"You do realize killing me would be bloody stupid, don't you?" Crowley said through clenched teeth while trying to ignore the pressure bearing down on him.
"Every demon in Hell hates you with a passion. The difference is that I'm the only one willing to do business with you. If I die, nobody helps you. Nobody negotiates with you. Nobody even answers your calls."
Henry remained silent.
Crowley immediately continued.
"Go ahead and kill me over the contract if you like. You won't get anywhere near it afterward. When Bela's time runs out, Hell takes her soul and there's not a damn thing you'll be able to do about it."
The argument made Henry pause.
As much as he disliked admitting it, Crowley had a point. The King of Crossroads Demons was manipulative, greedy, and completely self-serving, but he was also the closest thing Henry had to a useful contact in Hell.
After several seconds, Henry released him.
The invisible pressure vanished.
Crowley immediately straightened his suit and adjusted his tie as though he hadn't been moments away from panic.
"Well," Henry said, "you've convinced me."
Crowley allowed himself a small smile.
"I do have my moments."
"Now give me Bela's contract."
The smile disappeared instantly.
"You know, for one glorious second I thought we were making progress."
Henry folded his arms.
Crowley sighed dramatically.
"Do you have any idea what happens if Lilith finds out I've been tampering with contracts? Do you know how unpleasant that conversation would be for me?"
Henry looked completely unconcerned.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Crowley narrowed his eyes.
"And why exactly shouldn't I worry about that?"
"Because Lilith is about to have a problem much bigger than one missing contract."
That answer immediately caught Crowley's attention.
Henry looked directly at him.
"I'll keep my end of the deal. After I'm done, Lilith won't be bothering you anymore."
Crowley narrowed his eyes but didn't press further.
Whatever Henry was planning, he clearly wasn't interested in discussing it.
That suited Henry just fine.
Killing Lilith was the worst possible option. The moment she died, the final seal would break and Lucifer would walk free.
No, Lilith needed to disappear without dying. If he could lock her somewhere she couldn't escape from or influence the outside world, the Apocalypse would grind to a halt before it ever truly began.
After several seconds, Crowley sighed.
"Fine. I'll get the contract. Give me a week."
Henry nodded.
"Good."
Crowley adjusted his suit.
"You know, most people ask for favors. You threaten me."
"If you betray me next time, I'll find you and make sure you regret it."
Crowley smirked.
"Charming as always."
A moment later he vanished, leaving Henry alone at the crossroads.
Henry stood there for a while, staring at his hands.
Angel powers were ridiculous.
Teleportation, healing, holy energy, enhanced strength, enhanced senses.
He hadn't even begun testing everything yet.
The only thing he really wanted right now was his angel blade.
Angel blades were effectively kryptonite to angels. One stab in the right place and even powerful angels could die permanently. Since he was only half angel, he had no idea how one would affect him.
Testing it on himself sounded incredibly stupid.
Unfortunately, the curiosity was still there.
Then there was Heaven.
A new half angel now existed.
Sooner or later Heaven was going to notice, and when that happened, Henry was fairly certain his life would become much more complicated.
Looking toward the sky, he rubbed his forehead.
"Fantastic. Now all the Heaven crap starts."
***
Back at Bobby's salvage yard, Dean was outside working on the Impala while Sam and Bobby sat inside surrounded by books.
The ringing hit all three of them at the same time.
Dean immediately dropped the wrench in his hand. Inside the house, Sam grabbed the edge of the table while Bobby looked up from the lore book he had been reading.
The sound wasn't coming from outside.
It wasn't coming from any direction.
It felt like it was happening inside their heads.
As the ringing grew louder, a glass on the counter cracked, the lights flickered, and several books fell from a shelf.
Dean pushed through the front door.
"Tell me you guys hear that."
Sam nodded while pressing his fingers against his ear.
"Yeah. Definitely hearing it."
Bobby's expression had become serious.
"I don't like this."
Dean frowned.
"That's your diagnosis?"
"My diagnosis is something weird is happening."
"That narrows it down to literally everything we deal with."
The ringing continued until it became painful.
Then it stopped.
Instantly.
The silence that followed felt wrong.
Dean looked around the room.
"Okay. Anybody got any idea what that was?"
Sam shook his head.
"I've never heard anything like it."
Bobby closed the book in front of him.
"Me neither."
That answer bothered Dean.
Bobby had spent decades hunting things. When Bobby didn't know something, it usually meant trouble.
Then all three of them felt it.
A presence.
Something had arrived.
Dean immediately reached for the pistol at his waist while Sam rose from his chair. Bobby was already moving toward the gun cabinet.
"Please tell me we're not dealing with another damn thing," Dean muttered.
Sam was staring toward the window.
"Dean..."
Dean followed his gaze.
Outside, the wind had stopped completely. Every tree around the salvage yard stood perfectly still, and the entire property had gone unnaturally quiet.
Dean's grip tightened on his gun.
"Yeah. I've got a bad feeling too."
*****
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