Nick was pleased with himself and his situation. That's what he kept telling himself, anyway. With enough repetition, he could convince himself of its veracity. It wasn't a terribly hard sell.

Despite the ingloriousness of his confrontations with the angel and the cost of his successes, he was confident of his situation. There was still time for him to make up his losses. The hurts she'd caused him were relatively minor in comparison to his potential gains. Toying with her would be plenty entertaining and when he finally bedded her it wouldn't be the cherry on the sundae, so much as the start of something better.

She would find her weakness exploited and be unable to resist for long. For all his many flaws, Nick was certain he could tempt her to the breaking point. The hard part was, as always, getting her to give in to her own desires. It was no sin to be forced and that was a poor method, besides. He could accomplish as much with his power, but it would result in nothing but leaving her broken and him unsatisfied. She had to come to him willingly, or it wouldn't be enough for her to fall. A sin could only come from a choice; a conscious decision to act had to come of her own will. He could merely encourage it.

Nick laughed quietly as he followed her down the sidewalk towards the last site of the soul thefts. It would be the best place to start the hunt from and the easiest place to root any spell they'd need to track the entropy. In the meantime, all Nick had to do was keep her little white tail in his sight as she led and enjoy the passing mammals.

There was, as usual, plenty to appreciate. Pretty little things of every shape, size and flavor; all waiting to be tempted into making a choice that could condemn them. The bloody Wager was a crock, in his opinion, but he appreciated it for what it provided him. Influencing souls towards Hell and Heaven, but no direct action. Quite the game of subterfuge, enough to keep Heaven and Hell occupied with something other than staring at each other, or constant war, and sufficient entertainment for him while he was on the Plane. He didn't care who won and claimed the Mortal Plane for their own. He would miss it when it was gone, though. Both sides were horrid, though remembering why Heaven was just as bad as Hell was painful.

The knowledge of the fact was there, but he couldn't recall why he knew it without having an episode. He'd had too many of those around that ridiculous bag of sanctimonious pinfeathers. It would feel good to tease her until she gave in and once she did, it would be gravy and nothing but. After all, when an angel fell it was nine days of hurtling through the void before Hell could claim her. Plenty of time for him to catch her and take her for his own. There were stories of archangels and high demons saving the fallen and secreting them away in the Fringe, but Nick didn't believe them. No angel would be that merciful to a traitor and no demon would "save" anyone. Not unless they wanted a personal toy. Hardly an act of salvation.

He'd fantasized of that very thing during his most recent imprisonment. There had been precious little else to do while he was imprisoned but catalogue his possessions and review his plans.

Not for the first time, Nick congratulated himself for never discarding anything of potential use. He had the wings he'd need hidden away, just in case. They'd come out of mothballs for this and he didn't care about the memories they called up, or the pain. Snatching her from the claws of Hell like a raptor taking a pigeon in flight would be a manifold pleasure; snubbing his "masters" and claiming her for his own. If all went as he'd planned, none of them would be able to do a damn thing about any of it. She might even be grateful.

That wasn't to say he didn't have concerns. Emotions he didn't like still lingered and he was fighting a full-on migraine with the number of memory-episodes he was having. There was his strange altruism and the missed opportunities to puzzle out as well. The fact that the mark of the bond on his arm was shrinking was the most noteworthy of his worries. It barely came up past his mid-forearm, now. That was significant. He knew it. However, he had more pressing concerns. Rather than ponder too deeply, he set his mind on the hunt; both for rabbit and the facade of hunting the thief. He could find all the answers once she was his and he was free.

Judy, meanwhile, was not so sanguine about the state of affairs. She was frightened. The bond, the hunt and the demon behind her were enough to make her queasy. She was very grateful to see her grimy apartment building come into view. To her distress, the fox was sharp as always.

"Did you forget something, Carrots?"

"You geared up for this hunt. I figured I should at least get some minimal armor to wear."

"I thought we agreed you'd do better when mobile. Or is it you don't trust me?"

"You know very well I don't. I'm not getting my full armor. Just a..."

Nick cut in, "Or, do you need a buffer for your own peace of mind, because you can't trust yourself?"

She hadn't thought of it that way, but he was right. Terrifyingly, so. She needed something to help her feel contained until she could manage it again without the reminder. Her bracers and a hauberk would do well enough.

"I want to trade up my weapons. Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Midnight is less than an hour away."

"I'm aware of the time."

Nick's teasing laughter chased her burning ears all the way up the stairs.

Judy was not doing well in the face of her current adversary. Dealing with the demon was all well and good. She was fine with that. Fighting herself, however, was another matter entirely. It felt like a seed had been planted in her mind and she knew exactly what it was. One of the many risks associated with how she'd misused the bond made manifest. Empathy.

