7
As the night wore on, Sam and Dean checked the warding throughout the house once more, and Nathan and Paige did their best to make sure everyone was comfortable.
"I know it's kind of small, but there's a loveseat in James' room you can sleep on, if you'd like," she told Cas.
"Thank you, Paige, but I do not require sleep," Cas told her. "You should rest," he said kindly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Do not fear; Sam and Dean are very good at what they do. No harm will come to you or your son."
"And if it comes to having to deal with Tabris, Cas is no slouch either," Dean added, casting a glance at Cas, who gave him a slight nod of thanks. "But like he said, they're not getting in here to get anybody tonight."
"Dwight, you and Dean will take first watch tonight," Sam said. "Then McHugh and I will take over. Guys, you see anything out of the ordinary, give a yell. They might look like your old friends, but they're not the same anymore."
"I don't know as I'd have called Jordan and Kirk friends," Dwight said. "If they're all jacked up on angel juice—"
"I do not think they've been given Grace—not to the extent your friend has," Cas spoke, gesturing to Duke, who was grimacing as though he were in pain.
Nathan's face furrowed, seeing Duke's expression.
"Is it like before, Duke?" he asked.
"Before, what do you mean, before?" Dean questioned.
"When Duke's Trouble was altered, it stirred up all of the Troubles that his family's line had wiped out," Nathan began. "If he didn't release a Trouble, he'd have—exploded."
"Ugh," Dean said.
"I ended up exploding anyway," Duke answered. "When I did, I Troubled pretty much most of Haven."
"It got ugly—real ugly," Dwight said his eyes on Duke. "That how this is feeling, Duke?"
"No," Duke sighed, his face relaxing under Cas' touch. "Thank you," he said, looking up to Castiel. "This is—different. I can't explain it—maybe you could?"
"It's the warding on you—Tabris is trying to recall you to him," Cas explained to Duke.
"What warding? There's none of those funny-looking glyphs on him," Dwight said, peering at Duke's chest under his shirt.
"It's—it's etched into his ribs," Sam told him. "Cas did Dean and I the same way when we first began working together. It's angelic protection."
"It is not just his ribs," Cas stated. "Tabris has warded him throughout his entire being. When he calls Duke, the sigils flare, and that is causing his discomfort. I fear it will continue to grow worse the longer you are out of his reach."
"Can you change 'em?" Dean asked and Cas shook his head.
"As I told you, Tabris is a Principality Angel," he replied.
"Angels are angels, aren't they?" McHugh said.
"There's a hierarchy to angels," Sam informed him. "Castiel is a warrior, a guardian type angel. Tabris is a Principality Angel; he's a little higher up on the scale."
"There is something else you should know about Tabris," Cas said. "Tabris is also the Angel of Free Will."
"Well, that's—not good," Dean replied.
"Why is that?" Paige asked.
"Means Tabris knows how to control and manipulate Free Will," Dean told her. "Make you think you're acting on your own, but you're not."
"Well, if he's a higher angel than you, then what's above him? Couldn't you get one of those guys to get him to back off Haven?" Nathan asked.
Cas looked uncomfortable a moment. "The only angel higher than a Principality is an Archangel."
"Archangels are the top of the angelic food chain," Dean commented. "There's not too many of them around."
"Can you—I dunno—get in touch with one or something?" Nathan asked Cas. "I mean, don't you all help each other?"
"There are two kinds of angels," Dean said a bit harshly. "Those that want to help humanity, like Cas here—and those that want to wipe us off the face of the earth, because they consider us beneath them," he continued. The 'mud monkeys' crack from Uriel still rankled him, even after all this time.
"We will do all we can," Cas told the room.
"Is he on angel radio?" Sam asked him.
"Duke is being mentioned," Cas said evenly.
"They're probably watching to see if Tabris can pull off converting him into an angel. If he does—"Dean broke off. "Then you guys have some serious problems ahead."
"Do I get a choice in the matter?" Duke finally spoke from his seat by the fireplace. "Or do I just get to sit and be quiet like a good little celestial science project?"
He stood up, and bent over again, groaning in pain.
Nathan and Cas began to reach for him when Duke straightened up again, and Nathan's mouth dropped open when he saw what looked like the shadow of two wings spreading wide behind Duke before they faded from view.
"Cas?" Dean asked, a nervous twinge in his voice. "How 'bout it? Is he one of you now?"
"No, not fully," Cas said, his eyes fixed on Duke. "But he is not far off," he mused, and Sam and Dean's faces looked worried.
Cas drew near to Duke again.
"Can you hear them speaking?" he asked him.
"Hear who?" Duke queried.
"Angels-can you hear them speaking? If you listen, you may be able to hear them."
Duke closed his eyes, listening intently.
"Like—a buzzing sound," he said at length. "Like a ringing in your ears when you've been listening to loud music for too long."
"That's what it sounds like to most humans," Sam told him, and an idea seemed to strike him. "Hey, Cas—do you think it could be possible that Tabris isn't using just Grace on Duke?"
"What do you mean, Sammy?" Dean asked.
"I mean—what if Tabris is using Angel Blood," Sam said, and Dean's face dawned recognition.
"You mean like Azazel and Ruby did with you," he said.
"You mean someone tried to convert you into an angel too?" Nathan questioned.
"Not quite," Dean said wryly. "You could say the were batting for the other team," he finished, and Nathan's eyes grew wide.
"It is entirely possible," Cas said. "I don't know why I did not see it myself. It could cause his cells to mimic angelic traits."
"If he's usin' blood magic, we're in some very deep waters here, boyos," Rowena spoke from where she'd been poring over the book before her. "Maybe it's time you let the professionals step up."
