But he was rather flattered. Should he be? Was that the proper reaction? He didn't like not knowing. He was curious too. What else might she want to do to him? Because though she was confused, her feelings about him had not been muddled. She was very pleased. Although he knew by human standards he was… Damn, what was that human term? It meant good on the eyes, appealing. Yes, handsome. Even though he was handsome, and she had noticed, his appearance seemed to have little bearing on her emotions.
But how would she feel when he revealed the depth of his business with her? She'd been through a terrific ordeal and as she'd already pointed out, the human mind could only take so much before it sought refuge in insanity. He would have to use care that his revelation didn't push her off some invisible precipice. And he would have to do it quickly, since judging by his couple's progress, he may be forming his warrior before morning. When the energy exchange occurred, he would be forced to tell her, if he hadn't already. And no doubt, then he would find out how she felt.
As he contemplated the exchange process and the birth of his warrior, Lyght carefully examined the mysterious reaction that came when he contemplated being part human. It wasn't fear. Or excitement. He supposed it could be both. It was difficult to be sure since either one of those were an oddity to him.
Before he could prevent it, the memory following her sweet kiss slammed his nerve endings with a brutal fury. His fists balled as he struggled not to feel the pain those pieces of shit inflicted on her. He didn't fear the pain, and if his sharing it that way could make things easier for her, he would suffer it gladly. But experiencing it second-hand almost felt like it minimized the magnitude of her survival, and to him, that was almost as much a violation as the brutal rape.
At least he'd been able to give her a bit of immediate justice. Perhaps that might provide some small comfort. Pulling the testicles off those humans would have been a nice added touch to their punishment. What was he thinking? He could still do it. He just needed the proper time. Surely he could arrange it. The pain it would bring those men would in fact aid in the repentance process.
Well that settled it. He would certainly not deny them or himself such a wondrous blessing. To let such an opportunity pass unfulfilled would be a sin nearly as monumental as what they had committed.
Lyght reached across the car and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, imparting another small dose of soothing peace and comfort. She leaned her cheek on him and the unfamiliar and intimate sensation of her sucking in his power with hunger sped his heart up. Was that what it felt like to provide for the needs of one's mate?
He hoped it was natural and right to put his arm around both Kassie and the boy. She snuggled close to his body and Lyght pulled them both in more, wanting…No, needing.... What did he –an angel—actually need? A few seconds of pondering made him realize he needed to take care of her. Comfort her. Protect her.
He supposed that was rather right on track for an angel. Nothing new. Except he didn't recall such a thing feeling so…good before. Those duties were always automatic, just something he did, with no real emotion attached. Satisfying, yes, and sometimes exhilarating, never boring, but the current cell-level pleasure was entirely new. Perhaps Earth's atmosphere or the close human proximity might explain such a breed of emotion. Or could it be his need as a male to ensure the well-being of his female? Was it too early to feel those things?
Hadn't Toren experienced similar effects with his female? Only more suffering than enjoyment, from what Lyght had gathered. He didn't understand that part. Perhaps Toren's mercurial properties connected in a negative context with his environment and changed his perception. Lyght certainly wasn't experiencing anything unpleasant, to be sure. Thank Father for that.
"This is it, and it isn't much."
Lyght turned his attention to the female human. Miya. He'd need to get with her guardian at first chance to learn all he could. As well as Lesedi's. Lyght was a rather large fan of irony and grinned at the fact that his female's name meant temple and his male's meant light. Damn bloody perfect.
****
Lesedi found it difficult to be concerned with anything but Miya. Unaccountably, she had grown far too important to him in far too short a time. Yes, the strange man at the diner who introduced himself as an angel of light or something similarly preposterous should warrant his immediate attention, given that people who proclaimed supernatural status possessed an alarming tendency toward insanity, but for the life of him he could not bring himself to fret over the stranger. Each time he tried, silly feelings assaulted him, like he was attempting to fear his sweet grandmother.
