The little ball of warmth inside me pulsed, and I silently cursed, knowing that Zayne had to have felt the burst of panic. He couldn’t come down here. He couldn’t. I needed to get control of the situation.

I had to.

“You are not worthy of what God gifted you. Just like the rest of the humans,” Gabriel went on as I slid my hand to my hip, my fingers unhooking the dagger sheathed there. “You took the purity of a soul and the honor of free will and threw them away.”

I rose to my knees, lifting my head as I felt blood trickle out of the corner of my mouth. “I didn’t throw away anything.”

“You’re wrong. No human soul, not even my son’s, is clean or worthy of saving.”

“Wow.” My fingers tightened on the hilt of the dagger. “Father of the year right here.”

“At least I’ll be there when he dies,” he said. “Will Michael be able to say the same?”

“Probably not,” I admitted. “But I don’t care.”

Surprise rolled over Gabriel’s face, and I saw my window of opportunity. My chance to gain the upper hand and get the Hell out of here, with Roth and Cayman, somehow.

Shooting to my feet, I slammed the dagger deep into Gabriel’s chest. I knew it wouldn’t kill him, but it had to hurt. It had to—

The archangel looked down at his chest. “That stung.”

I jerked the dagger out, eyes widening in disbelief as I saw no blood—

I didn’t see the blow coming.

Gabriel backhanded me, sending me down to the dirt. Stars sparked in my vision. My ears rang. He grabbed my wrist, snatching the dagger from my hand.

“That was embarrassing,” he said, tossing it to the ground. “You’re nothing but a flawed waste of grace, Trinity. Give it up. I can make the next couple of weeks peaceful for you, or I can make them a constant waking nightmare. It is your choice.”

When he let go of my hand, I fell back. My gaze blanked out on me for a moment.

Get up.

“In the end, you’re nothing but flesh and bone,” he said. “Dying from the day you were born.”

Get up.

“It’s all rather revolting, how the human race aids in its own decay.”

Get up.

“Your rage. Your selfishness. Your basic human emotions. All of it corrupts what should never have been given to humans.”

The bond in my chest burned, and I knew Zayne was coming. He was close. Too close.

Get up.

Get up before he gets here.