Blackstone Fortress Book Novels & Stories

blonde wood, with an emerald green canopy draped over it. The room screamed royalty. All of the furniture matched the blonde colored wood of the bed. There was a huge armoir on one wall, a vanity with a large ornate mirror behind it, once beautiful rugs adorning the stone floor, and a beautiful chandelier made of what I could only assume was crystal in the center of the ceiling. I walked over to my mother's vanity, and ran my finger over a thick layer of dust. I gasped as the room seemed to spring back to life. "Princess, the castle recognizes your blood signature. It's coming back to life." Gideon told me. I stared at him with wide eyes as the room returned to it's pre-dilapitated state. "

Just… stability. I exhaled slowly. And realized I wasn’t bracing anymore. For anything. Bloodstone was different. That was the first thing I noticed as I walked through it. The fortress still stood, but not untouched. There were cracks in the stone that would never fully close. Scars in the structure where energy had once torn through reality itself. But it was standing. Not surviving. Living. Wolves moved through the courtyard slowly, cautiously at first, as if unsure the world would remain stable if they moved too quickly.

"You're somewhat ahead of schedule, but of course you're welcome. Shall we proceed to the library with the others?" "No." His pale blue eyes, cold as ice in winter, meet mine with blatant disdain. "What we have to discuss should be here." I feel Jonathan tense beside me, his protective instincts kicking in. I feel his wolf rising to the surface through our bond, ready to protect me from harm. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're referring to," I say warily. "Oh, don't you?" Blackstone steps further into the hall, and I notice his men move to fill in the doorways behind him, blocking our exits. "Tell me, Lady Whitmore, what do you know of the hunters?"

Every mile felt like a countdown. Then the lodge came into view. It wasn’t a house. It was a fortress carved from black stone and old money, windows glowing gold against the white, towers clawing at the sky. Smoke curled from a dozen chimneys. Wolves,actual wolves lounged on the front steps like they owned the place. And standing at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, coat open despite the cold, was Cassian Blackthorne. He didn’t move or wave, not like I was expecting him to, he just watched the car approach with those storm-grey eyes that had ruined me four months ago.

Blackstone appeared just before dawn as the medical convoy approached the last stretch. The estate rose from the darkness beneath sheets of rain and pale security lights, looking less like a home now and more like a fortress preparing for siege. Floodlights swept across the outer walls, showing armed guards rotating along reinforced positions. Some vehicles lined the lower courtyard beneath temporary tactical coverings. And despite the exhaustion pulling at every muscle in her body— The moment Althea saw Blackstone; her pulse accelerated despite the exhaustion pulling at every muscle in her body.

And this—this mansion—was my cage. Blackwood Estate rose like a monument to control. A monolith of steel and stone perched on the cliffs of upstate New York, watching the Hudson River wind like a silver thread below. Towering windows, tall as cathedral glass, reflected nothing but clouds. No color. No softness. No soul. I hugged my coat tighter as the car pulled up to the curved entrance. The circular drive was lined with trimmed hedges, symmetrical to a fault—like everything in Lucien’s world. Clean. Clinical. Soulless.

No scratch that, were probably using me as a pawn to please themselves and their side pieces. I laid awake in bed, staring at the cracked pristine of the Blackwater chambers. According to the little piece of lore and backstory I'd managed to gather, the Blackwater fortress was one of the most fortified place in the entire pack. It had been built and carved out of pure stone, with the intention of lasting for centuries. It was a fortress like they called it, and best believe that it lived up to its name.

"Without the bond, we’re just two more monsters in the dark." The ship suddenly slammed into something solid. Not land, but a Wall of Bone. We ran to the deck. Rising from the center of the Great Divide was a fortress made of the fossilized remains of ancient leviathans. Standing on the battlements were the Fourteen Blood-Lords.

The air grew colder as we approached the edge of the vale, and an unnatural stillness settled over the group. “We’re close,” I said, the memory of the vision guiding me. “The fortress is just beyond this ridge.” Jessica glanced at me. “Let’s hope you’re right. I’d rather not spend all day wandering around cursed territory.” As we crested the ridge, the fortress came into view. It was exactly as I had seen—an imposing structure of black stone, its spires piercing the blood-red sky. “Looks welcoming,” Jessica muttered. Mike motioned for the group to halt. “We scout first. No one goes in until we know what we’re dealing with.”

He answered. If grandma hadn't told me about the Furies, I wouldn't have known what he meant. "I don't care if they're after me." I said through my clenched jaw. "I really think you should." His eyes were mocking me. That just angered me to a whole new level. "Just because I touched a goddamn black stone, those things are after me? Do you know what this sounds like?" I didn't wait for him to respond. "A freaking story! Things like these don't happen!"