Uriel's Descent (Ubiquity #1) (14 page)

Doubt, questions, and incessant chatter in her skull filled the rest of Ronnie’s weekend. And her Monday wasn’t going any better. She found an empty corner in the breakroom and leaned her head against the wall. Only few more hours to work. She could make it. Or maybe she couldn’t. For the millionth time that day, she wondered what would happen if she walked out. Tossed her key card at Raphael and found something less mentally strenuous to do.

“Like…rocket scientist? Really, what else are you qualified for?”

“Being a demon.”

“You’re already a demon.”

Ronnie gave up trying to ignore Metatron about halfway through Saturday. She didn’t have the strength to keep Metatron caged nonstop. Besides, Ronnie arrived at some conclusions, even without her memory.

Angels and demons weren’t made to be hunting down their own kind, cherub form or otherwise. They were supposed to help people realize their potential. All the stuff Michael said he did before he got to Ubiquity.

“Because he’s definitely not interested in you. Besides, you’re a servant of hell. Your job is to do what Lucifer tells you.”

It didn’t matter what Ronnie’s position was on anything. Metatron disagreed.

“How’s it feel?”

Ronnie pushed away from the wall. She should get back to work before someone saw her lounging. Though, Raphael bitching her out was almost better than this eternal, circular conversation.

“Liar.”

Staring at a queue of false leads must be better than talking to herself. Er…Metatron.

“Whatever. I wonder… If I fantasize about Michael, can I drive you into a little more of this wallowing? Because I have to say… Wow, it’s a blast watching you mope.”
Sarcasm bled into Metatron’s taunt.

Please let that be an empty threat. Ronnie wasn’t fond of the images Metatron sent rushing through her thoughts. There was no way this would be any better. Back to work.

Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, and she spun toward it. The blinds in Michael’s office just closed all at once. He wasn’t there this morning. She tried to ignore it. It didn’t have anything to do with what happened between them over the weekend. It couldn’t have.

“You haven’t convinced yourself, and you’re sure as hell not convincing me. I mean, it might be true, but you don’t believe it.”

Ronnie should talk to him. Tell him it was okay, no hard feelings, apologize…
Something.
Habit made her glance around for Raphael, but he’d steered clear of her all day. She turned away from her desk and made a line for the corner office instead. She knocked tentatively.

“Yeah.” The voice wasn’t quite right.

She stepped into the room and leaned back against the door to close it, grip staying on the handle. Surprise flooded her when she looked up. That was why it hadn’t sounded right. Gabe sat behind the desk instead of Michael.

“If I had to get busted, at least it was by you.” His smile was too big—too toothy—and something she couldn’t identify flickered in his eyes.

“Deception, maybe?”

“Hey.” The less thinking Ronnie did, the less reason for Metatron to talk.

“Oh, brilliant logic. You know it doesn’t work that way, right?”

“Then tell me how it does work,”
Ronnie said.

“Nice try.”
Metatron’s response was snide.
“You don’t want me to exist anymore than I want you in this body that should be mine. Any answers I figure out are mine.”

Screw her. “What are you doing here?” Ronnie asked Gabe. “I mean, not that you shouldn’t be. Or that I have any say in where you go or what you do. But…” She trailed off before she could babble herself into oblivion.

“Michael asked me to grab something for him.”

“Why couldn’t he grab it? He’s coming back, right?” She didn’t mean that last bit to slip out.

Gabe raised an eyebrow. “He’s been gone a day. Why wouldn’t he return?”

“Way to look paranoid.”

“Long day. Don’t pay attention to me. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“Wait.”

Ronnie paused, eyeing Gabe expectantly.

He crossed the room. He traced a hand down her arm as he pulled her closer, away from the door. The familiar shock of his touch rolled through her, pushing away days’ worth of mounting tension and replacing it with indecision. The familiar fog clouded her thoughts, muting the scream of her brain to pull away.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “I wanted to find you, but I wasn’t sure it was a good idea.”

His power shoved aside Ronnie’s aches and misery.
God, what an amazing feeling
. Unlike with Michael, this was sharp and distinct. It made her pulse race and her gut churn. Didn’t promise the safety or intimacy Michael’s did in the dojo. “I’m here now,” she said.

“About the other night at the club…” His words were hesitant, but only confidence shone in his expression.

Right. The club. With Ari, not at work today either, and whatever happened between Ari and Gabe. What did he expect Ronnie to say? She still didn’t understand half of what transpired.

