Page 189 of Terror at the Gates

Wings.

Bony, membranouswings.

I understood what I was seeing, but I couldn’t comprehend it.

Wings. Attached to my body.

It was impossible.

The only creatures with wings were angels, and they were not like this.

I tried to tighten my grip and pulled harder, thinking that maybe I could remove them with enough force, but my fingers slipped.

“Don’t, Lilith,” Zahariev said, snatching my hands away. I held his unwavering gaze, torn between relief and horroras he whispered, “I’ve got you.”

My eyes filled with tears. Another second, and I would have collapsed in his arms, but I didn’t get the chance. A loud boom kept us apart, focused on whatever was happening outside the temple. Then, the ground began to tremble, and I heard Cassius yell down the stairwell.

“I don’t fucking believe it,” he said, racing into the room. He was wide-eyed and breathless. “The statues. The watchers. They’re fucking real. There are archangels in our city.”