William
I watched her go through the portal, my heart pounding. The weight of what I just did was pressing down on my shoulders and I sagged beneath its weight. I was tempted to never return to this location; she would never know where I went. Maybe she would think I died or that I was overworked. Humans had been breeding more than they ever had in the past; it was a perfectly feasible lie.
I couldn't do that to her, though. I was honestly enjoying our meetings.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling loudly. "Fuck, I chose the wrong girl to..."
I paused. To what? Have feelings for? It wasn't love, I knew that much. I'd seen the way Tobias worked and this was in no way that. I didn't think it was possible for Angels and demons to get along with each other, let alone have feelings for one another. We were like cats and dogs.
Melanie and I should have been repelled by the other. I was. She wasn't. She was interested in me the moment we met; I could see the intrigue in her eyes, mingling with her fear. I had few dealings with demons but the ones I faced were vile, shady creatures and certainly did not look at an Angel with curiosity. They couldn't even speak.
Not like her.
It was so easy to please her and she was just too trusting. She fell asleep one time, her head not quite on my arm, and didn't stir for an hour. It would have been so easy to get rid of her. Every time I was near her I thought of a hundred different ways to kill her.
Yet, I didn't.
Shaking my head, I spread my wings, the muscles in them stretching as I did so. They had been retracted for a while; I preferred to walk when I was in the Human World. With a couple powerful beats, I was in the air.
I loved to fly. The feel of the wind under my wings, the speed I could achieve. The beauty of the setting sun or the morning dawn as I flew back and forth to Heaven and the Human World. When I learned demons possessed no wings I was horrified as well as repulsed. I almost felt sorry for them for they would never experience the joy of flight.
It was cold, flying through the atmosphere. I dreaded the flight back to Heaven, but it was always well worth it. A flock of geese flew under me, honking loudly at each other. They disappeared in the clouds as I sailed higher.
The large, gold gates appeared and beyond them I could see the Palace. I landed in front of the gate and closed my wings, but did not retract them back into my body. The guards waiting at the gate bowed their heads when I neared and opened the gate for me.
"Archangel Taylor." They greeted.
Most angels, like humans, had brown or black hair. The Thioren and Taylor families were the exceptions to the rule. The Thioren's possessed platinum blonde to white hair and white or yellow eyes. They were the family the Angel of Death came from. The Taylor family, my family, all had red hair and eyes of varying shades. We were the Angel of Life and, because I had no siblings, I inherited that title after my father decided to step down.
Luke and I lived near each other in our own rooms, separate from our families' houses. Though we didn't regularly interact with each other, we were quite close, like our fathers before us. We had been closer when I was growing up; cooperation between Life and Death was key in order for balance to be maintained. There could never be more deaths than births and vice versa.
Usually, I could find Luke in the gardens with God. The two were close friends. I wasn't that fond of the gardens but I needed to ask God's permission to have my own house in the Human World.
I entered the palace, my boots clicking on the tiled floors as I walked. I always found it funny Melanie rarely wore shoes. Even when she came to the Human World during autumn, she would wear socks. She didn't care if they got dirty.
"Hell is always warm. There is no point in wearing socks there. I just got them for the sole purpose of going to the Human World when it is colder." She had said when I asked.
Sometimes, I wondered if it was because she couldn't afford shoes. I would question if she lied to me about her standing since there was no proof of her being an Optima other than her word. I just knew that she had never been a human.
After ambling through several large corridors, I turned left to where the gardens began. There was a large white tree Luke liked to sit under and read on the left side. God liked that tree, too. He would read to anyone who'd care to listen on a regular basis.
I walked on the gravel path, the flowers lining it blowing in the wind. The tree loomed over everything in the garden and I could just barely make out two white heads blending in with its trunk.
God's real name was Joel. He preferred to be called that than "God." When not in His presence, we all called Him by His label. I didn't know how He came to be God, but He had been it since I was born. Some of the older Angels often talked about how He seemed to "fall from the sky", which was ridiculous because nothing was higher than Heaven. There were even some Angels who feared Him, though Joel never gave them a reason to. He was very gentle.
"Will." Luke looked over at me as I neared, his gas mask for once not covering his face. It was hanging at the side of his head.
I grinned at him, dropping to a knee when I was in front of him and Joel. "My Lord."
Joel smiled and said, "Rise, William. You know you do not need to bow to me."
"You are my Lord; it's my honor to bow my head before You." I answered, straightening back up.
"Are you joining us for one of our conversations?" He gestured to the empty patch of grass beside Him, inviting me to sit at His side.
"Yes, perhaps you might learn something." Luke teased, a gentle smile tugging at his mouth.
I hated to learn; sitting in one spot was boring to me. I sometimes wondered how I could sit for a couple hours at the same place on a weekly basis to speak with Melanie. And Joel and Luke weren't exactly the liveliest guys; they were so soft-spoken I was amazed when I discovered their discussions occasionally got heated.
"Sadly, no. I have come to ask a favor, Joel." I redirected my attention back to Joel.
He blinked His eyes in slight surprise. "Oh? It is not often you come for a favor. What is it I can do for you, William?"
"I would like a house built for me in the Human World." I requested as humbly as I could.
Luke raised a colorless eyebrow. "What could you do with a house there? Your home is here."
"Now, now, Lucas. Some angels like to...get away. Tobias has his own garden in the Human World and Shay has her aquarium. William clearly wishes to have his own space." Joel replied.
Though Joel had defended me, I answered Luke, if not a little defensively, "Sometimes my work takes days at a time and it's a pain in the neck to fly back and forth. If I had a place in the Human World I could just stay there until my workload decreases so I can come here long enough to get a decent meal."
I could feel Joel's eyes on me and I looked back at Him. He seemed to be scrutinizing me and there was a flicker of realization in His eyes. What He realized, I didn't know, but I felt my heart drop.
"I will grant your wish, William. In return, it is expected of you to maintain it. If you do not take care of it, I will take it away and give it to another who can." He finally said, His face giving nothing away.
I swallowed and bowed my head. "Thank you, My Lord. I will not waste Your gift. I will let the two of you get back to your reading."
I lifted my head up and turned on my heel to leave the garden. I could feel Joel's eyes on me and all I could wonder was:
"If He does know, why is He humoring me?"
ns 15.158.61.51da2
