A/N:

I wont belabor the point. I am stupid behind schedule with this chapter. Family obligations, work and all manner of RL shenanigans got in the way with a huge side-order of writer's block. That said, the chapter is here!

My usual thanks to KT, OnceNever, Blueberry and Damlone for everything they do for me so this story can happen, and Weaver for his amazing art and helping me come up with this.

I regret to say that Hereafter is coming to an end, soon. There are one more chapter and an epilogue planned. However, after a break I have high hopes for starting on a sequel, so there's that to look forward to.

Now, on to the show!

Judy stood and prayed, crushed to immobility under the weight of the presence she found herself in. Prayers were no more frequently answered for angels than mortals, but it was all she could think to do. Moments after Nick had crashed through the wall, the body of the former seraph Lashiel stirred. In a sickening contortion of limbs it folded in on itself, crushing and forcing the silver blood from its flesh. The corpse evulsed the ichor to pool on the floor and the flesh settled into immobility while the blood itself moved.

With a terrifying rapidity and guided by a sick intelligence, the sanguine fluid flowed and crawled across the floor forming the shape of a warded gateway of extreme complexity. Judy had no time to marvel as the gateway opened and a great formed stepped into the protected space within the circle. The bottom fell out of her stomach.

The moment the taloned foot came to rest on the floor a shockwave rippled through the room and beyond. In the distance, sirens lit off all across the city. Judy felt a panic suffusing the city, and the ground began to rumble with the movement of tens of thousands of mammals. The city was in an uproar and spiraling towards a full-blown panic, but that was a distant concern.

"Lieutenant."

Her old mentor stood before her. When Judy had met him, he had been a great panther. His power and grace had been so intense and his pelt so rife with feathers it had been a miracle he hadn't ascended earlier. It was no surprise he had become an eagle. She wanted to smile seeing his face, but grief filled her. She knew it was not her old commander who looked out of his eyes anymore. There was a coldness to his gaze that she didn't recognize, and his voice sounded forced, layered with tones he'd never used before.

Judy gritted her teeth and spat, "Celestine."

The divine clicked its tongue in distaste. "Such a bother. Come. Now."

Judy took a small step to put herself between the angel and where Nick had fallen. "I'm not going anywhere."

The eagle's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. "That is an order, rabbit. Come."

"I told you I'm staying here."

"You will follow my orders, angel. And you will suffer for your insolence before you're put to your proper use." The Divine sneered down its beak and boomed, "Kneel."

Judy's knees cracked into the flagstone floor, pain radiating out from the impacts. "I will not," she grated out through clenched teeth.

The eagle's voice turned warm and paternal. "Judith, you have a duty—one that will serve far more than the Host."

"I have served your sickness long enough. I will not be your next victim." Judy struggled to hold onto her defiance in the face of her enemy.

"You will serve as I need." Its smile slid away into bored indifference. "Even if you force yourself to die, your flesh will sustain me until the next Heir manifests. So whatever noble action you have planned, it will amount to naught."

The surety in the Divine's voice sickened her. Judy heard the belief in the words and knew this little setback hadn't stopped Celestine before.

"Now, stand up Lieutenant." The Divine's gravitas reasserted itself. "Obey and you will not be punished before your sacrifice."

"I've made my choice," Judy spat.

Celesting sneered in contempt. "A demon over your own kind? Disgusting."

"No." Shesteeled her resolve. "The Devil over a monster."

The eagle's face twisted into a mou of disgust. "Enough."

"Indeed. Enough, Aurora." Nick's voice slipped from the shadows. "Be silent and still would you?"

The Divine's eyes bugged. Very quickly under Judy's astonished gaze, the former tormentor struggled to move and speak, failing at both. The great bird gave up after a moment, settling for staring hatefully at the shadows behind it.

Relief flooded through Judy as she complained, "You have got to stop doing that."

Nick shrugged, never taking his eyes off the Divine. "My flair for dramatic entrances simply cannot be contained."

She staggered to her feet and joined her fox. "You've had two today. You're cut off."

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Now, what to do with you…Mother."

Judy blinked uncomprehendingly, "Mother?"

"Yes, Judy." Nick squared his gaze at the eagle. "Mother."

