I Don't Bite [Dean Winchester x Reader] Book 2

The World On Fire

Two weeks later I sat inside the empty main room of our makeshift town hall. The round tables were deserted, save for mine. To my left sat Jeremiah, and to my right, Booth. In front of us sat an unfamiliar skinwalker.

Her hair was long and fell like a thick black curtain across her shoulders. Her skin was olive-toned, and her cheeks were dimpled and creased with smile lines. But, instead of a smile, her mouth was turned down in a scowl.

"I just need a week," Julia said, tapping her fingers rhythmically on the wooden table. "One week until this all blows over, and then we'll be out of your hair."

I looked pointedly at Jeremiah, who met my gaze with a side-eye glance. His lips were pursed into a thin line that hid what he was thinking. "Marcus believes her," he finally answered with a slight nod her way.

"He said you had space," Julia piped up, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. Her knee bounced anxiously out of sight. "I swear, we won't cause any trouble. We're vegetarian too – I don't think any of us could stomach eating... humans." Her voice softened and her gaze dropped to the table.

Booth shifted in his seat and her eyes flicked toward him with a nervous glance. "How long ago were you turned?" he questioned. Julia chewed on the inside of her lip.

"Almost three years," she murmured and hung her head. "Our newest was less than six months ago."

"Why?" I spoke up and her head snapped up to meet my eyes. "Who was it?"

"I don't know," she replied and folded her hands neatly in front of her. "It was different for all of us, I think. We all just sort of... found each other."

"... Found each other?" Jeremiah asked, raising a brow to promote clarification.

"Like a... gut feeling? Marcus said you would know."

The men on either side of me both glanced my way with furrowed brows.

I ignored their looks as my lips drew together in a line. A gut feeling... the same thing I had when I first encountered each of my early pack members. "How many are we talking?" I asked.

"Seven."

"We have room for seven," I answered and Julia's eyes lit up with relief. "Stay as long as you need. But, while you're here, you follow my rules." She paled. "It's nothing bad. Just carry your weight and don't cause trouble."

Julia breathed out a sigh of relief and the corners of her mouth pulled up in a tired smile. A soft thank you escaped her as she extended her open hand across the table to seal the deal.

—

A month later I stood under the black sky, the new moon staring back at me. Julia was long gone, but word traveled fast. From atop my hill, on my front porch, I could still hear the sounds of music and cheering from the town hall. The bar had become more lively in the last few weeks, monsters passing through for a drink, somewhere safe to stay the night, or just to see if the rumors were true.

"It's impressive, you know," a now familiar voice spoke from behind me. My brows furrowed and I turned to face Dante. With a scowl, I leaned against one of the posts that held up the overhanging roof of my porch. "How much progress you've made, I mean. Word travels like wildfire. And a bar – it's clever."

"I had a good role model," I answered, drifting to thoughts of the Roadhouse. It wasn't the same, not even close. But it was a waypoint. Hopefully, it provided some sense of permanence to monsters who were always on the move.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"No. But I'll handle it if it's not." Dante hummed in response and clasped his hands behind his back. I watched him with a curious gaze and he stared into the distance, his eyes focused on something in his reality and not mine. "Do you know anything about rising bite rates?" I questioned, folding my arms over my chest in what I hoped looked like a confident posture. Dante's eyes immediately flicked to mine and his lips twitched up into a slight smile.