She had empathized with what had happened to him. Felt his hurt and self-hatred. He didn't want to be what he was, but it was clear he'd embraced it to survive. Here was more to him. Judy saw that much and couldn't help but feel for him. In the quiet moments when the halo and horns were set aside, he was someone worth talking to. That simple fact was hurting her.

As she opened her wardrobe and checked her gear, she mulled it over. She didn't have long. Quickly, she settled on a pair of reinforced bracers, which would hide under her sleeves, before trading her dagger for a fan-style buckler and a sturdier main gauche she could wield in tandem with her short sword. A little more defense and more adaptive attack options. It would do without giving the fox too much ammunition for his little theory.

Judy desperately wanted her hauberk and maille, but if she did it would not only prove him right, but also slow her down. She hated how often Nick was ending up right about situations. Her speed was her best asset right now. She did not need to be the heavy armored warrior of the Cherubim. She needed speed. She was also in need of the reminder to control herself and there was always the nagging leftover of empathy.

It was a short step from empathy to attachment, which led in turn to attraction. She was attracted. It was awful, but it was true. Binding Nick was a mistake, but one she couldn't undo, yet.

Her concerns were only reinforced as her bracers went on. The bond mark was only just covering an inch or so above her wrist and fantastically more detailed. It looked like a strangely elegant lace glove, made from razor wire.

From her shoulder to her wrist in a day and all because of his story. Such expedient growth would have been distressing at the best of times. Currently, it was closer to disturbing.

She cared.

The admission haunted her back to the street, where her demonic companion's wit was a welcome respite.

"Decided to go for the armor, huh?"

"Just bracers. They won't slow me down and it's a little more protection."

"For your peace of mind?"

"For my battle effectiveness. A clean escape isn't guaranteed, so a small concession to defense is worth the minimal loss of mobility."

"A fair trade. Looks a little Wonder Wombat, though."

"I'm not wearing a leotard and a belt into battle, Wilde."

"Don't forget the tiara."

Judy was mildly successful in stifling her chuffed laugh. It could have passed for a disgusted huff, but her smile wasn't hidden enough to pull it off completely. "Uh huh."

Nick shrugged and continued as if nothing had happened. "The lariat could be fun. Just an observation."

Reminding herself that discretion was the greater part of valor, Judy turned down the street and started walking. It was less likely he'd see her amusement from behind.

The journey was a relatively short one as far as foot travel was concerned. All they had to do was walk the four or so blocks to the tram station and ride to the Rainforest District main hub. Then, it was a ten minute traipse to the location in Judy's file.

As they walked, Judy worked to stay in the lead and Nick was content to let her. The hour had grown late and most of the city's inhabitants were either in their beds or settled into their evening's entertainments. The few mammals that passed them were totally focused on reaching their destinations and spared neither rabbit nor fox more than a passing, or briefly assessing, glance. That being, there wasn't much in the way of company or distraction for the pair as they made their way along. This was very good in Judy's opinion, but also very bad.

As the streets were clear, she was able to set a brisk pace; one that made conversation impossible. This was the one upside. Otherwise, the empty streets left her in an awkward position regarding her bonded companion. The minimal presence of other mammals on the street and tram car they took left her very alone with the focus of her attraction. She was growing increasingly aware of him and was starting to worry that her rookie mistakes were about to spread out of the professional and into far more dangerous territory. The last thing she needed was to become a schoolgirl stumbling over her words.

If she was practical in her assessment, Judy doubted she would get there. She'd die of embarrassment, first. That didn't make her any less uncomfortable with the situation any more than it removed her very real understanding of what her attraction meant. Temptation would be even harder for her to avoid or resist. If her reaction to a simple hug was any indication, she was already in very serious trouble.

That was why she stayed in front and moving quickly, avoided sitting during the tram ride and refused to make conversation. Not that Nick was forthcoming on his own. For the entirety of the trip he remained impassive; placidly following her and, most likely, openly ogling her tail. The thought should have filled her with a sense of sick anxiety, but all she felt was thrilled. That, she found, caused plenty of anxiety instead.

It was with those thoughts in her mind and the demon's presence at her back that she arrived. The lot was vacant, overgrown and typical of the Rainforest District in every way, as Nick was quick to point out.

"All this way for a walk in the weeds…"

"You know why we're here, Nick."

"I do. The best place to start a hunt is from the last place your prey appeared. Our starting point just came with a salad bar."

"This looks like a snack to you?"

"You tell me. You're the herbivore."