At that moment, Judy was distracted by a blue glow coming from the Divine. A nimbus of blue flame had wreathed the eagle's head in a halo of light. Slowly, the dancing flames coalesced, outlining a crown with a tongue of flame flickering on its forehead.

With a visible force of will, the Divine spoke. "Who are you, demon, that you dare to speak my Name?"

Nick mockingly cocked his head. "I'm surprised you don't recognize me."

"You're a demon and a fox. Beneath my notice on two counts." The divine huffed, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Yes…. You'd have to say that after discarding Lucifer once you had your powerbase secure in the Heavens." Judy watched in confusion as Nick circled the trapped angel. "Once you'd stolen his position in the Host, it was easy to turn your cronies against him. Especially after goading him into rebellion through calculated apathy."

Forced aloofness gave way to worry as Celestine asked, "Who are you? How do you know such things?"

"I am Piberius. The former High Seraph and your good right arm." Nick's voice was cold and unforgiving as stone as he added, "I am also the son of you and your erstwhile mate, Lucifer. I guess I followed in daddy's footsteps and I'm now the Devil. Thanks for sending me to Hell, by the way."

"No…" Celestine croaked as fear crept onto her features.

Judy found the wherewithal to tug on his shirt and choke out, "Explain."

Nick maintained his grip on Lucifer's memory through an act of pure will. His anger made it significantly easier, especially with a focus for it. "It's very simple, Judy. That monstrosity is my mother."

She shook her head in disbelief. "But angels can't breed. It's impossible!"

"It's possible." He assured her with a paw on her back. "Now I know why the Bond you slapped on me is such a big deal. The command staff don't want anyone getting too attached to their bondmates, otherwise they might put their focus on them instead of the Host."

"We are a military—" the Divine spat venomously—"not a body politic. Our numbers come from the benign souls of mortals, not filthy procreation. You are an aberration. Nothing more."

The barb didn't even make him flinch. "It's disheartening to see the only angel to give birth in eons say such horrid things."

"Of you?" The eagle smirked derisively. "That is easy. You are your father's child. A disappointment and a hinderance."

"Because I refused to turn the Mortal Plane into a factory for your greed?" he asked half-rhetorically.

"Because you were too blind to see that it was needed." Nick watched the thing that called itself a sacred ruler as it ranted. Disgust filled him to know he shared its heritage. As the words tumbled from its beak, its eyes grew manic and filled with hate. "Your father was a fool and lost sight of our greater purpose. Now we are all paying for his weakness, and you have finished his work by condemning us."

Judy's quavering voice drew his attention away. "You know what we're fighting?"

"Of course, I do, you stupid little rodent." The Divine took a deep breath and the fire on its crown flared. The firelight illuminated its face, displaying cows feet and the marks of weariness and long age—marks that had been absent only moments previously. They seemed to worsen as it strained against Nick's binding.

"It won't work, Aurora." The binding tightened adding to the strain on the eagle. "And if you try too hard to force it, you'll burn out your stolen flesh and die. Won't you, Mother?"

Celestine grimaced. "Do not call me that, whelp."

Nick smiled ruthlessly. "By your Name? Or your title? Both are correct, so whyever not?"

"Her name was Celestine." Judy interjected, breaking the stalemate. "We both know that."

"Us, yes. But that was just another thing she stole. Lucifer knew her by her true Name." Nick chuckled mirthlessly. "Fitting is it not? The two great generals who shared power and fought the War of the Wager were once lovers, bonded and named so ironically. Lucifer and Aurora—The Light-Bringer and The Dawn."

"Dawn…" Judy reeled. "Dawn was the name of the First Divine!"

"Yes. Dawn of the First Choir. The First Voice of Heaven. Metatron, Speaker of the Holy Word. The Keeper of the Book of Canticles, Herald of Creation." His gaze grew hard and cold at the furious monarch. "And Bellwether of the Flock."

Judy struggled to process everything she'd just learned.

She watched as the eagle drew itself up against the force of Nick's bindings to gaze haughtily down on them. "I have shepherded our kind through trials you can not begin to imagine. You have no right to judge me."

