Chapter 23

I turned the headlights off as I crept up the road the bunker used to sit on. There was a small grove of trees that sat across the street from the garage entrance, that's what I was aiming for as we rolled up to it. When I had the car positioned in the shadows, I shut it off and stared at the steering wheel. I had been gripping it tight the whole drive here, my white knuckles standing out against the black leather.

"Listen carefully, Elly." It wasn't meant to sound like an order, but I had little control over that now, "I'm going down there and find out what is going on. I'm going to save Gabe if I can. I'm going to find and…" I took a deep breath, the air hissing through my teeth, "Just stay here. Got it?"

"Got it." Elly repeated.

"Get into the driver's seat after I leave." I turned to her, looking at her for the first time since we'd headed out. "You get the fuck out of here if I don't come back."

She nodded, "Save myself first."

"Save yourself first." I agreed.

I turned in my seat, reaching into the back row to retrieve the small pack I'd brought with us. I pulled it into my lap and dug through it for one of the handguns I had tossed into it.

"I know you know how to use this." I passed it to Elly, "Safety here." I pointed at the small switch near the trigger and pushed it, "Off," then I pushed it from the other side, "On. Only take the safety off if you need to use it."

"I understand gun safety, Alex." She smiled slightly.

"I know. I just…don't need anything else to go wrong tonight." It ended in a whisper.

"I'll be ok." She said gently, her hand touching mine.

I nodded and looked away from her as I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Sam. "Has he moved?" I asked as soon as the line connected.

"No, the tracker is still there." He answered quickly, "Be careful."

I hung up and made sure it was on silent before shoving it back into my pocket. I took a deep breath, focusing my mind on what I needed to do, and not what I wanted to do before slipping from the car. I stood in the darkness, taking another deep breath before slinking towards the remains of the bunker. I took one look back to make sure Elly had done what I'd asked. I watched her wiggle into the driver's seat before continuing.

I walked carefully around the outside of the building, not daring to go through the garage entrance in case they were anywhere close. Instead, I walked around the bent metal structure until I found the door that had once led down the landing. It had been blown off its hinges, the bricks that decorated the wall around now blacked or falling out of their spots. I squeezed through the gap and tiptoed down the partially melted stairs, dodging weakened and brittle spots as best I could, until I was at the door that led out to the landing in the map room. I could hear voices as I got close to it.

"We need to keep moving." Nice to know he was still the one giving orders.

I looked through the gap between the door and the broken wall. He was there, pacing next to the charred remains of the map table itself. The chairs and bookshelves were ruined, some completely scorched and others disfigured beyond repair. Partially burnt books marked the incinerated floor like snowflakes on mud. The other two men stood off to the side, one on each side of a slumped figure with a bag over their head and hands tied together in front of them. Gabe, I assumed.

"They'll have tracked the damn thing by now." He continued. "We can ditch it here and move to the next location." He paused in his pacing, turning towards the door. I held my breath in the shadows. He couldn't see me, I was sure of that, it was too dark, but that hadn't stopped the beating in my chest. "Are you ready to move?"

"Will Pamela even want us to…"

"That doesn't matter now, Eric." One of the men interrupted the other, "Let's just get this over with."

"Get the angel." He instructed.

I watched the other men struggle to grab the unconscious body. I watched until they turned towards the hall that would lead to the garage. I would catch them at the next location, and stop their whole operation in one go, rather than leave part of it alive. And if it meant more chances to take out my anger, then I would take it. I waited a few moments in the still darkness before slinking back out to Elly. 

"That was quick." She commented, climbing back over to the passenger seat.

"It was a decoy spot. A trap so we'd lose the scent." I slid into the driver's seat, but didn't start the car, "They're taking him elsewhere."

"Why didn't you stop them here?" Always the one to ask the hard questions.

There didn't feel like a correct answer. "I just couldn't do it in there. It was too…dangerous to get down to the floor."

Elly was silent, taking my answer even if she knew it was a lie. We sat in that silence for several minutes, letting it coat us as we waited for the convoy to leave. It wasn't long before the garage squealed open and a dark, very expensive-looking car emerged from the darkness. It would have seen us if they'd had the lights on, but thankfully they seemed to be trying just as hard as we were to stay hidden. We waited silently until the car was on the main road again before I turned my car on and pulled out of our hiding spot, ready to follow. I slipped my phone from my pocket as I drove slowly down the dark road, calling Sam again.

"Get him back already?" Sam asked as the line connected.

"Working on it," I kept my eyes on the road, placing the phone on the console, "Is the GPS stationary at the bunker?"

"Uhh. One sec." I could hear Sam rustle around for a minute, he must have been in bed, "No, they're heading towards town."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I had heard him say he was going to ditch the phone right? I didn't think I had misheard that. But he wouldn't have been stupid enough to leave it on himself either. There had to be a reason he'd kept it after all.

"Stay on the line, Sam. I'll use you to guide us there." I said, slowing the car down so I could 'lose' the other car.

I looked over to Elly as Sam fed me directions. She was slouched in the passenger chair with the pistol I'd given her. As if she felt my eyes on her, she looked up towards me and smiled. I smiled back. She didn't say a word the rest of the drive as Sam led me around Lebanon and to the freeway. I know she had said once that her dad had made some rules about being quiet while others were on the phone, but it was strange to see her still fall into the old habit. 