The man may have been odd but he reeked of harmlessness. As his life demanded, Lesedi had honed his instincts long enough to feel confident about their accuracy. Which left him to ponder a very tormenting issue. The need to feel Miya's lips again. They were small under his, supple silk with a faint trace of her mint. Warm and generous. Like the rest of her.
She made it abundantly clear to him that she wanted to show her gratitude for his intervention in what promised to become a very ugly situation. And how she wanted to show it. Scruples aside, who was he to deny her? Of course he would make sure she was the one that went away properly paid. The things he hadn't dreamt of doing to her. To see her in the throes of passion would be payment enough, his own satisfaction be damned.
His behavior at that point in time was borderline foolish, given the entire situation. He should be getting the hell out of the miserable little town. And he would. As soon as he ensured Miya was settled into her home and made sure she was safe from that baboon's ass of a man who accosted her at the diner, then he would go. After he had her. The stranger could take it from there and keep her safe.
Lesedi pulled up at her home, cursing the habit that insisted he back the car in ready for a quick departure and scoped the area, noting it appeared to be the edge of town. His gaze honed in on Miya's hips as she ascended the steps of her humble cottage, feeling like his gallant intentions were tethered by testosterone. The sexy sway of her hips had him immediately hard and he was grateful for the cover of dark jeans and a night sky as he hurried to join the group huddled at her door.
That was what he got for attempting to play a holy man for his family. He should be at home, taking care of a wife of his own, rather than in a strange place lusting after a woman he would probably never see again.
Lesedi followed the others in, ducking to clear the pre-standardized-construction doorway. The scent of mint and eucalyptus filled his nostrils along with the faint smell of bacon. He drew in a deep breath, his body seeming to devour the welcoming combination. Wooden walls the color of honey gave off warmth in the sparsely furnished, and delicately sized home. The living room held a tweed sofa and a rocking chair that may have been hewn straight from a tree for all its bulky crookedness. He eyed a Bible atop a literal tree stump next to the rocking chair, and judging by its lumpy thickness, he was pretty sure it wasn't just for appearances.
Straight ahead a shoe box sized kitchen adjoined the tiny sitting area. It reminded him of the doll house he'd once seen in an American magazine one Christmas in his childhood. The dainty kitchen chairs that looked to be made of white worn tooth pics would certainly break under his mass. Lesedi found himself oddly impressed with the décor. It seemed to be plucked straight from nature. From the flowers in softly colored earthenware crocks on every flat surface, to the clusters of blossoms and greenery hanging on the walls in one artistically twisted fashion or another. Something inside him tugged, a familiar longing of…memories, maybe from long ago. Perhaps when things were simple, and money and power did not yet exist in his mind and world.
He turned his head to the right, getting a whiff of soft lilac soap. A tiny bathroom lay beyond a rough plank door that stood ajar hinting at where the scent may have originated. Beyond that he glimpsed a bed neatly made with a pale yellow bedspread and matching curtains.
"I'll put on coffee and tea then draw a bath for Tyler." She aimed
a compassionate gaze at the young boy. "A nice warm bath will have him good as new."
The tender lilt in her voice tingled through Lesedi. Memories of her warm mouth assaulted him just as she met his gaze. Her eyes lowered and she hurried toward him, making Lesedi brace for some sort of impact.
"Oh my goodness, your hand." She lifted it and examined the bloody oozing knuckles he had not even noticed. Lesedi lost himself in the feel of her touch and the sound of her voice. "I have just the thing to fix that right up."
His heart sputtered as she tugged him to the bathroom and pulled him inside. He ducked to clear the low frame and watched her shut the door. The second she did, his testosterone hit a dangerous level. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she'd just closed herself in with a man on fire with needs too long unmet.
She rummaged through a small cabinet next to a claw foot tub. His eyes landed on lacy undergarments the second she seemed to remember they were there.