“I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. Tell me I wasn’t the only one who experienced how potent it was.”

“Would you even listen if I asked you to please, for anything that’s ever mattered, walk away now?”

“You weren’t the only one.” The confession spilled out. That wasn’t what she wanted to say, but she couldn’t make herself take it back. Michael obviously wasn’t interested in her. That didn’t mean Gabe was a reasonable alternative.

“Can I kill him now?”

Though, he’d gotten rid of Metatron once…

“Bitch.”

“Headache-inducing nag.”

“I’m so glad.” He traced a thumb over the back her hand. “I can’t get it out of my head. You’re all I’m thinking about.”

An irrational giggle rose in her throat, and she clamped her lips shut before it could escape. Her gut clenched, and her head fluttered, and she didn’t know if she was flattered or just going to be ill. “I, um, really?”

“Smart. Move over. Let me talk. I’ll kill him, we’ll go find a real man, and you’ll be much better for it.”

But the contact with Gabe gave Ronnie enough strength to stop listening, even if she couldn’t shut Metatron up.

He tugged her closer. “Hear me out, and then I’ll let you get back to work.”

There was more? “But what about temptations of the flesh and all that?”

“Of course there’s more. He’s more of an elaborate liar. Kind of a flaw, if you ask me. But, you rarely do.”

Metatron had a point. The best lies were simple ones. But continuing this conversation pissed her off.

“And lets Gabe weave his magic voodoo around you so you act contrary to character. Maybe he’ll buy you some pretty new white wings to go with your delusion.”

“I—” Gabe paused. “It’s not that simple. You do understand that, right? We barely know each other, but this isn’t base lust I’m talking about. I enjoy your company. And everything about you.”

Apparently Ronnie didn’t understand at all. Sure, he was a great noise filter, but his tone made her think he was talking about something more serious. That was awkward. Her brain ticked back to the shared moment with Michael, and the realization he saw more of Metatron than Ronnie when he looked at her.

“Truth hurts, doesn’t it?”

“I know you’re having trouble here and what Lucifer is like. I’m concerned about you. And…” He sighed. “I think I’m falling for you. Mostly because after thousands of years, I can’t afford to ever be concerned about the individual. But now I find myself always worried that you’re not doing okay. That and I can’t get that kiss out of my head.”

“You’re buying this, aren’t you? You’re not even wondering what’s in it for him. What he’s up to.”

Ronnie wasn’t buying into anything, especially some sort of implied confession of maybe-lust after only a few days. That didn’t stop her from having to fight the flush his last statement brought. Contrary to Metatron’s lack of faith in her, Ronnie wasn’t ready to fall into his arms and profess her undying love. She enjoyed his company when he didn’t give her the creepy vibe, but a relationship? Like a romantic one? From a guy who hadn’t given her the full truth at any point in their short time together?

“You’re awfully quiet.” His grip tightened on her hand.

Right. She needed to talk to him too. Not just Metatron. “I’m immensely flattered.”

“But you’re not interested.” He dropped her hand.

Pain rocked through her skull as the fog vanished, and the edges of her vision blurred. She recognized the warning signs of Metatron trying to push her aside to take control. She struggled to speak through the onslaught. “It’s not that at all. I’m just…”

“Incredibly desperate for someone to take you seriously. And hey, he might be a good lay.”

He didn’t interrupt.

“You caught me off guard.” The hesitation was Metatron’s fault. He was a perfect gentleman, he looked really good in that turtleneck, and he made it quieter in Ronnie’s head.

“If all the other warning signs aren’t scaring you away, your best friend is madly in lust with him. What do you need to hear to let me kill him?”

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow. “The subtle flirting never cued you in?”

“I thought you were an affectionate guy.”

He rested a hand on the back of her neck. The contact quieted the chatter in her head. “I wanted to be more direct. Your loyalties lie in a different place than mine, so I wasn’t sure how much you would put up with.”

“That could still be fun. If you won’t let me have control, I can watch him destroy you far slower than he did me. You’ll lose a friend along the way. That’ll make you miserable, too.”

Ronnie was already losing her mind. If he only slowed the process, there was no reason to trade his affection for Ari’s.

He tilted his head closer and kissed Ronnie, lips hungry and demanding.