We drove on the freeway for several minutes before taking an exit for Bellaire. From there we wound through small side streets and allies. It was odd to see the dark side of a town we'd only ever driven through before. But the dark, shadowy spaces gave a new light to the little city. We drove into a residential area and I parked in an alley a few streets away from where the Brits had gone.

"Can I come this time?" Elly asked, sitting up as I said goodbye to Sam.

I looked at her while I thought about the answer. On one hand, I wouldn't be able to protect her out there, but she would be in equal danger if I left her here alone. And I knew she was more than capable of handling herself, and I could use the back-up if shit got hairy. We had no idea how many people were waiting for us.

"Stay close to me and be quiet." I nodded.

She grinned, "No promises."

I chuckled softly, "At least promise to stay close."

"I pinky promise." She winked at me, "I was only teasing anyway."

"Then let's go," I said, opening the door and stepping out.

I walked a bit down the alley before stopping to wait for her. I locked eyes with her as she caught up to me, nodded, and slinked around the corner. We walked briskly down the sidewalk. The world around us seemed empty, save for a few strays that growled at us from the shadows. It would have been odd to see them here, but this part of town seemed to be abandoned, or at least a little run down. I found my hand sliding over the holster at my side, reassuring myself I still had a weapon. 

We slowed down when I caught a glimpse of the same sleek black car that had left the bunker parked at an abandoned house. The fence around the yard looked old and rusted out in places. The lawn hadn't been cut in a long while, and the house itself seemed to be in the middle of never-ending renovations. From where we stood around the corner of the block, there seemed to be no sign of anything living inside, but I knew better.

I turned and motioned silently for Elly to stay put once we'd reached a tree just outside the fence line. I waited for her to nod before crouching low and dashing across to the sidewalk towards the rear of the house. There was an abandoned car parked on the road there, I slid smoothly behind it and waited in silence. Once it seemed I had gone unnoticed, I looked back to Elly and motioned for her to follow what I had done. I watched the younger woman look around before crouching as I had done and rushing to me. I caught her once she'd reached me and pushed her flat against the car.

"I saw a gate for the fence on my way by, that's our way in," I spoke softly. "They'll probably be watching the back as well as the front of the house, but we'll have a better chance going this way."

"I think I saw playground equipment in the yard," Elly sounded like she was a little out of breath, "A playset."

"Good, we can use that as cover if we have to." I sighed, taking a deep breath after.

I slowly peeked over the hood of the car, The house was still and dark. But Elly had been right. There in the backyard, sat a rusted playset, complete with a wide, sun-bleached, plastic slide. And wooden slats that made almost a cubby along the bottom.

"Ready?" I whispered.

"Ready." Elly spoke softly.

"Follow me then." 

I took a deep breath and prepared myself to run to the next spot. I tracked my path carefully before pushing off of the car and keeping low to the ground. The dry grass brushed against me as I dashed to the playset. I stopped once I touched the rough wood slats. I turned around to look at Elly, her blue eyes peeking over the hood of the car, watching me. I put one finger up, telling her to wait just a second.

I peeked around the corner of the playset, taking in the back of the house. It looked just as old as the front, but now I could see spots where the paint peeled off, and where rust had taken hold of the gutters. There was an old sliding door on a cement slab leading into the house. I watched the shadows behind the door, waiting for anything to move. I held my breath while I watched, and was rewarded after several seconds as I saw just the glint of a muzzle in the shadows. But it was enough to let me outline the man that stood there, looking out. I watched the outline a moment longer, It was too short to be Him. In another moment I made out a second figure standing a bit further back, this one was too stout. I watched them for a moment longer, they seemed to be talking to one another, neither too focused on the backyard. I turned and motioned for Elly to come quickly. I watched the door as she came to me. Neither man seemed to notice her. I let out a silent breath.

"Stay here for a bit," I whispered to her. I reached down and unholstered my gun, handing it to her. "Don't lose this. I'll need it when I come back."

"Don't do anything stupid." She whispered back.

"I would never." I smirked, "I'll be five minutes, tops."

I stood after saying that, and messed up my clothes a little, unbuttoning and ruffling my shirt as well as untying one boot. I winked at Elly before moving around the opposite side of the playset and walking towards the house. I adjusted my gate to match that of a drunk person and swayed just in and out of what I guessed the range of view on the door would be. 

I wasn't more than fifteen feet away before it slowly slid open and the stout man stood in it. I gave him my best-drunk smile as I studied him. In the dull light from the flickering streetlamps, I could just barely see his olive green eyes and auburn brown hair. His face was rounded, but his nose looked as if it had been broken at least once. And just like the other dog, he was wearing a black spy-like jumpsuit.

"I knew…if I wandered around here for…" I did my best to fake a drunk hiccup, "for long enough…I'd find a nice piece of something to…" I pretended to almost lose my balance with a sway, "to fuck."

The man looked more stunned to see me than alarmed. He looked around before responding, "You…you shouldn't be around here." He stammered, "I'd head home if I were you, miss." He licked his lips nervously as he looked me up and down.

