Taming A Jaguar Chapter Twelve pt. 2 (Dean/Castiel)
Title - Taming A Jaguar Chapter Twelve pt. 2
Disclaimer - Don't own any of the characters, I just lock myself in my room and make them bend to my muse's will.
Rating - M ladies and gents, enjoy.
Word Count - 8,600
Warning - Gender!swap. Werewolf!AU. Eventually there will be smexy times of every type. There will also eventually be attempted sexual assault but not between the main couple. Also major character death more than once.
Summary - Using his second chance at life Castiel Novak comes back from Hell twenty years after his death to find his soul mate, the last face to swim before his eyes, the stranger than mourned the end of a werewolf's life. Unfortunately Adeana Winchester hunts his kind and is so far down the road of hatred it will take all the power Castiel has gained in his afterlife and all his charms to sway the hunter's stubborn point of view.
Back to Chapter Twelve pt. 1!
“And you get fuckin’ reception out here?” Andrew asked as he shoved his useless phone back into his backpack.
“Sure do,” Alistair shook his head as it rang in his hand. “See?”
The other Lumberjacks mumbled under their breath and turned back to their private activities.
“Heyerdahl,” Alistair said into his phone when he didn’t recognize the number that showed on the caller ID.
“The wolf is one of his shapes.”
“Really?” Alistair looked over at his fellow hunters and smiled. “How many different shapes does it have?”
“Don’t know. Why don’t you figure out?”
“You told me to wait for you,” Alistair’s only received a dial-tone in reply.
Castiel was happy to see the sunlight beaming in onto Dean’s golden hair, glad to have it tickle his nose. He curled his arms tighter and as she scooted back to curl closer she might have bumped his groin a few too many times.
Dean giggled and buried her face in the crook of his elbow.
Dean started to wiggle clothes on and Castiel frowned. “I need to pee!” She growled and yanked a shirt on over her head. She gave the tent a quick zip and ran for her designated tree.
Castiel laughed and maneuvered himself so he could crawl out of the tent. He straightened and jumped when he saw Samantha sitting by the fire. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Samantha looked him up and down much like Dean would but it wasn’t as pleasant for Castiel. “Making sure the job gets done.”
“I am going to die in less than a day anyway. Maybe there is something else you should be doing with your precious time.” Castiel asked. “Full moon is soon you know.”
Samantha looked uneasy but he noticed she had glanced over his shoulder, and he looked back to see Dean was standing right behind him. “I can feel it coming, yes.”
“Nana,” Dean couldn’t help the exclamation even though she had known Samantha was alive. “The strength should come soon too.”
“And the speed?”
Dean cried out and leapt for the flying blade but missed it and watched as it hit Castiel square in the neck. “Castiel!”
“Calm down,” Castiel gurgled pressing his fist into his throat as he gave the switchblade a yank and threw it to the ground. “I will be fine,” He said and she saw him wipe away blood from a nearly healed wound.
Samantha got to her feet and Dean moved between the two of them. “Back off.”
“He attacked one of your Order Adeana, you have to know the penalty,” Samantha told Dean.
Dean watched as Samantha sauntered away from them and into the trees. “You sent them after Castiel,” Dean accused.
“I sure did, put the fire of vengeance in them too,” Samantha glanced over her shoulder and gave her granddaughter a wave. “Let’s see what the boys have to say about you getting infected by him.”
“Samantha!” Dean watched as she disappeared into the trees. She looked over at Castiel to see the unmarred flesh of his neck. “That’s amazing.”
“All thanks to you,” Castiel gave her a grin.
“You stay here, maybe shift and I’ll go make sure she doesn’t blab,” Dean turned and gave him a kiss. “Don’t you go anywhere without me okay?”
“I shall try,” Castiel watched as she turned and ran through the forest. He watched her as she disappeared before he shifted with a yawn stretching his muzzle wide open. Once upon a time he’d saved energy to shift when wounded but it hadn’t really been a necessity since he’d gotten his year. With a small shiver of anxiety at that thought Castiel moved back into the tent to rest his nose on one of Dean’s pairs of Levi’s.
