"And when the angels, the sons of heaven, saw them, they desired them and said to one another:'Come, let us choose wives for ourselves from among the daughters of men, and let us have children by them.'"
POV AZAZEL,or yes, still me—the big talker Betty so kindly labeled me.
I got home from work, sprawled on the couch with a bag of chips, when it suddenly hit me: this kind of mess had happened before. Back then, I wasn't involved. The ones above hated me for completely different reasons.
If Heaven ever finds out… ugh. I get chills just thinking about what happened after that.
I wasn't interested in mortal women even then, but Samyaza was a good friend. I'll look him up one day. We're basically reenacting what the Watchers did—except this time, I'm the one taking the fall.
It's obvious Samyaza was the one who stirred the others up back then. You can even read things like this about him:
"I fear you may not be willing to carry out this deed, and so I alone shall bear the burden of this great sin."
That alone is reason enough for me to track Samyaza down someday and hear what really happened. Maybe people just gossip about him too. His private life is fascinating—even after millennia.
Right now, I'm the leader of this little group, and I didn't incite anyone.
Stalemate. If I don't do what Lucifer asked, Heaven still won't take me back—but Pandemonium will kick me out too. I'll be stuck among mortals forever.
Lucifer took me in after the ones above threw me out. There's plenty of room in Hell.Yes—even for you.
Lucifer calls us on the phone. Maybe he got tired of 666, because his number is 1.Yes. One. That's it.
He calls daily to ask how close I've gotten to Betty. Horrible creature. He keeps calling the others too.
Incoming call. I picked up.Reluctantly—I didn't want to stop eating my chips.
— I took Gremory off the job, Lucifer said.
That's how you know a conversation is going badly. Gremory was the reason we didn't end up sleeping under a bridge. He can find treasures and lost objects. That's how we survived. None of us has been paid yet.
— Why? I asked, outraged.
There goes the comfortable life—and payday is still two weeks away.
— He has a more important task. He'll be searching for THAT Grimoire.
Then he wished me luck with Betty.
I completely lost my appetite. If that Grimoire turns up, even Lucifer might be able to leave Pandemonium for a bit.
And that wasn't all. The doorbell rang. It was Marduk. Lucifer sent him to replace Gremory—and until he finds work, he'll be staying with me.
What could be worse? Oh—sending Asmodeus and Belial too.Of course, Lucifer didn't warn me about Marduk. I swear, he's just entertaining himself with us.
Fine. Let's see where Marduk can find a job. I don't think he's good at anything. I'll recommend him for cleaning toilets.
Lucifer took Marduk in too. I'd argue Pandemonium wasn't exactly improved by his presence.
Now he's making me miserable. First thing he did was try out all my gadgets. Then he hijacked my phone to register on a dating app.The fact that he didn't waste time and immediately focused on the mission is—holy—I mean unholy.
I left him alone with my phone. Went for a walk instead.
The reason my narrative voice shifts from here on? This afternoon.
The sun was shining so beautifully, the park smelled of flowers—it pulled me out of my own head. I almost became who I was ten thousand years ago, walking among humans.
Yes. After all this, I changed.
By the time I got home, Marduk was already asleep. Thankfully. I laid out my clothes for the next day, brushed my teeth, showered, and slept soundly until morning.
Morning came. I went to work.I expected peace—no "First One" calls, no Marduk.
Work to work. Ugh. You get it.
Tamara fluttered away the moment I arrived, leaving me alone with Betty in our coffee corner. Over the past week, I'd been strategically building friendship and trust between us.
But now the danger loomed: the friend zone.
I had to ask the WOMAN out.
She may not be an angel, but I write it in capital letters: Betty is a WOMAN.
I could get used to having her around—not just at work, but all day. On the bus. At home. And yes, in bed.That last thought I'll shelve for now. If it happens, it happens—she has to want it too.
I don't want to be friend-zoned, but I'm not pushy either.Betty knows what she wants, and I like that. If she chooses me, I'll be proud.
Maybe Samyaza felt the same way when he fell for a mortal woman. Met a WOMAN—and felt proud that she was interested in him.
I had time today to observe the WOMAN while heading to the coffee machine. She tried to tame her unruly, shiny brown hair into a serious bun. One strand slipped loose across her face. Yet there was nothing fragile about her. That half-seriousness suited her.
I, Azazel, taught humans ten thousand years ago so they wouldn't be as fragile as they once were.
Looking at Betty and Tamara, I think it was worth it. My work—and I'm proud of it.
Tamara exchanged a conspiratorial glance with Betty. That's a good sign.
I was discussing the market research results of the Rrr-Take cosmetics line with the WOMAN when Paula appeared like a comet.
My boss. After this incident, I boldly claim she's worse than Lucifer.
Yes, we were having coffee.Yes, I wanted to ask the WOMAN out.But we were talking about work.
What Paula did wasn't justified.
— We don't tolerate workplace relationships, she said.
Just like that, she reassigned me to another department.Rrr-Take… Rrr-Bye.
I'm pretty sure Paula just shot my chances with Betty—for today.