Uriel's Descent (Ubiquity #1)

by Allyson Lindt

  “To talk things through.” Ronnie kept her voice contrite, ignoring the screaming in the back of her head.

  “My schedule is full.”

  She expected that. She’d extended the olive branch and the next step would happen under his terms. “I understand. Do you know when you’ll have time?”

  “Time for what?” His sigh echoed out of the mouthpiece.

  If she could get him to invite her into his vault—possibly with the reminder that the spear had her at a disadvantage last time—she could grab what she wanted. “I want to see you.”

  “Gag.”

  Silence greeted her. She checked her phone to make sure she was still connected. “Hello?”

  “I’m still here.” He sounded irritated. “I’m still not sure what you want.”

  “I was going to drop by your coffee shop. Maybe in about an hour?”

  “I have places to be this morning. I’ll be there at four. Make sure you’re not late.”

  “I hate you.”

  The feeling was mutual.

  * * * *

  Ronnie arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes early. Gabe’s implied threat lingered in her head. Not that she was worried about what he’d do to her—if she put any thought into that at all, she’d chicken out—but she didn’t want him leaving before she got what she came for.

  He sat at the far end of the room, facing the door, but focused on a laptop. He didn’t look up as she approached.

  She lingered less than a foot from the table, waiting and watching.

  He took his time turning to her, expression shifting to flat when he finally met her gaze. “Care to join me? Or do you need more time to think about it?”

  She hoped she seemed appropriately wounded by the passive-aggressive comment as she dropped into the chair across from him. With any luck, they could move past the antagonism quickly. “Thanks for making time for me.”

  He frowned, gaze drifting to the table. “I couldn’t say no. I missed you.”

  “Gag.”

  The words didn’t move Ronnie—Metatron’s or Gabe’s. But she’d play along a little longer. She rested her hands on the table, fingers intertwined. “Me too.”

  He reached across the scarred tabletop and turned one of her hands over, tracing a line down her wrist. “Why here?”

  “It’s where we first met. Made sense for a new beginning, if we’re both willing to work on it.”

  “Gag.”

  That was already old. Could Ronnie recreate the making-Metatron-sulk-so-much-she-shut-up trick she pulled yesterday?

  “Bitch. Want some sugar with your denial? Oh, that’s right. You drink that shit straight now.”

  Gabe pulled his hands away and dropped them into his lap. “Tell me what I have to do to get you back.”

  Ronnie paused, waiting for a snide comment from within. Not hearing one, she mentally shrugged. “You told me I had time to think about things. You implied you wanted me to. And then you pushed. You made assumptions. Do you want me by your side or not?”

  “Never mind how happy you were to use him for little power-ups before you found out he was an asshole.”

  And there it was. At least with Metatron, she expected the biting words. The constant was almost a relief.

  He sighed. “I already told you this. I was scared. I couldn’t afford to take any chances. I’ve had to walk the line between self-preservation and love since I met you. The person you work for doesn’t have the same goals I do. It was unfortunate that something upset that balance. But it’s over now. If you didn’t understand at least a little, you wouldn’t have called me.”

  She was already willing to go along with whatever he said. But she couldn’t make it look too easy. Not after that whole forcibly phasing him thing she did. “It’s true. I guess I just want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  “Of course. I think we both know better now. Never again.”

  She brushed aside the rage that asked how he could make such a promise.

  He stood and offered her his hand. “Can we go somewhere more private?”

  She hesitated, but only for a moment. A familiar tingle filled her at his touch. It didn’t penetrate every inch of her being the way she was used to, and she resisted the temptation to draw on it against his will. She waited for the inevitable lecture from within.

  “Why? So you can shoot me down again? Screw that.”

  Ronnie leaned into Gabe’s touch. His power crackled around her, and her surroundings vanished.

  “I’m tired of this game.” His breath warmed her ear. They were in his vault under the coffee shop. The underlying threat in his voice made her stomach lurch.

  “Same.” She kept her tone submissive as she struggled to figure out her next steps. Getting here was easier than she expected, him being on guard threw a wrench in things.

