The Heavenly Hierarchy – There 9 celestial orders or choirs:

Highest Triad:  Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones

Middle Triad:  Dominations, Virtues, and Powers

Lowest Triad:  Principalities, Archangels and Angels

Since Cam-ael, the hero in Celestial Sin is an angel of the Order of the Powers, I thought it would be fun to share some information about these angels, alternately referred to as Dynamis, Potentiates and Authorities.  The Powers were the first angels created and patrol the perilous border between First and Second Heavens, resisting the efforts of Demons to take control of the World.  In the Book of Enoch, the prophet says that the fallen angels are imprisoned in Second Heaven.  So their job must be risky indeed.  I wonder if they get hazard pay.

First Heaven (Shamayim) is the lowest and closest to earth.  Raphael presides over Second Heaven (Raquia).  If this is where the fallen angels are imprisoned, given their antics on earth, we can reasonably assume, it isn’t a maximum security prison.

The Powers appear to be both good and bad, being in charge of the Soul, as we all know a real battleground of good and evil!  They are skilled at balancing and recognizing opposites.

In angelic lore, Cam-ael is chief of the order.  His name means “he who sees God”, and he is said to be one of the favored who stand in the Presence.  But in his darker incarnation, Cam-ael is also a Duke of Hell with the body of a leopard.  In the occult, he is the ruler of the Mars, the Planet of War.

Of the fallen angels, the greatest number seems to come from the Powers though the most famous fallen angels are the Grigori, those angels who fell because they took mortal wives and sired the gigantic Nephilim.  Their story has been popularized in several books and a TV show, The Fallen.  Perhaps, the reason the Powers are more subject to temptation is that they have dominion over the soul and identify too closely with the human.

In Celestial Sin, I didn’t use Cam-ael’s darker side, preferring him to be a good angel who succumbs to the persuasion of lust and love.

In the story, Cam-ael is a warrior angel, wounded in the Second War in Heaven, occasioned when the loyal angels feel betrayed, and the Fallen see an opportunity to invade.  Not only does the war stand in his way, but he is forbidden to feel physical longings and to fall in love with a mortal woman.

An interesting aside, angels were considered sexless and above reproach, so how to explain Genesis 6, where the Sons of God saw the Daughters of Man and took wives from among them.  In the 13^th century, the Bishop of Paris offered a solution—that there were actually ten orders of angels and it was this tenth order who fell.

Enough talk about angels!  Let’s talk about prizes.  Commenters will be entered to win a coffee mug featuring the sexy cover of my erotic novella about a master horseman, a Virginia socialite and the Andalusian horse, Hot Spanish Nights. 

Following are a blurb and excerpt from Celestial Sin, to be released May 20, from The Wilder Catalog of The Wild Rose Press.  Also, please visit Bianca’s blog for a free erotic story with a twist at the end or maybe that’s a twisted ending as well as an excerpt and trailer for Hot Spanish Nights.

Blurb:

Early on, Essie McBane set her standards high and waited for true love. She never expected the answer to her prayer to literally fall from heaven in the shape of a warrior angel with chestnut curls and a celestial body. As much as she’d love to teach the divine creature a thing or two about sex and lust, can she be responsible for leading him into temptation?  

Excerpt:

Whoa, Essie, he’s an angel and a lot younger than you.His feathers rustled as he unbuckled the fastenings under his arms and bent to place the armor on the floor. What did his ass, hidden by sleek white wings, look like? My, my, he was just too much for a girl to resist. She gave in to temptation, stroked the shiny, soft feathers. He backed into the caress, and a long sigh escaped him.“That feels incredible.” His voice came husky, and butterflies hatched in her stomach.It had been a long time since she’d felt belly tugs or the fire of passion licking through her, but when she touched him, the world as she’d known it ceased to exist. He untied the leather tunic and stepped out of it. His wings drooped. He swayed on his feet. She felt guilty as hell, lusting after an angel too weak to stand.Shakily, he turned to face her. Ginger hair spattered his chest, drew a thin line down his stomach, disappearing in the V-neck of the robe he wore beneath his armor. The loose shirt was thigh-length. The fabric appeared to be linen but with a subtle sheen.

“I’m afraid I can’t remove this.” He lifted a fold of the toga, giving her a tempting glimpse of his upper thigh, very near his cock. “I’m wearing nothing beneath.”

Trailer:

 

Buy Link:  Celestial Sin