She Talks to Angels | {BOOK 2}

10|66 Seals

"Eleanor," Castiel's voice whispered.

I opened my eyes, making my way out of the bedroom I was staying in and creeping down the stairs. Dean and Castiel were standing in the kitchen, talking quietly.

"Well, thanks for the angelic assistance," Dean spat. "You know, I almost got my heart ripped out of my chest."

"But you didn't," Castiel responded.

"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos- you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks."

"Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier."

"Yeah? Then why didn't you fight?"

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns."

"Concerns? There were people getting torn to shreds down here! And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh, if there is a God?"

"There's a God," Castiel said matter-of-factly.

"I'm not convinced. Cause if there's a God, what the hell is He waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does He lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"

"The Lord works..."

"If you say 'mysterious ways', so help me, I will kick your ass," Dean threatened.

Castiel raised his hands in a gesture of surrender before leaning back against the counter of the kitchen. I chose that moment to walk over and join them.

"So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses," Dean continued. "This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse."

"That's why we're here," Castiel nodded. "Big things afoot."

"Do we want to know what kind of things?" I asked.

The angel looked away from Dean to me and I was struck by how blue his eyes were, even in the dark.

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals."

"Okay. I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld," Dean quipped.

"Those seals are being broken by Lilith."

My heart dropped in my chest.

"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses," I whispered.

"Mm-hm," Castiel nodded. "And not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead."

"Of course," Dean said, reaching over and subtly grabbing my hand to calm me down. "She picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us."

"Lilith has a certain sense of humor," the angel agreed.

"Well, we put those spirits back to rest."

"It doesn't matter. The seal was broken."

"Why break the seal anyway?"

"You think of the seals as locks on a door."

"Okay. Last one opens and..." I trailed off.

"Lucifer walks free."

I felt the blood drain from my face and I squeezed Dean's hand hard.

"Lucifer?" Dean asked, starting to rub circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."

"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me," Castiel pointed out. "Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2,000 years?"

"To stop Lucifer."

"That's why we've arrived."

"Well, bang-up job so far. Stellar job with the witnesses. That's nice."

It was clear from Castiel's expression that he didn't understand sarcasm.

"We tried," he insisted. "And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in."

With a flap of his wings, the angel disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Dean and I alone.

"Ellie?" Dean asked softly.

I didn't respond, instead turning and burying my face in his chest. I missed the smell of Dean Winchester. It was a combination gun powder, whiskey and the leather of the Impala and it immediately calmed me down. Dean's arms circled around me, holding me close for comfort and I felt him leave a kiss on top of my head.

"Come on, Ellie Bear. Let's get some sleep."

"Don't leave me," I whispered against his chest.

"Never," he promised.

Wordlessly, he guided me up the stairs into a different room than the one Bobby told me to stay in. This one was a little bigger and had two beds instead of one. Together, we quietly pushed the beds together to make one large bed and then we climbed under the covers. I curled up into Dean's side, using his chest as a pillow while he held me.

"It's not the same," I said.

"What?" Dean asked, confused.

I swallowed hard, wetting my lips as I looked up at him in the dark.

"My feelings for Brigham. It's not the same. Not like how I feel about you."

"But you still love him."

"I was grieving, Dean. I lost both you and Maddie that night. Sam went off on his own and I needed a distraction. I tried heading back to the shop, but I couldn't stand being back there. Too many memories. I ended up selling it.

"Then I called Brigham and ended up heading to his house. I never meant for it to go anywhere, he was just comforting me. But then..."

My words caught in my throat. I never thought I would have to have this conversation. Especially since the man I was having it with was dead just days ago.

"I love you, Dean. I'll always love you."

"And what about him?"

I had been thinking about that question a lot the last couple of days. Especially after Dean found out who I was texting. I wondered if I could ever go back to him now that I had Dean back.

"I care about him. He comforted me and brought me back from a dark place, and I'll always be thankful to him for that," I started hesitantly. "However..."

I took a shaky breath, trying to come up with the right words to say. Dean was quiet, just waiting for me to finish.

"I couldn't go back to that," I continued. "Not now. I have you back, Dean. And that's enough. That's all I could ask for."

Dean leaned down and I met him halfway, our lips brushing softly in a chaste kiss. It was true. I couldn't picture myself going back to the regular routine I had been living with Brigham. Having Dean back with me was amazing. The only thing that could make it better was if I had my daughter back, too.