Heart of a Hunter

31: A Plan in Motion

Sam's POV:

The worn pages of the ancient book felt fragile under my fingers, like they might disintegrate at any moment with one wrong touch. I'd been staring at the symbols for what felt like hours, trying to piece together this puzzle, but it was like this puzzle was all one color and none of the pieces worked no matter which way we tried. Frustration gnawed at me, but I couldn't let it take over. Blair was counting on us, and the Arcani wouldn't wait for us to figure things out at our own pace.

The door creaked open, I looked up to see Blair stepping back inside. Her hair was slightly windswept and her cheeks were a soft shade of pink from the cool night air. There was a softness in her eyes that always made the butterflies return to my stomach. It was like seeing her brought me back from the edge of whatever storm we were facing. She glanced at me, then at the book, the worry was clearly written across her beautiful face. 

"I thought you were asleep" my voice soft and low. I met her gaze and her mouth pulled into a soft smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I did for a minute, but I heard Dean go outside and I decided to see what he was doing." She pulled at the sleeve of the sweater that she was wearing. 
"Find anything?" she asked quietly, walking over to me.

I shook my head, leaning back in my chair. "Nothing concrete yet. There are pieces here- bits of Latin mixed with older symbols. Some of it looks like instructions, maybe tied to a ritual or seal, but I can't make out enough to be sure."

Blair sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting in her lap as she watched me with those gorgeous green eyes, flecked with gold. Even with everything going on, I could see the determination in her, the strength she was holding onto even though this had to be tearing her apart. Her whole life had been ripped away because of something she didn't even know existed, and now she was in the middle of it, forced to confront the truth about her family and this ancient seal. And she wasn't running from it. 

"Whatever it is, we will figure it out" I said, keeping my voice steady. "We just need a little more time."

Blair smiled, but it was small, barely there. "I trust you Sam. I know you'll find the answers." She hesitated for a second, then added. "It's just hard not knowing what's waiting around the corner. Not knowing how to stop them."

I stood up crossing the room to sit next to her on the bed. The mattress creaked slightly under the weight of both of us, but I didn't care. I needed to be close to her, to remind her that I'm committed to her, to this. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her against me, and she rested her head on my shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. 

"We're going to stop them Blair" I said quietly, my voice filled with certainty I wasn't sure I fully felt. But Blair needed to hear it, and I needed to believe it. "The Arcani won't get their hands on you. Not while I'm breathing."

She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath as she leaned into me. "I'm just scared Sam." She whispered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to be. I don't know what this seal means, or why it's so important. But it's cost me everything."

I felt her pain like a physical thing, a weight pressing down on me, and I tightened my hold on her, wishing beyond everything that I could take it all away. To take her place even. "You've got Dean and I, and we will figure out how to stop the Arcani. Whatever it takes."

Blair looked up at me, her eyes searching mine for a long time, a hint of sadness and fear somewhere hidden deep in hers. "And if we cant?" She asked softly after a long while.

I cupped her face gently, brushing a thumb over her cheek, trying to convey everything I felt for her in that touch. "We will. I won't let them take you, Blair. I love you."

She leaned into my hand, her eyes softening at my words, and I could see the flicker of hope there, even if it was faint. "I love you too Sam." She whispered, her voice barely audible but filled with such raw emotion.

Before either of us could say anything more, there was a sharp knock at the door. 
Dean.

I sighed, standing up and heading over to the door, pulling it open to find my brother leaning against the doorframe, his expression as serious as ever.

"Sorry to interrupt the moment" Dean said, his voice dripping with that familiar sarcasm, "But we've got a problem."

I frowned, stepping aside to let him in.
"What is it?"

Dean walked into the room, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced between Blair and I. "Bobby got back to me. He did some digging on those symbols we found in the book. Turns out they're tied to an old bloodline curse. The Arcani don't just want the seal - they want to activate it. And if they do... It could unleash something that'll make our usual end-of-the-world crap look like a walk in the park."

Blair's face went pale, her eyes wide with shock. "Unleash something? Like what?"

Dean shrugged, but his expression was grim. "Bobby doesn't have all the details, but whatever it is, it's bad news. Think apocalypse-level bad. And they need you Blair, because the seal is tied to your bloodline."

I felt my stomach drop, my mind racing as I processed what Dean was saying. The Arcani didn't just want Blair - they needed her to complete whatever ritual would activate the seal. And if we didn't stop them, we were looking at something far worse than anything we'd faced before.

"We can't let that happen." I said, my voice hard. "What do we need to do to stop them?"

Dean glanced at me, then at Blair, his jaw tightening. "We need to destroy the seal before they can use it. Problem is, we don't know where the damn thing is."

Blair spoke up "It has to be in the book. Somewhere in these symbols - there has to be a clue about where the seal is hidden."

Dean grunted, pacing the room. "Yeah, well, let's hope we find it before the Arcani find us."

I knew he was right. The clock was ticking and the Arcani were getting closer with every passing hour. But we had to believe that we could find the seal first. We had to, or everything - Blair, us, the world - would be lost. 

Blair came over to me, standing close as I began flipping through the pages of the book again. Her hand brushed against mine, and I glanced up at her, my heart aching for everything she had been through already, and everything that was coming. She was stronger than she realized, but even the strongest people needed help sometimes. 

"We'll find it." I said softly, my voice filled with quiet determination. "We'll stop them."

Blair nodded, her eyes meeting mine with that same fierce resolve. "Together."

And I knew, that no matter how dark things got, no matter how dangerous this road became, we wouldn't stop fighting. 

Not until we won.