"I have the right of a son, an angel, and the Devil. Judgement may not be in my job description, but punishment…that certainly is." He smiled menacingly at the caged monster.

Judy felt herself blanche and she gripped his arm. "Nick, wait!"

"You heard it yourself, Carrots," he replied plainly. "She admits that she's murdered countless angels to steal life and stay in power. If that isn't corruption, I don't know what is."

She tugged on his arm, shaking her head. "We can't kill her. She needs to face trial."

"And who will believe us?" He inquired mildly. "If we take her to Heaven, her powers will reassert and the Host will slaughter us on sight. They won't let a syllable pass our lips."

"We don't have the right to pass judgement on her."

"We don't." Nick met her eyes. "You do."

Judy forgot how to breathe. "Me?"

"You are the Heir. In cases of one's superior acting illegally, it is the subordinate's responsibility to relieve their commander until such time as a suitable judgement can be passed before an appropriate archon." Nick shrugged. "There is no higher archon possible in all of Creation than you, Judy. It is your right, responsibility, and duty."

"I can't." She felt panic welling up within her. "I can't be judge, jury, and executioner—regardless of her crimes."

"Then our only option is trial by the old ways, my dear." He met her eyes and didn't flinch. "By combat."

The Divine scoffed in disgust. "Spare us your vain attempts at legitimacy, demon. Give us what we want and you'll be compensated."

"We?" Nick asked bemusedly.

"Yes." The Divine replied as though to a particularly stupid child. "The angels."

Judy couldn't believe her ears.

He snorted. "And what is it the angels want?"

"Release me. I will take her back and claim her form as it's intended to be."

"She will not be sacrificed. Not for your false immortality," Nick growled contemptuously.

The angel shifted against its binding and, almost as an afterthought, answered, "She can be placed in another flesh. It has been done before."

Judy gagged. "No."

Aurora set her eyes evenly on Judy's, calmly stating, "Come with me willingly and I will break your binding to this…thing. Swear fealty to me and me alone. Then I will give you the body of a High Seraph, and you will serve as my lieutenant. There can be no higher reward for an angel. It is your duty to serve and sacrifice as I command."

"And what do I get out of this?" Nick drolled, to Judy's horror.

The eagle sighed impatiently. "Whatever puts you back in that pit."

Nick raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't move. "And this is supposed to appeal to me?"

"Name your price, spawn." Aurora's words were out almost before he'd finished speaking.

Judy had been struck dumb at the monstrousness she'd witnessed, but felt her heart break as she watched her bondmate consider the Divine's offer. He was a demon and capable of more horrors than she could imagine, but she had seen enough in him to know there was a glimmer of potential—a spark that was wavering and guttering even as his wings shifted between gold and black.

Finally, Nick smiled, looking pleased with himself. "The Mortal Realm."

Aurora's response was instant. "Never."

"Oh, well." He shrugged diffidently before turning to Judy. "Lady Heir, are you ready to begin the trial of your predecessor?"

An eagle's scream pierced the air. "No! Release me! Now!"

Power surged from the trapped angel and the blue flame on her brow raged into a pinnacle of fire. Judy watched in awe as her former master strained against the binding Nick had imprisoned her with. Coins vanished in the fox's grip and his collar glowed scarlet as he held his ground. The great avian fought, strained against the bonds, but there was no escape. The flame quickly slackened, dwindled, and faded to a spark as the Divine sank to her knees.

Judy's heart lurched in her chest.

"No. No no no no no!" Aurora screamed. The blue flame flared for a moment and died. The light faded and took her vitality with it. The Divine aged a decade in moments, and it didn't stop. "This cannot be my end! Not after all I've given. Not now!" The Divine met her eyes and she saw the disbelief give way to rage. "You! You stupid, worthless rabbit!"

Avian talons scrabbled feebly for purchase on the flagstones as the Divine tried to stand. With a sickening crunch, her knees gave out, and she fell without ever fully rising. Fear crept into her face, and she huddled into herself against the pain.

"You." She turned her attention to Nick, stammering. "Fox…. You are the Devil. We can make a bargain. Extend my life and any price you name is yours."

"Lucifer and Baphomet made deals with you. I will not repeat their mistakes." Nick remained stoically at Judy's side, unmoving and unmoved. "You have had your time. Now, face your end with dignity."

