Part 2

Omniscience never comes with the package or the wings. Nor angel's neither demons do, so in order to know more about Celina, he had to ask her. That was what infuriated Satan the most when humans were first created, even though heavenly creatures were inmortal and powerful, mankind was bestowed on gifts that angels and demons could only dream of; The Gifts of the Spirit. Having no soul was a predicament in the end.

It was next day evening, when Azael decided it was proper to pay a visit to Celina. A rose bouquet in hands, he arrived at the condominium where she lived at. Decided to play it old fashion, the demon bribed the guard with two hundred bucks and walked into the apartment complex.

Floor seven, G-eleven read the bronze numbers at the door. Azael pressed the bell to ring and waited patiently for the damsel to respond. Rolling his eyes to this unusual demeanor, he knew that if it was another the matter, he would be inside with the blink of an eye. His nose twitched to the scent of testosterone and cologne, right before the door opened by a man standing in front of him.

Fist clenched to his side, skin burning with aching power urging to be released, he forced a polite smile and greeted the man inside Celina's apartment. "Good evening sir, is Celina at home?"

"Yes, who wants to know?"

"It's Azael Dioikitís, a friend. I've just came..." he needed to act human, to be tolerant. Jaw tensed, teeth grinding a smile he denied to hold any longer, right when beautiful Celina showed up bright and cheerful.

"Azael. What a pleasant surprise! Come in please!" She kissed him twice on the cheek. "Marcus, this is Azael, the man who saved me from the robbery the other day. Remember? I told you he was too kind to stay with me until I got better."

"Oh yes... Please forgive my rudeness. You know, it's never fun to meet a guy calling at your girl's door..."

"No worries, I understand perfectly. I would have reacted the same... I brought Celina flowers... I hope you don't mind Marcus."

Celina placed a tray with a wine bottle and three glasses on the coffee table and grabbed the roses. "Thank you. They're beautiful." She smelled the flowers before placing them in a crystal vase on the dining table.

Marcus uncorked the bottle and served the wine. Azael gulped a mouthful of the red liquor to dilute the bitterness of the moment. Marcus wrapped his arm around Celina's waist with tenderness and placed a kiss on her cheek. Clenching fists and eyes like red burning coals, he gave a step back to contain his anger. The lights in the room flickered, sizzling on and off to his fury.

It would have been easy to blow cutie's Marcus head off and incinerate his body with a fingers snapping, but that only might had scared to death poor Celina. Besides, what's a battle, even an uneven one like this, without the amusement of humiliating the opponent in its own territory.

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The fact of having the lady engaged only made the quest a lot more interesting. For some reason, this woman had captivated Azael since the first time he saw her, climbing down a cab at the Fifth Avenue, so elegantly dressed that afternoon, presumably to attend some important business appointment. And every morning he waited, newspaper in hand at the same corner to watch her sashay towards work. She had become an obsession ever since.

He, being a so mighty demon, had to wait. Free will and love were off his dominions. He often thought of how easy it would have been to seduce Celina, to take her to his bed. But there was something different with this woman. And he only confirmed it the day he visited her. No woman was able to resist a fiend. They were seduction, lust and carnal instincts all together. But no, Celina was good, a clean soul. A spirit like that only could be corrupted by asking permission, as it happened to Job. And as much as he desired her, he didn't want to get Satan into this. The boss would only mock him for being unable to deal with womanizing.

Standing behind the tall window panes at his luxurious office, Azael observed the people on the streets. All of them hurrying up and down the avenue, a mortifying routine he'd altered before with a subterranean gas explosion, a subway derailment, a blackout or some terrorist taking on a plane to crash onto a skyscraper or two. There was a quota to meet to balance order and chaos.

The stunning brunette crossed the intersection and zooming his gaze down, Azael watched her saunter up the avenue. He trailed the contour of her body with lustful eyes. She moved with ethereal grace while walking down the street. He closed his eyes and sighed. Something inside of him was moved like never before, in a way he wasn't able to decipher. The woman got stuck in his mind every day and every night, and for a being who doesn't know of the ticking of time, it might have resulted a torture, but it wasn't. Every time he thought of Celina, he smiled... an honest and happy smile. It was only then that he finally understood what God meant with humans being the crown of all created. She was the crown.

A loud tire screeching two blocks east and the ferrous smell of blood and death made him look away. The Reaper fluttered his wings off the scene, sack carrying fresh picked souls on his back. There was another demon leaving the place and laughing his wrong doing... Azael's brow narrowed in a moment of reflection. "I think I've got an idea." He muttered to himself, lips crooked mischievously and his eyes glistened like burning rubies. "This girl is going to be mine."