A/N- I know it already takes me forever to get new chapters out, but I have to warn you guys now, that on November 20th I am taking a trip out of state and I won't have my laptop. If I don't get a job while I'm gone, I'll be home December 9th, but if I do, I don't know how long it will be until I have access to a computer, so before I leave I will try to update again, if I don't, I apologize ahead of time.
Disclaimer – I do not own anything or anyone from Supernatural, just Seraphina.
Seraphina had continued to lay in her bed for sometime after Crowley had left her room, her mind reeling at her sudden realization. It wasn't like she'd never fancied someone before, she had, but they were human teenagers when she was in school, not a demon. It felt wrong on so many levels to her, she was a hunter, she killed demons and he wasn't even in his own body. In reality all Crowley was, was a black cloud of smoke possessing a meat suit, for all she knew the poor fool was stuck inside his own mind, being forced to experience whatever it was Crowley did in his free time.
What does he do in his free time? She couldn't help but get side tracked with the thought, as far as she knew the demon did all of his "business" elsewhere. Some of the time he was obviously doing a crossroad deal, but surely that didn't require hours of his time. Was he still looking for answers as to why demons were supposedly attracted to her as if she was some kind of magnet? If he was, he must not have found anything out, or if he did he hadn't told her. Curiosity bubbled up inside of her, the sudden need to go force answers out of him too powerful to ignore. Quickly Seraphina launched herself off of her bed and practically ran down the hall and stairs to his study, hoping he was actually still in there.
Hesitantly she knocked on the door to his study, "Crowley?" her voice came out more hesitant that she'd intended it to. She'd half expected him to not be in his study like he'd said he would be, but after a moment she'd heard a drawer close on his desk and him announce that she could enter. Remembering their earlier encounter Seraphina felt herself become hesitant to enter but her need for answers overpowered her fear and she swung the door open and entered with confidence.
"I need answers." Was all she said as she stormed over to his desk attempting to ignore the feeling of his eyes on her.
"Answers to what, darling? You haven't asked me any questions." She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she slammed her hands down the desk top.
"Can you not be serious for once, you fucker?! When I came here you told me you would tell me as soon as you knew something about why demons are attracted to me, and I have yet to be told anything. What the hell are you doing with all your time, playing with your ass!?"
At this point in her stay with Crowley, never before had Seraphina seen him lose his temper, and in that moment she really wished she'd just stayed in her room when she saw pure rage course through him. Slowly Crowley stood from his chair and rounded his desk coming to a stop right next to her. Seraphina turned to face him, and though her nerves had twisted her stomach into knots she managed to keep her face neutral.
In one swift movement Crowley's hand closed around her throat and pulled her closer, their noses inches apart, "You ungrateful-" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes trailing over the plains of her face, her widened terror filled eyes, the way her lips were parted as she struggled to breathe, how much paler her skin had gotten with her fear. Instantly he dropped his hand from her throat and took a few steps back from her. He watched her raise her trembling hands and delicately place them where his had been squeezing just a second ago. Seraphina's gaze dropped to the floor as she began to walk backwards to the door then returned to his face for just a moment.
"I'm sorry," her voice came out as little more than a whisper, so quiet he barely heard it before she whirled around and fled the room, most likely returning to her own. Crowley continued to stand there staring at the empty doorway appalled with himself. In the time Seraphina had been in his house he had refrained from letting his anger out. Every time one of those damn worthless demons pissed him off, every time Seraphina complained about something or bothered him because she was bored, every time one of his damn hell hounds tracked blood and guts across his floors he controlled his anger simply because he never wanted to see that look of fear on her face. Why he cared whether she feared him? He didn't know. Normally he relished in the fact that humans were terrified of him, and they should be. He's a demon, an old one at that, with the snap of a finger he could make them explode into a shower of blood and guts because he could. But Seraphina? Something about her made him care and demons don't care.
After dealing with those damned Winchesters earlier all Crowley wanted to do was return to his actual house, sit behind his desk, drink glass upon glass of Craig and relax, but no. Seraphina had to suddenly decide at that moment she needed answers that he had, but wasn't exactly willing to give yet. It wasn't like he was even one hundred percent sure what he'd learned was true, demons do lie, and he wanted to positive that what he knew was in fact the situation she was in, plus it wasn't something he was sure she would handle well.
With a growl he rounded his desk once more, collapsed into the plush chair and began pouring himself a drink, only to feel that annoyingly persistent pull at the back of his mind that accompanied being summoned to a crossroad in some backwoods town, which only intensified his irritated mood. Setting his glass back down on the desktop he stood from his chair once again and pulling his pea coat off the back of it and slipped it on. Full glass in hand once again he snapped his fingers and left the comfort of his study, only to reappear in what appeared to be somewhere relatively close to his home based on the temperature alone.
Before him stood a middle-aged man, maybe forty years old, who looked like a classic high school jock once the glory days were over. He was balding and had a beer belly under his oil stained jacket.
"I want to sell my soul." Well someone certainly isn't wasting any time, he thought to himself, his usual confident smirk not present, but instead an irritated scowl spread across his face.
"Let me guess, you want to be a millionaire, or have your high school crush fall in love with you?"
"No, I want to be back in my prime, be seventeen again." The man shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket, Crowley could clearly see why the guy wouldn't want to be where he was now. "Can we just...kiss and get it over with?"
"Ah, right to the chase, good, I have better things to be doing." With two steps Crowley closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together in a quick, chaste kiss. Once they were separated he took a sip of his drink.
