(1) The Devil's Hybrid (D. Winchester)

Chapter Twenty Nine

Dean is covered in blood. Alastair holds him by his shirt collar and punches him repeatedly, then drops him and picks him up by the throat and shoves him up against the hexacle, lifting his feet off the floor.

"You got a lot to learn, boy. So I'll see you back in class bright and early Monday morning" Alastair turns around. Castiel is behind him with Ruby's knife. Alastair drops Dean, who doesn't move, to focus on Castiel, who stabs him in the heart. The injury sparks gold light, but not as much as when it kills. "Well, almost. Looks like God is on my side today" Castiel lifts a hand. The knife twists itself. Alastair grunts in pain and pulls out the knife, then tosses it away and charges Castiel. They fight. Alastair slams Castiel against the wall, choking him. "Well, like roaches, you celestials. Now, I really wish I knew how to kill you. But all I can do is send you back to heaven" Alastair chants in Latin. Blue light appears in Castiel's eyes and mouth. Erika groans as she wakes, pushes herself up to her knees. Alastair stops abruptly, choking, and is slammed against the wall. Sam has arrived, one hand raised. Castiel slumps to the ground. "Stupid pet tricks"

"Who's murdering the angels? How are they doing it?" Sam asks.

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

"Yeah, I do" Sam twists his hand. Alastair's eyes roll white and he chokes. "How are the demons killing angels?"

"I don't know"

"Right" Sam scoffs.

"It's not us. We're not doing it"

"I don't believe you"

"Lilith is not behind this. She wouldn't kill seven angels. Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand" Alastair tells them.

"He's telling the truth," Erika tells Sam moving to her feet. Sam stops.

"Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can"

"I'm stronger than that now. Now I can kill" Sam holds out his hand. Gold light flares inside Alastair as he screams. Alastair's host collapses, dead. Erika moves to Dean lifts his head into her lap. She raises her wrist to her mouth and bites into her own skin before pressing her bleeding wrist to Dean's lips.

"Drink" she begs of him. "Please" she whispers, Dean opens his lips slightly and Erika pushes her wrist into his mouth. She lifts her eyes to Sam who looks away from her.

........................

Erika sits next to the motel bed as Dean sleeps, recovers, she sighs and looks over her shoulder as Castiel appears at the doorway, pauses, and looks to her.

"Eris" he whispers.

"This is your fault," she tells him.

"No" Castiel argues.

"Because you can't keep a bloody devil's trap together" she growls.

"I don't know what happened. That trap...it shouldn't have broken. I am sorry"

"This whole thing was bloody pointless. You understand that? The demons aren't doing this. Something else is killing your soldiers"

"Perhaps Alastair was lying" he offers.

"No, he wasn't," she tells him, she gives him a look and turns back to Dean. Castiel looks as though he has been slugged in the face. Erika takes Dean's hand.

........................

Uriel sits on a bench, eyes closed. Castiel appears.

"Castiel, I received revelation from our superiors. Our brothers and sisters are dying and they...they want us to stop hunting the demon responsible" Castiel sits next to Uriel. "Something is wrong up there. I mean, can you feel it?"