The angel trembles a little at the approach of the tall man and ducks his face down to hide his face in the back of Paul's shoulder. He has reason to fear all men. He has reason to dislike all men. Men were the ones who molded him with such an unkind hand after all. It was one thing to meet Paul's father in a tomb and another in a place that feels very real.

He knows he should show deference to Paul's father, an important man in the universe and even more to the boy he loves. So he forces himself to raise his head and look upwards into those steel gray eyes, peeking out from behind Paul like a fawn in the underbrush.