Rogue (Supernatural) [Rogue Trilogy] {1}

26. Ogden, Utah

26. Ogden, Utah

Castiel, I could really use an ear to vent to right now. Sometimes I think you don't exist, with how absent you've been lately. But I have to believe you're all right. You can handle yourself, with what Grace you've got in you. Hopefully I can see you soon; you're due for a visit.

I'm not one for prayer, but this isn't my first time reaching out to Castiel, either.

It started after my brothers and I lost the First Blade to Crowley. I didn't pray for Cas to track down Crowley, but to voice my worries to him about Dean and the Mark of Cain. How, ever since his encounter with the Blade, my brother has been acting different. I'd hoped that Cas would drop by somehow, whether sneak up in my room or contact me through thought or a dream. Something that would tell me that he'd been listening.

I'd heard no such thing.

So between my praying to Castiel and worrying about Dean and the Mark, I got onto a case with Sam while Dean remained inactive. I'd come to learn a lot of things with this case with my younger brother. For one thing—a major thing—Sam had been soulless for a time. And apparently, soullessness didn't equate to a good thing. This was one of the things my brothers never bothered to touch on.

Our case had involved people who had lost their souls. It led us to get an interesting story from a woman named Julia Wilkinson, a nun who had witnessed an incident involving my grandfather, Henry Winchester, another Men (in her case, Woman) of Letters by the name of Josie Sands, and, you guessed it, Abaddon. Henry and Josie had investigated a strange occurrence at Julia's convent. The curious young woman she had been at the time—as her story was from 1958—she went to see what was going on.

Julia had been taken hostage, along with several other people. Henry and Josie tried to play Hero and try an exorcism, but Abaddon had been immune to it. Abaddon had briefly possessed Henry before Josie offered herself up as a meat-suit to Abaddon.

Julia's story led Sam and I to investigate the convent, where we discovered Abaddon's plan. She was collecting souls to build an army. But we put a stop to that quickly by freeing those souls. Abaddon's stock was gone.

Since Sam and I have been back from that case, now knowing Abaddon's plan, we've tied our mission to Dean's. So, we share the same goal, but I've come to suspect that Dean's want to kill Abaddon is more fueled by whatever effects the Mark of Cain gives him.

Sam has been keeping tabs on any soulless activity in any part of the United States. Granted, I'm pissed at him and Dean for not telling me about Sam's soulless period, but it's not a grudge I'm willing to keep a hold of forever.

Currently, my brothers and I are sifting through any leads that could potentially give us Abaddon's location. I still have yet to meet this infamous last Knight of Hell for myself. Maybe it's better that I never do. I'd just give her one more target to chase after.

My phone buzzes in my pocket so strongly that I stop all I'm doing and look at the caller ID. Who the hell is Steve? But then I remember. "Steve" was Castiel's persona the night I met him. I never changed his contact information in my phone, even if was fairly new. I must've had a brain fart.

"You just gonna stare at it or answer it?" Dean asks.

Snapped out of my slight daze, I answer, "Hello?"

"I was wondering if you were going to pick up."

I don't know why, but I feel relief in hearing the gruff tone in Cas's voice. "Hello to you too, Castiel." At this, my brothers look up at me. I hold out a finger to them before I put my phone on speaker. "All right, you're on speaker, Cas. You better have a good reason for being MIA." I set the phone on the table, leaning against it with my arms.