Sam pulled the blanket down away from Arianna's back, his frown deepening at the sight before him. Castiel stewed quietly, uncomfortable with exposing even that much of the woman's skin to anyone but himself. The younger Winchester brother didn't seem to notice and instead went about studying the symbol that had been carved into her flesh. "Why aren't the wounds healing," Sam muttered curiously. When the angel remained quiet, Sam pulled his gaze away and looked up to find Cas brooding deeply. The angel's lips pursed as he considered the question. When he answered, his normally gruff voice had filled with a hint of anger. "Whatever weapon he used, it was infused with a demon's curse." Castiel's head canted to the side briefly as he explored every inch of damaged skin. When he spoke again, the anger in his voice was replaced with intense sorrow. "If I try to heal her, she will die."

Sam drew in a sharp breath and looked back down to the carved circular sigil. It was definitely Enochian, he had seen it a couple of times before. It was the same symbol that had been used before to send various angels back to heaven against their will. The thing was a powerful banishment tool. It bothered the younger man to see it on Ari's skin. "Can I bandage the wounds, Cas? Do you think that might help?"

Castiel drew up to a straight stance, his jaw clenching lightly. He knew that Sam only wanted to help, but deep down he knew he would never allow anyone to touch Arianna again. "No," he said gruffly, "I will see what can be done." The angel lowered himself down to sit beside the sleeping woman. Sam, feeling a little out of place, stood up quietly and moved a couple of steps away. The younger Winchester crossed his muscled arms over his chest and scowled, but said nothing. He knew what Ari meant to his friend. Sam watched as Cas pulled the cover back up over the resting woman's form and then looked into the angel's eyes as he turned to face him.

"We have more pressing matters at the moment," Cas said quietly. "If Dregan gets out of this city and finds another demon..." He let the issue hang in the air between them for a moment before he continued. "We must stop him, Sam." The hunter nodded thoughtfully as he considered his friend's words. Sam's hand lifted as he spoke, moving occasionally with every changing idea. "Alright," he began, "we could try tracking him from the warehouse." It had been the last place they had seen Dregan before the demon had given them the slip. "Maybe," Sam said, "he didn't get far at all. There were other buildings around there." Castiel paused briefly to consider this, then shook his head. "No, I would have sensed him." That did little to dissuade Sam's thinking that maybe the demon would be that easy to locate. Cas' eyes met Sam's so that the younger man would understand why he knew Dregan was not near the original meeting point, his gaze filled with intensity as he spoke. "He wants nothing more than to put as much space between us and him as possible. He knows what I will do to him, what I *must* do to him, in order to protect them." Cas' hand pointed back toward Ari and the secret that he was fighting to protect. Precious few people knew. Sam and Dean were amongst them.

"Ok, look," Sam said lightly, "we can find him. We're going to find him, Cas. Dean and I...we'll canvas the warehouse grounds for clues. I mean, the guy is trapped in his body, so, he has to have footprints, right? He was bleeding, too." The angel considered this for a moment before he stood up abruptly. "Yes, perhaps you are right." Castiel walked over toward Sam and stopped right in front of him. "Wait here," he said simply, then vanished. The hunter sighed quietly as he looked over toward where Arianna was resting. He had a pretty good idea of where his friend was going.

When Castiel returned abruptly with Bobby in tow, Sam's assumption proved right. He looked to the older man and offered him a half smile. "Hey." The utter look of surprise on Bobby's face told Sam that the angel had not asked him to come along, but had simply brought him without warning. It only took a moment before the elder hunter shook off the shock. "When the hell did you start abducting people?" Sam lifted both hands as he shrugged, letting his friend know that it had not been his idea. Cas stepped forward and spoke directly to Bobby. "We're going after the demon." The angel paused as he looked down to the sleeping woman. He lifted a hand and brushed it tenderly over the smooth strands of Ari's hair, then looked back into Bobby's eyes. "Will you stay with her...please?" It wasn't like the angel to beg, but even the elder hunter knew what the woman meant to him. Bobby frowned slightly but nodded his head. He turned his back on the other two and set his attentions upon the girl on the bed. His voice was still easily heard by Sam and Cas. "You just get the sonofabitch."

Castiel looked to Sam just as Sam looked to him. They both nodded to each other. Cas raised his fingers and pressed them to the younger Winchester's forehead. In the blink of an eye, they were both gone and on their way to fetch Dean.