Bound By Fire

4 Into the Bunker

Dean's POV:

I couldn't let her stay here. Not after that. 

The second the shadow slithered back into the room, I knew it wasn't over- not by a long shot. I'd dealt with too many things like this over the years to think that just scaring it off once would be enough. It was still after her. Still hungry.  And I wasn't about to sit around waiting for it to make its next move.

I watched Stella stand there, her eyes wide with fear, her chest still rising and falling from the kiss we just shared. A kiss that had flipped my whole world upside down. But there wasn't time for that right now. Not while this thing was still coming for her.

"We need to go" I said, grabbing her jacket from the back of the chair and shoving it into her hands.

"Where?" she asked, her voice shaking, though she tried to hide it. I could see the fear in her eyes, the confusing. But I didn't have time to explain. Not now.

"Somewhere safer than here." I muttered, my mind already racing ahead. My place wasn't built for a long-term fight, and I didn't know how much more this thing would escalate. There was only one place where I knew we'd have the resources to figure this out- and keep her safe all at the same time. 

The Bunker.

Without another word, I grabbed my keys, throwing her a glace that said everything I didn't have time to explain. We were leaving now, no debate. She didn't hesitate. She nodded, slipping her jacket on and following me to the door. She trusted me, even if she didn't understand why I was in such a hurry.

Once we were in the Impala, I gunned the engine, the familiar growl of Baby roaring to life beneath us. The storm outside was getting worse, but it wasn't just the weather that had me on edge. I kept glancing at Stella out of the corner of my eye, the weight of her presence next to me almost more distracting than the thing we were running from.

The kiss lingered in the back of my mind, a burning reminder of how much had changed  in the span of just a few minutes. Years of pretending, years of keeping my distance- all gone in an instant. I couldn't stop thinking about how soft her lips had been against mine, how right it had felt to finally close that gap between us. 

But I had to focus. There would be time to sort through all of that later. Right now I had to keep her safe. 

The drive to the bunker was quiet, the only sound was the rain pelting against the windshield and the steady hum of the engine. Stella kept looking out the window, lost in thought, probably still trying to wrap her head around everything. Hell, I was doing the same thing.

When we finally pulled up to the entrance of the bunker, I cut the engine and turned to her. "Stay close to me." I said, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. "Once we're inside, you'll be safe. This place...It's different. Nothing can get to you down there."

She gave me a small nod, trusting me even though I knew she was scared out of her mind. I wanted to tell her it would be okay, that I'd protect her now no matter what, but I wasn't great with words like that. Not when it came to her. Not when it came to...feelings.

I led her down the stairs into the bunker, the cool, musty air hitting us as we descended. I heard her footsteps echo behind me, a little hesitant, but steady. Once we reached the main hall, I turned to her, watching her take it all in. The place was massive, full of lore, weapons, everything a hunter could need. But to someone who wasn't used to it, I could see how overwhelming it might be. 

She was about to say something when I heard footsteps coming from the library. A second later, Sam appeared in the doorway, his expression shifting from curiosity to concern the second he saw us. 

"Dean? What's going on?" He asked, his eyes darting between me and Stella. He could read me like a book and he knew right away something was off.

I glanced at Stella then back to Sammy. "She's got something after her." I said, keeping my voice steady. "I don't know what it is yet but it's powerful. Tried to take her earlier."

Sam's expression darkened, his hunter instincts kicking in just like mine. "What are we dealing with?" 

"I don't know" I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "It's not a regular spirit. It's something worse. Something that knows her."

Stella flinched at that, and I immediately regretted saying it in front of her. But it was the truth, and she deserved to know what we were up against.

Sammy nodded, already in problem-solving mode. "We'll figure it out" he said, his voice calm but firm. "We've got enough lore here to research for weeks if we need to."

I turned to Stella, catching the way her arms were wrapped around herself, like she was trying to hold it together but wasn't sure how much longer she could. The bunker might've been safe, but that didn't mean she wasn't still scared.

"Hey" I said, walking over to her and gently resting my hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna be alright, okay? You're safe here. Me and Sammy-we're not gonna let anything happen to you."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and vulnerable in a way I wasn't used to seeing. 
"Dean... I don't know how to fight something like this."

"You don't have to," I said softly "That's what we're for"

She nodded, but I could tell she still wasn't convinced. I wasn't sure what else I could say to make her believe me, but I wasn't about to let her face this alone. Not after everything that had happened tonight. Not after what had happened between us.

Sam cleared his throat, pulling my attention back to him. "We should get started on the research," He said, already heading toward the shelves where we kept the lore books. "The sooner we know what we're up against, the better."

I gave Stella one last look before turning to follow Sam. But before I could take more than a few steps, I felt her hand on my arm stopping me.

"Dean" she said, her voice low. "Thank you. For everything"

As I joined Sam at the table, diving into the research, my mind kept drifting back to her. The way she'd looked at me when I'd told her she was safe, the way her lips had felt against mine just hours earlier. I couldn't shake it, couldn't focus on anything but the fact that everything had changed. 

And I didn't know if it was a good thing or if it was only going to make things harder.

Because it wasn't just a fight anymore.

It was personal.

To be continued...