A wave washed over her, burning and soothing at the same time, making it difficult to think, and filling her with immense power. She reached for it, wanting to wrap herself in it. Like a downpour on a hot day, she could stand in it forever. She grabbed for more wisps and wove them around herself. The web grew, and she languished in it.

The connection snapped, and she opened her eyes, blinking a few times before she focused on Gabe. He had stepped back, face as pale as the walls.

“Oh, that was interesting. I was starting to wonder if I’d ever get to take a cherub again. But this could be much better.”

Whatever. But damn, that was an amazing kiss. Tingles of his power still danced on her skin. Her resolve to not fall into his pretty words lingered in the back of her mind, faint and whimpering for attention. “Um, wow.” Maybe there
was
some chemistry there.

“Or enough power to pretend it can rival what you have but won’t use. Look at him. You practically drained his reserves.”

As in stole his power? How would Ronnie do something like that? And she did too use her own power, or else she wouldn’t be able to do things like phase in an instant. Metatron was trying to distract her.

“No, you do a really good job of that on your own.”

“See? The kind of spark that’s difficult to ignore.” Despite the confidence in his tone, Gabe looked as if he was ready to pass out. The toes of his shoes bounced in an uneven beat—something she’d never seen him do before. “But unless you’re okay with rumors, you should probably get back to work.”

“Right. Of course.”

“I’ll pick you up after five.” He didn’t finish the suggestion and vanished before she could tell him no.

“So you’d sell your heart for a little well-placed power display? At least you have your price.”

She hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Liar. I’m not talking to you anymore today.”

“What, like that’s supposed to be a threat?”

“It’s not that simple. You can’t fuck him and work for hell at the same time. And office romances never work out.”

Given how the rest of Ronnie’s life was going, she’d take a complicated office romance in exchange. Not with him, though she’d consider a fling just to piss off Metatron.

“Trust me. They
never
work out.”

The moment Ronnie stepped from the Ubiquity building, Gabe approached her. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

“Wow. Super stalker creepy.”

Ronnie wasn’t willing to fall into the relationship he proposed, but she was curious about why he pushed so hard. “Sure.”

“I have something I’d like to show you.” He took her hand.

“Ooh, his magic spear? His rod of destiny?”

“Shut it, you.”

Ronnie was prepared for the rush of power at his touch and let it flow through her when they phased into the ether. They reappeared in the middle of his coffee shop.

“I know you’ve already seen the main room.” Gabe’s voice wove into the dim surroundings. “I’m hoping you’ll let me give you a more intimate tour of the apartment upstairs later.”

“If you like the way he kisses, just imagine how he fu—”

“We’ll see.” Ronnie talked over Metatron, hoping her attempt at being coy hid the uncertainty slithering through her. Now here, she wondered if her curiosity would hold out longer than her discomfort.

“There’s time.” He traced a line along her ear with his lips and circled her waist with his arm.

Without the intense brain fog—or whatever he did to her in the club—her skin crawled away from his touch. She tried to be subtle about stepping back and forced enthusiasm into her voice. “I didn’t get to see much of this place last time I was here. Do I get the grand tour?”

“There’s not much else to show you. At least here. But…”

She allowed herself to be led toward what she assumed was the back room. The wooden door creaked on its hinges when they pushed through. Something told her the noise was there to add ambiance. No one else was around, and it made her edgy.

He led her down a flight of stairs, the rotted wood protesting with each step. They passed through a second door—stainless steel, which swung open without a sound. The room they entered looked a few yards deep. Rows of weapons, armor, and other trophies decorated the wall, hinting it would extend as needed to hold everything.

She missed Michael. The quiet comfort, the security of being around him, knowing where they stood—even if it wasn’t together. What made her think of him now?

“Good question. When you’ve got someone as amazing as Gabe by your side, who else matters?”

“Mmm… Sarcasm.”
Ronnie crossed the marble floor, distracted by the items on display. A battered shield with angelic characters caught her attention. “Where did you get all of this?”

“I’ve been around for a long time. I’m sentimental. Over the years I’ve either used every one of them or knew the angel who did.”

His openness piqued her curiosity. A straight answer? Could it be the first time? “I bet you have some amazing stories to tell.”

“You’d get tired of them quickly. I promise. It’s like the heavenly version of watching someone’s vacation slides.”

“Eww.”

Ronnie didn’t want to mimic Metatron, but she admitted he made the experience sound less than enticing. “It can’t be that bad.”