"Oh shoot!" She yanked the shower curtain closed and turned to him with flushed cheeks and a small bottle of something. "Sorry." The silky word got Lesedi hard as a rock. She cleared her throat and came right up to him like a fearless warrior. "This might sting a little but I don't imagine it'll bother a man like you."
He watched her dab some of the liquid onto a cotton ball and then touch it gently to the gash on his knuckle. "A man like me?"
She looked up at him and his pulse exploded in his ears with awe of her beauty in passion. It filled her eyes even though she no doubt thought she hid it well. She chewed her lower lip briefly and hunger hit his groin with a fury when her pink tongue swept it nervously. "I just meant…cause…well you're um…"
"Does my color scare you?"
Her dark gaze jerked up to his, wide and innocent. She shook her head. "No, not…not at all…"
Lesedi listened with anticipation as she softly stuttered out her thoughts, not daring to interrupt the arousing sound.
"…I think…" She lowered her head as though she couldn't bring herself to say the words.
"Don't stop." Lesedi whispered the words in an effort to keep his deep voice low.
"Might sound dumb because you're a man but…I think you're…" She shrugged a shoulder and tucked hair behind her ear nervously, "beautiful."
Despite his determination to not be offended or concerned by her response, Lesedi couldn't stop his laughter. It was the very last thing in the world he expected to exit those beautiful lips. Nobody had ever called him that before. Especially not a white person, and certainly not a white woman.
She looked up at him, worry pinching her perfect brows. "I don't mean it in a…"
Hunger to sooth her fears blinded him and he lowered his mouth to hers and groaned as she opened. Eager and ready, she held on to his shoulders and moaned softly as he pulled her body tight against his, one hand pressing her soft curves right onto his excruciating hard on.
The BANG! BANG! BANG! on the bathroom door felt like blows to his head they were so loud. "Yes!" He growled.
"I need to speak with you. Now."
Lesedi recognized the white man's voice but not the cutting edge in it. What was his problem?
Lesedi bristled with annoyance. "Can it wait?"
"Positively not."
That insolent bastard. "I'll be there in a minute."
"You'll be here now, or I'm opening the door, mate."
Mate?
"Go!" Miya whispered. She pushed out of his arms and shooed him toward the door. "I'll draw the boy's bath."
Lesedi nodded, his gaze lowering to burn the image of her arousal into his brain. Her nipples strained through the blouse of her uniform, slamming his groin with heat. The realization that her bra was thin and flimsy had him furious with the stranger for depriving him from discovering whether it was also transparent in that very instant.
"Later."
She nodded and smiled, her cheeks turning red before turning to the tub and busying herself.
Chapter Five
The white man presented a monumental nuisance, but it was impossible to focus on while being practically carried one-handed by him into the bedroom. Miya's bedroom, Lesedi realized.
The man released his grip unceremoniously, disrupting Lesedi's balance, and gestured to the bed. "Sit."
Impaled by the stranger's freaky contact lens-covered gaze, Lesedi complied. His body obeyed even as his mind said who in the fuck did he think he was talking to? and what sort of balls did he have to back this arrogance up? Diamond ones?
Lesedi eyed him with curiosity, more than slightly put off by the man's stare. How could he have overlooked that attire? Brilliant white pants and a snug long-sleeved white shirt emphasized the immaculate definition of a perfectly proportioned frame, massive but not bulky. With his white punked hair and various flashing ear rings, he looked like a carnival sideshow minus his unicorn. .
And yet the cold sweat that suddenly coated Lesedi's skin served as instinctive warning of the danger concealed in the stranger's coiled muscles.
The man jabbed his index finger toward Lesedi. "You?" He then jabbed the finger at the wall. "And her? Will be getting married."
Lesedi stared. Of all the preposterous… "What? I cannot marry her."
Apparently Lesedi's confusion sat plainly on his face for the stranger to see. "I realize how very…unorthodox this may seem, but in five minutes, I assure you, it will be crystal clear." He raised his brows. "Like a diamond."
