Heart of a Hunter

36. Edge of Control

Sam's POV:

I stood there, staring at Blair, my heart pounding in my chest. The motel parking lot felt eerily silent, like the world was holding its breath. The air was still thick with the aftershocks of whatever power Blair had just unleashed. Dean lay unconscious a few feet away, the figure that had been wearing his face now crumpled and motionless. But Blair... she was still standing. Still breathing.

She was still herself.

But for how long?

I took a step forward, my hands shaking as I reached for her. "Blair, are you—?"

"I'm fine," she said quickly, but her voice was strained. Her eyes flickered to mine, and I could see the fear there, lurking just beneath the surface. She wasn't okay. None of this was okay.

"You don't look fine," I muttered, taking another step toward her. "What the hell just happened? What are they?"

She shook her head, running a trembling hand through her hair. "They were... part of me. Fragments. The Arcani were using them to break me down, to push me into becoming something I'm not." Her voice cracked slightly, and she clenched her fists like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. "But I fought it. I'm still me."

I wanted to believe her, wanted to hold onto the hope that she had this under control, but the power I'd seen come out of her, the darkness she was wrestling with... it scared the hell out of me. Blair had always been strong, always fought back no matter how bad things got, but this was different. This wasn't a fight she could win with brute force or determination. This was a battle inside her, and I didn't know how to help her win it.

I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Blair, you don't have to do this alone. We can find another way. We can figure this out together."

She shook her head, her eyes locking onto mine, desperate and fierce. "No, Sam. I can't risk losing control again. If I do... I don't know what'll happen." She took a shaky breath, her voice trembling. "The Arcani were right. I'm not just the key to the seal. I am the seal. They've been breaking it open piece by piece, and if I let go... if I lose control completely, I could destroy everything."

I swallowed hard, the weight of her words crashing over me like a tidal wave. "You're not going to lose control. You won't."

She gave me a sad, almost resigned smile. "You can't know that. Neither can I."

I stared at her, my mind racing, trying to find a way to pull her back from the edge. But there was something in her eyes, something that told me she had already made up her mind. She wasn't going to let herself fall into the Arcani's hands. She'd fight it with everything she had, but the toll it was taking on her—it was too much. I could see it.

Before I could say anything else, Dean groaned from the ground, stirring as he slowly regained consciousness. I rushed over to him, kneeling down as he blinked up at me, dazed.

"What the hell..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "What hit me?"

"Not what," I said quietly. "Who."

Dean's eyes snapped to Blair, and I saw the flicker of confusion in his expression, quickly replaced by a kind of grim understanding. He hadn't seen what had happened, but he didn't need to. He could feel it in the air, just like I could.

"Blair..." Dean started, sitting up with a wince, but she cut him off.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I just—"

Dean held up a hand, shaking his head. "You don't need to explain. I get it." He slowly got to his feet, his gaze shifting between the two of us. "But we're not out of this yet. The Arcani aren't going to stop just because you fought off one of their tricks. They'll be back. And next time, they won't hold back."

Blair nodded, her eyes darkening with determination. "I know. That's why we need to end this."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with finality. Dean and I exchanged a glance, both of us understanding what she meant, even if neither of us wanted to say it out loud.

The only way to end this was to destroy the seal. To destroy what was inside her.

I stepped forward, my voice low and urgent. "Blair, if we destroy the seal... what happens to you?"

She looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and resolve. "I don't know," she whispered. "But if we don't, the Arcani will use me. They'll take this power and twist it into something horrible. I can't let that happen."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "There has to be another way. We can find it, Blair. We always find a way."

She smiled, but it was a sad, resigned smile. "Not this time, Sam."

Dean's voice broke the tension, his tone gruff but soft. "If this is the only way to stop them... then we do it. We've faced worse odds before. We'll face them again."

Blair's eyes flicked between us, her voice soft but determined. "We don't have much time. The Arcani will come soon, and when they do, they'll be stronger. If I lose control before we destroy the seal..."

I clenched my fists, hating how helpless I felt. This wasn't a hunt we could strategize our way through. This was personal. This was Blair's life.

"Sam," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I need you to trust me. We have to destroy the seal. It's the only way."

My throat tightened, and for a long moment, I couldn't speak. I looked at her, at the woman I loved, and all I could see was the possibility of losing her. But I knew, deep down, that she was right. The Arcani weren't going to stop until they had her. And if destroying the seal was the only way to protect her—then I had to do it.

Even if it meant losing her in the process.

I swallowed hard, finally nodding. "Okay," I whispered. "But we do this together."

Blair's eyes filled with tears, but she smiled, the sadness in her expression tempered by relief. "Together."

Dean cleared his throat, already in motion, his eyes scanning the horizon. "We need to move fast. If the Arcani are coming, we need to be ready. Where do we destroy it?"

Blair took a deep breath, her voice steady but heavy with the weight of what was to come. "The place where it all began. The location of the seal... it's where they killed my family."

Dean nodded, his jaw clenched. "Then that's where we go."

We gathered our things quickly, the silence between us filled with a shared understanding of what was about to happen. As we drove through the night, heading toward the place where Blair's family had been slaughtered, I reached for her hand, gripping it tightly.

She looked at me, her eyes soft but filled with determination. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," I said, my voice barely audible. And as the road stretched out before us, I couldn't help but wonder if this was the last time I'd be able to say those words.

Because when we destroyed the seal, I wasn't sure what would be left of her.

Of us.

But we were going to face it. Together.