Heart of a Hunter

33. The Darkness Between Us

Sam's POV:

The pages of the book blurred in front of me as I tried to focus, but the words weren't sticking. My mind kept drifting back to Blair, the way she'd been holding herself together tonight, like she was barely keeping her head above water. Everything she'd found out about her family, the seal, the Arcani—it was too much for anyone to handle. But Blair? She was strong. Stronger than she gave herself credit for.

I rubbed my eyes and glanced at the clock. She'd been gone a while now. Stepping outside for some air wasn't unusual after everything that had happened, but the pit forming in my stomach told me something was off.

Pushing the chair back, I stood and grabbed my jacket. "Dean," I called, but he was still outside, keeping an eye on things. He hadn't seemed concerned earlier, but I knew better than to ignore my instincts. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

I stepped outside the motel room, the chill of the night biting at my skin. The air felt heavier than before, charged with something I couldn't quite place. My eyes scanned the parking lot, and that's when I saw her.

Blair was standing at the edge of the lot, just beyond the reach of the streetlight. Her back was to me, her body tense like she was in the middle of something important. But there was someone else there too—a shadowy figure just a few feet away from her. At first, I thought it might be Dean, but no—this person was shorter, different. And Blair was facing them, not in conversation but like she was confronting something. Or someone.

A surge of panic hit me, and I moved forward without thinking, my feet crunching on the gravel as I closed the distance between us. "Blair!"

She didn't turn around. Neither of them did.

"Blair!" I called again, louder this time, my voice more urgent. I could feel the weight of the situation settling in my gut, like I was walking into something far worse than I realized.

I was almost there when the figure turned toward me, stepping slightly out of the shadows. My heart stopped.

She looked just like Blair.

Same red hair. Same eyes, with that green and gold mixture that had always caught my breath. But there was something different, something darker about this version of Blair, something unsettling. Her expression was colder, more distant, like she was looking at me through a layer of ice. I froze, trying to process what I was seeing. What the hell?

The real Blair finally turned, her eyes locking onto mine, and there was a flash of guilt, of hesitation, in her gaze that made my blood run cold.

"Sam," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I didn't want you to see this."

I took a step closer, my heart pounding in my chest. "Blair, what's going on? Who is she?"

The other Blair smiled, a slow, unsettling curve of her lips that sent a chill down my spine. "I'm part of her," she said, her voice smooth and confident. "The part she's been running from. The part she's about to embrace."

Blair flinched at the words, her eyes darting between the two of us like she didn't know how to explain it. But I could see it—the fear, the uncertainty. Whatever this was, it wasn't good. And Blair was caught right in the middle of it.

I moved closer, ignoring the other Blair for now, focusing on the one who mattered. The one who'd fought beside me, trusted me, loved me. "Blair," I said softly, trying to keep my voice steady. "Talk to me. What's happening?"

She took a shaky breath, and for a moment, I thought she was going to break down. But instead, she stood a little taller, her eyes hardening with a determination that scared me. "I have to stop running from this, Sam. From who I am. She's right. There's something inside me, something I've been ignoring, but I can't anymore."

I stared at her, my chest tightening with dread. "What do you mean? Blair, this isn't you. You don't need to listen to her."

The other Blair chuckled softly, crossing her arms as she watched the two of us. "He doesn't get it, does he? You are me, Blair. This darkness, this power—it's a part of you. You can't hide from it. Not anymore."

Blair clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling. "I don't want to be used by the Arcani, Sam. But if I don't learn how to control this... they'll win. They'll take everything."

My throat tightened, and I reached out, taking her hand in mine. Her skin was cold, and I could feel the tension radiating off her. "We'll stop them. You and me. We don't need her for that."

Blair looked down at our joined hands, and for a second, I thought I'd gotten through to her. But then she pulled away, stepping back, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and resolve. "You don't understand. This is the only way. I have to learn how to control it, Sam. If I don't, they'll use me. I'll be a puppet, and I can't let that happen."

My heart pounded in my chest, panic rising as I tried to process what she was saying. "Blair, please—this isn't the answer. You don't need to give in to whatever this is. You're stronger than that."

The other Blair smirked, stepping closer to her, like she was savoring the moment. "He's afraid of what you'll become. But you know the truth, Blair. You're already becoming what you're meant to be. Embrace it."

Blair hesitated, her eyes flicking between me and the dark version of herself, torn between two choices I couldn't fully understand. I could see the fear in her eyes, but there was something else too—a kind of acceptance. She wasn't backing down from this. She was stepping into it.

"I'm sorry, Sam," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I have to do this."

I shook my head, desperate to stop her, to pull her back from whatever she was about to do. "Blair, no—"

But before I could finish, the other Blair reached out, touching her arm, and a shock of power rippled through the air. I staggered back, my heart racing as I watched in horror. Blair's body tensed, her eyes glowing with an eerie, golden light, and a wave of dark energy pulsed from her like a storm.

I reached out for her, my voice hoarse with fear. "Blair!"

She didn't respond. The power surged through her, and in that moment, I knew—I was losing her.

The Blair I knew, the woman I loved, was slipping away, and I didn't know how to save her.

"Sam," she whispered, her voice distant and full of regret. "I love you."

And then, she was gone—engulfed by the darkness I hadn't seen coming.

The other Blair disappeared into the night, leaving only the woman I knew. But she wasn't the same. Something had changed. Something had been unlocked.

And I was terrified of what that meant.