"I do not know what your business is, but I do know that I have no interest in it." Lesedi stood, anger beginning to replace the befuddlement.
He nodded. "Oh yes you do. Son of Letsie, heir to the throne of Lesotho." He widened those strange eyes. "Direct descendant of the tribe of Levi? I assure you, you do have interest, and you will cooperate."
Anger and fear coagulated into a strange mixture to thicken Lesedi's blood. Who the hell did this fellow think he was? When he finally managed to ask, the words, "What are you?" escaped his lips. The man had just given an account of his lineage, but he'd left off his whore of a mother and the shadow it cast on his supposed royalty. Lesedi had to acknowledge he wasn't merely an eccentric clown escaped from the circus. He was abstract in every possible sense of the word and he now pinched the bridge of his nose with what seemed an impatient sigh.
"I'm an archangel."
The nonchalance accompanied with the illogical term archangel left Lesedi shaking his head. "I'm supposed to just…believe that?"
The man seemed to thoughtfully consider that. "I don't see why not?"
Just for the sake of hearing the rest of the crazy story that lay beyond the ludicrous opening, Lesedi shrugged. "Fine. You're an archangel and you want me to…marry Miya for what purpose?"
The man shook his head with a smile. "I suppose you're not going to believe me until I present my credentials."
"That you're an archangel." Lesedi prayed he would realize how ridiculous it sounded.
"No, that you're a purple elephant with green polka dots that likes to fuck pink penguins. Yes, that I'm an archangel. Now, what sort of proof do you want from me?"
Lesedi considered. The conversation bore all the hallmarks of a dream preceded by a three day binge in a port city. And why would a real archangel use such language? The very outrageousness lent an air of truth to the whole thing. "You mean like wishes?"
The man's bright gaze hardened. "What are you, a bloody pansy? You need wishes like a little girl? No I don't mean wishes, find something more manly for crying out loud."
Lesedi had to laugh. It was well past the time for it. "You are serious."
The man tossed his hands up. "Oh for fuck's sake, yes I'm serious. Now name your price before I name it for you."
Lesedi's pride finally caught up to his fear and passed it right up. He stood before the guy, silently reminding him which of them was the larger. By only by mere inches. "Name my price then."
The challenge was met with a slow grin and eerily flashing eyes. "First impressive th
ing I've heard you say yet. But you may want to sit for this."
"I'll stand."
Lyght chuckled and a streak of panic flashed through Lesedi, but again, pride prevented him from moving one inch.
****
In a matter of seconds, Lyght sorted through all the things he could legally do, before reluctantly considering what he should do to the arrogant man. To doubt an archangel was one of the worst offenses, punishable by months or even years of various plagues, none of which would serve any purpose in this shotgun wedding scenario. Not to mention, he'd want the man's friendship, not fear, at the end of the day, so… "You like diamonds."
The dark man angled his head cautiously. "It is my business, I do not necessarily like them."
Lyght snorted at the lie. Another offense that he found no good reason to execute punishment for. In that moment. "You're right, you don't necessarily like them, you happen to love them." Lyght put up a hand to stop anymore lies. "I totally understand, I too am a…soul fond of diamonds. Therefore—" Lyght looked around, making sure the coast was clear, and let his wings loose.
As expected, the man jumped back, hit the bed, and sat, gawking with wide eyes and dropped jaw.
"Ah damn, you look horrified. I expected something a little more along the lines of…" Lyght shrugged, "maybe awed or perhaps fascinated. Titillated." He fluttered his wings a little, allowing the dim light to catch on the tiny faceted stones composing every single feather in various cuts and sizes. The wings themselves were thick arms of solid diamond, and Lyght could see the man wondering over it. "Solid supernatural diamond, yes." Lyght crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, would you mind if I gave you some of these beauties?"
The man jerked his wide eyes to his. "What do you mean, give?"
What… was he not saying it correctly? "You know, a gift? I thought that was the term when one gives another something without cost."
Summon Lyght (Archangels Creed) Page 4