Judy fought down her own terror and the bile roiling at the back of her throat. The proud angel who'd ruled heaven was now a crumpled, sobbing heap. In Judy's horrified sight, the body of her former mentor aged, thinned, and wasted away to emaciation. The regal, white feathers greyed and crumbled leaving nothing but dust. Wings and limbs that were once roped with muscle withered to twigs, falling to pieces. Chunks and flakes of flesh and skin fell away, disintegrating as they fell.

"We are all lost," It croaked. "The Empyrean is all that can keep that monster at bay. I am dead and you are unprepared." The decay crept from its limbs to its body, which crumbled into grit and ash. Its eyes shifted back to Nick and it smiled bitterly. "You are the very image of your father. You've followed his footsteps condemning yourself and Creation with you."

Judy's eye flicked to her fox's face, hoping to see something—anything to gauge his feelings or reaction. Their Bond was shut, still cramping under the pressure of what Nick had endured. She wanted to feel him again. She wanted to know what was happening in his heart as this horrific drama played out, but she felt nothing from him and his face was a mask. Icy, bored indifference rested on his features like he'd been born that way. She wanted to weep.

The dying angel coughed out a weak laugh. "I've been haunted by you both for so long. I am weary of this burden." With a last shaking breath the Divine looked at the pair, whispering "He is in your care now, Lieutenant." with a ghost of a smile on her lips, and vanished into dust.

Judy stood, shaken to her roots. The one constant in the universe was gone. The pillar that had supported the Host and Creation since before time was time had simply died right before her eyes. It was a small, petty death on the heels of desperation. So simple. So easy. So inescapable. And yet, she was still rocked to her pith.

Nick stood, feeling nothing, bearing witness. There was room in him for neither tragedy nor regret, not even empathy. The being that had called itself his mother had become something monstrous and deserved none of those things. She had been as such for longer than he'd been alive. Much longer. She had earned her death and whatever consequence it garnered. However, he knew he would not see her in Hell. When an angel died, it simply returned to the Wheel and was reborn. There was no soul, merely the quintessence of being that allowed the soul to form and grow. If she found her way to Hell after her next life, it would be his issue. Until then, he would leave whatever judgement there was to be had for her to other powers.

That gave him pause. He was not prone to theological whimsy or considerations of the long-silent mythically dubious creator that had left them the Heavens so long ago. The reason for his unusual turn of thought was explained when Lucifer's presence reasserted itself. It was weaker this time. The former master of Hell was no longer trying to rise up and claim him. It was more a nudge now. Nick realized that Lucifer must have been extremely devout. A brief series of memories fluttered through his mind confirming as much. It felt odd to see through another being's eyes. Centuries and millennia of service and devotion were laid bare in a matter of heartbeats. It was inspiring and humbling. Neither of which sat well with the fox.

The discomfort was short lived as the Luciferian influence reasserted itself, nudging Nick to look to his partner. She was not doing well.

"Carrots, you with me?" He asked cautiously.

A weak sob was his only answer. The rabbit was shaking in a way that concerned him severely. He had seen strong souls break many times. She was a hair from shattering, and only powers greater than he could say if she'd ever recover. There was a way to help her, but it carried a big risk. If she cracked and started sobbing, she'd be a ruin for days—possibly forever. He needed to galvanize her. The easiest way to do that was to make her mad, to grant her release while focusing her will on something other than her grief. However, that had its own issues.

With Celestine gone, Judy was now the holder of the Empyrean—a power completely unknown to him. Nick had no clue what it would do—or if, when, or how she would use it. She could simply blink him out of being if he wasn't careful. With that understood, he reminded himself that if Lollipop destroyed reality, it didn't matter. They needed the Fire in Judy and it was up to him to stoke it. If he happened to be destroyed, well…. It'd been a hell of a ride and what was life without risks?

He felt Lucifer shift in his mind and settle. There was an odd sense of pregnant expectation in the silence accompanying it. Nick knew his father's memory could help if it wanted to, but it offered nothing and he was not about to ask for help. He had his pride, and he'd always managed to get by on his own. This was his game and he'd play it—win, lose, or oblivion.

