The Love of Azazel

Chapter 9

The Kingdom of Hell
Raziel's POV

"Is this the garden?"

Azazel nodded, a serene look on his face as we stared out at the large expanse of greenery. "Wow. How could you manage to make all this in such a small space?"

"Despite what you might think, Hell is never ending and ever expanding. If Lord Lucifer wills it, Hell will grow and shape itself to his liking. All he had to do was expand this area and add the plants."

I listened quietly, staring in awe at the thousands of plants blooming all across the garden. "Are all of these plants from Earth?"

Azazel shook his head. "No, only the one Lord Lucifer brought for Micah. The rest are gifts from the demons. Since they can't go to Earth without permission, they brought various demon plants. Micah didn't seem to care about where the plants came from, though. He loves the entire garden. He and Lord Lucifer will spend hours tending to it."

"Why do you call him 'Lord Lucifer'?"

Azazek glanced at me. "It is a matter of ranking. Though I am a high ranking demon and have earned my title, he is a much higher ranked demon. He is the only one I refer to with a title, seeing as I am his second-in-command."

I nodded. I suppose it was much like out own ranking system. I myself am only a simple angel, but I knew many high ranked archangels, such as Archangel Airick, and Archangel Gabriel. Maybe the demons were a bit more organized than we've given them credit for.

It made me feel guilty, thinking of the rumors and horrid things angels say about Hell. Sure, it wasn't Heaven, but demons probably think the same thing about us. Who are we to judge a place we've only been in for less than a week? The demons live here and like it just fine.

Only one thing really bothered me about Hell. "How do you get over hearing the constant screams of pain from the damned?"

Azazel shrugged. "You get used to it. It's one of those constants that, after a while, you forget it's there." He eyed me. "Kind of like the forever blinding light of God." He teased, smirking.

Though he had practically disowned our friendship, Azazel still continued to show a hospitable attitude towards me. I suppose it was the Queen's doing, but it made me happy he was actually talking to me.

A silence fell over us while we watched the garden, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Azazel glanced at me every so often, his face red. "How... How is your wife?" He finally asked.

I looked at him. Didn't he know? No. He didn't. He left before the whole scandal came out. "She cheated on me and got knocked up by someone else. I'm pretty sure she didn't end up in Heaven."

Azazel's eyes widened. I almost thought he looked happy, but quickly shook it off. "Oh..." He thought for a minute. "If she's here, you could meet her if you wanted to."

He seemed nervous asking, but I wasn't sure why. Instead, I focused on what he had said. I could meet her. But do I want to? Sure, she'd been the person I had wanted to spend my life with, but that was years upon years ago. Somewhere along the way, I'd moved on.

Shaking my head, I answered. "No. I'd rather be here with you."

For once, I could feel Azazel's happiness, even without him smiling. And I never wanted it to fade.