Judy looked around and checked her tablet before answering. "This looks like a vacant lot to me, not an appetizer. This doesn't make sense."

"What do you mean?"

"This space. It's wrong for the magic done here. Look." She moved to where her file said the center of the spell was cast, roughly four feet from a tree and in the middle of weeds. "I'm standing where the spell was cast. The center of the spell is off-center to the space and uncleared. You know as well as I do that spatial relations affect spells. If they used a circle, they would have cleared the space. They didn't. They could have used an artifact, but that would leave a residue of some kind. There is none."

"Yes, yes. What's your point?"

"That is my point. It doesn't make sense! Nothing about this place makes sense for magic as it was used."

"So?"

"So, how could it have worked?

"I can't say that I care, Carrots. I want the culprit found. We can beat the answers out of them once we have them."

Judy had to concede the point. It was just one of many mysteries that would have to wait until they had someone to question. Judy had to admit that they served as a good means to keep her mind occupied, but the mysteries were becoming stifling for their quantity. So many questions and so few answers.

"It's time."

Judy was pulled from her reverie by Nick's words. They had minutes only before midnight and the start of their hunt. Then, she wouldn't have to look for distractions. In her short time hunt, she had been successful, however. It could be considered a victory, or so Judy would claim until she turned to rejoin the fox. Whatever words she'd wanted to say died on their way to her mouth. In leaving Nick unattended while she'd been puzzling over the place, she'd made a terrible mistake.

So far, Nick had been understated in his demonic characteristics. The little magic show when he lit a cigarette, or his enhanced speed and strength in combat were relatively subtle, and affectations at worst. This was not subtle. There was nothing subtle in Judy's world as she saw Nick finish rolling up a sleeve and rake a claw down his forearm in an elegant sweep, leaving a deep gash in its wake.

A faint voice in the back of her mind chided her. Of course, he would use blood. There wasn't a catsup bottle anywhere nearby and it was going to be the same spell. She felt mildly put out with herself for such a blatant oversight. However, that and all other thoughts were whispers in the distance. The whole of her mind was entranced as the black ichor welling up from the wound flowed in rivulets to his claws.

While Judy stared, Nick set about his work. It was an old dance and he knew it well. Steps around the circle, blood to settle it and power to make it real. As his feet and fingers danced, scribing the spell in his blood on a clear space of earth, Nick talked.

His voice was tense, clipped. "Alright, Judy, here's the deal. I can use divination to follow the soul I marked. We won't have long to find the source of whatever is causing the thefts. You'll have to tap your full power and try to keep up. I hope we can make it there in under twenty seconds."

That snapped Judy out of her stupor. "Now, hang on just a moment there, Slick. It's night. If I unseal my power now, I won't be able to do it again until dawn. I'll be at a major disadvantage!"

"The only other option is me carrying you, Carrots." Judy's ears shot towards the sky and Nick looked up with a rapacious smirk to deliver the rest of it. "Princess carry, or over the shoulder?"

Judy retained her equipoise enough to make a response that didn't squeak. "And if I tap my power?"

"Don't worry, Carrots. I'll keep you safe."

Her choice was obvious. "I'll use my power."

"Good bun."

Judy would have hit him if he hadn't lifted his arm to his face and slipped his long, forked tongue out to lick along his wound. The obvious pain and pleasure lancing across his features made her pause as much as the fleshy appendage. An insidious little voice in the back of her mind suggested opening the bond just to know what he felt, but before she could silence it the clock struck midnight and there was no time.

Nick braced to sprint, summoned hellfire to his paws and lit the circle of his blood. The same layered compass made of ethereal bones rose over the signal and all the points snapped to a direction. Judy tapped her bangles and was off like a shot of white light, hot on the heels of the fox.

It seemed to Judy as though it had been years since she had felt her full strength, whereas in reality it had been a matter of days and not many at that. It was satisfying to see that she still had the speed to keep pace with her companion, though he seemed to take the strain of the pursuit much more easily than she did. They sped along the streets, just on the ragged edge of mortal perception; their power a temporary buffer between them and reality. The few pedestrians and drivers they passed would have registered nothing but an echo in the corner of their eye. Judy followed in the wake of the demon and tried not to look too closely at anything; not his running form, or the power that beat off him in waves, or the layers of shadow that followed him, dancing like spider legs across the surface of the world.

Judy barely acknowledged the chiming of the bells that marked the halfway point because they'd sighted their quarry. The little soul Nick had marked was dancing through the ether on its way to whatever was consuming it's fellows each night. The path to follow it was no simple stroll for the hunters. Skirting buildings and soaring over vehicles, the seconds ticked by to a distressing pace, even as they closed in.