This was going to be too easy. I smiled at him as I staggered up to him, trying to be as much of a fake sexy drunk as I could muster. This wasn't my first rodeo with this gag, but it was the first time I'd had to keep the other guard in mind. I reached out for him when I was close enough, gently caressing his cheek.

"What's a guy like you… doin' out here anyway?" I asked, "Don't you know this part of town is…*hiccup*..full of dangerous people?"

"How do you know I'm not one of them?" He stood straight, his eyes studying my lips.

I pushed up against him and ran my hand down his chest, "I might like that." It was almost a purr. "I'm horribly attracted to dangerous men."

"Are you now?" Hook, line, and sink 'er.

I nodded slowly, licking my lips for extra effect, "I can show you if you come with me." My hand traced back up his chest, "It'll be all sorts of fun."

His eyes studied mine for a moment, taking in my act to its full extent. Was he buying it or was I dead in the water? A sense of relief washed over me when he leaned back into the doorway and spoke to the other shadow.

"I'm going for a piss." So they weren't all good at lies

I smiled, "Follow me." 

I grabbed a strap of the harness he wore and tugged him along behind me. I knew as soon as he caught sight of Elly we would be made, so I had to be quicker than that. I didn't give him much of a chance to raise the alarm once we rounded the playset again. The man barely got out "What the…" before I landed a hard blow behind his ear. He slumped hard to the ground, out cold.

"How'd I do on time?" I asked Elly, proud of myself.

Elly shrugged, "Felt more like six minutes."

I laughed softly, "Well. I am a bit rusty at this. Haven't had to use myself as bait in a while." I looked down at the unconscious man, "But that's one down, who knows how many…"

The sound of some sort of radio receiver crackling cut me off. Elly and I silently stared at the man as a voice cut through the static.

"Eric? Everything ok out there?" It didn't sound like a familiar voice. Maybe it was the other man who had been at the door.

I squatted next to Eric, and studied his body, looking for whatever had made the noise. Eventually, I found an earpiece in his ear and took it out. I rubbed it off on my jeans before popping it into my ear. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath.

"Ya ya, stay calm. Just takin a piss." I did my best impression of the man I had just knocked out.

There was a small delay between responses and I held my breath until it came across the earpiece, "Right, hurry back ya twit." I let the breath out. I wasn't sure why or how they had bought that, but it had worked and that's all the luck I needed right now. I pulled the earpiece free and threw it on the ground before crushing it beneath my boot.

"Should we hide him?" Elly asked, still crouched as she handed my pistol back.

"No, I'm not worried about them seeing him from here." I said, sliding a silencer from my back pocket and twisting it onto the gun, "Plus that would take too long."

I looked around the playset again, watching the shadows beyond the door for the other man. The shadows stood silent and still. He must have gone somewhere else in the house, leaving the sliding glass door still open. What a rookie mistake. These men must be newer to the program than He was, explained why they were willing to follow his orders. 

I turned back to Elly and pressed a finger to my lips before nodding towards the house. She nodded in understanding and we were off. We slunk through the shadows of the house and back to the sliding door. I pressed flat against the siding and waited for Elly to catch up before slipping through the opening. 

I stood still in the dark room, waiting for my eyes to adjust enough to see the room clearer. Once they did, I could tell that the room we were standing in had most likely once been a kitchen. It was stripped now, but there was still a partial counter with a very dusty sink, and the appliance lines still stuck out from the wall where an oven once sat. Another wall to our right held a closed door, and the one to our left had an open archway carved out of it. Slipping through it led to another room, probably the living room. It had also been stripped, save for a small couch that still sat against the wall, covered in plastic and a thin layer of dust. I could see straight through to the front door from here, and the other man was nowhere to be seen. 

I turned around and headed back into the kitchen, heading for the closed door. My hand hovered over the knob once I reached it. I couldn't hear anything behind it, but that didn't mean someone wasn't there and ready for us. I looked over my shoulder at Elly. Ready? I mouthed. She nodded silently. I turned back to the knob and slowly turned it. I could hear someone straighten up on the other side as I opened the door. I held my gun high, aiming where I assumed his head was before I could fully see him in the darkness beyond the door. I stared down the barrel of an AR-15 as he pointed it at me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, this man's accent richer than others.

"I think I'll ask the questions if that's alright with you." I stood tall, challenging his aim, "Especially since I had another gun just outside this door already aimed at you."

The man's brown eyes glowed amber in the moonlight that streamed through a high window. His aim didn't move from my chest as he studied my bluff.

"I shouldn't give you a chance to ask." He scoffed, "There are plenty of men in the next room, all I have to do is yell." Another one not good at bluffing.

"Why haven't you called for them yet? If that was true that is." I smiled.

His hold on the large rifle faltered slightly, dropping his aim to a less fatal spot on my torso, blowing his bluff. Sure it would still hurt if he fired, but I wouldn't die from the shot now. I could waste what precious chances I had left. 

"I know there are only three of you here. Where's the last one?" I asked.

"What do you want with Arthur?" the man asked.

I couldn't help the flinch that came with his name. It hurt more than the bullet would. It would always hurt more than any wound could.