Nick glanced at his rabbit and swallowed. He hated to do it, but there was no other way. Words wouldn't reach her, so he did the only other thing he could. The Bond slipped open as far as he could force it as he filled his mind with contempt and satisfaction. He stepped forward, dispelling the remains of the magic that littered the area after their spat with Celestine, and kicked the last pile of her remains, scattering them into nothingness.

He had to play his part well—excessively rude would do it. "Thank misery that's over with."Nick felt disbelief and shock ripple back along the bond and knew she was responding."It's a pity she was an angel, really. She'd have been an exceptional demon."

Judy croaked out, "No."

Nick chuckled cruelly. "No? She was manipulative, sociopathic—nearly genocidal. Everything we look for in the Pit."

"She was Divine." Judy uttered shakily.

"A good title for an egomaniacal despot." He felt sadness and fear slowly giving way to disbelief. It was a step.

Her voice firmed. "She was our leader."

"She was a monster."

"She was the best of us!" Now there was heat in her words.

"Best? That was your best?" Nick laughed acerbically. "When will you get those blinders off, rabbit? That thing lied as much as any demon and thought nothing of killing to benefit itself. She wanted to turn the mortal plane into a slave realm to farm souls and add to her own power. Not even Baphomet was that grandiose in his plots. And he was the poster child for megalomania!"

Judy grabbed her head in her paws. "Stop it."

It was working, but he had to push harder. "Stop what? Telling the truth?"

"It's not true."

"No? Which part? Name one thing I've said that's a lie." Nick laid on the snark before turning vicious. "Or is it that I'm a demon, so all I can do is lie?"

Judy stared daggers at him, and he knew he was on the right track. "I didn't say that!"

"No, but it makes sense. After all, you're defending that thing based on nothing more than it was an angel. Is that all it takes to make what she did ok? Or are you upset that you won't be getting that High Seraph's body?"

Nick canted his head at the rabbit, watching as her shivers turned to a slow simmer of anger at him. At herself. He released a derisive snort. "That's the Host for you! So much hypocrisy…. Flying high above and looking down on everything else, while wallowing as deep in sin as any high demon."

Judy's paws curled into white-knuckled fists. "I am not. Like. Her."

"Now, she's dead and you're in charge. Quite the power play. All you have to do is give the word and you can be anyone you want. Just. Like. Her. Aren't you lucky?"

Nick was ready when she charged. He was not ready, however, for the force of her attack or its speed. A tiny nimbus of blue flame sparked into being around her paws a moment before her short sword and buckler manifested and that was all the warning he got. He barely got the haft of his spear up to block her attack in time. He was suddenly face to face with his rabbit, her face a rictus of anger and pain. He buried his relief at getting her out of her catatonia and focused his attention on staying alive.

He was increasingly perturbed at his situation. The Collar was annoying enough as it was—the feeling of being constantly hobbled was old news, but still frustrating—especially when fending off a demon-hunter angel in the middle of a psychotic break. With a feral scream, Judy punched with her shield arm straight at his head. Nick neatly slipped aside, guiding her strike away from him with his spear. She spun with the movement, and he had to stutter-step back to barely dodge backhand swing.

There was no reserve in her—nothing held back and no hesitation as she handled her weapons. Tears streamed over her cheeks and a death's-head rictus twisted her lips as her blades flew. Nick steeled himself against his regret and struck back just as hard as she was coming at him. There was no other recourse. Anything less would be dangerous—possibly fatal.

Her buckler spun off her arm and into the shadows courtesy of his riposte, and her tomahawk took its place in a blink. She didn't flinch, almost as if she'd felt nothing from the blow that had hammered her arm. The bearded blade hooked his spear and yanked him into an upper-cut stab from the sword. He shifted the Spear into a war dagger and blocked the sword, but didn't escape the follow up from the tomahawk. The top of the blade caught him a glancing blow on the cheek.

Pain lanced through him, but not enough to distract him. He delivered a hard jab to her exposed ribs as she recovered from her attack, and she stumbled back for a breath.

