Summon Lyght(29)

"I've put a sort of leash on him to ensure he doesn't stray too far."

"Like a dog?" Miya shook her head. "No offense, Kassie, I know he rescued you and all, but this angel is really… stretching things. He's making some…I mean, hello!" She threw out her arms. "Am I the only person here that finds him a tad unorthodox? No blasphemy intended but he's… Look at him. He's like a screaming Hollywood billboard, for crying out loud." Her lovely cheeks flushed dark and Lesedi could make out the flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat.

The angel's eyes popped with the drop of his jaw. He suddenly pinned Lesedi with a silent plea for help along with perhaps utter shock at Miya's conclusions. Lesedi fought a grin, not wanting to incur the angel's wrath either, but God, this woman was a blast of fresh air.

Lesedi shook his head. "Do not think I will help you. I do quite well enough on my own making females angry."

Miya glared at him as if just by speaking he offered aid to the enemy.

Lyght looked up to the heavens, arms spread wide. "Why the bloody hell can they not just be like our lovely sister Mary, 'do unto me according to thy will.'" He looked at Miya. "It is just as my Brothers warned. Modern human females argue every minor point as if the fate of the world hinges upon the outcome of their debate."

Lesedi felt the sudden urge to dive for cover. The angel seemed to realize the folly of his remark as soon as he closed his mouth and sparkling tension filled the air. The next two minutes should prove interesting as Lyght dealt with the fallout of his… What did Americans call it? Foot-in-mouth disease. Hopefully Miya would not cross the line. Lesedi did not want to risk whatever he might have with her, but he would have to find a way to get her to agree to do her part. Even though he didn't have many details beyond the most basic, he felt certain the Archangels' plan, as Lyght had explained it to him, was true and likely to be humankind's best chance. He felt unsure when it happened, but at some point, Lyght had gained his trust. He needed to do as Lyght bade and he needed Miya to be his partner.

Miya's expression cleared, brows level, mouth thin. The only readable signal of her fury came from her eyes and the slight flaring of her delicate nostrils. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that because what I'd like to tell you right now would likely get me struck the hell down." She turned and marched out to her little glassed-in studio.

Lyght stared after her, mouth open, those fair cheeks flushed, partially folded wings an ugly mud brown. He looked to Lesedi questioningly, waiting for an explanation.

Lesedi widened his eyes and shook his head, tapping his temple, hoping to direct the angel to tune in to his thoughts as he'd done several times before. When the angel seemed to understand, Lesedi began speaking in careful thought-whispers, If we are key players in this power struggle between good and evil as you say, and if this so-called mission's outcome depends on the success of my relationship with Miya, my wisest course is to separate myself from you at this point. Our romance is doomed if I so much as hint to aid you in any known way. Lesedi placed emphasis on the word known.

Judging by the slow concern morphing the angel's face, Lyght received the message loud and clear. Lesedi turned and gave Kassie a courteous nod and raised a brow to Lyght. "I suggest you begin your fence mending here."

He followed after Miya, hoping to calm her. Entering the sun room, he closed the sliding glass door behind him.

She stood with her back to him, head bowed so the ebony silk of her hair cascaded temptingly into an exotic screen hiding her face.

His hands ached to touch, to sweep hair aside and stroke the column of her neck, but the anger that still stiffened her slim form would not welcome his touch. He could wait.

"Are you—"

Tyler ran through the back door with a scream of unmitigated terror bursting from his throat, a tiny bit of gray fluff clutched to his chest.

The young man's cries brought Lyght and Kassie in an instant. Miya and Kassie attempted to comfort him while Lyght placed himself between them and the door, head angled as though listening.

Lesedi looked around Miya's little back yard. He found the brown tufts of an ornamental grass eerily still, in contrast to the plant's natural inclination to constantly sway and shift.

All clumsiness gone in favor of a deadly warrior, Lyght's ominous announcement hit him like a punch. "They're here."

They who? Lesedi discerned some of the words Tyler spoke to the women, the panicked rambling was similar to monsters under the bed or in the closet.

Sudden movement caught his attention. A dark form darted the few yards from one decorative shrub to another and disappeared.