Chapter 9
The buzzing in his head told Dean that he was alive while simultaneously making him wish that he wasn't. He took quick inventory of the situation and found it to be less than ideal. His hands tingled, circulation long since cut down to bare minimum, and the muscles in his arms were on fire. The demon had left him hanging like a side of beef, toes barely grazing the floor. He wished it wasn't such a common problem in his life, especially since he had yet to find a convenient solution. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing even despite the pain, pretending to be unconscious a little while longer.
It was excruciatingly quiet, the only sound the creaking of the rope holding him aloft. The demon probably hadn't gone far. They never did. Maybe it was watching Dean, waiting in the wings to monologue about its evil plans. He strained his ears for movement. Found none. His nose itched with the familiar scent of burning wood. He hoped that wasn't for him.
The rough tread of a boot found his leg, shoving Dean backwards with enough force to set him swinging.
Dean groaned out a tight, "Fuck," as the ground slid away beneath him. The rope bit deeper into his wrists, threatened to break them with his own weight. There was no point in pretending to be unconscious anymore. He stretched his toes towards the floor, trying to find purchase and stop the swinging before it tore his arms off.
"Rise and shine, beautiful."
Dean recognized the voice of the woman from the bar. Heels clicked against the cracked concrete floor as she circled him, coming to a stop beside the leather jacket guy. She leaned an elbow on his shoulders. Presumably he was the one who'd decided to make Dean into a human pendulum. Dean would have to work on repaying him for that later.
"What do you want?" Dean asked.
With his eyes open it was a lot easier to take in his surroundings but it didn't give him much in the way of clues. Concrete floor, glassless holes instead of windows. Dark. Dingy. Rough concrete and metal acting as unfinished walls and ceiling. Could've been anything from a half built office building to a warehouse. He'd been in so many similar places that they all tended to blur together. He looked up, following the rope to where they'd looped it around a metal rod. He didn't like his chances of bending the rebar enough to free himself.
"Don't worry. We didn't take you far. Didn't want your guardian angel to miss the invitation." The woman smirked. "I can almost see the gears in your head turning, Dean. Like a rat on a squeaky wheel."
"Fuck you."
"I was hoping you would say that." She spread her arms wide and gave him a winning smile. Of course he would run into the happiest demon in the world. "But I'm hurt. You don't remember me? After all we've been through together."
Dean felt a wave of cold wash over him as he looked for the demon hiding behind the woman's brown eyes.
"Should I give you a hint?"
It took a few tries for Dean to call the name up from his memory. He prayed he was wrong. He'd never wanted to see the thing again. "Asmodeus.*" [see footnote at bottom]
She (He? Dean wasn't even sure what to call the thing) pointed a manicured finger at him. "Got it in one. Get the boy a kewpie doll." Then she gave a little shimmy, hiking up her already short skirt to pornographic lengths. "What do you think of the meat? I figured this bitch was your type." She turned, rolling her hips in a lazy figure eight, making sure he got a good shot of her borrowed ass. Dean spotted the lace edge of a thong beneath the skirt. Then Asmodeus turned back to face him with a leer that said she knew where Dean's eyes had been. Worse, that he had enjoyed the show despite himself. "You're so easy to understand it's ridiculous. Maybe that's why I like you so much. My kind of human."
Dean forced a grin. "Aw. I don't swing that way but I'm touched."
"Not yet. But you will be." She drew the demon killing knife from wherever she'd stashed it. Not that the mini skirt and halter top left many options. "You really should have been one of mine. You were wasted on Alastair. The things I could have done with your sweet, little soul. Mm mm mm." She patted the blade against her lips and tipped her head as if deciding which part of him to serve up first.
When she strolled forward, Dean did his best to lean backwards, wishing he could move without dislocating his arms. "Don't touch me, skank," he ground out between clenched teeth.
"Mind your tongue, boy, or I'll rip it out. That would be a shameful waste." She patted him on the cheek. "You should know better than to start things you can't finish. This is vengeance, pure and simple."
Dean wrapped his fingers around the rope running up from his wrists, hoping to alleviate some of the tension dragging on him. Not the easiest thing when his fingers felt like cotton wrapped sausages. He tested the rope with a tiny tug, praying that it might slide loose, just a little. No such luck. "So this is about killing Lilith."
