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(ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ:
ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ)
The boys and Bobby threw themselves into the search for Crowley almost immediately, following every report involving demons capturing vampires, werewolves and anything else connected to Eve. I helped where I could, using old contacts, maps and my own knowledge of demonic habits to narrow down the places Crowley's people were most likely using as holding sites.
By the end of the day, however, there was little more I could contribute without standing over their shoulders, so I returned to New York with the promise that if they called, I would be back before they had time to regret asking.
Not long after arriving home, I took a long, hot shower and tried to wash away the tension that had been clinging to me for days. Steam still drifted lazily through the apartment when I emerged, wrapped in nothing but a towel secured around my body. Barefoot, I poured myself an expensive whiskey and wandered into the living room, enjoying the burn as I took a slow drink.
I stopped before the fireplace and watched the flames move across the logs. Their warmth brushed against my damp skin, gradually drying the droplets still trailing down my shoulders and legs. For once, the apartment was peaceful.
Then wings disturbed the silence. I recognised the sound instantly. Dean's warning surfaced in my mind just as quickly. If Castiel appeared, I was to say absolutely nothing about what we were doing.
"If you continue appearing in my home without warning, I may eventually assume you want something more than conversation," I teased, turning slowly towards him. Cas stood several feet behind me, his blue eyes immediately finding mine. His expression was composed as always, but something beneath it felt different. There was tension in the set of his shoulders and too much purpose behind his stare.
He hadn't come merely to visit. I raised an eyebrow and took another sip of whiskey, allowing the silence to stretch. "So, what brings you here this time, Cas? Have you come for my charming company, or have you finally discovered how Crowley managed to trick an angel?"
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "I don't know how he tricked me."
"Crowley is crafty," I replied, slowly swirling the amber liquid inside my glass. "Then again, I suppose deceit comes naturally to us demons." The remark was deliberate. Castiel's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment neither of us spoke. I hadn't forgotten the last conversation we had shared in this room, nor the way one word had been enough to extinguish whatever intimacy had formed between us.
It had been all he needed to remind both of us where I supposedly belonged. "You're not like Crowley or any other demon," Cas said eventually. I studied him carefully. The sincerity sounded genuine, but I had spent too many centuries listening to people tell me what they thought I wanted to hear.