After a moment Castiel got back up with a whine and escaped the tent. It hadn’t gotten much air and still smelled of last night and being a lonely wolf was moderately better than being a lonely horney wolf. He curled around the campfire and ignored the footsteps he heard coming through the forest.
At regular wolf hearing distance he craned his head over to look as Alistair and two more older Lumberjacks appeared. There were three others trying to circle around the camp to keep him trapped.
“Where’d your lady friend go?” Alistair asked Castiel, pulling a gun from a holster strapped across his chest. “I thought you two were all cozy?”
“Campbell must have gotten here early,” A large black man muttered to Alistair.
Castiel was up and moving for the forest when he heard Alistair shoot and a fire exploded in his side. He felt it go all the way through but didn’t stop as he heard them take chase. Like an idiot he’d been distracted by the though of escape and he barreled right into one of the “hidden” Lumberjacks in the forest.
“Get him he’s wounded!” Alistair shouted as Castiel slipped out of the Lumberjack’s grip with the help of a scary amount of his own blood and darted off into the forest.
Dean didn’t hold back her power as they darted through the forest together. She could feel the fledgling lycanthrope energy inside Samantha like a light she couldn’t hide yet. Dean remembered the exhausting trial of that lesson around puberty. She wouldn’t win any hide and seek games but she could manage.
Otherwise Samantha was pretty good about not leaving a scent. Dean might not have sensed her if Castiel hadn’t...She ducked under a fallen branch and caught sight of her ahead.
“You picked me?” Samantha taunted.
“Picked you?” Dean gasped as she put on the breaks and came within reach of Samantha. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Samantha laughed and shook her head, “You finally get to have your fight to the death.”
“I figured I’d worn you down enough. Are you sure you don’t want to wait for the next full moon when you might have the upper hand?” Dean asked and drew her sword.
“Funny,” Samantha scoffed. “It was Alistair’s idea actually.”
“Oh yeah speaking of Heyerdahl and his ideas,” Dean’s eyes narrowed angrily. “He tried to fucking rape me this morning.” Dean smelled the guilt flood out of her and Samantha shook her head in disbelief.
“Tried to?”
“I almost fucking killed him for it,” Dean warned Samantha.
“You should have,” Samantha shook her head.
Dean had ducked behind a tree as Samantha drew her gun without warning and shot for her head (Dean did have warning however from her precognitive flash). “Doesn’t part of you want to be this fast?” Dean shouted out to her.
“Shut-up!” Samantha yelled back.
Dean ducked as she moved from the cover of one tree to the other trying to get a good shot at her. She had tucked her wakizashi into her belt and attached to it she had put her shuriken case. Every time she ducked out to throw one her grandmother’s way she would come face to face with her gun.
“You are good for an old ass Lumberjack past her prime!” Dean called. “Maybe you won’t be a total submissive werewolf!”
Dean took the low ground, crouching as she came around the tree and when she let her star fly it found the barrel of Samantha’s gun. Dean jumped to her feet and propelled herself forward tackling her Nana to the ground.
Like Alistair Dean could feel the strength in the old woman as she tossed her off over her head like she weighed nothing. Dean grimaced as she smashed into a tree and looked up from where she had landed to see her Nana’s size nine combat boot headed for her face.
Dean was seeing stars when she pushed off of the tree with her feet and flipped a kick into Samantha’s face sending her flying back. Dean wobbled to her feet and brought her hand up to try to staunch the flow of blood coming from her broken nose. She growled in pain as she tried to reset the cartilage after Samantha had ground her foot into her face.
“You know even if you’re technically a werewolf you haven’t shifted yet and that’s when all the fun stuff develops. I can still take way more damage than you,” Dean moved toward Samantha as she got up from the ground. She obviously wasn’t speaking from experience but extensive study. In the order the only bigger bookworm had been her current opponent.