In that moment, Nick had a chance to look at her. She barely knew what she was doing. Judy's mind screamed and wept through the Bond. Her body was fighting on its own, fueled by her self-loathing and fear. The blue fire that sparked on her paws had spread to the edges of her weapons, explaining why his cheek still throbbed. He spared an instant's thought to be grateful she hadn't clipped him with the blade.

She needed to get the pain out. That left him one option—he had to wear her down. His Spear shifted into a pair of long, wickedly curved daggers and he adopted a stance for one of his least favorite forms of combat. Judy was fast and fighting to kill. He had to meet her to the same terms and fight like he meant it. That meant speed and ferocity—his hallmarks during his dark days in the Arena.

"Tired already, oh Queen?" he sneered.

Her eyes snapped back to him, but this time he was ready. His Collar bloomed into crimson light as she launched herself at him, and he mirrored her. Sparks flew from their blades in divine blue and demonic scarlet.

She surprised him again by going for his legs. With his daggers he was able to defend, but it was awkward having to crouch and lean down to stop her blades. The strikes at his feet were worse, as it cost him his footing and ruined the stability necessary to effectively parry and deflect. His situation was made clear when he had to launch himself backwards to avoid another hammer blow to the face.

She was fighting dirty, going for broke—like an experienced demon hunter would—keeping him off balance until he screwed up too badly and she could attack his vitals. There was no pretense of capture in her now. She wanted him dead. He'd intended to stick to defense, but it was clear he was at a disadvantage. He had to meet her with equal force.

A sick, cold feeling took root in Nick's gut as he warily circled opposite the rabbit. He had to meet her on equal terms and, between the Collar and his apprehension, it was a challenge. He wasn't able to keep up with her and the insane risks she was willing to take. Her attacks were chaotic and haphazard, but part of a greater tactical plan that was somewhere in her little grey head. They were almost impossible to predict, and he was already hurting from it. A little flair of pride and admiration stirred in his chest. His angel was really something special.

He truly didn't want to hurt her, but he was running out of options. He could remove his collar, but that would just unbalance the scales the other way, and he'd obliterate her if he wasn't careful. Lucifer stirred in response at the back of Nick's mind, and he felt the Eldritch spirit nudge the Bond. In a flash, he understood, but only just.

It was madness, but his only real chance. The only way to match her was to accept her—to be her. He felt Judy building for her next attack and acted. Nick abandoned his reservations, and the Bond slammed wide open. Any hesitation he'd felt, any fear or distaste for letting her in, was gone. He let her essence flood into him and embraced her without caveat or restriction.

Suddenly, they were even. Suddenly, he understood.

They came together in a fury of flashing steel and sparks. Every move she made, he felt coming and could counter. Every counter he offered, she saw through. In a dozen heartbeats, their duel wasn't a fight so much as a dance. Neither had an advantage and both knew the steps. They stabbed and slashed, parried and dodged as though they'd been born to the battle—like they were made for their opponent and nothing else. A slow grin started to spread on the devil's face, even as he bled from a dozen small cuts and nicks. He was having fun. More than that, he felt joy.

The first thing Judy registered as the haze in her mind cleared was a blade at her throat. Her breath was heaving in and out of her. Her limbs trembled with fatigue, and she was exhausted beyond her ability to put into words. The last thing she remembered clearly was watching the Divine die. Then things were less clear. She remembered terror and grief, then disbelief. Then pure, white rage directed at her fox.

Her eyes snapped up to meet the glowing emeralds of her bondmate and understood. He was on one knee, pressed back against a pile of broken crates—not trapped, but definitely on the defensive—underneath her. He'd goaded her into attacking him to snap her out of her own head. This was made evident as she noted the war dagger she held was pressed against his throat. She was a hair's breadth from killing him, and she was no further from death herself.

To her consternation and bewilderment, he was smiling."You back with us, sweetheart?"

A weak breath huffed out of her. "Nick?"

"The one and only. I hope, anyway." He winked. "I don't think Creation could handle two of me."

Judy felt the giggle escape her parched lips and she cracked. Her weapons fell from nerveless fingers, and she collapsed into his chest. Sobs wracked her frame while tears stained her cheeks, matting her fur. Her crying only intensified when she felt two strong arms wrap around her.

