This was different. Angels and demons were disappearing from Ubiquity and around the world, and Holden could have the answers to why. Lucifer didn’t want to spook him. He and Ronnie didn’t want to be wrong, and they did want to find their people before Holden and his friends had a chance to—
She wasn’t sure what the consequences would be. But humans kidnapping agents? Finding a way to restrain them without getting their asses kicked? That couldn’t be good.
If Michael were here, she’d have someone with a little more worldly experience to bounce her thoughts off. She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping the external pain would scrub his name from her mind. It didn’t work. Loneliness hammered against her ribs, begging her to seek out one of the few beings who tied her past to her present.
It was his decision to leave though, and she refused to chase after an angel who would rather be a ghost than feel anything outside of duty.
She did have someone she could talk to, though. Even if she couldn’t tell Irdu everything, she could speak in generic terms. Which means more lying. Maybe she’d just pop into his office and say Hello instead.
All it took was a thought Ubiquity, and she stood outside his ajar office door. She nudged it open a few more inches and poked her head in to see him engrossed in his work.
As an Incubus, most people saw him as whatever they considered attractive. For her, that was his natural appearance. Kool Aid red hair, tall, wiry frame, and piercing amber eyes.
“Do you have a minute?” She asked.
He looked up, startled, and a wicked grin crept in. “I might have as many as two or three if you want to cuddle after.”
Ronnie laughed as she stepped into his office and closed the door behind her. She and Irdu were still finding their footing in their relationship, but it was almost guaranteed he’d put a smile on her face.
He hadn’t always been a demon. Once upon a time he was mortal, and a cherub found him. Unlike any other mortal that happened to, Lucifer happened on him, and made him a full-fledged incubus. Irdu had negotiated the same deal for his sister, Tia, to save her life. In return, he did Lucifer’s bidding and kept the secret of his origins.
Ronnie wasn’t even supposed to know, but Irdu’s telling her had helped save her sanity. Then again, a lot of what they did for each other—sex and otherwise—helped keep the two of them sane.
Irdu was in front of her in a blink, tangling his fingers in her hair and nipping at her lips. “You’re exactly what I was looking for,” he murmured against her neck.
“On your computer? You’re not going to find me there.” Another twinge of guilt nudged her at another secret she was keeping from him. This one not so big, just a bit more embarrassing.
“Good thing you showed up then. I might have wasted an entire afternoon.”
She hooked her fingers at the base of his neck and pressed into him. “I think management prefers you call it work rather than wasted time.”
“Fuck management.” He dragged his fingers up her leg. “Starting with you. Only question is, on the desk or against the window?”
She hadn’t come here for sex, but it was certainly better than thinking. “It’s the middle of the day. Agents are going to see if you press me against the glass.”
“Window it is.” He gripped her hips and spun her away from the door.
Her phone chimed with the ringtone she used for office numbers.
“Ignore them.” Irdu dug his fingers into her skin. “You’re in a meeting.”
He made a compelling argument. Normally her body didn’t hold onto injury. He had a gift as an incubus for leaving the most delicious sting behind when he wanted.
His desk phone rang.
“Don’t they know we’re trying to have a moment?” She buried her head against his chest with a groan.
The ringing stopped, and then both phones went off at the same time.
Irdu sighed and let her go. He pressed the Speaker button on his phone. “Yeah.”
“Don’t suppose you have our wonderfully charming COO in your office.” Samael’s voice sounded hollow.
“Nope. Haven’t seen her,” Irdu said, gaze locked on Ronnie the entire time.
Fraternization wasn’t against Ubiquity rules—agents liked fucking too much to enforce a policy like that. But Ronnie and Irdu were one of the few relationships that had lasted longer than it took to contaminate the janitor’s closet.
Samael sighed heavily. “Sure. If you do see her, tell her we’re being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
The SEC. But they investigated financial issues. Things that would cause harm to investors, cases like that. What did they want with Ubiquity?
