I will make you pay

Fiona hesitated, lost in the eyes of the angel beneath her who had accepted defeat. Her hands shook. She struggled against herself. Seeing the face of her former love, or rather someone who looked identical to her former love, had summoned forth what was left of her humanity.

A tear escaped her eye. "I can't."

"You what?!" Asmodeus bellowed.

Fiona stood off Christoph, tossing Ragnarok to the ground. "I can't kill him."

"You dare disobey me?!"

Fiona gave no reply. She dropped to her knees, surrendering.

Christoph gripped his sword and rose to his feet. He warily approached his opponent, his blade pointing down at her. "Why?"

"I don't know. Something inside me won't let me kill you."

"Now Christoph! Strike her down!" Ramiel shouted.

Christoph lowered his blade. "I cannot take the life of one who has already surrendered."

Uriel chuckled. "It seems we have a stalemate, Asmodeus,".

Humiliation fueled Asmodeus' rage. No one made a fool of him, especially not one of his own! He formulated a twisted idea to punish Fiona for her disobedience.

Dashing to Fiona in an eye-blink, Asmodeus kicked Christoph off his feet and through the air, sending his body crashing against solid rock.

Asmodeus swiftly turned on Fiona . He gripped her throat, her feet dangling off the ground. "You disappoint me. I did not create you so you could show compassion for the angels; I created you to destroy them!"

Fiona squirmed, trying to regain breath.

"You've failed me, and for that, I have a fitting punishment for you."

A blue sapphire sphere appeared in Asmodeus' free hand. He plunged his hand into her stomach, leaving the orb inside her. A bright blue light flashed from the opening. Fiona screamed. The dazzle dissipated.

The arch-demon released his grip. Fiona fell to the ground; black blood gushed from her midsection. She seemed unconcerned with the bleeding; instead, she stared at her hands and screamed.

"I... I couldn't have... No!"

A satisfied smirk appeared on Asmodeus' face. "That's right. I promised to spare your village. I never promised to save them from you! Now that I've returned your soul to you, your conscience has returned. You can remember every single soul you took, including your precious Simon."

Fiona screamed with the realization. She had devoured Simon's soul, and everyone else from her village. It was Simon's soul that kept her from killing Christoph, the angel. Somehow, his essence was the only thing that clung to what was left of her humanity, trying desperately to save her from herself.

Anger quickly replaced remorse. Fiona snatched-up the cursed sword Ragnarok and lunged at Asmodeus.

He readily subdued her. His dark powers held her in mid-air.

"As powerful as you may be, little girl, that doesn't change the fact I created you. That means, your abilities are powerless against me!"

A swirling purple gateway appeared behind Fiona . "I hereby banish you to the mortal realm, where you will be forced to either feed on the mortals you feel so compassionate about, or slowly die of starvation. It will be amusing to see which you choose; but I'm certain the darkness within you will win. That is, if the angels don't hunt you down first."

Fiona glared at him with fiery red eyes. "I will make you pay for what you've done!"

Asmodeus laughed as he sent Fiona into the portal. "I'll look forward to your feeble attempt."

The portal quickly closed, trapping Fiona on the other side.

Drayce could hardly believe all of this. Fiona , the succubus he has come to think of as his friend, once held the fate of humanity in the palm of her hand. By sparing someone who resembled her lover, she also spared us all. No. It was Simon who not only saved humanity from Fiona , but also Fiona from herself.

The migraine Drayce felt in his apartment before being transported here returned. His ears rang; his vision blurred.

"Aargh!" he yelled as he dropped to his knees, holding his ears.

The earth shook. Cracks formed in the ground. Everything shattered once more, even the demons and angels that had gathered to decide humanity's fate.

Nothing remained but a black void and the pain in Drayce 's skull. His weightless body tumbled until pain claimed his consciousness.

☆☆☆☆

The Commissioner gave Captain Finnegan a hard time for handing the human trafficking case back to Drayce , given what happened at the nightclub. But with the sudden disappearance of Frank Wallace three weeks ago, the captain really had no other options. No other capable detectives were available to handle such a high profile case.

It was a decision that paid off, big-time.

In the last two weeks, Drayce managed to extort the names of several individuals involved in the sex trade organization from Clair. In exchange, he promised to prove her innocence if she cooperated -- and cooperate she did.

Each name led to the next in a long line of arrests involving police officers, lawyers, club owners, bankers, and countless henchmen. At the end of the trail was a single man: Tyler Simmons, a man long suspected of shady dealings, but with enough money and connections to bury anyone who opposed him.

Not this time. All of his money and influence fell woefully short in the face of insurmountable evidence against him. His only way out now was to cut a deal.

He was arrested, and the case had since been turned over to the FBI in hopes they could pressure him for information about human trafficking in other cities. The case was officially out of Drayce 's jurisdiction.

This was a big victory for the Chicago Police Department. The leader of the "Chicago Sex Trade" had been apprehended and Drayce was at the center of the praise and admiration. Despite his early doubts, the commissioner offered him a promotion. He even got a call from the governor for a job well done.

Then why the hell did feel so empty inside?

The events that took place three weeks ago still haunted his mind. That was when Drayce found out it was Frank who killed his wife. Every time he looked at the empty desk across the room his heart sank and his blood boiled.

How ironic it was that Drayce was put in charge of investigating Frank's disappearance. It would be the only case in Drayce 's career that he would allow to 'go cold'." That is, unless he wanted to look crazy by putting "Frank Wallace was devoured by a succubus named Fiona " in his report.

Fiona , that sexy yet deadly succubus. The last he saw her, he remembered drinking too much that night, having an argument with her, then having a strange dream that felt like he was living in Fiona 's past.

He had not heard from her since. He felt terrible for the things he said to her that night. When he was not chasing criminals the last three weeks, he was wondering if their relationship, whatever type of relationship they had, was over. Even though Phoebe's killer had been put to death, he figured he still had to bring her scumbags to feed on, as per their agreement.

The same feeling he felt when Phoebe died crept into his heart. Did she leave town after all? Did the Crusaders find her?

Did he... miss her?

☆