(part 2)

The vampires charged and so did she. It was a vicious blur of fangs and limbs. Without weapons River wasn't going to be able to do much damage, but she dodged their blows and danced out of their reach as they attacked.

She spun and saw Dean struggling with one of the male vampires. They looked evenly matched; Dean had the vampire in a headlock for a moment, but the vampire broke free and they began to struggle more.

River twirled again and the young female vampire missed her, ramming instead into the side of the mansion with a heavy thud. This gave River the opportunity to lean down and retrieve a stake from where Dean had strapped it to his leg, spin around and stab the vampire through the heart as she got up. The vampire collapsed and she moved on.

The other vampires, River noticed, had taken to Sam, picking him out as the toughest in their group – incorrectly. She slipped behind the male vampire and placed a well-aimed kick to the back of his knees. He crumpled to the ground, making a roaring sound and Sam moved in for the kill. His axe was far more effective than the wooden stake River had stolen from Dean.

River glanced toward Dean. He was still locked in battle with his vampire. Looking at him was River's first mistake. The older female vampire lashed out in that second and got a hold of her wrist. Her fingers dug into River's skin, drawing blood and she moved her head closer down, mouth open and her fangs glistening. They scraped across River's wrist and her lips closed over the skin and the vampire drank.

"River!" Sam yelled.

River heard Thyone scold the vampire – Jasmin – for drinking while they were working. Just as quickly as she had come under attack, River pulled free, knocking Jasmin back. Jasmin staggered a few steps and then straightened, in time for Sam to thrust his axe out and cut off her head.

Sam grasped River's elbow and steadied her when she almost fell. "You all right?"

"Thyone is still there," she said. "I'll be okay."

Sam nodded and let her go. "Let's finish this."

They hurried toward Thyone, who was leaning against the wall of the mansion with a lazy smile on her face. She was watching Dean and his vampire battle. "You have no hope against Donnie. He was a strong one even when he was alive."

"Screw you," Dean spat out.

"Yeah," Sam said. "You really don't want to make Dean angry."

"How's your little girlfriend doing?" Thyone replied. "Cute little thing. Maybe I should make her one of mine. She's a better fighter than both of you combined."

"Don't even go there," Sam warned. He gestured for River to stand behind him; she instead stood by his side.

Dean, inspired by Thyone's taunting, attacked Donnie again. He hit him head on and with more anger behind his actions than before. Donnie faltered and then regained his composure and blocked Dean's next punch. Dean aimed another punch. This one collided with Donnie's jaw.

By now the vampire's chubby cheeks were flushed red and there was anger in his eyes, fierce and unrelenting. Little more could be done to infuriate Donnie because he was already at the very edge of his tolerance to such things.

Thyone smirked. "I'll go wherever I want to go."

"Yeah?" Dean said, wiping blood from his mouth. "Why don't you go to Hell?"

"Oh, I already have. Here is much more fun. There aren't as many stupid humans in Hell as you might think. None sane, anyway, and it's no fun when they've lost their minds."

"Yeah? Well, you're not welcome here."

Sam shielded River as Thyone lashed out at her. She let out a shrieking noise as she did so, something so inhuman and high-pitched that the initial instincts of Sam, Dean and River were to cover their ears. This didn't bode well for them. It opened to Thyone the opportunity to pummel into Sam and draw her nails against his skin. A trail of blood instantly formed down his arm and Thyone's eyes darkened with need.

Thyone zeroed in on Sam. She ran her tongue across his bloody arm and let her teeth drag against his skin and slicing it more. The blood ran freely down his arm, over his wrist, trailing its way out of his body.

"Dean!" Sam gasped out. "Get River out of here."

"Not on my watch. We're saving your stubborn ass and you don't get a say in-" Dean cut off when Thyone spun around and knocked him heavily in the stomach in one fluid motion. He keeled over, eyes wide, jaw slack and unable to form words let alone save anybody's life.

Sam stared at his broken brother and then put his focus back on Thyone. She was smiling, her lips shiny from whatever lip balm she had put on earlier, and from blood. Sam's. She returned to sucking the wounds along Sam's arm and his vision began to blur around the corners. Everything was growing dimmer. Dimmer and grimmer.

River snapped.

It was as if the weapon part of her knew that it would take much more strength and power for them to take down Thyone than they currently had, and it was coming to their rescue. It reached inside of her and changed her and made her a Fighter, a warrior, and it gave her what she needed to win the battle.

tbc