"Angel, can I see your phone?" Max asked casually.
Angel blinked, then grinned. "Sure, why not? Finally gonna put your number in there, handsome?"
He fluttered his lashes dramatically as he handed it over.
Max rolled his eyes but smirked while scrolling. Right then, Angel's phone buzzed nonstop—notification after notification.
> VALENTINO:
Where the hell are you?
You better not be ignoring me, Angel.
I expect you in my suite NOW.
Angel. Answer me.
Angel.
Max frowned. "Man… your boss needs to get off your ass."
Angel's shoulders tensed. "Yeah, well. Contract. Nothing I can do. Just ignore those."
Max didn't say anything to that—yet—but his jaw tightened.
He finished typing and handed the phone back.
Angel looked at the screen. "Mr. White? Who the hell is this?"
"The best meth cook in all of Hell," Max said simply. "He'll hook you up with a discount. But you've gotta promise to actually help Charlie and the hotel."
Angel blinked. "Seriously? I thought you were gonna guilt-trip me into redemption or something."
Max shrugged. "You'll try. I trust that. Just… do me this favor."
Angel paused—really paused—for once. Then nodded quietly.
"…Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna crash. Night."
He slipped away, tired both in body and soul.
Max, exhausted, shapeshifted pajamas onto himself with a pop, teleported straight to Charlie and Vaggie's room—his intended destination—and passed out face-first on the floor.
---
A Few Minutes Later…
Charlie and Vaggie stepped out of the bathroom in matching pajamas, towels around their shoulders, chatting softly—until they froze.
Razzle and Dazzle were struggling to lift Max's unconscious body off the carpet, their tiny wings flapping uselessly.
"Uh… well. Didn't expect that," Vaggie muttered.
The imps gave up, dropping Max with a soft thud.
Charlie hurried forward. "Oh geez—help me lift him!"
It took both of them, several grunts, and a few near-falls, but they managed to awkwardly haul Max onto the bed like two ants dragging a lion.
Vaggie wiped her forehead. "Okay, Charlie—mind helping me get him comfortable? I'm gonna change his bandages."
"Of course."
Charlie fluffed the pillows and adjusted Max's position while Vaggie carefully unwound the bandages around his right shoulder. When the cloth finally came off, Vaggie froze.
"What the…?"
Charlie's head snapped around. "What? Is he hurt worse? Is it bleeding?"
"No," Vaggie whispered, leaning closer. "That's the weird part. There's no blood. And this wound is… too clean. Like unnaturally clean. Not at all what happens when a demon gets hit by an angelic weapon."
She brushed a fingertip near the sealed flesh. "And the way it's closing? I've never seen anything like this."
Charlie frowned with concern but stayed calm.
"All I care about is whether he's okay. You can ask him in the morning. Tonight… let's just make sure he doesn't regret collapsing in our room."
She gently removed the rings from his hand, placing them carefully into the nightstand drawer like precious jewelry.
The girls finished settling him, then climbed into bed themselves—but neither could sleep.
After a quiet minute, Charlie whispered, "Still nervous around him, Vaggie?"
Vaggie hesitated. "I don't know. I love him—God, I really do—but he's… strange. Innocent, almost. I've never met a sinner like him."
She exhaled shakily. "Maybe we should ask Loona to scout his past on Earth. Just so we know who he was. Might help us understand him better."
"Maybe," Charlie whispered. "Might even help him find closure."
"Yeah. But…" Vaggie's voice softened, vulnerable. "I'm scared, Charlie. If redemption is real and he earns it—what if he goes? What if we never see him again?"
Charlie squeezed her hand.
"We have to help everyone we can. Even Max. But whatever he chooses… we'll face it together."
Just then, Max shifted in his sleep.
His wolf tail extended—growing longer, fluffier—and wrapped around both women like a warm living blanket.
Vaggie blinked. "Uh… this is new."
Charlie giggled, snuggling into the soft fur. "It's really warm…"
Both their eyes grew heavy, lulled by the warmth and the soft rumbling purr coming from Max's chest.
Slowly, peacefully, all three drifted off to sleep.