Losing Hope | {BOOK 4}

26| Rowena

Numbly, I made my way back out of the barn and down the stairs to where Sam, Dean, Cass and Crowley were waiting.

"Ellie Bear?" Dean asked.

"Eleanor, the Blade," Crowley held out his hand.

I looked down at the Blade in my hand, walking toward Crowley, then handed it to Cass.

"You lied to me," Crowley accused.

"It wouldn't be the first time today," I admitted. "Cain's list... you weren't on it."

Crowley vanished then, and I collapsed into Dean's arms.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said gently. "You did it. Ellie, you did it."

I didn't respond, staring over his shoulder at Sam and Cass.

⁘

Sam and Dean had left me alone in the Bunker. They had told me to take it easy while they took care of some stuff and taken Maddie and Zep with them. We had gone on two hunts since I killed Cain. The first one, we dealt with a Khan worm and had run into Cole again. The other one was a ghost who was possessing and killing people. I kept telling Sam and Dean that we needed to focus on the job and stop worrying about the Mark, but I had a feeling they weren't listening to me.

They would have hushed conversations with each other that would abruptly stop anytime I walked into the room and Sam had been practically glued to his laptop when I wasn't around. I had a feeling whatever they were doing now had something to do with that. The only thing that would suggest otherwise was the fact they took the kids with them, though I supposed they could have easily dropped them off at Connor and Libby's house before heading off somewhere.

Since there wasn't a lot to do around the Bunker, I ended up heading into town to a bar.

"Hey, Donnie," I greeted the bartender.

"Hey, Ellie," Donnie smiled.

"I'll do the, uh, Hervé Villechaize."

"You bet."

"Thanks."

"Boom! Money. Now. Loser!" a boy by the pool tables said.

"Gracias," I thanked Donnie again as he placed a giant plate of nachos in front of me.

"Give me your cash. Now. Right now," the boy continued.

"What's with the Abercrombie rejects," I nodded at the group of boys.

"College kids 'slumming it'," Donnie rolled his eyes.

"Slumming? What are you talking about? This is a nice joint, huh?"

"Come on, bitches. Who's next? 20 bucks a game. 20 bucks."

Running a hand through my hair, I winked at Donnie, grabbing my beer bottle and stumbling over to the pool table.

"Hey! Yeah, I'll, uh... I'll play."

The boy who'd just beat his friends, eyed me up and down.

"What, seriously?"

"Dude, she's blitzed," his friend said.

"No. No, no, no, no," I shook my head. "I'm... I'm... I'm fine, man. I'm good to go. Hm? Good to go."

"She's fine," Boy One said, eyeing the money I'd just pulled out. "Grab a stick."

I played through the entire game, keeping up my drunk façade, allowing the boy to beat me.

"There it is. Corner pocket. The king is here," he grinned triumphantly as he sunk the eight ball.

"Okay, alright," I nodded. "Again?"

"Sure. Say $100 this time?" he suggested.

"Yeah. Make it $300," I said, pulling out a wad of cash. "What do you say?"

"Uh... give me your cash," he turned to his friends.

I looked at the pile he placed on the edge of the pool table.

"I think you're a little short there. Why don't you toss in the watch? Good to go."

"My dad gave me this watch," he told me.

"I'm sure it's a very touching story. Got a little tear in my eye. Come on. We gonna play or not?"

He took off the watch, adding it to the pile, and I immediately dropped my drunk façade.

"Rack 'em."

Five minutes later, I was pounding him at the game, prepping to sink the eight ball.

"That one," I nodded, making the shot.

"You hustled me!" he accused.

"Well, you're pretty quick for a guy who's all hair gel and body spray," I smirked, picking up the piles of money and his watch, and walking off to the bathroom.

When I came back out, the bar had been deserted save for Rowena, who sat on a stool at the bar.

"Eleanor," she greeted me.

"Rowena?" I raised an eyebrow. "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? Oh, sorry. Did I say 'nice girl'? I meant 'evil skank'."

"You say that like it's an insult," the witch smiled. "But nice girls, they're pathetic. Here's to evil skanks."

She raised her glass, taking a sip as the boys from the pool game jumped out and attacked me.

"Whoa, fellas. What did she do to you?" I asked, noting their bloodshot eyes and the blood running from their noses.

I nearly stabbed the one I beat with a pool cue, but flashed back to killing Lester, breaking Charlie's arm, and shooting Olivia multiple times and dropped the cue. Instead, I used my fists, defending myself until they were all knocked out at my feet. Rowena got off her barstool, rolling up her sleeves to show off runes painted on her skin in what looked like blood.

"Someone's tougher than she looks," she said. 

"You have no idea," I glared at her.

"A spioradÌ an tsaoil, ÈistigÌ liom! DÛighigÌ an fear seo! DÛighigÌ go luaithreach È!"

Purple light brushed over me, a slight breeze blowing back my hair slightly, but otherwise nothing happening.

"Not possible," Rowena's eyes widened.

Grabbing her, I pushed her back against the bar, putting a knife against her neck.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving my son."

"Your son?"

"Crowley," she replied.

"Crowley Crowley?" my eyes widened.

"My son is a king, a god.... or he would be if you didn't... you snap your fingers, and he comes running like a wee lap dog."

"Lady, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a good influence on him. That's why you need to die."

"Well, sorry your little light show didn't work," I smirked.

"Oh, I'll try again," she assured me.

"What, you think I'm just gonna let you walk out of here?"

"I think you're a hero. You could have killed those men, but you didn't because they're innocent. 'Cause you're the good girl, and you want them to live. But the spell I cast will devour them from the inside out like it did that girl."

I thought back to the girl she'd cursed before I'd been stopped from killing her by Cole.

"I'm the only one that can save them. What's it going to be... hero?"