THOUGH SHE KNEW HE was the devil, in the saturated orange of the dying sun he looked innocent for a second, like someone made out of dreams and honey instead of nightmares and screams. The shadows clung to him, his hair, his black suit, but his eyes were so sharply red that there was no mistaking him for something else. She offered him a wide smile, the effect of whatever it had been Daichi had given her sipping through her carefully crafted mask. It wasn't often she showed any semblance of real emotion and she hadn't been planning on doing so with the sins either. Still, apparently there was no escaping her husband-to-be. As he leaned forward from his position on the windowsill though, she wondered for a moment if she even wanted to escape him.

"I thought you were going?" she drawled.

"I was," he said," but I sensed something was going on with you, so I returned to check up on you."

"How kind," she said softly," the great and mighty devil has a heart after all."

She had expected that to get a reaction out of him, but all he did was slip off the windowsill and walk over to her, the light seeming to be sucked out of the room everywhere he passed. When he crouched down in front of her, she couldn't help but stare at him.

"You are so intriguing," he murmured," I haven't felt any excitement these past decennia, but you, you make my heart beat."

"I do tend to have that effect on people," she said.

"You do indeed," he said, taking her hand in his and placing it against his lips," which is why I think you'll be a great queen."

The place his lips touched was set aflame, but in a way so soft it reminded her of warm summer days. She closed her eyes for a moment, the buzz of alcohol through her veins somehow seeming to become stronger in his presence, instead of fading away. When she opened them again, all she saw in his eyes was herself.

"What has caused you to be this cheesy?" she said, taking her hand out of his to graze it against his cheek.

He leaned in to her touch, the red in his eyes dimming to something softer, and flashed her a charming smile.

"Don't call me cheesy now," he said," I still have a reputation to maintain."

"So do I," she said, tipping her head back to lean it against the door behind her," it's why I'm up here right now."

"I see it in everything you do, Jasmina," the devil said, eyes lingering on her bared neck before they settled on her face," we are cut from the same cloth, you and I."

"That better be expensive cloth you're talking about," she said, stars dancing before her eyes.

"It is," he chuckled," divine, even. I already was hoping you'd be different when I chose you out of all the other souls, with your past and your parents. I'm just glad I was right."

"What about my parents?" she said," because if you're looking for a girl with daddy issues, I have to refuse. I'm not into that."

He placed his hand on the back of her head then, thumb brushing against her neck as he pushed her forward gently, so she was forced to look back at him.

"No worries," he grinned," I have enough daddy issues for the two of us. God really isn't the best father, believe me or not."

"God?" she frowned, before parting her lips," ah, right." She sat upright then, eyes curious. "Does that mean you're a fallen angel as well? Not sure what to think of as myth or truth anymore."

Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone before she could place it, his charming smile and smooth words back into place as he nodded his head.

"It's true," he said," but I suppose that isn't hard to believe. I do look angelic after all, don't I?"

"Beauty doesn't equal innocence," she said lazily," no matter how much the world thinks it does. You know this better than I do."

He looked almost enamored then as he glanced at her, a wide smile starting to spread on his face. "Innocence is overrated anyway," he said," it only gives heartbreak and grief. I'm not up for either."

"You don't think this can end in heartbreak?" she questioned.

"Nothing can end in heartbreak when we both don't have a heart, right?" he smiled cheekily.

"You're right there," she chuckled.

As she glanced at the ceiling, she thought of her parents of a moment, before realizing she had trouble remembering her father's face. At least her mother pretended to care at times, but the last time she had seen her father must have been years ago. To say she was saddened by it would be a lie, but she supposed she didn't know any better in the end. Having them in her life would just be an unwelcome surprise at this point.

With a shake of her head she cleared those thoughts out of her mind, instead glancing back at him. "So you are an angel?"

"Were," he corrected her," but yeah, with the wings and all. That is until God decided I wasn't the ideal son anymore. Heaven tolerates no wrong, that I learned the hard way."

"Then you're not missing out," she said," places that tolerate no wrong also don't celebrate any right. Why would you want to be somewhere like that anyway?"

He blinked, before laughter tumbled down his lips, the wind around them forming a small storm, circling and tugging gently at her hair, a fresh breeze in her face. When his amusement settled, so did it, her hair falling back on her shoulders, though it was tousled now. She raised an eyebrow at him and he gave her a guilty glance.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said," I'll fix it."

He clumsily tried to get her hair back in her usual style again with his hands then, though he only succeeded in messing it up further. Normally she would've scolded him for it, but she was in too good a mood to really feel anything negative at the moment. He narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion, as if he was sure she would slap him randomly.

"You are very drunk," he stated.

"Why?" she said amusedly.

"Well, you must be," he said," you care too much about your hair to allow this."

"Look," she teased," you already know me so well."

"I know you better than you think, Jasmina," he said, a small smile playing on his lips," I've seen everything, your past, your future. Now I'm involved in it it has become too cloudy for me to see more, but I always liked surprises anyway."

"I expect you to know all my pet peeves then," she said," try to not do them, I get annoyed quickly."

"Whatever you say, my queen," he said," though I can't promise not being annoying. I'm the devil, that's practically my job description."

"What job description?" she laughed," we both know you just do whatever and hope for the best."

It felt weird to be so relaxed, like she was a stranger in her own body. Her posture wasn't as straight as it should be, her shoulders weren't pushed back and her face not set in it's usual bored expression, but there was no one to condone her for it now. She loved the way she carried herself though, even if other people had forced it on her. It may not have been hers in the beginning, but it was now. She supposed this was a nice change of pace for once though, so she didn't try to lace her voice with venom, instead shaking her head at him.

"Try not to get used to this nice me," she said.

"No worries," he said," I like all sides of you."

He sweeped her off the floor then, carrying her bridal style before she could even protest. Not like she would, she didn't mind being carried. Walking always had been a bore anyway. She did raise an eyebrow at him though, a question in her eyes.

"You are tired," he said," and drunk. I'll let you sleep."

"If you use some sleeping magic on me –" she began.

"Yeah, I know," he said," you won't like it."

"No," she said, placing a hand on his lips," and don't interrupt me. I want to choose my dream if you do."

He gently placed his teeth on her finger then and she raised her eyebrows, causing him to chuckle and pull back.

"I'll save that for a later stage, I guess," he said.

"No, go ahead," she said.

He laughed then and spun around, her room a haze of white and crimson, the window offering a sight of the stars, now a blur. She wondered how long he had been sitting there for it to be night already, though it honestly felt like hardly any time had passed at all. When he stopped spinning she had to close her eyes to stop herself from feeling dizzy, voice dissatisfied.

"Why do you keep messing up my hair?" she said.

"Nothing wrong with some tangles," he said as he gently placed her on the bed, hand stroking her locks.

She scowled at him, but all he did was smile and tuck her in, already turning around towards the window.

"What?" she said," you're not even going to give a goodbye?"

His lips parted, but she waved it off with a hand. "I was kidding, go off and work then, dear devil. Still, I just want to know one thing."

He paused by the windowsill, looking over his shoulder at her.

"And what is that, my queen?"

She glanced at him, her soon to be husband, and smiled.

"What is your name?"

His lips curled up in a smirk then and he sat down on the windowsill, eyes sparkling like light glittering on a stormy ocean.

"It's Azriel."

A moment later he let himself fall back in the night, disappearing in the shadows, and sleep embraced her.

She dreamt about him that night.