Heart of a Hunter

32. Unraveling

Blair's POV:

I stepped outside the motel, the cool night air hitting me like a welcome relief from the tension that had built up inside. Sam had been hunched over that book for hours, and the weight of everything—my family's legacy, the seal, the Arcani—felt like it was pressing down on me from all sides. I needed a moment to breathe, to clear my head.

But as I walked into the darkness, something prickled at the back of my neck, a feeling I couldn't shake. Someone was watching me.

I glanced around, the hairs on my arms standing on end. The parking lot was empty, the only light coming from the flickering streetlamp casting long shadows across the cracked pavement. I took a few more steps, trying to shake off the paranoia, but the feeling only got stronger.

And then I saw her.

A woman, standing just beyond the edge of the parking lot, half-hidden in the shadows of the trees. Her posture was tense, like she was waiting for something. Or someone. She was watching me—there was no mistaking that.

My heart raced as I took a step closer, trying to get a better look at her face. I couldn't make out her features in the dim light, but something about her seemed... familiar.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly, though I tried to keep it steady.

The woman didn't move at first, just stared at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl. But then, after what felt like forever, she stepped forward into the light.

I gasped.

It was like staring into a mirror, only slightly distorted. Her hair was the same shade of deep red as mine, though cut shorter. Her eyes—green with flecks of gold—were the same as mine too, but there was something harder in them, something colder. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

"Blair," she said softly, her voice eerily calm. "I've been waiting for you."

I shook my head, my mind racing, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. "No. This... this can't be real. Who are you?"

She took another step closer, her expression unreadable. "I'm you. Or at least, the part of you that the Arcani have been searching for."

My blood ran cold. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You've felt it, haven't you? The pull, the darkness. It's been inside you all along, Blair. You're the key, just like they said. But you're more than that."

I stumbled back, my heart pounding in my chest. "No... that's not possible. I'm not—"

"You don't understand," she interrupted, her voice low and dangerous. "The Arcani didn't just want your family because of the seal. They wanted you. You're not just connected to the seal—you are the seal. The bloodline runs through you, Blair. And it's waking up."

I shook my head again, refusing to believe it. "That doesn't make any sense. You're lying."

Her smile grew wider, colder. "Am I? You've felt it, haven't you? The nightmares, the flashes of things you don't understand. It's all starting to unravel because you're getting closer to the truth. You're not just a piece of this puzzle. You are the puzzle."

I backed away, my hands trembling. This couldn't be real. This had to be some kind of trick, some manipulation by the Arcani. But deep down, a part of me knew she was right. I had felt something—a darkness stirring inside me ever since we'd started digging into my family's past.

"What... what do you want?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

She tilted her head, studying me like a predator sizing up its prey. "I want you to stop fighting it. Stop pretending you're just an innocent bystander in all of this. The Arcani were right to fear you. They know what you're capable of, and they want to control it. But you don't have to let them. You can use it. You can become something more."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I don't want any of this. I just want my life back."

Her expression softened, but only for a moment. "Your life as you knew it is gone. But you don't have to lose everything. Sam, Dean... they'll protect you as long as they can. But in the end, you have to protect yourself."

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you need to embrace who you are. Stop running from it, stop hiding. The darkness inside you—it's not just some curse. It's power. Power that you need to control before it controls you."

I could barely breathe, the weight of her words crashing down on me. "I don't know how."

She stepped closer, her voice softening. "I can help you. I can show you how to harness it, how to become what you're meant to be."

I stared at her, my mind spinning. This version of me, this darker, twisted reflection—it was everything I feared. But as terrifying as it was, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was offering me the only way out. The only way to survive.

"What happens if I don't?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Her eyes darkened, the smile fading. "Then the Arcani will find you. And when they do, they'll use you to unleash something far worse than you can imagine. You'll lose yourself completely, and Sam, Dean... they won't be able to save you."

The thought of losing control, of becoming a tool for the Arcani to wield, made my stomach twist. I glanced back at the motel, the faint light from our room casting a warm glow on the pavement. Sam was in there, trusting me, fighting for me. And Dean, always watching out for us, never letting his guard down.

Could I really risk it? Risk them?

I looked back at the woman—at this other version of myself—and made a decision.

"Show me," I said quietly, my voice steady now. "Show me how to control it."

Her smile returned, slow and satisfied. "Good choice, Blair. But remember, once you start down this path, there's no turning back."

I nodded, the weight of what I was doing sinking in. There was no going back. But if it meant protecting Sam and Dean, if it meant stopping the Arcani from using me... then I'd do whatever it took.

She reached out, her hand hovering just above mine, and I felt a surge of power—dark, ancient, and terrifying—ripple through me. And in that moment, I knew she was right.

I wasn't just part of this. I was this.

And everything was about to change.