The man laughed, "That's why I can place your face! You're his stupid little bitch!" He was starting to cackle, "Damn I thought he gave you enough of a dose to kill you." That thought dug the knife deeper, "You don't get it do you? You've been nothing but a useless hunter bitch we've used as bait!"

I barely registered moving my gun, and the man before me was dead before he could stop laughing. In a matter of seconds, the man was slumping over dead, and the wall behind him was splattered with his brains. There hadn't even been enough noise to alert anyone else of the shot, nothing more than a pffst had come from it.

"Elly," I choked back the rage, "Tell me it's still clear out there."

"We're good." She said softly, "Please don't make me go in there, not sure I can look at what just happened."

"He deserved worse," I hissed. I turned around and threw the door open the rest of the way and put my hand on Elly's shoulder, "We need to find him."

"Do you mean K…"

"Do not say his name," I growled as I sliced my hand through the air in front of me.

I shoved past Elly and continued through the hall to the rest of the house, no caution left in my steps. He was the last of them, and he wouldn't shoot me. Even if he did, I would come back and kill him before he could do it again. Nothing mattered anymore. None of it had been real. I didn't swallow the anger this time as it built up in me. I let it roll through me like strong waves battering an empty beach as I searched the rest of the first floor, he wasn't there. I stopped the search in front of a set of stairs and another door. I swung the door open and saw steps leading down.

"Check upstairs, Elly," I said, not waiting for a response before taking the first few steps down and closing the door behind me. 

I knew he wouldn't have been upstairs, there was no way he would pass up the privacy and potential safety a basement provided. My thoughts were confirmed as I crept down the stairs, gun out in front of me, and heard a voice coming from below.

"Eric? Come in," I knew there would be no response to his call, "Adam? Check-in." The static buzzing of the radio would be his only response, "Fuck…"

I was almost at the bottom of the stairs now, I made no noise as I walked down the last few, my hunting sense fully setting in. I could hear him pacing in the room beyond the wall the stairs were separated by. He was walking from one side to the other, opening bags, searching, cursing, repeat. It made me smile to know how flustered he was. You'd think being outgunned by a Winchester would have begun to be a regular thing for him. I paused at the bottom of the stairs, calming my breathing before turning the corner into the room.

His back was to me as he examined a black duffle bag lying on a table. He was still dressed in the black tactical gear I had seen him in when he'd drugged me. Black jeans hugged his legs, the edges of a button-up shirt hung out the bottom of a black leather jacket, and black combat boots covered his feet. He seemed to be looking through the bag rather quickly, much more concerned with what he was searching for than the gun pointed at him. 

I searched the room quickly, looking for Gabe. The sight I found froze my boiling blood. An all too still figure lay under a white sheet, strapped to a plastic table at the end of the room. I calmed my mind as thoughts of the archangel being dead raced through it briefly, and cocked the gun. He froze at the sudden sound.

"You move, and I fire," I said, anger seeping back into my blood.

"This isn't…"

"Bull fucking shit this 'isn't what it looks like', so don't even try that shit." My tongue felt sharp, I hoped my words were too.

"Listen to me, Alex." He turned to face me, slowly.

"You have no right to ask that of me." I hissed, raising the gun to point it between his poisonous mercury eyes. "Where's Gabe?"

"That's why you need to…" He took a step towards me.

The grip on my gun tightened, "Don't you dare come closer. I will shoot you."

"No, you won't." He took another step.

"Try me…" I could feel the hot tears sting my eyes.

He had the balls to laugh. "Love, you're not…"

"Don't fucking call me that!" My vision was becoming clouded.

For once, the man in front of me looked frightened of me. There was no playfulness in his eyes. The way I spat the words must have made him realize how serious this was, and how close he was to death again. But it disappeared in another instant, covered with that cold mask again.

"Where's Gabe?" I demanded.

"Not here." He took another step.

"Then they've already taken him."

"No." He was walking a dangerous tightrope. 

"Then he's dead. There on that table huh?" The anger tasted foul on my tongue.

"Yes." He was a few steps from me now. I had dropped my aim from his head, to where his heart should be. Not that he'd ever had one in the first place.

"Then you truly are a monster." I gritted my teeth. 

"Yes, and I deserve to be hunted like one." He smirked. His eyes gave away no emotion. They were undisturbed pools of silver.

"You deserve nothing more than to have the hounds pull you apart in Hell," I said, avoiding his gaze now. I took a step towards him, my gun meeting his chest now.

"Do it," He whispered.

"I will." I felt my finger twitch on the trigger but didn't fire it.

I should shoot him. I should wipe him from this earth once and for all. I should kill him and bury him in a shallow grave before dancing on top of it. I should be done with this. But I couldn't. I couldn't shoot him. No matter how angry at him I was. No matter what he had done to Gabe. No matter how badly he had betrayed us. I couldn't do it. I still loved him. I hated that I loved him. My arm shook as my aim waivered and the gun dropped from his chest. 

"I can't…" I whispered.

"Drop the gun, love." He said, reaching for my hand.

"But," I took a quick step back, aimed, and fired the gun at his leg, sending the brass through the skin just above his knee. When he crumpled forward, I punched the butt of the gun into his temple and watched him fall to the ground, unconscious. "I can do that."

