Uriel's Descent (Ubiquity #1) (11 page)

He gave Ari’s fingers one last squeeze—his face showed he saw the attraction too—before turning to Ronnie. “Have you remembered anything else?” he asked.

“Who cares if she likes him? He won’t live long enough for her to act on it.”

Ronnie thought Metatron liked Gabriel.

“No. I wanted to use him to make Michael suffer. I didn’t realize the asshole tried to kill me.”

Of course. At least Gabe was still worried about her missing memories. The thought didn’t comfort her. “I think I’ve been to Jerusalem before.”

“Really?” His eyes grew wide.

Ari sank back in her chair, fiddling with her purse. “Like almost every other angel or demon ever.” She glanced at Ronnie. “Sorry. I’m not being mean, but it’s true.”

“Then, no. Nothing significant.” Why was Ronnie even chasing down this road? Michael was the only one to give her answers.

“Do you hear voices?” Ari blurted out. Gabe scowled in her direction, and she shrugged. “You were going to ask anyway.”

Yeah, this was definitely awkward. And there was no way Ronnie was admitting to hearing things. “Of course not.”

“Really, she doesn’t. Not plural, anyway. There’s just me.”

Gabe gestured around the room. “You see it, right? The angels, the humans, the cherubs?”

“I do.” Odd question. Were there angels who couldn’t see that kind of thing? Did he think Ronnie was underdeveloped in some way?

“Just your tits.”

Ronnie so didn’t need that.

He reached across the table and traced a finger over the back of her knuckles. Instinct sparked in her brain, wanting to jerk away. Not liking his hands on hers or that he did it in front of Ari. However, like before, his touch sent a tingle through her that muffled Metatron, and fuzzed Ronnie’s thoughts. She knew from the pitch of his voice he spoke quietly, yet she heard every word. “Can you tell for sure, all of them, which are angels and which are cherubs?”

A
yes
flew to her lips out of instinct, and she swallowed it. Her failed cherub capture raced through her mind, bringing all her unanswered questions with it. “I think so.”

“She can’t,” Ari said.

He fixed another narrowed gaze on her before turning back to Ronnie. “Tell me honestly. I promise I won’t think you’re crazy or have you pulled from your job or anything like that. Are you hearing a voice?”

Ronnie swallowed, and hesitation weighed down her tongue. That addressed her serious concerns about speaking up, and her brain thought it might split from indecision. She couldn’t trust him, but the heat flooding her limbs said she had to.

“Yes,” she said.

Some of Ari’s irritation vanished. Gabe’s expression stayed neutral, and his voice kind. “I don’t have a solution for you, but I think I can tell you what’s going on. At least a little bit.”

“Really.” Ronnie couldn’t make her tone anything other than flat. Michael already told her what was going on. Unless Gabe knew the details of how she acquired Metatron. And why didn’t he surrender any of this in his coffee shop? Hearing him out was far more attractive with Metatron quiet. Ronnie couldn’t even make out her snide words.

He nodded at the dance floor again. “It’s why we’re here tonight. I wanted you to witness firsthand. There are rumors…” He wove his fingers through hers, eyes never leaving her face. “Instead of sending cherubs home, some angels are pulling them from their hosts and internalizing them.”

This ought to be interesting. How would Gabriel spin it? “Why?”

“It means more power without having to earn it,” Gabe explained. “Kind of like an extended battery.”

Michael neglected to mention that. Then again, Michael seemed more concerned with rehabilitation than power. Was Gabe accusing her of keeping a cherub for her own gain? She didn’t like the implication. Worse, if Gabe went to Raphael with the information rather than Lucifer, would it cost her the Ubiquity job? “I’ve sent every cherub back home. I swear it.”

“I’m not saying you kept one. At least not on purpose.” With his thumb, he continued to trace tiny circles along the back of her hand. The contact acted like a muffler on the voice in her head. “I just wonder if maybe you thought you sent one home, and you didn’t.”

“No.” She almost told him about Metatron to defend herself. But for some reason her name died on Ronnie’s lips. She couldn’t keep the questions from running rampant through her thoughts. His explanation was nice. It was convenient and straight forward—and too easy. But if he was offering helpful answers now, maybe he’d confirm some of her suspicions. “If it’s a cherub, can I get rid of it the same way I do with the others?”

His lips drew into a thin line. “I don’t know.”

So much for him being helpful. Ronnie sank back in her chair with a sigh, breaking the contact between them.

“You already tried that, remember? Almost tore you apart, because you’re a reckless amateur.”

“Maybe I should try it again, if for no other reason than to piss you off.”
A reminder of the earlier pain flashed through her head. Maybe not.