Her moment of weakness was not long. She didn't have any strength left and the worst of her pain had bled off before she'd collapsed, so she was only lost in her warm little world for a moment. Her first clue that things were different was the fact that Nick started glowing gold.

She pulled away and stared at the fox before her.

The turbulent black that had danced across his wings and frame since he'd rescued her from the archangel was bleeding away—it slid across his skin, pooling on his left chest and coalescing into a sigil Judy didn't recognize.

She lifted a paw and traced over Nick's new tattoo. "What is this?"

Nick looked bemusedly and with minor annoyance at the marking. "My best guess is my father's blessing."

"What?"

"When I found his memories, they tried to take over me. We managed to beat them, but it took you knocking me through a wall to pull it off. After that, he seemed to be watching me and what we did. He clued me into how I could help you with your grief and not die. I think we proved ourselves to him. He's gone."

"That's good to know." Judy paused to collect herself. "But can you go back to the part where Lucifer tried to possess you?"

Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "That's a bit of a story and you already know most of it. So it'll have to wait."

"You have got to be—" Judy stopped herself. "You're right. There'll be time later. Just, please tell me he won't be taking control again, or trying to anyway? I don't want to make this a habitual thing."

"No. He's gone." He traced the outline of the mark on his chest with a fingertip. "As near as I can figure, this is his way of saying he approves of us. His mind and will are gone. But he left this mark and all of his knowledge behind in me."

"That's something else for us to worry about later then." Judy pushed herself fully upright and helped Nick stand.

A pair of Coins vanished and small tongues of violet flame appeared where he was sporting small wounds. "This has been a really expensive day," he commented drly as he looked around the remains of his Den.

Judy's gaze followed his and she couldn't help but agree. The main room was rubble. The floor and walls were littered with collapsed pillars and crushed stone. The remains of crates and their diverse contents were piles of shattered wood and refuse. Pools and puddles of various liquids dotted the floor, slowly seeping along or drying.

"I'm sorry about your home, Nick." Judy whispered shamefacedly.

He smiled at her and gently chucked her chin with his paw. "Don't worry about it. It was nice for a bachelor pad, but that really isn't where I am anymore."

Before Judy could work out the meaning behind his words, the room shook. Dust and stone flecks knocked loose from the ceiling and the walls wobbled ominously.

Nick rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a few copper coins. "Bloody Hells…. Time to go."

"What's happening?" She looked around anxiously, realizing the Den was about to collapse.

He grabbed her paw and led her along at a brisk pace. "While we fought, there were a few tremors like that. They're getting more frequent. Since we aren't rutting, I can only assume it's Lollipop acting up."

"More frequent?" She sputtered. "How long were we fighting?"

Nick's grin was evident in his voice. "Most of the afternoon and evening. It's after ten o'clock."

She goggled. "Wha— You have got to be kidding me."

"One thing's for certain, Carrots."

Nick kicked open a wooden door and Judy hastened after him asking, "What could that possibly be from the enormous list of options?"

"You have some serious stamina."

"Are you kidding? You're flirting now?" She couldn't help the frustration from coloring her voice.

He whirled on his heel, ending up nose to nose with her. "And you're blushing. Come on."

The fox led her through the leaning halls of the Sanctum to his private room. Everything was exactly as they'd left it. With a gesture and a copper Coin, power rippled through the room. Nick's sea chest popped open and the room began to pack itself. All of the weapons, supplies, and personal effects quickly squared themselves away and vanished into the unsettling box. The dish containing Nick's armor lifted off the shelf and packed itself once he willed the armor back into the torque at his neck, and he collected the map and pendulum of his tracking spell ass it floated towards the chest. Soon, all that remained was the furniture, and the chest vanished.

Nick flicked another Coin into nothingness and swung with his Spear, tearing a hole in the world. "Now then! Before this place collapses…"

He stepped aside and bowed, gesturing Judy to precede him through the door. She stepped through and found herself outside the warehouse, on the vacant lot where they'd fought the troop of demons not long ago. It felt like decades.

With a loud groan and rumble, a gout of dust vomited out of the warehouse from every seam and crevice.

Judydy took her fox's paw in hers and squeezed gently. "I'm still sorry about your Den, Nick."

