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Cas scowled at her words, hardly in the mood for levity or flirting or whatever means of manipulation she was trying to employ to get out of the circle of flames. 

[color=#519aed]"Lorelei? I've heard of you."[/color]

[i]So, this was Crowley's replacement, was it? Well, then, wasn't that just perfect.[/i]

Castiel had a complicated relationship with Crowley before his passing -- the consummate pair of frenimies, if there ever was one. They had, of course, worked together many times, mostly when it involved the Winchesters in one fashion or another, but it had still happened. It helped that the King of Hell knew Castiel could destroy him with the snap of his fingers, if he ever let his guard down, but it had often been to their mutual benefit to cooperate and keep the peace. (Such as it was.) 

A the end of the day Crowley could usually be reasoned with. 

Lorelei, from what Castiel had heard, was a little more... [i]unstable.[/i] 

[color=#519aed]"Lucifer did not escape,"[/color] Castiel said flatly. [color=#519aed]"He was released from his cage and he is now under our protection." [/color] 

He didn't specify who all of 'our protection' entailed. Honestly, Cas wasn't sure at the moment. God may have intended to have Lucifer help end the war that had been going on for ages, but not all of Heaven fully supported God -- they hadn't for a long time now. There were a lot of misgivings after God had disappeared for so long, only to pop back up out of nowhere, then run off with His sister. (Castiel wasn't judging God for His general absence for the past several centuries; he knew how hard it was to be God from his own misguided experiences.) Still, that all said, there appeared to be a lot of unhappiness with things in Heaven and Cas wasn't sure if everyone would be so willing to forgive Lucifer for his transgressions, whether it was commanded by God or not. If he and Gabriel were unlucky there could be outright rebellion in response to Lucifer's return.

And he certainly didn't need the new Queen of Hell making things even more complicated. The circle of fire remained burning for the moment, Castiel clearly unwilling to cede any territory when he was so uncertain of his potential adversary.