When she finds herself back in Sioux Falls on a job, a twist of fate puts Evelyn Marshall in the path of the Winchesters and Bobby Singer. With nowhere left to run, the dark secrets in her past and the creatures who've hunted her are about to catch...
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We could only put off the difficult part of the conversation for so long before we needed to reveal our true identities and intentions to Lee.
I'd tried to skirt around the subject. I'd listened to him talk about his family, how his parents had tried not to spoil him growing up and instilled in him a strict work ethic so that he'd never rely on their charity in his adult years. While he confessed that he wouldn't be where he was without his father's connections, he asserted that he'd worked hard to earn his place and the respect of his colleagues, and that was something that I could admire. There was so much about him to like. He was affable, and easy-going. I found it hard to believe that there was a single person in the world who wouldn't want to be his friend.
That said, even a charming manner wouldn't be enough to save him from the reality of the situation.
I drummed my nails lightly against the cheap porcelain mug clasped in my grip. Castiel sat beside me, one hand on my thigh in case we needed to make a hasty exit, and the other on the angel blade up his sleeve. I didn't feel threatened by Lee, but that didn't stop me from casting furtive glances at the other diners. Sometimes I could sniff out the demons but the heavy scent of food and coffee obscured everything else.
When I'd begun to spin my tale of demons and the supernatural, I'd eased Lee into it slowly. It seemed unlikely that there was a gentle way to inform someone that their entire worldview was a falsehood and they shouldn't have outgrown their fear of the dark, but I did my best. It would have been much easier to lie and tell him that I had my own enemies and we needed to disappear. A human threat might have been simpler to absorb for the poor man, but it wasn't going to save his life.
"Demons?" he asked at last.
I nodded and looked down into the contents of the mug, the cold dregs of coffee and grounds which rocked idly in my hands. I took a deep breath but said nothing. I was waiting for him to explode. To call me crazy. To get out of his seat and march from the cafe. My mind was filled with plans and plots. That we'd have to follow him home and abduct him out of his bedroom all in the name of keeping him safe.
To his credit, he remained in his seat.
"Like... biblical?"
"Yes."
It was easier to agree than to get into all the nuances of demons. Yes, biblical, but they'd adapted to the modern world just like every other species. It would be hard enough for him to accept they existed in the first place, never mind that they were all packing cell phones and making deals with celebrities so that their next albums would go platinum.
One thing at a time.
"Okay."
"Okay?" I repeated.
Lee sucked in a deep breath and asked, "Are you on medication?"
It wasn't the reaction I'd hoped for but it also wasn't the worst I'd heard. A lot of people just screamed at you to get out of their house when you told them that their spouse or child had been eaten by something. They refused to believe until they saw it with their own eyes and, usually, that meant it was too late to save them from their fate. Lee might have thought that I was crazy but he wasn't yelling. He hadn't tried to call the police. I was confident that, if nothing else, we could leave him with some advice to keep himself safe.