“Good thing I can dish that shit out,” Samantha growled and Dean felt like a Mack truck had delivered the uppercut to her jaw. Seconds later she felt the counterstrike of the tree her Nana’s punch had sent her into and for a moment couldn’t talk.
“Gotta dish that shit out faster than that, I’m a little more resilient than your average lycanthrope,” Dean cradled her jaw as she spoke. “Might as well go for the decapitation now that’s the only way you’re gonna get anywhere in this fight Nana.”
“Well I’m sure you’re mate is doing just as well,” Samantha said in an off-hand fashion as she watched Dean get to her feet.
Dean stopped her forward progress at those words and met Samantha’s eyes, “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want you to be distracted,” Samantha shook her head and indeed as Dean lunged at her with a growl the old Lumberjack disarmed her easily. “But I let my boys know you’d be leaving the camp unattended and that a certain wolf might be there looking quiet normal actually--”
Dean had already cast out her energy and found Castiel’s energy getting further from her. Here she was wasting time with her bitch of a grandma! She turned in his direction but Samantha moved to cut her off, grabbing handfuls of Dean’s shirt and sending her into a now-felled tree.
Dean was starting to feel disoriented and knew she had a concussion. She couldn’t stay down so she rolled to her feet and had to clutch the crooked tree to steady herself. “We can do this later I have to get to him!”
“I don’t think you get this,” Samantha moved to intercept her and Dean threw a punch that missed. “I’m the distraction.”
“I don’t fucking care, get out of my way or I will kill you!” Dean screamed as she almost dodged away but Samantha tackled her to the ground and started pummeling her.
Dean felt the anger erupt giving her a surge of strength she used to roll them until she could slam Samantha into a nearby tree. Far from unconscious Samantha didn’t release the front of Dean’s shirt and used the grip to jerk her forward into a vicious head-butt that sent her granddaughter reeling back. Samantha stayed on her, following as she fell back and Dean’s eyes went wide as she caught sight of Samantha’s favorite silver switchblade clutched in her hands. She pushed her arms up to block as Samantha tried to stab at her eyes.
Castiel tried not to growl as one of the Lumberjacks moved near to where he was hiding. Chill out...He told himself.
He kept himself very still as Dean’s frantic thought came to him he wanted to run to her.
Dean said offhandedly.
Dean went quiet and Castiel had to bury his nose under his paw. Suddenly there was a harsh itch on his forehead and he whined as he scratched at it with his claw.
Fuck! Castiel realized a second too late what the itch might mean then all five Lumberjacks unloaded their guns into the tree he was hiding in-Dean screamed and her entire body bucked off the ground as she felt tears fill her eyes. Samantha couldn’t tear her eyes away as Dean sobbed and struggled to her feet. She stumbled at Samantha and rammed her body into a tree holding her there as she snarled.
“My mate may be dead right now because of you! I’ve never been able to fucking kill you because you look like my mom! Now...” She gave a bitter laugh but the sob took over as she couldn’t shut out Castiel’s pain. “Letting you live is even better now than pulling your heart out of your chest like I want to right now.”
“Adeana--” Dean jerked her arms and smashed her head into the tree and this time it was with enough force to knock her out cold.
“It’s just fucking Dean.”
“You think that did it?” The Lumberjack Zane laughed to Alistair as he loaded another clip into his gun. “I have plenty of ammo.”
“Hey,” Uriel called at the end of the fallen tree where Castiel was attempting to crawl out. “Look what we got here.”
Castiel whined as Uriel’s boot pressed his muzzle into the dirt. He could feel that he was riddled with bullets; he had to get them out before they healed over and a shift would do it but...Uriel aimed what looked like a sawed-off shotgun at his face.
How ironic, Castiel couldn’t muster up a laugh as Uriel cocked the gun.
Suddenly Uriel’s foot came off of his nose and Castiel looked up in time to see the Lumberjack’s head stare wide-eyed in surprise quiet separate from its body.
“If anybody else feels like hurting my wolf...” Dean gave each of the remaining Lumberjacks a hard glare. “I’m right here.”