Ronnie grabbed the receiver, taking the phone off Speaker. “Is that a new kind of cryptic code phrase? The clock strikes two at midnight.” She kept her tone light, despite the spike of nervousness that ran through.
Unlike some of her colleagues, who had filed their sense of humor in a rusty old cabinet somewhere, under Open Never, Sammy would appreciate the joke. Way back when, before humanity was much of anything, before Lucifer fell, Samael and Lucifer were lovers. So were Metatron and Lucifer. Ronnie had a complicated past with the demon, but she also had a good idea of who he was.
“Perfect timing. How did you know I was looking for you? I need you on damage control,” he said.
Or maybe he wouldn’t like the teasing. This must be bad. “I’ll be back in my office soon.” She didn’t take orders, from him or technically from anyone. When Uriel and Metatron merged, becoming her, it made her one of the four most powerful servants of heaven and hell, and an original angel. She only answered to a single higher power. But Ubiquity, humanity’s largest search engine, was a public-facing company, and she was that public face.
She stole another kiss from Irdu, after he made her promise they’d pick things up after work, and less than a second later, she stood in her own office. She placed a series of calls, asking PR to write her statement for her final approval, and Art to be ready to film her webcast and push it to every site they needed, ensuring the news trended before the SEC press statement spread far and wide.
Getting all those ducks in a row in a matter of minutes wasn’t a trick of heaven; Ubiquity had good tech. There were advantages to being responsible for what people saw when they searched for things.
Six months ago, this was Gabriel’s job. Before he tried to destroy Metatron for a second time and let his megalomania shine through. She’d temporary relieved him of his power as thanks. If she could wish the work back on him without giving him any other authority, she’d do it in a heartbeat. Talk about the ultimate punishment. Knowing him, he’d enjoy it
Half an hour later, she sat in Video, in front of the camera, speech half-committed to memory and scrolling on the teleprompter, in case she needed the reminder. The same text would be released when her footage was.
She flowed smoothly through the talking points. “Ubiquity International, Incorporated, was informed today that the Securities and Exchange Commission has received complaints from our investors about our offerings.” She kept her smile fixed in place as she talked, wishing she could weave some kind of magic voodoo on the camera to make this all go away. Who reported them, anyway? She wasn’t aware of any complaints.
“Rest assured, these allegations are false, and we’ll be lending any support to the SEC that they request.” Something like this could tie up their assets for months. Being an earth-based business, they needed money to operate, the same as anyone else. Normally, they were liquid enough it wasn’t an issue.
On the surface, Ubiquity was the world’s largest search engine. Under the covers, it existed to find rogue cherubs, extract them from their human hosts, and return them to heaven or hell before their lack of knowledge could cause someone harm. With the recent turmoil surrounding Ari and Gabe, and the revelation angels and demons were stealing cherubs, Ubiquity needed to ramp up new development on algorithms specific to tiny portions of
the population. That meant they needed more hardware and the cash to pay for it.
“As always, Ubiquity has the answers you’re searching for. Reach out to our PR department using the contact information in the comments, and we’d love to speak with you.” She paused after the last sentence, keeping her expression and posture pleasant, waiting for the all clear.
“And... we’re done.” One of the lower demons stepped from behind the camera. He gave Ronnie a thumbs-up. “Looking good, boss. Editing is on hand, and I’ll have the final in your box in half an hour for approval.”
“Thanks.” She let her frozen grin slide away and worked her jaw a few times to get the feeling back in her cheeks. It was going to be a long week.
Chapter Two
Izzy dropped into a sitting position on the rooftop, not caring when the concrete bit into his bare legs. A trickle of sweat slid down his back and his breath came in short gasps. Every inch of him ached from the morning workout, and he was okay with that.
It was a foreign feeling, dealing with something as simple as the pain of pushing past his limits doing sit-ups and crunches. After almost three thousand years of the immortality which came from being an angel, and another hundred or so living off borrowed power after he fell, he was adjusting to being mortal.