"Like I said, it's time to move on to better things." The smile he gave her was full of promise as he waved the rolled-up map in his paw. "But first, we have a Lollipop to deal with."

"Can't we call it something else?" She couldn't help the smile tugging her lips. This was turning into a game, and she hated to love it.

"Nope! Now let's find this thing's hovel and end it." Nick unfurled the map with a flourish, and his face dropped like a stone. "You have got to be kidding me."

"What's wrong?" He held the sheet for her to see, and she understood. "Is that a Ward?"

"Yes. This is either certifiable genius or the worst joke I've ever seen." Incredulity and pique colored Nick's voice.

Judy pulled the paper from his grasp and studied it. "You set this spell to track the locations of Tartarus diamonds, so we could find a pattern. How could you foresee them being left in a pattern?"

"That hardly matters." Nick replied grimly. "Not only are they in a pattern, but they outline a magic circle that covers most of the city the way I would salt on a table top. Not only that, but this is the most complex glyph scribing I've ever seen. Between that and the fact that they're using diamonds…"

"It's a huge amplifier," Judy finished. "The diamonds amplify the spell and define its boundaries. That's incredible!"

He nodded curtly. "And dangerous. Lollipop and its followers have turned the city into a battery. Trigger this spell and all the fear, panic and negative emotion will funnel directly to Lollipop as raw mana. There's plenty of all of those going already with these quakes."

A cold tingle of dread slid down her spine. "If I'm reading this right, it could also drain the lives straight out of the populace. That's active life force and souls."

"Bloody hell."

Judy pulled out her phone. "I'm calling Ben. If they haven't started to evacuate the city, I'll make it an anonymous tip of a massive seismic event or a terrorist attack. Whenever can get the populace moving away from the circle. While I do that, you work out where the hell we need to be to stop this."

A rushed phone call later, she wanted to throw her phone in frustration. "Un-fucking-believable!"

"What's wrong?" Nick started away from his phone in response to her uncharacteristic swearing.

"The politicians! No part of recent events have been serious enough to warrant an evacuation. The police and public have been petitioning to have a state of emergency declared, but City Hall won't budge. Not until they have an irrefutable reason."

He scratched his chin consideringly. "I can help with that."

"How?" She snarled.

"The Divine's death."

Judy shook her head at the non sequitur. "Come again?"

"Celestine died in a binding spell created by the Gate of angel's blood she used. Otherwise, she'd have violated the wager by manifesting." He smiled expectantly as she processed his words.

The truth tickled the back of her mind. "She—she's still bound?"

"Not her. She's dead. Her power and the effects of her death are though." Nick pulled a tiny copper Coin from his pocket and pricked a finger with his claw. "If I release the binding that was made in my domain…"

"It'll trigger a massive…. Have I told you how much I love you?" Judy wanted to swallow the words, but they were already out of her mouth.

"Not yet." Nick chirped, grinning. "Hold onto your tail, Carrots. This is the Devil's work."

He snapped the bloodied Coin between his fingers and the world went mad. The earth bucked under their feet. Tremors rocked the ground like a heartbeat, and the city around them shuddered. A colossal roar filled the air and lightening struck the ground from a clear sky. The roar built to a keening wail that wasn't heard but felt, and a shockwave rolled out from where the warehouse once stood. All that was left now were scattered bits of metal. Lights as far as the eye could see flickered and died, clouds formed from nothing and thunder rolled through them.

Sirens began to sound from every direction, and she laughed. "I guess it worked."

Nick coughed a bit as he dusted himself off. "Not the most elegant solution, but it's the best I can do on short notice."

"How long will this last?"

"The quakes?" He scratched his chin as he considered—rather cutely Judy thought. "Another ten or so minutes, I think. The storm? Eh." Nick shrugged nervously. "It'll be sound and fury for a bit, but it won't rain for a little while yet. When it does…"

"Floods and panic."

"Call Ben again just to make sure the evacuation is started." He pulled out his phone, again. "After that, we have to go."

"Did you find out where Lollipop is holed up?" Judy asked as she placed the call.

"An old sanitarium outside the city called Cliffside." He showed her the screen he'd been fiddling with. "Finnick is on his way to meet us."

"Good." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Now could you please put some pants on?"