Twelve strikes of midnight, twenty seconds of power. Judy knew she would have plenty to spare. She knew otherwise a blink later, when the soul accelerated and Nick poured on the speed. Judy watched, astonished, as Nick accelerated to keep pace with it, leaving nothing behind, but a soft pulse of light from his collar.

She wanted to slow down and take a moment to process what she had witnessed. It frightened her more that she wanted to out of reflex, not necessity. Instead, she opened the bond and used it to track his location. The twelfth chime had rung, so they had to have their latest location. There was no way Nick hadn't gotten there in time to apprehend whoever was responsible. Judy poured on the speed to catch up, but was distressed to hear Nick's voice in her mind.

Carrots, we have a small problem.

What do you mean "a problem"? Did you catch them?

There is no them. There's nothing.

The confusion at his statement carried her through the last stretch and into his company, again. She found herself in the lobby of an abandoned housing project in the south-eastern region of Savannah Central. Nick was standing pensively, and apparently un-winded, staring at the floor close to one of the walls opposite the front door.

"Alright, Slick, what's this about there not being anyone and why are you staring at the floor."

"As you can see, there's no one here. There wasn't when I arrived. I'm staring at the floor because that was where the soul went."

"What?"

"Down, Carrots. It went down. Straight through the floor. Trouble is, this place doesn't have a basement, just a foundation and anchor beams. None of this type of structure do."

"So, there must be something else down there."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Of course, rabbit, but do you know what?"

"What?"

"Do you know what's below here?"

"Oh!" Judy blushed.

"Wow, dumb bunny, did our little jog tire you out that much?"

"It's hardly my fault how inarticulate you can be." Her retort earned a flat look from him and she smirked as she pulled out her phone.

Under normal circumstances, Judy would have a straight line to the central databank and archives of the Wager Officer's as well as access to the Depot and supplies. As she was still in transition officially, All she had was access to the archives and email. The later of which her CO had disabled as a result of their little chat regarding Wraith. As such, Judy hadn't bothered with checking it. Even if Bogo rescinded the block on his end, she would have to override on hers to make the device access the email servers. She did still have the Archive, though, and that would be plenty.

A few taps and a mapping overlay later, she had her answer.

"Catacombs."

"You want a whisker treatment?"

Judy glared daggers at him. "No, smartass. Not a salon for felids. Underground tunnels. We're close to the Nocturnal District and they have cemeteries around the fringe of the district. Most were abandoned decades ago for space reasons, according to this." She noticed she'd caught his attention when he leaned over her shoulder to look at the screen, as well. Feeling the heat of his presence against her neck and cheek was a distraction she did not need. Jumping away, Judy spouted, "We need to find a way down there and fast."

Nick plucked the device from her grip and held her off with his other paw while he fiddled. "According to this, the fastest route would take a mortal close to two hours and us at least seventeen minutes. By the time we get there, any suspect would be gone."

"What about your divination?"

"It's a tracking method, not a map function. I'd still need a focus and one that we could follow. I'm good, but I can't just walk through matter. Not here, anyway."

"Then we scry."

"Whoa. Hold on there, rabbit. Last time you tried that…"

"That was active scrying." Judy cut in triumphantly, as she pawed for her little mirror. "I can scry for a path, but I need a focus. I think your divination spell will work for that."

"Hang on. You want to piggyback your scrying on my divination and use my connection to that soul as the focus for your spell? Are you serious?"

"You can divine its last location before it was taken and I can scry a path to that spot." She held out the compact. "Now draw. Fast."

Nick grinned. "Clever little bunny…"

Moments later, Nick was licking a finger to close another wound and watching as Judy held the mirror facing the sky. She sprinkled a pinch of dust onto the surface and applied a little power. The dust formed the sigil for sight and the mirror shattered into dust. Judy found herself held securely with the demon's body between her and the now hovering cloud of silvered glass particles.

"You ok?"

Judy checked herself quickly. "I think so. What happened?"

Nick looked over his shoulder and Judy saw his ears quirk. "I have no Idea, but I think you should see this."

Judy disentangled herself from his arms far too reluctantly and looked. The cloud of dust was sprinkling itself along the ground, laying a very literal path for them to follow. "Well, that's new…"

"Get out of my head." Judy looked askance at his odd response, so Nick supplied, "I responded the same way, verbatim, in my own head a moment ago. The bond's closed, just to clarify."

Judy shook herself. "We'll figure it out later. Let's move!"