I could hear Elly rushing across the room upstairs before hearing her move just as quickly down the stairs. She had most likely heard his cry of pain and then the thud as he hit the ground. She must have assumed it was me who had fallen, or she wouldn't have moved as quickly.

"I'm fine, Elly," I called before she rounded into the room.

"Is he dead?" She asked as she came into the room. 

"I…no." I watched her walk over to his body and find the pulse in his neck.

"Where's Gabe?" She asked.

"Dead." I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to quiet the anger inside.

Her head snapped up to me, shock in her eyes, "There is no way he killed a damn archangel. We would have seen the light. Or the wings would have been burnt into the ground…something." She ran her hand through her long blonde hair as she stood again.

"They probably killed him at the bunker." I sighed, "There would be no telling if they did there or not, the whole place is burnt to a damn crisp."

"What are we going to do now?" I pointed at the unconscious man, "I'm not letting you splatter his brains like you did upstairs."

"No, he deserves far worse than that." I closed my eyes to think, "Cal Sam, have him come pick you up." I opened my eyes and walked over to the duffle bag he'd been searching through. It was stuffed full of supplies, weapons I was unfamiliar with, rope, and… "An archangel blade. Fuck…"

"You're leaving me here, alone with a dead man and another one unconscious outside?" Elly sounded anxious, "The British Men of Letters knows where this place is."

"Sam and Dean will be here before them. It'll be empty long before they know who did this." I took the blade from the duffle, holstered it with my belt, and continued to sift through the bag, "And you have a gun. I believe in your ability to stay alive for a few minutes so I can deal with the traitorous bastard myself." I found a pair of handcuffs and pulled them from the bag, turning back around to Elly.

"Do I wanna know what you're planning to do exactly?" She took a step closer to me, "Think about this, Alex."

I studied her face. She was concerned, scared, and anxious. But this wasn't her battle, and she didn't have to be worried about me. She hadn't been the one to lead the bastard to an archangel and she wouldn't have ot be the one to deal with the consequences either.

I walked over to the body and knelt beside it. "I'm going to make him suffer." I took his limp arms and cuffed them together at the wrists.

"Alex…"

"I'll be fine Elly." I cut her off, trying to lift his dead weight by myself, "Just help me get him out to the car."

Her blue eyes rolled in exasperation, but she still walked over and took hoisted him up and off the floor with me. It took a few tries and a bit of purposeful bashing around, but eventually, we got out of the abandoned house and the few blocks back to my car. Thankfully it was still fairly dark outside.

"Right." I said as we threw him into the back seat, "If you're worried about more showing up before the boys get here," I kicked the door closed, "You can hide somewhere nearby until they get here."

"I'm not that pathetic," Elly grumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

I kept the smile from my lips. "I wasn't calling you pathetic." I said, taking her chin in my hands, "You just seemed worried about it, and wanted to offer you the option."

"Ya, ya. Go fuck him or something." Elly rolled her eyes again.

"Trust me," I growled, "That is the last thing I want to do to him right now." I walked around to the driver's side and got in.

Elly leaned into the passenger window. "Stay safe, please. Call if you need something, ok?"

I nodded. "I promise." I started the car.

"Talk to you soon." She patted the roof and stepped away from the car, pulling her phone from her pocket.

I pulled away from the curb, not sure where exactly I was going until we were several miles away from that abandoned house. And even then there was only one place I could think of to take him. There was an old storage shed in the middle of nowhere between Lebanon and Esbon that I still paid rent on. It had been empty for a while, a perfect spot for exactly what I wanted to do with the betrayer in my backseat.

I let his body slump off my shoulder and fall hard to the floor. It had been a hell of a time trying to get him inside on my own, and I was surprised he was still unconscious. But we were here, and the door was closed and he was still limp. I threw my pack onto a dusty table that sat against one wall before yanking it open and pulling out a length of rope. I threw the rope around the cuffs and yanked his limp form onto one shoulder again. I pulled it to the center of the room. There was an exposed metal beam there that I threw one end of the rope around before pulling on it until he dangled from the ceiling by those cuffs. I heard him sigh as I finished tying the rope off.

"What are you doing…" He was still groggy.

I ignored him and checked my work, pulling hard on the rope to make sure it was tight enough. He winced, I was satisfied and walked away.

"Love.."

"Don't fucking call me that," I said as I walked back to the table.

"Why? You like being called that." I heard the rope creak along the beam as he shifted.

"Not anymore." I hissed. I gripped the table hard, fighting the burning tears that demanded to be known, "You don't deserve to call me that anymore."

He laughed, "You're not going to let what happened get to you, are you?"

"Shut up," I demanded. 

I turned back to him. His steel-colored eyes were as cold as ice as he stared me down. The warmth they had held for me had long since left them. His black jeans were covered in dust one, save for the spot around his knee that was darkened with blood. The button-up he wore was ruffled, and somehow a button towards the top had come undone. And now that I could look at him in the light, I could see thin red scratches along his arms, signs of a struggle. 

"You're looking at me as if I were a vampire." He smirked.

"As far as I'm concerned," I pulled the archangel blade from my belt, "You're far worse than any vamp."

"I'm not sure what you could mean by that, love." He scoffed, "I did nothing wrong."

"You used me." I walked back towards him.

"I've not the foggiest idea of what you're referring to."