The conversation tapered away from the voice in Ronnie’s head and shifted to other topics. Ari drew back in, smiling, laughing, and occasionally tracing a finger along Gabe’s bicep. Metatron provided a running commentary, and Ronnie found herself agreeing with the snark on more than one occasion. She still wasn’t certain why they were here.

Not that she minded the club, but as she looked out at the dance floor, she’d much rather be dancing. With someone who wasn’t the object of her best friend’s affection. Sliding into the intoxicating seduction that enveloped her before. It was odd to be concerned about something trivial in the grand scheme of dead angels living in demons’ heads, but a squicky feeling lingered in her gut that she might stand between Ari and Gabe.

Maybe Ronnie needed a little air to clear out the compulsion to dive into sensory overload. She shoved back from the table. “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait.” Gabe half stood.

Ari tugged him back into his seat. “She’ll be back.”

Ronnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes and wandered away. She had no idea where she was going. Sitting in on the edge of the throbbing beat without moving to it drilled into her thoughts. She just wanted some silence. She rushed out the nearest door marked
Exit.

The evening humidity blasted her cheeks, and the door muffled most of the noise when it swung shut behind her. She dragged in a few breaths of exhaust-laden air. It didn’t help her clear her thoughts.
Go figure.

She leaned back against a nearby wall, and tilted her attention to the sky. The city lights muted the darkness and obscured the stars. Longing echoed in her chest, followed by a pang of homesickness. She should go back to Israel and star watch there. Except Israel wasn’t her home. What an odd impulse. Would anyone come after her, if she just vanished? Would they send someone like Ari after her? Of course not. Ronnie wasn’t a cherub.

She had no idea how long she watched the sky. The music from inside blasted for a moment and then vanished again, but she didn’t look.

“Are you all right?” Ari’s soft question wormed its way into Ronnie’s thoughts. “You’ve been gone a while.”

Ronnie dragged her attention back to city level. “I’m good. Just thinking.”

“About what Gabe said? Do you think maybe you have a cherub in you?”

“I don’t know what’s going on with me.” It seemed as though Ronnie didn’t know much at all. “It’s not that, but maybe that’s a direction to look in.”

“I had an idea about the entire thing.” Ari stepped in front of her, and the toes of their shoes met. “If you want to hear it.”

Not that Ronnie had much hope for a real answer at this point, but there was no reason not to listen. “Sure.”

“What if I could help?”

It was so simple and straightforward. That alone was enough of a reason for Ronnie to like the idea. Plus, it made perfect sense. “I’ve already tried to extract it myself. Do you think you could draw it out?”

Ari nodded. “It’s what we do. It can’t be easy to perform on yourself. But…” She held out her hands, palms up. “…maybe with me being removed from the situation, I could pull it off. I don’t know how you’re so certain it’s not a cherub, but even if it’s something else, if it works, it’ll be a load off your mind. And if that’s what’s keeping you from remembering, maybe it’ll knock something loose.”

There was something wrong with that logic, or Ronnie was being paranoid. The idea of being alone with her own thoughts again was too appealing. Ronnie rested her palms against Ari’s. “I’m in.”

“I’ve never had a willing victim before.”

“With any luck, that’ll make it easier. Just make sure you leave the
me
bits intact.”

“Of course.” Ari inhaled until her chest puffed out and then let the breath out slowly. “Here goes.”

The seconds ticked away, and Ronnie waited. It should feel different, right?

“Moron. I can’t believe you’re trying thi—”

A sharp slice tore through Ronnie—a million razor blades forcing their way out of her skin at the same time. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming, but a gasp escaped.

“Make her stop.”

“Are you okay?” Ari asked.

“Keep going.” Ronnie forced the words through gritted teeth. “I think it’s working.”

More agony wrenched through her, tearing at every inch of her. Blackness danced at the edge of her vision, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She bit her cheek harder, trying to focus on the physical pain instead of the ethereal, and another whimper tore from her throat.
Please, please let her be almost done.

A switch flipped, and the pain stopped. Was it over?

“Holy fuck. We’re
never
doing that again.”

Fuck was right.
God damn it.
Ronnie opened her eyes. An odd sprinkling of relief mingled with her disappointment at Metatron’s voice. The weakness she experienced when she tried to extricate the voice herself was absent. However, haze and confusion still circled her as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. She blinked several times to clear away the odd vision, but it was still there. Ari stood on the far side of the alley, fists clenched, eyes narrowed, staring up at Gabe.

“You were warned.” His low voice rumbled the ground.

