Blackwood Manor Novels & Stories

Chapter 2: The Blackwood Manor Ryder's grip on Emilia's hand was firm, yet gentle, as he led her through the winding woods. The darkness seemed to swallow them whole, but he navigated the path with ease, his eyes gleaming like lanterns in the night which was not hard for him since he was a werewolf. Emilia stumbled once, and he caught her by the elbow, his touch sending a spark of electricity through her veins. As they emerged from the woods, a grand estate loomed before them, its turrets and spires reaching toward the moon like skeletal fingers. Blackwood Manor, Emilia assumed, her heart racing with anticipation.

The rain fell in relentless sheets that evening, drenching the earth and turning the gravel road to mud. She clutched her cloak tightly around her body as she stepped through the gates of Blackwood Manor, heart pounding beneath layers of wool. She had never seen a house so large. Towering stone walls stretched toward the stormy sky, windows flickering with faint candlelight. The kind of house that didn’t belong to kind men. The villagers whispered about the man who owned it. A Duke with a reputation. A man who could ruin a woman without ever raising his voice.

As they drove, Marcus couldn't help but glance at Emilia, wondering who she was. *** The car wound its way up the winding driveway, lined with towering trees and meticulously manicured hedges, until it finally arrived at the grand entrance of the Blackwood family's estate. The estate, named Ravenswood Manor, was a sprawling complex that spanned hundreds of hectares, a testament to the family's wealth and influence. As the car passed through the gates, the unconscious Emilia remained still, unaware of the impressive surroundings. The driveway led to a massive courtyard, surrounded by various structures, including stables, guest houses, and staff quarters.

The wrought-iron gates of Blackwood Manor groaned as they parted, admitting Vivian’s sleek rental car into the dark, mist-shrouded estate. Nestled deep within the rugged cliffs of the Pacific Northwest, the manor was a monolithic structure of black granite and glass, overlooking a churning, violent sea.

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.

We walked out of the pavilion, through the camp of freed Lycans, up the mountain pass, toward Blackwood Manor. The bond hummed. And somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. Not a warning. Not a greeting. A victory.

She didn’t turn around when she heard his footsteps, but her shoulders tensed. “Is he still inside?” she asked. “He’s with his family now,” Zander replied. The first window shattered. The sound of breaking glass echoed across the valley like a gunshot. A column of thick, black smoke began to pour out of the library, rising into the cold night sky. The “House of Thorns,” as the locals had called the Blackwood mansion for a century, was finally being purged.

It should be illegal to look this nerve wrecking. The first three buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a patch of clear slightly tanned skin. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, showing off the prominent veins that ran up his back hand. I felt the breath hitch in my wind pipes as our eyes met, his mesmerizing green stare made my cheeks flush and my knees go weak, it was like I was paralyzed as I stood there while his eyes still roamed me. "I don't think I've introduced myself. Damon Blackwood" his husky voice made my heart rate pick up. A smirk crawled unto his features as he stretched out a hand for me and I just stared in awe, his words sinking in.

Looked at me for one more moment with something open and unguarded in his expression that he didn't bother to close off this time. Then he turned and walked back down the hallway to his room. I sat in the window seat with my back against the cold glass and the pressure under my skin warm and steady and awake, and I listened to his door close softly, and I smiled at the dark window where my reflection looked back at me. Outside, somewhere in the trees beyond the mansion grounds, something moved. Something that had been watching the lit windows of the Blackwood house for the better part of an hour. Something that, when it turned and disappeared back into the dark, moved with the particular sil

"My driver will take you home. You have one hour to pack your things" Elara said "Wait. What about my job? What about my things?". Julian said "You do not have a job anymore. You have me. Now go". Elara turned to leave.. She stopped. "Where is your house?" she asked. Julian said "It is called Blackwood Manor. It is in the hills". Elara felt scared. Blackwood Manor was a scary house. People did not go there. Julian said "Remember. This is not a romance. This is a business deal. I do not love people. I use them".