"Really?" I bite the inside of my cheek again, "Of course you don't. A good British dog would never give up answers so easily."

"British dog. You haven't called me that in a while." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Didn't think it would fit anymore." I did a circle around him, "Guess I was wrong about a lot of things."

"Oh come now. You had to know none of it was truly serious." 

The sentence ripped through my heart, opening a new wound. It hurt more than anything he had ever said to me. I couldn't stop myself as I slashed the blade across the side, creating a thin, shallow cut. Something just enough to make him wince.

"How could you say that?" I barked, "After you said you loved me." I paused, his words had reopened old wounds, "After you made me love you!"

"You really thought I meant it?" He laughed, "Why would anyone love such a barbaric hunter bitch?"

"You said I was different. Said how much you liked that I wasn't by the books." I added finger quotations around the last words.

"I needed secrets. It was the easiest way to get them."

"Bullshit!" I couldn't fight the tears back anymore. They ran freely down my cheeks, burning my skin with new rage.

"I have no reason to lie to you anymore. I got what I came for. I don't need you anymore."

"No. They're making you say that." I pushed the air from my lungs, trying to calm down, "You don't mean it."

"How cute, you're still caught up in the story." He laughed harder now, "How fucking pathetic are you?"

"Liar!" I turned on him with the blade, slicing it across his chest this time.

"I have no reason to lie to you, love." He said through gritted teeth.

"Stop calling me that!" I pushed the blade against his throat, "If you don't care anymore, stop fucking calling me that."

"I don't think I will," He smirked, "I love the way it makes the anger dance in your eyes."

I wanted to cut his throat open and watch the blood rush forth from the wound as surprise washed over his face. I was going to watch him dangle dead from his wrists. At this moment I wanted to kill him as the hunter he thought I was. I wanted his last thought to be of the same pain he had caused me, or at least something very close to it. I pulled my blade forward to do just that…

When I saw it. The thin, almost invisible silver thread traveled along his cheek from his ear. I followed it to the small piece of black plastic that sat nestled there. Understanding washed over me, or at least I hoped I understood what was going on. Someone was still listening. 

"Then you'll die with it being the last thing you see." I sliced the blade up, away from his neck, but just catching his ear enough to flick the mic out of it and to the floor. I walked over to it and crushed it beneath my foot.

"God," Ketch sighed in relief, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't see it."

"You're not off the hook yet," I grumbled, turning back to him.

"Quite literally, hm?" He joked. A thin line of blood fell down his jaw now. 

"I'm being serious, Ketch." His name fell from my tongue like it was toxic.

I walked back to the table and laid the blade in front of my pack. I turned around and leaned against the table, closing my eyes.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" He sounded tired now, with no fight or anger left in his words.

"Kill Gabe. You know we still needed him. He was the last chance we had to…" I sighed.

"He's not dead." I opened my eyes and stared at the man.

"But you…"

"Yes, I did say I had." Ketch interrupted. "They were listening to everything I said and did. I couldn't just come out and tell you that it was one of his fakes lying there on that table. He's safe in your burnt-down bunker." He smiled weakly at me, "They'd have killed me for that."

"I almost killed you," I said softly.

"I am very glad you didn't"

"He's safe then?" I pushed from the table, "No one else knows where he's at?"

"No, no. He's perfectly fine. Only you and I know he's still alive." He sighed.

My feet were carrying me towards him before I could comprehend what I was doing. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. I had been right. It had been a damn decoy. A way to throw the British assholes off our tracks and keep them busy for a bit elsewhere.

"You fucking asshole." I cried, punching his chest.

"Ouch," he chuckled softly.

"Shut up." I laughed.

I kissed him hard, winding my fingers through his hair and giving his lip a good nip. God, he deserved all my anger. He deserved to hang here and suffer for days. But those sweet sounds he made when I kissed him like this, were going to drive me mad. I stepped back, leaving him with eyes of melting steel, and reached up to free him from the cuffs restraining him. It was seconds after his wrists were freed before his hands were on my face and pulling me in again.

"I'm sorry," He said against my lips. "I wanted so badly to tell you."

"Why didn't you?" I breathed.

"They threatened your life, your family's lives, if I told anyone." Ketch sighed, resting his forehead against mine, eyes closed.

"You let them blackmail you?" I laughed a little.

"We can discuss it later." His eyes opened as he caressed my cheek. "I owe you a proper apology."

"You're bleeding." I pointed out, "I'm sure it can wait until we get you stitched up." 

"A little blood has never kept you from me before," he smirked, sending a rush of warmth through me.

"Right. I know a place then." I whispered, looking deep into his eyes.

Relief flashed through his eyes. "I almost thought you were going to back out."

I smiled. "Never."

It was almost unbelievable how quickly I fell back into him. He had always been able to turn me inside out and give me exactly what I needed. And there was no use denying myself, or denying him, what we both wanted right now.

I took his hand and pulled him with me out of the storage unit as quickly as I dared with his injuries. It was a few more feet to my car, still sitting in the dark shadows beneath a tree as the dawn light started to creep over the horizon. I pulled the back door open and gestured with one hand.

"Here we are, Sir." A teasing tone fell across my tongue.