“Don’t think I won’t shoot you,” Alistair growled.
“Shoot me then,” Dean shouted and as she moved forward Castiel could feel her rage and fear even as he felt himself slipping away. She did a good job disarming them but not all of them relied on their guns like Alistair.
“Campbell!?” Zane exclaimed as the woman stumbled into the clearing disoriented. “I thought you were dead!”
“Worse,” Dean interrupted before Samantha could talk. “She’s been infected.”
Like they had just heard about her death again the Lumberjacks shook their heads.
Samantha looked down at Castiel as he continued to struggle out of the tight tree.
Alistair looked down at the blood blossoming from the bullet hole suddenly in his chest. “Campbell...?”
“Now what are you going to do?” Samantha asked them softly. “Kill me? I’d like to see you try.”
Dean watched as Alistair collapsed and Samantha met her gaze before vanishing into the trees the remaining Lumberjacks close behind.
“Cas!” Dean fell down to her knees as the wolf managed to pull himself all the way out of the log. His dark fur slick with his own blood.
Dean cradled his shaggy head in her lap stroking his fur. “You should shift if you can to get rid of the bullets.”
Castiel didn’t want to mention the effort it took him to do so. He looked down and was dismayed to see half the bullet holes didn’t heal. “Guess silver bullets still work.”
“You be quiet you need to heal.”
“Believe me--I know,” Castiel gasped in pain.
“Let me help you,” Dean leaned in to kiss him her energy seeping in through her lips into his and as he fed off of her energy the pain lessened. “Good your body pushed the silver out...”
“Thank you.”
“Can you get up?” Dean asked.
“I think so, if you help me,” Castiel leaned on her as she helped him climb to his feet. “Where to?”
“My camp where I can get you resting,” Dean helped him stumble through the trees. “Are you sure you’re healed?”
“Maybe not all the way,” Castiel admitted as he felt himself getting cold again. He didn’t have long... “I am fine keep going.”
They made it to the camp where Dean succumbed to her wolf’s puppy dog eyes and agreed to cuddle naked with Castiel in the tent. He felt warmed by her skin and the soft energy she radiated. Being with her, it wasn’t so scary. Even if she was too afraid to be with him he was so relieved she was with him his last few hours.
“So tired,” Castiel yawned.
“I know you’re powerful and all, but two shifts in one day and a dozen or so silver bullets to heal...you’re not Superman,” Dean paused to hear him snoring softly. She needed to stay awake in case the boys came back and wanted to play...
Dean jerked awake and found herself alone in the tent. “Cas?” She felt dread clutch her heart. “Castiel!” She pushed her head out of the tent and Castiel looked up at her from the fire. “Thank God! I thought…” She reached back and grabbed for a t-shirt from her nearby bag. “What’s wrong?”
Castiel was shivering so hard she noticed it from the tent. She climbed out pulling the shirt on over her head as she moved toward him. “It is quite cold. I thought the fire might help.”
“That’s why you’re dressed!” Dean had thought it was strange but hadn’t thought twice about it. She sat next to him and leaned over to wrap her arm around his shoulders. “Shit,” She jerked away as her hand brushed his bare skin. “You’re burning up!”
For lycanthropes (who naturally ran hotter than humans) that was saying quiet a lot. As Dean turned to meet his eyes she felt her heart thud with dismay. His face was haggard, as if he’d been awake the entire year he’d been on earth.
She knew he didn’t feel that way but in Dean’s guilty state his eyes were asking why she was putting him through this. As she looked away from those piercing eyes of his a flash of red caught her attention. “Son of a bitch,” Dean looked up at Castiel in alarm showing him the blood on her hand. “You’re still not healed?”
“Baby--”
“Don’t you ‘baby’ me!” Dean reached for his shirt and he fought her feebly. She felt the shirt resist as she tried to peel it away from his body.
Castiel hissed in pain and Dean dropped the fabric back in place with a wince. She had seen enough. Not only was his healing incomplete but some of the partially healed bullet wounds had regressed and were oozing blood. He’d worn a black shirt to hide them from her.