Asmodeus drew back and Dean was immediately thankful for the space between them. His skin had been trying its best to crawl off his body ever since the demon had first touched him.
"Fuck, no!" Asmodeus laughed. "That bitch was more trouble than she was worth. No, Dean. This is about what you did to me. Unfortunately little Sammy is already Lucifer's bitch. I guess I'll just have to settle for you. And your angel friend. Why don't you give him a call so we can party?"
Dean was immediately tempted to retort with a quick 'blow me.' He wisely pressed his lips together until the urge passed. Asmodeus might take it as an invitation.
"No dice, huh?" Smile stretching to impossible proportions, Asmodeus peered up into Dean's face. Even in heels, the body he wore wasn't quite eye level with Dean. "I love when you play hard to get." Then she leaned in and pressed her mouth to Dean's. Soft lips moved over his before he felt the sharp tug of teeth nipping at his lower lip. Dean clamped his jaw down so hard that it creaked. No way was he getting tongue from a demon.
A slice of the knife split his shirt down the front. She hummed under her breath. "I've been waiting ages to get my hands on this hot body of yours." The knife trailed against his neck, followed with warm lips and tongue. Dean glared at the ceiling and reminded his body that it wasn't interested. "But thanks to this damn anti-possession tattoo your meatsuit's locked up tighter than a virgin's knees." She bit down hard on the tattoo in question as she said it, leaving an angry red mark.
Dean hissed at the pain. He kicked out hard with his dangling legs catching Asmodeus by surprise, sending the demon staggering. The knife clattered to the floor. Dean gave another tug on the ropes, trying to uncoil them without breaking something he might need later. The rope grated against his skin as it slid slowly upwards.
Then Asmodeus was up again, tossing long hair back over one shoulder. She slapped Dean hard and the world spun like a kaleidoscope of concrete greys and red hot pain. Her smile was sharp as she yanked his face down to hers again. "You'll pay for that. I'm going to enjoy taking you apart." Then she turned back to the other demon who'd been silently standing guard, hands folded in front of him. "Check the fire. I'm taking a field trip." He retreated without a word.
"I haven't taken a woman in so long. I forgot how dainty they are." Asmodeus ran one thin fingered hand through Dean's hair. "Do you want this body, Dean? Should I let you down so we can have some fun?" She batted her eyelashes like a coquette before smirking, eyes marble hard. "Or I could just fuck you like this. How kinky. And wrong on so many levels. What would your brother think if he knew? And your angel friend?"
"No means no, bitch."
"You forget, Dean. I'm no bitch." She leaned in so close that her breath feathered over his face. Her breasts pressed to his chest with every inhale. "I am a king. And when I see something I want, I take it. That's what being a king means."
Asmodeus swept away, leaving Dean to twist and wrench at the rope holding him up. It had started to slip, just a little but his thumbs kept getting in the way. If he could dislocate his damn thumb he would be home free. Dammit. One of these days he was going to have to work on his escape attempts. He wouldn't stop until he was friggin' Houdini.
The clicking of heels interrupted him again. Asmodeus returned alone. The bodyguard still hung back somewhere that Dean couldn't see. Didn't matter. Dean only had eyes for the metal rod in her hand, the end glowing angry red. It attracted Dean's eyes like a magnet as it drew closer.
"Let's see how brave you are when I'm riding your meat suit." She didn't even allow time for the words to sink in before she pressed the red hot metal to Dean's chest, marring the anti-possession tattoo. "Because I just figured out how to get in your pants."
He jerked back as if he'd touched a live wire, struggling and groaning, but the feeling followed him, spreading as the heated metal slid across his chest, branding him with a solid line of pain. It shot through him in waves, straight down to his toes. Every muscle in his body went tight as his flesh singed and bubbled. Sweat ran down his temples as he fought back the pain. But finally he felt the looped rope slip past one thumb and up towards his fingers. The second hand would come free easier.