Ketch' eyebrow raised, "What did you call me?"

The sudden growl in his voice threw my heart for a loop in my chest, "You heard me."

Before I could finish being smug, he'd pushed me into the backseat, putting me flat on my back on the faux leather seat. I let out a small yelp as I bounced off it. His hand was already working at the button of my jeans as his smoldering eyes studied me.

"You'll regret that, love." He yanked my jeans down my legs.

I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I let it sink into my stomach and pit at the bottom of my heart with the anger I still held there. I was angry at him for letting us believe he'd betrayed us. I was angry at myself for letting him get so close to me to be angry about that. I was angry at myself for going soft over the thought of having a perfect family with him. Things I didn't want.

But we could do this. This extension of ecstasy. A blinding moment of pleasure that would erase the last few days from my mind. I needed all the passion I had focused on this moment. All the passion I spent thinking about things I never really understood. But this I understood. I understood the taunting I had done to cause the smoldering in his eyes. And he answered that call as if it were as natural as breathing, but this felt more like a greedy, desperate breath of fresh air.

I pushed myself up on my elbows, following his gaze as he looked over me like I was a meal just for him. His jaw was tight. Could he have been angry at me too? 

"You have no right to be angry at me." I breathed.

"Don't I?" Ketch gestured to his ear, then his side.

"Oh, bite me." I shot back.

There was no hesitation as he flipped me over and buried his teeth into my ass. I yelled into the faux leather, my body shaking through the pain. He kept his teeth anchored in my ass as his hand slid under my hips and found me slick and ready. He rubbed it, squeezed it, molded it into his palm.

"Fuck, yes…" I moaned into the seat.

It didn't feel like enough to feel him through my boy shorts, I needed his fingers between the folds. As if he could read my mind, he pulled the material down my legs before returning to teasing me. I shook with another moan as one of his fingers pushed in. 

"Not so angry when I have you like this, hm?" He asked, biting into my hip as he twisted his finger inside of me, "Maybe I should always fuck you like this, so you remember how good only I can make you feel. You know no one else can do this to you." His lips caressed my hip, "Now, explain yourself or I'll leave you with this ache."

"No." I moaned.

"You will explain yourself, love."

"I'm pissed." I gripped the seats.

Even if I couldn't see his face, I could feel his weight shift as his head came up and I knew his eyes bore into me. "Why." It was a command.

"Because you betrayed us. You betrayed me."

I could feel the anger in my gut wanting to dissipate and be replaced by the opposite, but I would not let tenderness take over in this moment. It had to be a foreign concept at this moment. I swallowed the feeling as his fingers left me and Ketch flipped me onto my back. The sparks of anger left in his eyes fueled mine again as if I had only imagined the guilt that shot through them too.

"You'll listen to me now," He took hold of my boyshorts and slid them the rest of the way off with my jeans, "I did it for you. I played their stupid little game to keep you and your idiotic brothers safe." He grabbed my knees roughly and dragged me to the end of the seat. "And I will not be chastised for my actions," His eyes hungrily washed over me, "Not while I've got you here, so eager for my mouth."

"Please." The word broke free before I could fully think of it.

"It's far too late to beg, love." He bit the inside of my thigh and used his hand to roughly push my knees open. "I will enjoy every word of it, but I will enjoy denying you even more. Let's see just how desperate a Winchester can get, shall we?"

He shoved my legs wide and latched onto my clit, massaging it with his tongue. Fuck, his tongue felt so good. My ass came off the seat as I moaned, but his hands forced them back down. It felt like I had never been fucked correctly. I could tell the desperation for his touch that seeped through my cries drove him on, and made him restless. His thumbs pushed hard into the sensitive area of my inner thigh, sending a shockwave through me.

"Arthur! Fuck, fuck." I reached for him, twisting my fingers through his hair, "You're going to make me….I can't."

I knew he planned to deny me, he had said those words just moments ago. But fuck, he hadn't spent enough time there between my legs. There was a growl as he pulled away from me, keeping one hand firmly on my leg, while the other grappled with his belt.

"You're so greedy," He growled more, "That's always the problem with you Winchesters, you want so much." He leaned over me, wrenching my shirt off of me, "Beg for me."

I could feel the pride warring in my veins, I didn't want to let him know just how much I had missed him, just how much I had hurt when he'd drugged me. But that all went out the window when I saw the hard member he released from his pants.

"Fuck, please." It came out like a prayer as my head fell back onto the seat.

There was a part of me that wanted to assume he would just give in so easily, for us both. But I knew the mixture of the adrenaline and anger coursing through him would fight through any pain he felt. This was far from over.

His fist took hold of my bra and threw me back against the far door, making my eyes fly open as I smacked into it. It stayed there, holding onto the smooth fabric as he took a seat, then used his grip to draw me closer again until I was straddling him. Then he ripped the thing off of me like it was nothing more than paper. 

"Hands on the ceiling, Alex." There was a darkness in his voice, something that seemed so unfamiliar in the last few months, "Good girl," He praised as I did what he'd ordered, "I want your pretty tits close enough to play with. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Please," I begged.

I wanted him to already be inside of me. His entire length. But I knew as soon as he was, it would be a struggle not to end our game before it got too far. And by the look in his eyes, he knew it too. It was some sort of small relief when he wrapped his hand around himself and teased me with just the head.