The strange, silver path led them to the back of an abandoned building on the far side of a vacant lot and into an unfinished sewer junction. Judy slightly manifested her halo to light their way. To any mortal, it would seem that she was luminous in the dim light, but not from any source they could name. Nick couldn't help but smirk as he followed the, now perfectly illuminated, white fur of her tail. It was enough to guide their paws through a twisted labyrinth of maintenance access ports and abandoned public works gantries, eventually dumping them onto the streets of the Nocturnal District in the religious quarter. The trip, to their mutual surprise, took under three minutes.

They were through the gates to a decrepit cemetery gate moments later. The massive padlock on the gate to the catacombs shredded under the force of Nick's claws and the pair sprinted through the tunnels, following the diminishing silver dust.

When they entered the cavern, all thoughts of the bizarre mutual spell they'd cast slipped neatly into "not important" category. The path spell dumped them into a wide, open space that had to have been a space for funeral services while the graveyard was functional. When it shut down, any remains would have been removed and inhumed elsewhere, leaving the place entirely empty. That did not explain the stench, or the freshly gouged walls any more than it explained the enormous magic circle scribed on the floor of the space in blood, or the sigils and markings covering almost every inch of the walls.

Judy found her voice first. "What demon would do this?"

"No demon."

"Oh, come on! This has to be demonic!"

"No… Trust me." Nick's voice was low and measured in keeping with his disquiet. "I raided the Luciferian Archives while I was in Superbia in preparation for challenging Baphomet. I studied every magic I could find. This is no demonic magic I've ever seen or heard of."

"You have got to be kidding. Who else would do something like this? Who else even is there?"

"You've got me, Hopps. I've been around the block and let me tell you, I have never seen anything even close to this."

"Well, it's not angelic." Judy commented uncomfortably, as she pulled out her phone again started documenting. The quiet tension in Nick's voice did nothing to settle her mind.

"What are you doing?"

"This is way bigger than us. My CO needs to know about this and we need back up."

"By "we", you mean "you", I presume."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think your boss and coworkers would do the moment they see you with a demon in tow?"

Judy blushed lightly at her slip up. "Fair point."

"I suspect you'd be arrested and I'd be dead."

"Yes, thank you for the unnecessary elucidation, Nick. Much appreciated."

"Look at you breaking out the expensive words!"

The banter was comforting for both of them. For Judy, it was a way to escape the embarrassment. She was slipping more and more when it came to him. Forgetting he was a demon, though, was a new and unsettling low. Nick, meanwhile was experiencing an emotion he was very unused to. Anxiety in the face of the unknown was a part of his distant past and, he thought, content to stay there. To find something so completely outside his experience was distressing. It triggered all his survival instincts and that, in itself, was indicative of the severity of their situation, to him. Nick knew two things about the patterned magic of the room. It was ancient, even by his standards, and it practically dripped insanity; a kind that exceeded even the deepest reaches of Hell itself. The fact that it was present on the Mortal Plane disturbed him to the point of shivers. All he wanted to do was collect his rabbit and get away from it.

"Almost done, Hopps?"

"Yes. I've got my readings packaged up. I just need to override my access block and do an emergency transmission."

"Access block?"

"I'll explain another time."

"Alright. Just hurry up. We need to get out of here."

The cheap shot died on her lips as multiple emergency alerts pinged on her phone. The one addressed directly to her came up as top priority. With a sense of dread, Judy opened it.

"What's wrong, Hopps? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"They're hunting us."

"Come again?"

"All angelic operatives in the city have standing orders to take me into custody and kill you on sight."

"Hang on a sec. How does Chief Buffalo Butt know I'm here?"

"I reported I'd seen you and asked for authorization to hunt you. He denied me. Now, we're bonded and he's been informed by Command."

"They track that?"

"No." She couldn't meet his eyes and pretended to be rifling through her emails as cover for it. "They keep records of it, but never track it directly. It's taken very seriously by the High Host. I have no idea how they know, but it's listed here on the orders to the search teams."

"There's more to it than you've said. Still." There was no accusation in Nick's voice, but his concern self-evident. All Judy could manage was a furiously blushing nod. "So, they're going to take you into custody and try to kill me."

"That won't happen. Let's go."

"Well, look at you, little rebel angel!"

Judy couldn't fight the smile at the sentiment or the tone of praise in his voice. Judy shut her phone down completely so it couldn't be tracked before pocketing it. She would deal with Bogo once they were above ground and someplace safe enough to make contact. They got maybe three steps toward the exit before they were brought up short. A voice drifted through the darkness, bringing them to an instant halt. The voice was high pitched and feminine, but somehow wrong and subtly disturbing.

"Nickyyyyy... Nicky! Hello! Hello, Nicky. So good to see you in the flesh, at last."