‘What the hell happened last night?’ William grabbed my arm, yanked me into his office and shut the door behind me.
We were alone. A young lad had just left. I swallowed, my eyes stretching open when he slung off his jacket, undid the buttons on his shirt and ripped it off.
‘William, I’m not sure…’
I stopped speaking when he bent forward. He grunted as his shoulder blades moved and the skin broke open. White feathered wings burst from his back, sending the paperwork on the desk flying when he stretched them.
‘What are you doing?’ I hissed, crouching to the floor and gathering the papers.
He moaned again as he rolled his shoulders. The wings took up most of the office. If the lad came in now, he would-
The knock on the door made us both freeze.
‘One moment,’ William called. ‘I couldn’t help it,’ he said to me. ‘They kept pushing against my back as if they needed to be released.’
I picked up his shirt and jacket as he closed his eyes. ‘I can’t pull them back in!’ he exclaimed.
The lead angel had never looked so flustered before.
‘It’s okay. Keep calm and concentrate,’ I whispered, putting a hand on his bare arm.
His masculine form was impressive. He held himself differently to the other Perfects. Not only was he powerful, he was graceful, too.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. His wings started to shudder as they were pulled back into his shoulder blades.
The knock on the door sounded again. Was it the lad? Or someone else?
‘Here.’ I shoved his clothes at him.
He nodded his thanks as he pulled them on, doing up the buttons quickly. Moving the interview chair back to where it had been, I sat down as William opened the door.
‘Sorry, Jason,’ William said as the young lad came in.
He eyed us both, frowning as he made his way to a seat in the corner of the room. Was William training him? He was too young to be an official.
‘Melissa, this is Jason.’ William introduced us.
I hid the shock behind a greeting. Jason smiled crookedly. He was only a teenager. How could he be the one to save the city?
‘Did I interrupt something?’ He glanced between us.
I didn’t allow his words to embarrass me. Neither did William. He chuckled as he lowered himself into his chair, refusing to elaborate. Instead, he opened a file and pretended to read my papers.
‘Melissa, it says here that you’ve worked at the social services department for five years while studying.’ William was very business-like. It was odd to see him so formal in front of the Perfects.
‘There’s a social services department?’ Jason said.
My mouth moved as I tried to stifle a smile. He was our boy. The light in his eyes flared when he looked at me. Recognition, maybe? Deep deep down?
‘I can’t believe that. No one cares what happens to…anyone. Unless it’s the test department. Did you work there?’ Jason finished.
William’s mouth gaped slightly. Not enough for Jason to notice but I knew the man well.
‘Yes. I made sure the transitions were handled fairly.’ I put on my best Perfect voice, making sure to keep my nose pointed up slightly. Just like the other Perfect women when they spoke to someone they deemed below them.
‘I hear you had an interesting experience last night,’ William said through his teeth.
My fake laugh echoed around the room. The others stared at me. The laugh turned real when I saw the blank expression on their faces.
‘Is there something wrong?’ Jason asked.
He spoke a lot for a lad in training. I wasn’t sure if William should give him so much power.
‘Shush!’ The new leader of the government must have read my mind. ‘Go and get us a hot drink please, Jason.’
I smirked as the boy grabbed his boss’s mug and left, muttering to himself.
‘You give-’
‘You’re crazy-’
We came to a halt as we both spoke at the same time. William clenched his hands before gesturing for me to go on.
‘You give him too much power. Why are you allowing him to speak to me?’
I brushed the arm of my jacket to get rid of invisible dust.
‘Very good. You sound like a Perfect. However, don’t forget who you are.’ He hissed the last part of the sentence as he leant over his desk.
I coughed, glaring around at the plush office. ‘Likewise.’
He let the air out of his lungs in a long slow breath. I sat back in my seat, crossing my legs at the knees.
‘Look at us! We’re already embodying our fellow Perfects…perfectly.’
My shoulders sagged as I remembered why we were there. He was right. I had only spent a few days around the Perfects but their energy affected me.
‘We need to make a regular habit of meeting in the woods. Nothing can stop us from achieving our goal. We have to clear our energy daily. If we do it together, it will be more powerful.’
I nodded, feeling a sudden pressure in the corners of my eyes.
‘What is it?’ He reached out to my take my hand.
I sat there, my eyes blinking as water filled them. Was I crying? This was what it felt like to cry?
‘I’ve not seen anyone cry, yet. It makes me want to help you,’ William said softly.
I chuckled quietly, wiping the tears from my cheeks. ‘Thank you.’
He smiled, rubbing my hand in his. ‘I need to clear your application with Catherine but you know you’ve got the job, right? How did you win over the chancellor?’
Giggling, I sniffed and released my hand to straighten myself before Jason came back.
‘I have no idea. Although, I have a feeling I’m going to be rejecting his advances for a while,’ I said. ‘What about Jason? How is he here?’
William grinned, sitting back in his chair. ‘I’m good. I managed to persuade his parents to let me hire him.’
The door opened.
‘Tonight, Melissa. In the woods.’
I nodded as I got to my feet. Jason frowned as he placed the mugs on the desk.
‘Our interview is over. Melissa, I’ll be in contact.’
Shaking William’s hand, I nodded politely. When I went to go, I stopped in front of Jason, offering my hand to him.
‘I’m sorry but I don’t know where that hand has been,’ he said.
William spluttered his tea, sending it flying everywhere. My mouth gaped open as I stared at the apparent half angel.
‘Excuse me?’ I finally blurted.
He shrugged his shoulders, a little grin on his face. ‘Well, William’s shirt is done up all wrong and it wasn’t before you came in.’
Glancing at William as he burst out laughing, I turned on my heels and stalked out the room. So what if my cheeks were bright red? I had never been so embarrassed in my whole human days.