I settled against a low stone wall at the highest point of Bethlehem with a flagon of new wine. From there I could see people coming and going, buying and selling, doing their daily chores. I took a long drink, letting the tart fire wash over me.

Mikal wasn't here. At least, I was pretty sure she wasn't. I'd looked everywhere.

A woman settled against the wall next to me. "Can I have a sip of that?"

I glanced at her, noticing the makeup around her eyes. She was still pretty, but the signs of age were there. "Hello, Cassia."

"Ah, you recognized me. I was hoping you'd try to hire me first."

I sighed and handed her the wine. She drank.

She handed it back. "I was hoping for so many things--like you'd be in sheol now, trapped in a pit and at my mercy. I'd already secured the right to torment you, you know."

I took another sip. "I guessed."

"We would have had so much fun. I would flog you until you begged me leave, then dance until you begged me to come near. I'd keep you on the edge of pain and pleasure until all you could do was scream and not know why."

What was I to say to that? "It sounds like it might be a little more fun for you than me."

She laughed. "Yes, well, that's okay, isn't it? I mean, this last year or so has been more fun for you and that little human of yours. You're here looking for her now."

At this, a bark of laughter escaped me. I was proud of how genuine it sounded. "What? That's ridiculous. What are you trying to say?"

"You're in love with her." Cassia's voice was low. She looked away.

Again I laughed. The words stung though, first that she could think them, but also--also--what was the other reason? My stomach soured and I took another long pull from my flask. It made it worse.

Could she be right? Was I in love with Mikal? No. That was stupid. "Cassia, we're demons. We don't fall in love."

"We do." She said it in that same low voice, still without looking at me and quoted the ancient words. "When the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, they took wives."

I held out the flask for her. When she didn't reach for it, I shook it. That seemed to get her attention.

"I'd recently fallen then and was still on assignment in sheol. Tell me about it."

She took a drink. "A certain daughter of god found a son of men attractive. We--we aren't meant to be with mortals, Darius. It won't end well for you."

It already hadn't. "Look, Cassia, think about what you're saying. Me, in love with a human I--" I paused. I had to take a few seconds to swallow. Hellfire, was it true? Did I?

A vision of Mikal swam through my mind, her eyes locked on mine, my fingers running through her hair. It was just a bit of pleasure, wasn't it? A little diversion while tempting souls. Love. What did it even mean? Was it a word for some kind of strange addiction? I guess I could accept it, defined that way.

She took the flask from me. "It does sound absurd when you say it out loud. Except for the way your voice broke at the end."

Suddenly uncomfortable, I adjusted my sitting position.

"Don't be ridiculous. That was a belch," I lied. Possibly, it was not the most convincing lie of my life.

"No. I'm here doing research."

"On new wine?"

"On Jesus. I missed most of his childhood, and he was born here. I'm trying to make sense of him and this game he's playing. Why wrap himself in flesh? Why be poor? Nothing he does makes sense."

Cassia stood. "There's not much to tell, really. They came here for some kind of census. The city was full. Many people camped on the outskirts in tents. Mary and Joseph wound up in a cave with animals. Do you want to see it?"

"Sure." I got to my feet, finishing the last of the wine. I threw the flagon on the ground.

A cave. It fit his pattern, but still made no sense.

"People came from all over to see him. Shepherds, mostly."

"Why?"

"Have you ever seen a newborn baby, Darius? Looked on its face as its settled into its mother's arms?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"No. I don't believe you have. At best, you've glanced. If you'd really looked, you'd have seen that there's something magical about that moment, something our kind can never experience."

I scratched my head. "But, um, lots of kids are born every day and people don't come from all over to see it."

"Oh," she swatted the air before me. "There were angels singing and whatnot, and a few days later there were these three rich men who had seen the sign of his birth in the stars and came to give him expensive gifts. Gold, if you can believe it."

"Gold, eh?"

She nodded. "For a short time, his family wasn't poor."

We walked in silence until we reached the cave. It was small, packed with hay and animals. It smelled of dung, urine, and sweat. It was warm, though.

Cassia and I stood there for a few long moments, drinking in the place. What did this Son of God want? How did being birthed in such a place serve him? It all seemed so ridiculous.

"I need to purge myself of my fear, loathing, and hatred, Darius. If you could give me some privacy."

"Of course."

I turned to go. As I was at the cave mouth, she called out. "Much of it came from thinking about you, you know."

I paused and turned to her. She stared up at me, eyes wide. Even at that distance, I could see myself reflected there, burning in the depths of her soul. Why should she care for me?

What to say to her? "Thank you, Cassia, for helping me in my research--for taking me here." I swung my arm in a circle to encompass the cave.

She looked away, and I left--then left my mortal body and floated high into the sky where I could see the stars. What did they know about this Son of God? What did they tell his rich visitors?

What they told me, and I'm not sure how, was that I was truly in love with Mikal, that what I felt was more than just some strange addiction. Perhaps the emotion was more like some deadly poison designed to rend my soul for all eternity. Whatever the feeling, it was as mysterious, as ancient, and as powerful as the heavens themselves.