Dean wakes on the floor of a concrete room. The room is lit by the stark light provided by the single bulb suspended from the ceiling. The space resembles a dungeon. He wonders for a second if he is back in the depths of Hell but if feels different. He pushes himself to his knees. His back is killing him from where Sam's knee had been firmly planted a short time ago. He tries to focus himself. His body aches from wrestling with Sam.

None of it seems real. The realization of what he has done bears down on him. He sits on the ground wrapping his hands around his head trying to quiet his mind. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled back. The mark of Cain is blazing on his skin. He looks down at it for a few moments. He feels the calm wash over him, the calm of the assassin. He knows the blade is near. He can feel it in his bones. It calls to him like a siren calling sailors to the rocks.

He surveys the room. It is on the table nearby. He tries to resist the urge to go to it but it is too much. He must, it is not a choice. It is a need. He holds it in his hands awash with the calm and clarity that the blade provides. He takes a breath of the familiar scent of Azrael. He knows he is standing in the shadows watching him.

"So you want to play with magic." Azrael steps from the shadows into the edges of the light. "Now, there is no going back, Dean." He takes in the sight of her across the room from him. Her voice has an edge. He expects her anger.

Dean looks down at the blade for a moment then back to Azrael. He knows her anger centers on Tessa and with Gadreel. Azrael never felt like a threat. Now, everything feels like a threat.

"If you dare to do this, you should know what you are fighting for." She circles closer to him. Dean does not want to ready himself for battle but he cannot resist. He takes a combative stance in front of her. Azrael needs to find a way to control him. She needs him. IT would seem that Crowley has left out a few of the details when he told her about Dean.

"Why are you trying to make me your enemy?" Dean begins to circle opposite Azrael. His voice is roaring from his body. His defenses are unyielding. He feels powerful. He feels invincible.

Azrael's eyes narrow as she matches his maneuvers. "You fight me but I am on your side, Dean. All you need is a little peace." She is waiting for it. She can sense it coming. He is smoldering before her. She does not want to do this but she must.

"You'd better choose carefully. I am capable of anything." Dean's words linger as a warning. The threat is anything but veiled.

The mark blazes on his skin. He moves closer to Azrael. Suddenly, his head is filled with images. The images drive him. Drive him towards her. The rage builds within him. He lunges towards her. She allows him to get close, then with a flick of her fingertips he is thrown against the wall.

The impact radiates through his body. He rises again and lunges towards her. Again, with a flick of her fingertips she throws him against the wall. His rage multiplies with every impact. He gets up again and again for what feels like hours. Finally, he gets close to her. There is fire in his veins. He must kill her. He must.

Azrael does not raise her hands. She does not move from him. Dean plunges the first blade into her form over and over again in frenzy of slashes. He slashes at her until he literally collapses on the ground out of pure exhaustion. The blade falls from his grasp. His breaths are coming in painful heaves. The blade sits inches from his fingertips but he has no desire to have it within his grasp.

Azrael leans down in front of him. She touches his shoulder. Dean looks into her eyes. "We good?" Dean's words are broken by his gasps for air. She leans downs and kisses his cheek. Dean pulls her down to him. Azrael is curious and indulges him. Dean leans his head against hers. He kisses her again after a ragged inhalation. He holds the side of her face with the hand that held the blade. Azrael knows her control over Dean has been restored. Now, she just needs to keep it.

Castiel and Sam arrive at the warehouse that Sam had tracked Dean's phone to. It is an abandoned industrial area with numerous ominous buildings. Sam's fear for Dean grows with every passing moment as they exit the car. Castiel knows she is here. He can feel her. He feels Dean's pain but does not know if he should be alarmed. They search the building for Azrael and Dean.

Azrael walks out of the room passing Sam and Castiel in the hallway. It took them longer than she expected. Castiel is distracted by his own thoughts. Azrael has a thousand mile stare as she walks down the hallway. Sam wants to speak to her but he is rendered unable to form a sentence. Sam is not sure he wants to see what has been done. Castiel senses his fear and is the first to enter the room.

Dean is in the center of the room with his chest heaving. Sam rushes to him. "What did she do to you?" Dean tries to catch his breath to form a coherent thought. "She broke him." Cass answers for him. Castiel now knows what Azrael did and more importantly, he has a feeling he knows why she did it.

The only way to control the rage was to break him. It was an act of futility for Dean to try to kill her yet he tried for hours. She gave him a battle he could not win. He could slash her until kingdom come and it would be a fool's errand. The only way to control the rage was to break him. Azrael needs to control Dean. She is using him as a weapon.

Sam helps Dean to his feet. There is blood dripping from his nose. He is quite sure he broke a rib or two from the impact of with the wall. His hands are nicked and cut from the constant battle. Sam is concerned with the relationship between Azrael and Dean. There is something that bothers him about it.

"We had better get out of here." Castiel warns the brothers. With the changes in their world as of late, they need to be aware of circumstance. Sam helps Dean into the back seat of the Impala. As they head home to the bunker, Castiel attempts to heal Dean's wounds. He tries numerous times without success.

"It's alright, Cass. I think this is part of the lesson." Dean tries to make himself comfortable as they drive.