Well, she, for one, wasn't going to just sit there and blithely let some con artist take advantage of both Kassie and Lesedi. But she didn't want to say anything to them in front of the child and give him time to tip off his accomplice or mentor or whatever they called it.
Outside the window, a lean form darted across the yard, inspiring her. "Tyler, do you like cats?"
"Yeah, sure. Doesn't everybody?" He tilted his head a little and regarded her with those serious eyes. He might be working a con, but there was no doubt in her mind the kid had been through some bad shit.
"I thought so, but you never know. If you look out the door there, my cat, Fluff, just came up for her breakfast. Think you could feed her for me?" She silently thanked the stray for coming early to get its daily snack. She was the perfect distraction for the boy.
"Sure!" Tyler hopped off the couch with a huge grin. "Can I pet her?"
Miya shrugged, trying for nonchalant. "Maybe. She's pretty shy though. Let her eat first while you stay nearby but out of reach. Let her learn to trust you just a bit before you ask, then move slowly and talk to her gently." Hopefully the skittish creature would have one of its rare social moments and keep Tyler occupied for a few minutes.
After she told him where to find the cat food, he nearly danced off to do the little chore, his excitement bringing a flush to his pale cheeks.
Miya waited until he was safely out of earshot before saying anything else. "How well do either of you know Tyler or that guy?"
Lesedi's brow furrowed but Kassie was the one to speak. "Why? Is something wrong?"
Miya sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was mess things up for Kassie with the guy, but she couldn't sit by and watch her be taken advantage of. She shook her head. "Nothing specific that I can point to. I just have a feeling he's up to something. Like he has some ulterior motive for showing up here."
Kassie stood, scowling. "Honey, you better rethink that. Lyght came and carried Tyler and me out of the middle of Hell. I was gang raped, nothing fake about that, and poor little Tyler was next in line. There's things about him you don't know and it's not my place to tell, but I promise you, he couldn't be further from what you're thinking." She sat back down. "I don't want to hear any more making him seem like a criminal."
"Thank you Kassie. I appreciate your trust." Lyght strode in from the guest room. "Miya, I understand your misgivings. You caution is wise. But I'm not what you've been thinking. Can we all sit, please, so I can explain why I'm here."
His commanding demeanor rubbed Miya the wrong way, but she nodded and sat on the couch between Lesedi and Kassie. The least she could do was listen, especially if he'd actually saved Kassie and Tyler.
"First of all, Kassie and Lesedi already know this part, but I need you to understand it as well. I am not a human." He paused for a second and Miya couldn't contain her snort of derision. "I am an archangel, on Earth as part of a mission of monumental importance to save mankind from evil."
Holy fuck, he wasn't a just a con, he was a kook. Miya's blood boiled. Religious nuts were her pet peeve. "Riigghhht. You and every other crack-pot in the country."
An odd sound, like a crystal chandelier being violently shaken, erupted and blinding rays of light surrounded him as part of some massive construction just at his back. She looked closer. Wings? How the hell did he managed that one?
With more crystalline tinkling, he lifted the wings and spread them. Tip to tip, they spanned her entire living room in a magnificent display of what looked like crystal and refracted light.
"They're diamond." He folded the wings and turned before spreading them again for her to inspect the point of attachment to his back.
A low level of trembling set up in Miya's frame as she studied them. They certainly seemed real. She couldn't find any signs of fakery, no matter how she looked. The oddest question found its way out. "Diamond? Why?"
The…man lowered the wings and turned back around. "Not exactly the earthly diamond you're familiar with. My Commander, Uriel, constructed armor for all the Brothers, using supernatural gems."
She didn't hear anything after the word 'Brothers'. "There are more like you?"
"Yes." He grinned a little. "Twelve archangels make up the Brotherhood of War under Uriel's command." His expression went serious. "Now, the mission, and your part in it." Those massive wings lowered a little in a tinkling racket. "We've learned of a new tactic Satan is using to turn people away from God. And his demons have created genetically engineered creatures, monsters, to further his plot. I and my Brothers have been sent to deal with it."