  He tightened his grip around her waist, and held her against him, her back pressed to his front. He grazed her neck with his teeth. “Why are you really here?”

  His power sliced across her skin, but Metatron kept Ronnie from using any of it. Not that Ronnie wanted to. She’d do this on her own. The weight of being surrounded by his essence kept her from pulling away, and she realized how much Gabe held back in the past. She tried to swallow her fear. She’d tell him the truth. Or one version of it.

  “Why? Obliterate him.”

  Ronnie wasn’t Metatron. She was just another demon. She couldn’t do that. Instead, she used the excuse she hoped would speak to his ego. “I need you.”

  “Really?” Anger tinged his sarcasm. “You’re pushing me out one day and wanting me back the next?”

  The seesaw behavior made her insides quake. She expected a methodical deception, not borderline psychosis. Ronnie didn’t know if she was prepared for something so intense, but she let the words flow, hoping instinct would preserve her. “I’m a demon. Without a purpose, I’m nothing. Hell doesn’t have that for me, and I need something. I’m so terrified of being removed from it all.”

  “Holy hell, you’re high.”

  Ronnie wasn’t. She was tired of the mood swings. But as long as he bought her story long enough for her to figure a new way to get to—

  “Let’s kill him.”

  —that fucking spear. She kept the thought locked away from Metatron.

  “You’re lying.” Gabe’s accusation hissed across her senses. He slammed her into a wall. “What do you want from me?”

  Her skull cracked against concrete, the pain reverberating through her neck and spine. Her instinct was to shift forms to get rid of the pain, but an unseen presence stopped her. The inability to become quasi-mortal made her realize he had all the control in this space. Being here kept her from doing anything with her power he didn’t want. She reached up, fingering the tender spot on her head, relieved when she didn’t feel anything wet or sticky. The fear in her voice was real. “I’m telling the truth.”

  “Let me out.”

  “No.” At least Ronnie still controlled what was in her head. Not that she wanted to devote any attention to the mental tantrum. Her joints ached from the crushing pressure around her.

  Gabe was in front of her in an instant, forehead pressed to hers. “The naïve demon routine isn’t charming anymore. I’m tired of your games.”

  “Oh hey, we agree on something. Who knew? Let. Me. Out.”

  Black ribbons spilled beneath Ronnie’s skin, vying for control. She whimpered involuntarily at the dual assault. “I’m not playing.” Tears leaked from her eyes.

  “Kill him or I will.”

  “What else could I want?” she asked and then winced, expecting another rush of pain in response.

  He let go of her and took a step back. A wicked smile filled his face. “I don’t know. Maybe vengeance. We both know what you hold in your head, and we both know what happened to her centuries ago.”

  “Wow. Smartest thing he’s ever said. Kill him.”

  His invisible, crushing control didn’t let up, but
at least he didn’t hurt her again. “No, I swear to you.” Ronnie poured all her sincerity into her reassurance. “I want to serve with you, even if it means subjecting myself to the pain of that spear. I’m here for you.”

  “Wait, what? We’re not going near that thing again.” Metatron’s death-lust fueled ranting wavered, peppered with fear.

  Shit. Ronnie shouldn’t have mentioned the spear.

  “Really?” He grabbed her upper arm and yanked her to him. He dug his fingers into her skin, making her cringe. A haunting chuckle shook his frame. “You’d do that to prove your loyalty? From your reaction last time, I could have sworn that thing was going to kill you.” He forced her to walk toward where the spearhead rested.

  “We’re not going near that thing. You should rot and die.”

  Ronnie didn’t know who Metatron was talking to–Ronnie or Gabe. Both, probably.

  The dark threads roiling inside Ronnie singed her bones, burning and screaming for freedom. No. It was Ronnie’s body. Metatron couldn’t have it.

  “Then fight back.”

  Ronnie couldn’t fight both of them. She was struggling to survive Gabe. The room swam at the edge of her vision.

  “Keep walking.” Gabe’s command sliced at her consciousness, tearing away more of her control.

  “Kill him.”

