hurt, betrayal, guilt, disgust. She saw a little smile grow on his face and it was decided. She was not going to suffer alone. She focused on the bond and opened her connection to the demon to the maximum she could. It was a small remuneration for her pain to see his knees slam into the ground as he held his side and trembled.

Nick felt like he'd been stabbed. A sucking feeling he barely had a name for rolled over him in a wave. Guilt. For the first time since he'd fallen, he felt guilt. Her guilt. Everything she was experiencing, all the emotions of a righteous spirit faced with a monster pummeled through him.

Judy was transfixed at his reactions. So much so that she almost missed the backlash. His feelings bled back across their connection. The alien emotions of the fox bubbled through thickly through her mind; betrayal, anger, resentment, and ravenous fury made themselves known, alongside one she could not bring herself to be convinced of; self-loathing.

Her disbelief spurred his distress and anger. His betrayal only served to reinforce her guilt. Their emotions rebounded off each other, spiraling into a maelstrom of confused and conflicting feelings for both mammals, until finally Nick had endured enough and he slammed the connection shut.

His eyes were venomous as he stared at her and uttered one word. "Deceiver."

"I didn't lie."

"Of course not. You merely misled me as to the nature of this binding. Now, I'm nothing more than your pet." The vitriol put into the final syllable was enough to make her flinch.

"No."

"No? You've effectively press-ganged me. You now have a tool to use as you see fit and torture when it displeases you. The devil couldn't have gotten a better deal!" In an instant, Judy understood Nick's reaction to her opening the bond. A demon's pike to the side would have felt better than the feeling crystalizing in her gut.

The silence that followed was cacophonous. They were both drained and ragged. The emotional pandemonium they had just endured left them both hurting and with far too much to think about. In Nick's case, it also left him hungry.

Judy called out to him as he hauled himself to his feet and started plodding away.

"Where are you going?"

"To eat."

"You mean to make another mortal like her," Judy stated like it was a fact, with no rancor or accusation.

"Possibly."

"I can't let you do that."

"You'll stop me? If I won't let me feed, you'll be condemning me to starvation and, eventually, insanity."

"There has to be another way."

"There isn't. I need to feed my Sins."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sure the Devil would love to talk shop, sometime."

"This isn't about you or me, Nick. Creation is on the line and I will not let it fall because I refused to do what it took."

"How kind of you to sacrifice me for the sake of your righteousness." Judy had no answer to that. After several tensely gravid moments, Nick continued in a grating tone. "There will be consequences, rabbit."

"I've accepted that."

"No, you haven't. You have an inkling of how powerful I might be. If I lose my mind, guess what happens to the mortals you're so concerned for."

"That won't happen."

"And what will you do to prevent it? Kill me?"

"We both know I can't. It would be immoral."

"Of course not. You've been so conscientious, thus far."

"What would it take to prove it?

"Your word in blood." His tone was a picture of the belief that she would never bother. "Swear on your Name that you will release me when this is done. Then, and only then, will you have any room to talk to me."

His disbelief was warranted. Vow was binding enough as it was, but in blood? On her Name? She owed him. That much was clear to her. However, there was no stronger promise and, if broken, could very easily mean her end. With that in mind, Judy drew her dagger and pricked her thumb. A drop was all she needed. Centering herself on the ruby droplet, she spoke clearly, but not without trepidation.

"I swear by my Name and all that I am to release you from my binding and hold all oaths fulfilled the moment this situation is resolved."

"Alright rabbit. Now, we need to talk about something else."

"What?"

"Consequences. You said you'd accepted them."

"Didn't I prove that, already?" she retorted wearily.

"Your sincerity, perhaps, but there is one other option you should be aware of."

"And what is that?"

Before answering, Nick moved to stand in front of her. She was angry and heartsick with too much to try to understand. Judy expected him to slap her, or snarl at her, or anything other than what happened. His paw firmly and efficiently cupped her chin, lifting her face to his. His eyes were small, green suns boiling with intent.

"You could be my meal."

Several steps later, Judy was still shaking her paw. She was still trying to remember how to breathe properly. After slapping him, she'd stormed off, knowing he would follow. She was scared and filled with a giddy electric feeling, like the one she'd had before battle. This time it was not for the imminent plunge into the madness of warfare. This was a very different experience. Not one she was comfortable with at all.

Meanwhile, Nick stretched the torque out of his neck and raked his long tongue over where her paw had been for a split second. That had hurt. He'd enjoyed it. Worth it, every second of it. It had cost him and he wasn't sure he knew exactly how much, but now he knew. He had evidence on the ground right in front of him. Stooping quickly, he collected the tiny blob of fluff from the grass where it lay. It was barely larger than a dandelion seed, but to Nick it could not be more noticeable. The feather from an angel's wing was unmistakable. He wanted to laugh until his ribs ached and crow his success to the stars.

There was only one reason that feathers fell from an angel's wing.

Temptation.