He was okay with that, too.
“Hey, handsome.” Holden’s familiar baritone made him smile. Strong fingers rested on Izzy’s shoulders, and Holden kneaded along his upper back. “You’re working too hard.”
A breeze drifted through the air, cooling the sheen of sweat on Izzy’s skin. He rolled his head forward and hoped Holden’s attention would relax him. Instead, it reminded him of the second reason he was up here, working out until his arms felt like rubber and his brain no longer functioned.
“It’s taking me too long to get back to where I used to be.” Izzy pulled away and stood. He was trying to ignore the feeling that Holden was hiding something.
Izzy had tried asking him about it. Told him if they were serious about moving in together, they needed to trust each other. Pointed out six months together was too long to be playing these I’m fine, you’re imagining things games. And Holden insisted every time that it was nothing for Izzy to worry about.
Then again, he wasn’t the only one keeping secrets. Izzy still hadn’t figured out how to tell Holden about his angelic past. Was it really a fair comparison? Hard to know without having an idea of what Holden’s secret was.
“What happened to your deadline?” Izzy tried to push a lighthearted tone into his voice.
Holden was a journalist and had expected to be locked away for the next couple of days. His love of research was one of the reasons they clicked so well. Doubts aside, Izzy looked forward to this being be his home; so even if he was sequestered and writing, they’d still see each other.
The first few times he visited Izzy in the hospital, he’d been this kind of reserved. Wouldn’t meet Izzy’s gaze. Couldn’t stand still. Except, then it was because he’d been trying to figure out how to ask Izzy out. Now, something darker lined Holden’s hesitation.
Or maybe Izzy was scared of commitment.
“I wrapped up my work and sent it to my editor this morning.” Holden closed the distance between them again. “I missed you too much to procrastinate.” He drew a thumb across Izzy’s cheek. “I’m glad I caught you this morning before you shaved.”
The hidden compliment made Izzy smile. Holden said scruff of his beard made him rugged.
Something crawled over Izzy’s skin, leaving him feeling like he’d stuck a fork in a light socket. Was that really lingering mistrust? “Now that you mention it, I was about to jump in the shower. I might shave if someone isn’t there to stop me.”
“Tempting offer.” Holden kissed him
This time the tingles racing through Izzy were vibrant and delicious, bringing his senses to life.
Through the pleasure, the heavy air sank into his skin, running over his nerves like he was a live wire. What the hell was—
He shoved Holden away as hard as he could and fell back before his brain caught up with instinct. Lightning flashed between them. The crackle filled the air, temporarily blinding Izzy and leaving the heavy scent of ozone in its wake.
His heart hammered in his chest. Doubt. Exhaustion. Every other feeling became background noise. That wasn’t a freak electrical storm. Such a precise, targeted strike could only come from a host of heaven or hell.
“Who the hell is that?” Holden’s question jerked him out of his rambling thoughts and creeping fear.
Izzy followed his gaze. Anyone who could summon such intense energy from nothing was powerful, so there was no reason they’d stick around instead of vanishing into thin air. Then again, it also didn’t make sense they’d only struck once, despite missing.
Abaddon. Izzy’s insides turned in on themselves when he saw her. No wonder it was a precision strike. Powerful was an understatement. She stood just a few rooftops away, several stories up. Her platinum hair was tied back from her face, and she dressed in a denim jacket and crinoline skirt. Only Abaddon, heaven’s top assassin, could simultaneously manifest instant lightning and rock a thrift-shop-chic look.
Izzy swore her eyes met his, even across the hundreds of feet between them. She dipped her head in a short bow, and then vanished.
Anxious dread clawed under his skin. He thought Ronnie was exaggerating about him being in danger. Speaking of, Ronnie needed to know about this. Abaddon only answered to Gabriel, and that meant the original angel was back in action.
Izzy turned back to Holden. “Are you all right?”