  “I’m stronger than this.” The thought whispered in a cloud of ice, distinct in a collage of confusion, and Ronnie grasped what was hers.

  Gabe sounded distant, even though he was right next to her. He hauled her toward the back of the room, grip never loosening, and growled in her ear, “You do this for me, and then we can talk.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Ronnie would do what he wanted. He was right.

  “Because you don’t have a choice?”

  Something like that, but not quite. The ice of Ronnie’s power slid through her. Through the haze of pain, she swore she could visualize it weaving together with the foreign elements inside her—the pieces that were Metatron—and wrapping itself around Metatron until she evaporated.

  “Wait, what are you doing? Oh, that’s new.” Awe and realization spread through Metatron’s words.

  Evaporated wasn’t the right word. Ronnie was making them a part of her. Wait. Making them part of her? Was this the integration everyone talked about? As the ice raced through her, it swallowed the traces of Metatron, the gray wisps of Ronnie’s power chasing away the pain. Was Ronnie absorbing her or becoming one with her? Fuck, did this still mean one of them would be lost when it was done?

  Ronnie had enough presence of mind not to let her realization show externally. She was terrified of what Gabe would do to her. But the discovery made her pause.

  “Don’t tell me making me vanish into your consciousness was your master plan?”

  It wasn’t, but it might be better. Inky ribbons raced through Ronnie, surging to get to her power before she could get to Metatron. Ronnie pushed back, temporarily bringing the struggle between them to a standstill. What if this wasn’t a merger? If Ronnie continued and lost, would Metatron be in control after all?

  Metatron thought so. She fought back, her dark energy rushing into every inch of who Ronnie was, magnifying the pain of Gabe’s power. Agony tore through Ronnie, and she stumbled. Her knees hit the concrete with a dull thud, and she cried out.

  “Stand up.” Gabe wrenched her to her feet. “We have a spear to use.” His fingers dug into her arm.

  Ronnie would have smiled through the pain if she could. He was ultimately still in control. In his realm, where his power was strongest, he was the ruling entity.

  “Haven’t you learned anything? He’s nothing compared to me. I’ll shove you aside, and I’ll kill him.”

  Metatron’s taunt was weak

  “Liar. I’m in control here. You’re just a copy. Now that I know what to do with your energy, this shell is mine.”

  Ronnie struggled to keep herself from Metatron. To cling to her own power. But Ronnie was fighting a losing battle. Stopping Gabe from crushing her took too much focus. She couldn’t do that and claim Metatron’s essence at the same time. Absorbing Metatron was a bad and fleeting idea. She needed to go. The spear waited for Ronnie, offering that solution. Once Metatron was gone, Ronnie only needed to focus on Gabe.

  “You’re a pathetic vessel. A useless little girl, who doesn’t know what she’s got. Lucifer meant for me to live again. You’ll ruin everything because you’re a selfish child.”

  Maybe Metatron was right.

  “Of course I am. I’ve had millennia to learn. You haven’t learned anything.”

  Another shock of threads spilled through Ronnie, and she screamed involuntarily at the spikes biting into her muscles. They amplified the pressure Gabe applied until she swore her bones were being crushed.

  “Shut up.” Gabe’s bark echoed off the walls and antiques, reverberating in her skull. “You’re so much more trouble than you’re worth.”

  They were both wrong. Ronnie knew it. Or at least she believed it enough to convince herself she knew it. Ronnie was powerful, but she wasn’t an original. She needed Metatron to defeat Gabe, not some half-assed, mutated conglomeration. Ronnie needed to be one with Metatron.

  She clamped her jaw shut and focused inward, finding the icy strands of her power. Some of them were still a combination of Metatron and Ronnie. Ronnie dove back into the corners Metatron had retaken, forcing her out.

  “Stop.”

  Ronnie struggled, unable to penetrate the core of ink that hovered over the sigil on her back. Uriel. The mark where Metatron’s name would have been. The designator that made Ronnie a demon and not just a cherub.

  “Let’s go.” Gabe yanked her arm.

  It was too bad the jarring didn’t remove Metatron’s surging quest for dominance.