When tears filled Dean’s eyes Castiel’s face fell and he reached out to touch her but stopped himself remembering his current level of body heat. “Do not cry I am sorry Sweetheart.”
“Why are you sorry?” Dean cried.
“Why did I not stay in Hell?” Castiel whispered his teeth chattering together loudly.
“No,” Dean shook her head and put her arms around him as he rested his head in her lap. The shirt she was wearing was Castiel’s so it was long enough to cover the skin of her thighs where he touched. Dean held him close, “I can’t imagine my life if you hadn’t come back for me.” She murmured trying to hold back the tears. If anyone should feel guilty it should be her. “I’m such a coward.”
“If we could be together...” Castiel went quiet and Dean gave him a gentle shake.
“Cast?” Dean whimpered and he groaned in pain. “God...” She tilted her head upward and had to bite her lip to keep from railing at the unseen deity. “Why? Without him I don’t know where I’d be right now.”
“Killing something probably,” Castiel joked but it only made Dean sob harder.
Castiel had pulled her back from the path to Hell by simply being a good person. How he’d ended up in Hell was a mystery and totally unfair. “I love you.”
Castiel moved so he could look up at her. “I love you too. Even if I had known the outcome...I still would have come back for you.”
Dean kissed him, fear tingling through her as she told herself she couldn’t just let him die. she sobbed and started to raise her power.
Castiel winced at the sensation and looked at her in confusion. Her fear changed its flavor and with that he realized what she was going to make herself do. “Stop Baby. We both have to want it and I will not let you do this.”
“I can’t just let you die!” Dean argued.
“No,” Castiel shook his head his eyes looking over her shoulder as if there was someone behind her. “You are terrified of what we could have together, more than my death. I don’t have to be a lycanthrope to know it.”
“I want to be with you! I’m not more frightened of that than losing you,” Dean exclaimed. “If you had more time...Or if...”
“We were not mates?” Castiel met her gaze. She knew how foolish it sounded, and selfish before she even said it. “And losing me...” His brow knit together as he winced in pain his next breath coming in a wet wheeze. “That will not truely be real until I have gone.”
“Cas...”
“I am sorry...Dean?!” He looked panicked a moment and Dean cupped his face and kissed it away. “I love you.”
“I do too, I’ll always love you, always...” Dean trailed off into stunned silence as she felt his life leave him -- the energy -- the stuff that made him her wolf, her soul mate left. “Cas?” She whispered still staring into his open eyes now both that startling blue.
Her fingers fumbled at his neck but she knew there would be no pulse. Her heart felt empty, incomplete. You idiot...She tightened her arms around him as she broke down and sobbed harder than she had even after her parents’ deaths. You were right; she buried her face in his neck.
Having had the two most important people in her life taken away from her hadn’t taught her. She had held out a hope that somehow he wasn’t going to leave, that he couldn’t possibly have come back from Hell or go back there. That-
“What have you done?”
Dean had known Anael was coming before she had appeared in the clearing, even in her distraught state her tattoo had itched and wolf/human shifts had a distinct smell. Dean ignored the wolfwoman too busy clutching Castiel’s body in her arms.
“What did you do!” Anael screamed moving for them like only a lycanthrope could.
As Anael reached down to touch him Dean lashed out with her power. “Don’t touch him!” Dean watched her stumble back with a yelp, her face gushing blood even though Dean hadn’t touched her physically.
“Bring him back!” Anael beseeched dropping to the ground to beg as she clutched at her bleeding face.
“I can’t...”
“You are his mate,” Anael reasoned but Dean shook her head, how could she understand the magic of something like that meant nothing when he was growing cold in her arms? “He came back from the dead for you!” She cried. “You have to do something!”
“I can’t...I can’t...” Dean sobbed watching Anael as she fled the clearing then she hid her face against Castiel’s cheek. This was what she had been so scared of? Already she would do anything to bring him back. Anything.
“Anything?”
Onward to Chapter Thirteen pt. 1!