Losing Hope | {BOOK 4}

47| God's Freaking Brother

"Why, Amos?" Crowley asked, staring down at the young boy who was keeping him pinned. "I thought we had an understanding."

"Yeah," Amos said as the demon grimaced in pain. "Your promise to protect me. And then, hours later, I'm assaulted in my own room."

"Well, you don't seem terribly upset by it."

"That's not the point. I've decided I don't need your protection, and I certainly don't need your captivity."

Amos raised his hand, causing Crowley to cry out in pain.

"I'm done."

While Amos was torturing Crowley, I started to move away from the wall I'd been released from when Amos pinned Crowley, but found myself pinned once more seconds later.

"Gah!" I grunted in surprise.

"Ellie!" Sam's voice carried through the door as he pounded on the other side.

"It's time- time for you to blink your tired ass-" Amos squeezed his fist, and Crowley, who was bleeding from the mouth, grimaced once more, "back to your throne and lick your wounds. I'll spare your life on one condition. Safe passage for Eleanor out of here after I've gone."

I shook my head in confusion as Amos squeezed his fist harder.

"Yes!" Crowley gasped out in a strained voice. "Ah!"

Amos relaxed his fist, releasing both me and Crowley.

"Good," he said. Now... Get. Out. Of my room."

Crowley glared at the boy, vanishing a moment later. Amos's back was to me and I leaned down, picking the demon knife up off the ground. He looked over his shoulder at me.

"You won't," he turned to face me. "You can't."

I swallowed as he walked closer to where I was standing.

"Tell me, what is happening here between us?" he asked in a softer tone. "You save me, I save you."

Amos reached out, running a hand along my jaw and I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes and leaning into the touch for the briefest moment before staring at him in confusion.

"What?" he asked. "You were the first thing I saw when I was freed, and it had been so long. Maybe that's it- my first experience of his creation. You can't help but represent that for me- the sweet triumph and the even sweeter folly of what he's wrought. There's no fighting it. I'm fascinated."

He retracted his hand, dark eyes locked on mine.

"It's been great seeing you again, Eleanor, but it's time for me to go. There's a whole world out there for me to explore, and I can practically taste it. Soon, I'll be strong enough for what I came here to do."

"What's that?" I whispered.

"Settle an old score- the oldest score."

Amos looked down at the knife in my hand and I followed his gaze. As I raised the blade toward his chest, he tilted his head back slightly, as if inviting me to use it on him.

"Told you," he shook his head.

Just then, Sam managed to break through the door and stumbled into the room.

"Oh!" he cried out in surprise.

Amos held out a hand, flinging Sam out of the room and into the wall across the hall. I looked at him, and then down at the knife and lunged for him. With a flick of his wrist, Amos sent me flying back into the wall and I fell to the ground. My vision blurred slightly as I watched him walk out of the room.

⁘

"Look, guys, I'm as glad as anyone that Stella got her groove back, okay? But you let Metatron go?"

Sam and I had gotten back to the Bunker and apparently Dean had gotten Cass to leave his TV binge for some fresh air and the angel had found Metatron and then proceeded to let the former scribe go.

"Eleanor, how many times are you gonna repeat that question?" Cass asked, annoyed.

"I'm gonna say it again," I replied in the same tone, raising my voice. "You let Metatron go?!"

"He's not going anywhere. If he makes a move, if he draws the slightest attention, the full force of angel kind will snuff him out. Look- none of you saw him," he looked around at Dean, Sam and me. "He is human, and a pitiable one at that. He's not a threat to us. I- I mean, I put him in traction."

"Guys, bigger fish to fry here," Sam piped up. "Amos is in the wind."

"Yeah, God's freaking brother," I rolled my eyes.

"You said you were close," Dean addressed me. "Ellie, how'd he get away?"

"'M sorry, what part of 'God's freaking brother' did you not understand? He overpowered me- end of story."

Sam, Dean and Castiel all eyed me warily.

"What's our plan here, fellas?" I asked. "You said you got everything you could out of Metadouche, right? So, where on earth are we gonna find an answer on how to stop him?"

I moved my gaze to focus on Sam.

"I don't suppose God's decided to share any wisdom on the matter," I quipped sarcastically.

"I'll look into the lore," Sam mumbled, heading into the library.

"Ellie-" Dean began.

I ignored him, heading down the hall to check on Maddie and Zep in their rooms. Zep was sound asleep when I snuck in and gave him a kiss, but Maddie stirred a little when I gave her the same treatment.

"Mama?" she asked sleepily. "You're home."

"Yeah, darling," I whispered. "Uncle Sammy and I got back. Everything okay while I was gone?"

"Uh huh," she nodded against her pillow. "Missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart. I'm sorry I haven't been around very much lately."

"'S okay," Maddie yawned, words slurred slightly from exhaustion.

"Maybe you and I can have a girl's day away from all the boys, okay?"

"Okay."

I smiled at the mumbled response, the seven-year-old already falling back asleep. I made sure she was securely tucked into her blankets and had Ellie Bear and her Angel Doll safely in her grasp.

"Good night, baby," I whispered, brushing her red hair away from her face and kissing her temple.

Slipping out of the room, I headed down the hall to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and sitting down at the island. As I sat there, hand resting loosely around the base of the bottle, my mind wandered to thoughts of Amos and the calming peace I felt whenever he was in the same room as me.