“No, really.” Holden brushed invisible dirt off his jeans. “Who the hell was that? What kind of electrical storm only hits one house? And how did she vanish into thin air?”
“Magic?” Izzy hid his wince. How did he know she’d been there, and that she’d disappeared just as quickly?
Why didn’t Holden assume it was a freak lightning storm, or a power surge? The trick of fogging the mind only worked on people who didn’t want to believe what they saw. Anyone who had accepted there was more to the world than what they understood couldn’t be so easily swayed. What did that say about Holden?
Izzy extended his hand and pulled Holden to his feet. His hot palm against Izzy’s sent racing tingles through him.
He wanted to go after Abaddon. Start making calls. Find out what the hell was going on. But he didn’t have the power to chase her down himself, and Holden was his priority. “Do you want a drink? I can make it strong.”
“At ten am? If you have iced tea, that’d be great.”
Izzy always had a fresh pitcher. The normalcy of the conversation helped soothe him, but not enough. Every inch of him twitched with excess electricity—both from the attack and the questions he suspected Holden was gathering.
They made their way down to Izzy’s apartment. He excused himself long enough to call Ronnie, pacing the entire time when she didn’t answer. Neither did Irdu, Lucifer, or anyone else he knew in hell or outside Gabe’s circle in heaven. Who the fuck knew where Michael was. Izzy left her an insistent message and returned to Holden.
Izzy grabbed glasses, ice, and the pitcher from the fridge. He tried to focus on the conversation. On distracting Holden. Too many concerns hummed through him, carried on waves of stress.
Ronnie had warned Izzy that Gabe would recover quickly from her stripping him of his powers, and that he’d be pissed—go figure—but Izzy had no idea what that had to do with him. Then again, maybe it was Abaddon who had a grudge against him. Just because she was one of those who never acted on her own didn’t mean she couldn’t start now...
Or maybe this wasn’t about Izzy at all. A strange hum vibrated in his ears. Silence. He looked up to find Holden watching him expectantly.
Crap. He’d probably asked Izzy something. “I’m sorry, what?”
Holden shoved aside a few stacks of books on the breakfast bar to make an empty space in front of the sto
ol he sat on. He nodded at a book on his right. “What exactly did they believe about angels and possession in thirteenth century South America?”
He was referencing the tome with the worn leather cover, cracked spine, and pages so yellowed Izzy had to turn them with latex gloves to keep the oils on his fingers from damaging them further.
Izzy set Holden’s drink in front of him, grabbed the book, and returned it to its sleeve, and then its spot on the top shelf. “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated like magical girls in tutus who vanish into thin air, fire that guts your house and church, but leaves all the surrounding buildings intact, and freak lightning storms that only strike where you’re standing?”
Izzy whirled to face him, anxiousness growing at the direct questions.
Holden raised an eyebrow. “Or a different kind of complicated?”
Izzy had about two seconds to come up with an answer and still look like he meant it. Holden obviously wasn’t buying the current excuses, but it wasn’t as though the truth sounded any better. Screw it.
“They all fall into the same category of complicated,” Izzy said.
Angels and demons didn’t keep their presence secret from humanity because of some overarching command from above. They mostly kept quiet these days, because people as a whole were cynical. Plastic boxes lined with tiny wires and solder transmitted terabytes of data over oceans in the blink of an eye, and it wasn’t a miracle. Not a lot of people were going to believe a random priest who spent his weekends swapping theology with his congregation had wielded an ethereal pike and been an actual muse thousands of years ago.
Holden’s cheeks puffed out and then deflated as he exhaled. “So, am I seeing things, or not?”
Was he? Izzy couldn’t meet his gaze, and his wandering eyes landed instead on another book on the counter. This one about prophets; people who could see auras. Prophets knew—not just believed but knew with all certainty—something besides the standard world around them existed. The blind faith was gone for those people. Could Holden be...?
Soul Betrayer Page 2