Dean brought both fists down fast, ignoring the jolt that shot up his right arm. He caught the improvised metal poker and shoved. It went flying and Asmodeus stumbled again, tripping over the woman's too tall heels. It was all the opening he needed. Dean dove to the ground, landing hard. Dammit, he was out of practice with this shit. He rolled towards the knife, stretched out a hand, and found it pinned in place by a black stiletto. Asmodeus stepped down hard, making his aching wrist throb. If it wasn't broken already, it would be soon. But just as Dean was sure his arm would snap in half, she slid her foot away. Even with it gone, he still couldn't move. Dammit. He felt like a frog pinned and ready for dissection.
Asmodeus growled, kicking him in the ribs before toeing him over onto his back. When he groaned, she stomped down on him so hard he felt it in his spine. Then she dropped down to straddle him. "Dean. Dean. Dean. I wish I could screw you with this body but you'd enjoy it a little too much. I'll just have to settle for fucking you from the inside out." She bowed her head in thought. "Who should we do first? I've never had an angel. Or maybe we'll visit your girlfriend. I've heard rumors. The great Dean Winchester settling down in suburbia. Say it ain't so."
"Shut up." Dean tried to bridge those last inches to the knife through sheer force of will.
"I will miss our witty repartee." Asmodeus took Dean's head in both hands and slammed it back into the concrete hard enough that fireworks exploded across his vision. "Now just lie back and think of England. This won't hurt a bit."
The woman threw back her head and everything around him seemed to slow. This was really happening. It began as a trickle, building into a writhing cloud of black smoke. It collected in the air over him, seemingly endless. He moved without thinking, feeling the hold on his body weaken as the demon poured out caught between one body and the next. He threw out a hand, fingers closing tight around the knife, and stabbed straight up into her heart. The smoke seemed to freeze as the woman's eyes went cloudy white. A shudder wracked her body. Then she slid off him, landing hard on her side. A curl of black smoke oozed from the corner of her mouth and disappeared. She didn't move again.
Dean lay back, gasping for air. His entire body hurt too much to move. That had been close. Too fucking close.
While he was still getting his breathing under control, Dean felt the rustle of displaced air and a familiar voice called his name.
"I'm here," Dean said weakly. He tried to wave a hand at Cas but it wouldn't move, the wrist stiff and pulsing with heat. "How'd you find me? I didn't call."
"I know," Cas said, disapproval plain in his voice. He let out a huff of air as he came to stand over Dean, nudging the dead body off and onto the floor beside him. "When you didn't return to the motel, I began searching for you. I sensed the demon nearby."
"Asmodeus says hi. Or he did until I killed him. There's another demon around here somewhere," Dean said, opening one eye to look up at the angel. "And my wrist is probably broken." He closed his eyes again. The cool concrete felt like heaven after being strung up for however long it'd been. "I think I'll live here. I'm too tired to get up."
"Then it is fortunate you won't have to," Cas said.
And just like that, Dean found that there was a motel bed beneath him. He was asleep before his body finished sinking into the mattress.
Super Helpful Footnote:
*Asmodeus: According to Hebrew lore, Asmodeus is the king of the demons. He's also Lilith's husband and is associated with one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Lust, to be specific. No wonder he likes Dean so much, right? Feel free to look him up for more info. He's made of a fun assortment of animal parts. Gotta love those crow feet.
Author's Note: Yes, I know. The show already killed off the Deadly Sins in season 3 but seeing as how Lucifer is supposed to be responsible for the sin of pride, I figure the ones that they offed were more like henchmen. For the curious, Leviathan is associated with the sin of envy. Not entirely sure yet if that's the kind of Leviathan they're using in season 7 though. When I figure it out, I'll let you know.
Also, for the observant, yes, Asmodeus and Dean knew each other which I didn't fully explain. I'm working on a sort of prequel story with them (plus Sam) to clarify. Keep an eye out for it if you're curious. I couldn't really explain much in the story without getting longwinded about it. My original plan had been for Dean to run into a randomly evil demon during his downtime. Then Asmodeus showed up and my plan got shot to hell. Pun possibly intended. Trying to figure out which pronouns to use for a male demon inside a female body just about gave me a migraine. I guess he's really in touch with his feminine side this time around.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter. It's almost time to go home now.
Update as of 2/27/11: For those who are just dying for more information on Asmodeus, I've started posting the story of how the boys met him. It's called Your Time Is Gonna Come. Feel free to look it up in my list of stories.
