Compilation Of Short Stories
Lilith froze, her hand closing around the stem of a lily as a figure materialized from the light itself.
He was immense, a being of sculpted light and terrifying beauty. Seven magnificent wings the color of fresh-fallen snow unfolded from his back, each feather tipped with a faint, golden radiance. He wore armor of polished platinum that seemed fused to his torso, and his eyes held the chilling, ancient fire of a star. This was Cassiel, Archangel of the Eastern Gate, and his gaze was fixed on her.
“Mortal,” his voice was not loud, but it vibrated in her bones, a resonant chord of divine power. “You trespass where your kind is forbidden.”