  His grip loosened, but his power held her as he pushed her toward the pedestal. He bound her legs moving them one foot in front of the other.

  “I’ll kill him!”

  Metatron screamed in Ronnie’s skull and forced herself into Ronnie’s veins. Agony tore through her. She was going to burst. She dropped to the ground with a whimper. No. Metatron couldn’t win. But Ronnie couldn’t fight her without cluing in Gabe. Everything ached as Metatron struggled to take control of Ronnie’s body.

  “My body. Move aside, bitch.”

  Ronnie gasped, studying the patterns in the marble floor, watching them swim. For a moment she saw through someone else’s eyes. Like the morning she woke up to Metatron controlling her. Ronnie’s screams sounded distant, fading as Metatron took more control.

  “No.”

  That was Ronnie. Shit. She was the voice in her own head.

  “Yes.” The whisper rushed past her lips. That was Metatron.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “I won’t tell you again.” Gabe’s growl was distant, like it filtered through speakers. “Stand. Up.”

  He forced her up, trying to force her joints in ways they didn’t want to go. It wouldn’t have been so bad if she weren’t fighting Metatron at the same time. “Why are you so focused on keeping him in the dark? Stop fighting me so we can kill him.” Metatron’s words came from Ronnie’s lips.

  Shit. Ronnie didn’t want Gabe to know about the internal struggle. Ronnie poured her strength into reclaiming her body. She shoved Metatron aside in her head, ice licking the edges of the ribbons and absorbing them, but not penetrating the dark box Ronnie pictured her living in.

  “Kill who?” Gabe glared at her.

  Ronnie ground her teeth hating to sacrifice focus to even a simple reply. “Someone else. A not-here guy”

  Metatron tried to thrust Ronnie aside again as Gabe half-floated, half-dragged her across the room. Ronnie was grateful for the first time that night for his overt display of power. She grabbed individual strands of the energy he radiated, untangled the intangible bonds, and used them to further the ice flow under her skin.

  “Stop.” Metatron might as well have shoute
d, but terror bled through her command.

  Ronnie probed the edges of the dense ball Metatron hid her core inside, tucked between her shoulder blades.

  “Stop.” The command came from outside, and Ronnie’s connection to Gabe snapped, cutting her off from his power. He flung her toward the podium with a roar. “You’ve lost the right to touch that.”

  Heat enveloped her, the spear’s pull grabbing her essence and tearing it from her. It didn’t matter. She took enough power from him to finish what she started. Ronnie didn’t want to destroy Metatron. Too many people wanted the original back. She didn’t see another option, and this was survival. It wasn’t the kind of standoff where they both walked away if one surrendered.

  Gabe kept talking. “I wish you’d gone along with this. I would have loved to have flaunted you on my arm. Better than destroying Metatron again—she would have been locked away, Lucifer would have been furious, and Michael… That might have driven him over the edge. But you were never more than a trophy. Destroying them—literally or otherwise—is the ultimate goal. I don’t have a problem decimating you, if it kills her again.”

  “I’ll demolish you first.” Metatron’s threat slipped past Ronnie’s lips. “See you crushed, leave you alive, and walk away from your broken existence.”

  “Shut up,” Ronnie growled at herself.

  She was done trying to hide what she was up to. She pushed at Metatron, focusing on wearing down the black core of her power with the ice of Ronnie’s, absorbing all of it. Ronnie wouldn’t let someone else take the life that belonged to her.

  “That power is mine, not yours.” Metatron still had control.

  “Have I broken you already?” Gabe’s taunt was distant, carried on more pain than Ronnie thought possible.

  Through the haze of her internal struggle, she saw him grab the spear. Fuck.

  “No.” Metatron’s roar bounced off the concrete walls.

  He grasped the weapon, lips curling into a wicked smile, as he hefted it.

  Metatron tried to pull away, but with Ronnie absorbing more and more inside, and Gabe’s energy holding her body in place, there was nowhere to go. Agony ripped through her, as the weapon drew closer, sucking out her guts, tearing her to ethereal shreds. She couldn’t move.