"Fucking…" My mind was a rush of feelings I hadn't felt in a long time, "Please, Arthur."

He took my left nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue until I was breathing hard. "Maybe I should start with just grinding against you. Over and over until you're a greedy wet mess. Would you like that?"

There were no words to answer that, so I nodded instead. It had begun to feel like denying me this sweet prize would go on forever. A little game to torture me more than his actions the last twenty-four hours had. I would feel my thighs beginning to shake with the want I felt for him. 

"Sit." He growled the command, "Take it deep, and don't move."

I sunk slowly onto him, giving up on trying to suppress the moan that passed my lips. I pushed my breasts into his face, and he growled more in response. It was directed at the ceiling at first, but his gaze found mine again quickly. Fuck, he was hot like this. Such rough, blazing hunger in those molten eyes. I expected myself to move despite what he'd ordered, but I didn't.

"We're not there yet, love." His hand stroked down my back, stopping at my ass to give it a firm slap. "Use the ceiling as leverage."

I dropped one of my hands from the ceiling for a second, shaking out the fuzziness that already threatened to take it over, and then put it back up. I watched his eyes close as I slid my thighs wider and pressed down, impaling myself.

"Can I move now?" I breathed.

"Who are you asking?" Ketch said through gritted teeth.

"You, sir." I moaned, "I'm asking you."

That title had seemed so ridiculous to me at first. The first time I had tried it it had felt so forced and strange on my tongue. But now, this time, it filled me more with lust. With a possessive urge to be his little plaything at this moment. 

"I don't have nice things, love. I do not play spy for other women." He said, eyes opening and revealing he thought the same way I did, "The things I do, I only do for you. Do you understand that?"

I blinked. Had he meant to say those things aloud? Must have. There was no way he hadn't. A sense of awe mixed with the sexual need that filled my core as I took my hands down from the ceiling. I knew he would think about punishing me for breaking the rule, but I didn't care. I slid them into his hair and pulled him to me, lips locked in an instant. 

I kissed him hard, squeezing around him at the same time and relishing in the deep groan that came from his chest. Our rapid inhales and exhales mixed as I kept up with the small motion. Squeezing and releasing over and over again.

"Let me repay you for the cuts." I said against his lips, "Let me show you how sorry I am."

His head fell back on another groan. I could already feel him pulsing deep, threatening to erupt. He slapped my ass again, giving neither of us any relief as I ended up speared more firmly on him.

"Move, love." He demanded, "Fuck me. Move."

Just like that, I obeyed his order, moving my hips back and then taking him all in again, slowly, keeping my eyes locked with his. My heart struggled to catch up with the heat that rushed through my veins. It was becoming too much to bear, one of us would break sooner rather than later and this would be over. But I would try my hardest not to break first.

"Faster." He growled, hands grabbing my hips, "I don't want to think anymore, Alex."

The connection between us seemed to burn bright, almost blinding for a moment. I understood all too well what he wanted. I wanted it to. 

Ketch shot forward suddenly, finding my mouth before I could respond. There was no control anymore. It had been slipping since the moment I'd seen him in that basement, but it had felt like such a tangible thing that could slip through my fingers, fingers that now gripped onto him, holding on for dear life. I had shattered now, pieces flying through my car like shrapnel. This would have been enough to sustain me, but the movement of our hips existed and nothing else existed any more. Fuck, fuck, fuck. We were equally desperate for release, moaning, struggling to find the best angle. Fuck it, everything felt like the best angle. 

I spread my thighs as wide as they would go, I latched onto his mouth, taking the breath from his lips. It had become my sole mission to end this together. Everything about this threatened to rule my consciousness, even when his fingers wrapped themselves in my hair and pulled me away from him. 

"I want to watch you," He breathed. 

"Yes, sir." I rode him faster.

His arm shot out, wrapping around the back of my neck. He yanked me close and sunk his teeth into the flesh connecting my shoulder and neck. He barely allowed me to yell out before fast, stinging blows began to rain down on my ass. Blows that would require attention later. But none of that mattered now. I came down on him one final time before the bliss ripped through me, chants of his name falling from my lips like a song. But he wasn't done yet.

I hadn't stopped shaking before he flung me hard against the back of the seat behind me, driving my knees up as he slammed against me.

"Keep them up." I shivered more at his growl. "Keep them there until I'm done."

I knew there had always been this ruthless side to him, this side that he kept tamed and hidden for most. But I had never allowed it to stay hidden for long. And here, my feet wedged against his shoulders, tits bouncing, hands trying to find something to grab onto, I could find it again. Words that were forbidden for anyone else, fell past my lips, interlaced with praises that egged him on, drew him deeper.

"Arthur, please," I begged.

His head dropped into the crook of my neck, his frantic thrusts never stopping. His climax was sudden and hot. Making us both leave purchase with reality, our labored breathing the only thing to anchor us to the present. His voice. The feel of him. I hung on tight to him, our mouths moving sloppily over each other. 

"We're doing this again when we get home." He ordered.

It felt harsher than intended, but there was no helping it. We had flayed each other wide open now and there was no putting it back together. 

"Yes." I panted.