“You’re too polite. Maybe someday I’ll share a couple of tales.” He stepped behind her, rested his hands on her hips, and kissed the back of her neck.

His touch sent ice sliding down her spine. She tried to mask her shudder under the motion of spinning to face him. “Like why there are only three of the originals left?”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a line of soft butterfly kisses across her lips. “That’s a very boring story.”

“Fuck you, it is. Some of us consider it a matter of life and death.”

The potency of his touch intoxicated her, and she struggled with whether to lean into the gesture or put some distance between them. He pushed up her tank top, brushing her stomach with his fingers. The unpleasant crawl raking her frame, telling her the desire was inspired by an external compulsion, won out over the euphoria of his touch.

He frowned when she broke the kiss, and then the corner of his mouth pulled up in a crooked smile she hadn’t seen before. “We can pick up where we left off in a minute. What I wanted to show you is over here.” He pointed toward the back of the room.

The light didn’t reach that far, leaving everything draped in shadows, but if she squinted, she could see the outline of something that looked like a pedestal.

“What kind of twisted fucking game is he playing?”
The familiar wash of emotion that came with Metatron getting worked up made Ronnie stumble.

“Someone’s being paranoid.”

Gabe nudged her forward. “Imagine an entire group of beings who are immortal. Untouchable. And in their own minds, perfect. And then one day, someone comes along and proves they’re as corruptible as any of the creator’s works. When Metatron plotted to destroy us, everything changed. This is my reminder of
never again
.”

“I didn’t do any plotting, but I’m starting to. At least you’ve got the
never again
part right.”

As they drew closer, the temperature spiked. Within seconds, Ronnie flipped from wishing she wore sleeves to tugging at her tank top to keep it from sticking to her skin. Sweat trickled down her neck and ran between her breasts. Pain assaulted her, though she couldn’t name a source.

“Her death is the reason I don’t wield my spear anymore.” Gabe paused a few feet back from the pedestal.

“Oh, how noble of you.”

Any questions died on her lips. A spearhead sat in front of them, smooth obsidian amid tattered fabric. The air around it pulsed, each beat mimicked in her head.

The heat and pain inside her cranked from irritating to excruciating, and every inch of her screamed in agony.

“We should go.”
Metatron’s usual snark was gone, replaced with tortured pleading.

Ronnie didn’t know this kind of pain was possible.

“Are you all right?” Gabe eyed her with concern.

“Yeah, fine.” She massaged her temple and moved nearer to him. Her panic rose when she didn’t find the relief his touch normally granted.

He nodded at the weapon. “It unmakes things, separates the light from the tangible, from the shadows. People. Angels. Possibly reality.”

They stepped closer, and Metatron howled. Sweat beaded on Ronnie’s forehead, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. Something yanked at her skin. No, that wasn’t right. It jerked at something inside, pulling at her skeleton and everything wrapped around it.

“I didn’t feel right wielding that kind of power, so I keep both memories here.” He brushed a thumb over her cheek, wiping away the sweat. He left her side and crossed the short distance to the spear.

“Great. Your insanity is inducing hot flashes.”

Maybe sharing her head with an extra occupant was inducing hot flashes. The heavy atmosphere sucked at her flesh. “I need some air.”

Giving her one last glance of concern, he grabbed the stone spearhead off its pedestal. It was sleek and black, like carved onyx. The light bouncing off it didn’t reveal any flaws. He held it out in her direction.

Heat seared her skin when he drew closer, and her skull erupted in a cacophony of roars. She recoiled in pain and stepped back to put some distance between her and the spearhead. Razors tore through her body, and she fell to her knees, struggling to breathe through the agony of having her body ripped from her bones.

“Holy fuck, what is that?”

Gabe set the spearhead down and kneeled in front of Ronnie. “Are you all right?”

The pain was still borderline unbearable but was the glory of hell compared with drawing close to the spearhead.

“My God, that hurt.”

Ronnie swallowed and then forced her response to sound even. “I don’t think I like your spear.”

He helped her stand and held her upright as he guided her toward the stairs. “I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry.”

“He’s not. Fucking asshole. Talk about agony.”

“Yeah. Of course.” The dry air rushed to fill her lungs as she inhaled. She didn’t know what else to say. Why did it bring her so much pain? Was it the answer to why Metatron lived in her head?

“Who cares? Let’s just agree not to ever do it again.”