Warned about what? What was Ronnie missing?

Ari’s expression wavered, but her reply was firm. “What gives you the right?”

A million tiny pinpricks rushed and danced over Ronnie skin as the atmosphere shifted. Gabe’s wings appeared—flawless, taller than he was, black and white, lined with gold—and his aura flared vivid and golden. “
I do
.”

The two words shook the building, vibrating more than the music inside.

Ari stepped back, and her bravado vanished behind a mask of uncertainty. She turned her attention to Ronnie. “I’m sorry.” Ari disappeared.

What the fuck?
Ronnie rested her weight against the wall, still trying to make sense of the scene.

The glow, the wings, and everything summoned around Gabriel vanished, and he was himself when he faced her. He closed the distance in a few long strides. “Are you all right?”

“Why did she stop?” Ronnie winced at the dry rasp in her voice.

“I stopped her.” He settled a hand on the back of her neck, gliding his thumb over her cheek. “You were screaming.”

His touch rooted out the lingering pain and chased it away. She wanted to jerk from his grasp, but it healed her. “I was? I didn’t know.”

“Are you all right now?”

Except being so close to him fogged her thoughts. Desire pulsed over her skin, the sensation the same as the rush of being engulfed in a crowd. Despite the knowledge Ari was infatuated with him, warmth spread over Ronnie, tingling in her breasts and throbbing between her thighs. Was his presence doing that to her? She forced herself to speak. “I’m fine.”

“Good. I was worried.”

“About me? Why?” The attention encompassed her. The physical reaction was there, but emotionally, it didn’t feel right. She wanted him to shove her against the wall. To wrap her legs around his waist. At the same time, the idea repulsed her.

He leaned closer and brushed his lips over hers.

Tendrils of pleasure snaked through her, and she kissed back.
No.
She wasn’t interested in this. Ari liked him. Or whatever was happening between the two of them. Despite the mental protests, Ronnie’s body wanted something else. To be closer to the hum of power. She rested her hands on his chest, memorizing the texture of T-shirt stretched over muscle. She parted her lips, and his tongue accepted the invitation, sliding into her mouth and dancing.

She groaned and pressed into him, wanting to feel every inch of his body against hers. Liquid lust spilled through her, and she needed more.
Stop.
She was pretty sure that was her, not Metatron, arguing with herself. He glided his other hand down her spine, and she arched her back at the feather-light sensation, grinding against him. He sought the hem of her skirt and inched it up.

“I will not be ignored! Especially for him.”

The roar echoed through her skull, and she broke away with a gasp, stumbling back. For the first time since Metatron arrived, Ronnie felt a whisper of relief at her presence.

Gabe furrowed his brow. “Are you all right?”

“I will destroy someone for what was done to me. If you like his company so much, it can be him.”

Images tore through Ronnie’s mind, mimicking her dreams, but this time, Gabriel ran her through.

“Let me out!”

“No.”
Ronnie recognized the tickle of summoned weapons against her palms, and mentally pushed back. Gabe might set her teeth on edge, but she wouldn’t destroy him for that.

“YES!”

“Uriel?” Something lingered behind the concern in Gabe’s eyes. Fear? Not of her. She was nothing compared to an original.

“But I am. Let me kill him.”

“I’m sorry,” Ronnie mumbled. She phased back to her apartment before he could reply.

Her knees hit the mattress when she appeared in the tiny residence, her inability to act spilling in tears down her cheeks. Seven different flavors of frustration, exhaustion, and confusion poured over her, pinching until it bled. She fell to the side and pulled her knees to her chest, struggling to fight back the fear and pain. She just wanted to sleep. But she was never letting Metatron out again. This was
her
life.

“We both know he killed me.”

“You said Michael killed you.”

“Gabriel wove something around you back there. You recognized it, even if you couldn’t name it. You believe anything he says over Michael?”

Ronnie snarled at the empty room and then spoke aloud rather than hear her own thoughts. “Michael was willing to surrender eternity for you, and you thought he ran you through. I don’t trust your judgement.”

“Says the demon talking to herself in an empty room. My memories lied. I see that now. Gabriel did this to me. He’ll pay.”

“Go. Away.” Her soft command echoed. She grabbed everything she found inside she knew was hers and built a mental wall around it.
“My life.”

“You think you can really keep me out that way?”

Ronnie expected Metatron’s taunt, but not her hesitation. Was that a trace of fear radiating from her?

“That’s yours.”

But it wasn’t. Ronnie steeled her resolve. Something in Metatron was terrified she might not be able to take control again. Good. At least Ronnie was pretty sure she’d make it through the night as herself.