"See you in ten years." Before the now seventeen year old kid could say anything Crowley snapped his fingers and reappeared in his study. With another snap as he sat down a fire began burning in the stone fireplace on the far right side of the room. He didn't even think about taking his coat off, he just sat in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk, closed his eyes and attempted to relax, though he knew it would be impossible. For some reason he couldn't stop seeing that terrified look on Seraphina's face in his mind. It really ate at him knowing that he was the cause of such fear, he was supposed to be protecting her, taking care of her, not choking her out because she felt the need to demand answers from him.
His own feelings towards her were becoming extremely confusing. He didn't understand why his stomach twisted into knots every time their eyes met. When they'd kissed in the kitchen, that wasn't what he'd intended to do, he'd simply planned on telling her that she did in fact belong to him, that his mark on her was part of what kept her safe. But her lips...holy hell those lips had been so irresistible. Crowley had no problem admitting that he found her attractive, because she is, she's beautiful, but he did have a problem admitting that there was a possibility he was falling for the girl.
Crowley sighed and opened his eyes to glance at the clock hanging on the wall, it was nearly two in the morning, another glance was shot to the fire across the room that was now barely burning. After downing the rest of his Craig he stood from his chair and exited his study, heading towards his bedroom that was just down the hall from Seraphina's. His finger's worked on loosening tie as he walked down the hallway and he couldn't help but notice that she'd left her bedroom door open. Crowley paused in front of it and peered inside, she lay on her side with her back to the door, curled into fetal position above the covers. Her slowed breathing alone told him she was asleep so silently he entered her room and rounded the bed to the side she faced. Gingerly her slid her thick black hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear, then trailed a finger softly down her cheek and jaw line.
"What have you done to me..." He whispered softly to himself. Almost as if she sensed him there in her sleep, Seraphina grabbed onto his hand with one of her own and pulled it to her chest, snuggling into it. With a low chuckle he eased his hand from her grip and grabbed a blanket that was bunched up at the foot of her bed and covered her with it, immediately she snuggled into the soft fabric and sighed with content. Once Crowley exited her room he pulled the door shut behind him and made his way to his room, closing his door behind him. With a snap of his fingers his suit disappeared from his body leaving him in just a pair of silky black boxers and he collapsed onto his bed, his back resting against the headboard. Growley for once wasn't glued to Seraphina's side, instead he was stretched out across the other side of the bed, snoring loudly. Even though he didn't necessarily need to sleep, it was something Crowley enjoyed to do from time to time, like now. He pulled the covers back, slid beneath them and got comfortable, closing his eyes the instant his head hit the pillow. Sleep overtook the demon quickly, but not before one last image of Seraphina sleeping peacefully invaded his mind.
The first thing Seraphina did when she ran out of Crowley study was go straight to her bathroom. She remembered being terrified of thunderstorms as a child and for some reason the only place she would feel safe was huddled up in the bathtub. That strange safe place carried into her adulthood, so for over an hour she laid fully clothed in the empty tub, arms wrapped around herself in a tight hug, her lips pressed tight in an attempt to muffle her sobs. She would have fallen asleep there if it hadn't been for Growley nudging her face with his big wet nose. The hellhound had become the dog she never had, and even though he was indeed a creature of hell, he acted like an oversized normal dog when he wasn't ripping someone to shreds.
His persistent nudging and soft whimpers forced Seraphina into getting out of the tub and into her bedroom, Growley still by her side. Once she was laying on her bed the beast laid next to her, fully enjoying the feeling of her softly rubbing between his ears. She hadn't been laying there long before she herself was lulled to sleep, it wasn't until then that the hound left her side to go sleep in his master's bed.
The next morning when she awoke Seraphina was grateful that she either didn't dream at all, or merely didn't remember them. Her stomach growled angrily as if cursing her for skipping every meal the day before. She really didn't want to get out of bed, getting out of bed meant risking seeing Crowley, and after last night he was the last person she wanted to see. Had she had her car here, she would pack everything she needed and skip out again, but he'd only find her and drag her back. Sometimes she honestly forgot that Crowley was indeed a demon, not a man, and how dangerous he was. It was like laying with a lion, sure it's a cat and will let you pet it and play with it, but it could just as easily rip your face off without even trying.
Seraphina had had her fair share of being choked out by demons over the years, it was something that came with the job, but she hadn't been living with any of them, they weren't protecting her. They had also rarely been pissed off when they did it, the majority of them actually seemed to grow happier and happier the more she struggled to breathe. Crowley on the other hand, even though he had only had his hand wrapped around her throat for a moment, it was the look in his eyes that terrified her the most. The pure primal rage that engulfed his features was so terrifying. But, in the end it taught her a lesson, it taught her that no matter how human he may seem, Crowley is a demon, a creature born in the darkest depths of hell after decades being tortured and decades of torturing other poor souls hooked on the rack. Never again would she forget that he could kill her faster than she could blink.
With that last thought she threw the covers back, sliding from the warmth of her bed, stripped out of her clothes from the day before and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Halfway through shampooing her hair Seraphina was forced to turn the scalding hot water down to a cooler temperature, the humid heat had begun to make her feel sick. After that she made quick work of washing her hair and body. She got out, dried her body off and wrapped the towel around her hair before returning to her room to get dressed. Deciding not to bother with a bra or panties, she just through on a clean pair of sweat pants and her favorite hoodie.
Seraphina was halfway down the stairs when she heard Crowley's voice drifting out of the kitchen. Sighing, she turned around, deciding she'd grab something to eat later, rather than having to face Crowley. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle being in such close proximity to him without freaking out. So, back up the stairs she went and to her bedroom, where again she curled up under the warm covers on her bed, hoping she'd be able to get the image of him choking her out of her mind sometime in the near future, she couldn't avoid the demon for the rest of the time she lived here, could she? Highly unlikely.