The Blackwood Curse

Chapter 10

Sarah’s POV

I woke to the sound of muffled voices, the conversation drifting through the heavy silence of the Blackwood Mansion. The clock on the nightstand read 3:14 AM, and my heart skipped a beat. Eren’s side of the bed was cold, the sheets untouched and still, as though he’d gotten up hours ago. A strange unease coiled in my stomach.

A chill swept over me, creeping beneath my skin, and I shivered despite the warmth of the room. My instincts screamed at me to stay in bed, to ignore the noise, pretend I hadn’t heard anything. But the voices, low and heated, persisted. I couldn’t block them out, couldn’t resist the pull of curiosity gnawing at me.

I slipped from the covers, my bare feet cold against the polished floor, and grabbed my robe, tying it loosely around my waist. Every step felt heavier than the last as I crossed the room and moved into the dark hallway. The mansion felt even emptier at night, every creak of the floorboards echoing in the cavernous space.

The glow from the study lit the hallway in a sickly yellow hue, casting long shadows on the walls. I hesitated for a moment before walking toward it, drawn by the voices.

Eren’s voice cut through the air, sharp and laced with something I couldn’t quite place. Anger? Fear? I couldn’t tell. "You were supposed to handle it," he hissed, his words low and deliberate, but unmistakably urgent.

"I’m trying," came another voice—Luke’s. "But Axel’s onto something. If he finds out—"

"He won’t," Eren snapped. "He’s always been a problem, but I’ll deal with him. Just keep your mouth shut and do your job."

Luke muttered something under his breath, too low for me to make out. His footsteps grew louder as he made his way toward the door, and I barely had time to slip into the shadows before he passed, his face pale, a scowl etched into his features. There was something about his expression, something unsettling, that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I waited for the sound of his retreating steps to fade before I slowly turned back toward the study. My hands trembled as I pushed the door open a crack, just wide enough to peer inside.

Eren stood by the fireplace, his back to me. The room was cast in the warm, flickering glow of the flames, but the air between us felt cold. His shoulders were tense, his hand gripping the edge of the mantel, as though he were holding himself together by sheer force of will.

"Who are you?" I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

Eren spun around, his eyes wide with shock, his expression quickly shifting to something harder, more guarded. The brief flash of guilt in his eyes made my stomach lurch.

"Sarah," he said, his voice softer, but there was something forced about it. "What are you doing up?"

I stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind me with a quiet click. The silence that followed hung thick between us. "I could ask you the same thing. What’s going on, Eren? What are you hiding?"

He ran a hand through his hair, his face hardening. "It’s nothing for you to worry about."

"Don’t patronize me," I snapped, my voice rising, though I tried to keep it steady. "I heard you. You and Luke. You’re hiding something, and it’s not nothing."

His jaw tightened, the muscles in his neck visibly working. His eyes narrowed, growing colder. "Sarah, drop it."

"No," I said, taking a step closer, the words coming out in a rush. "Not this time. You’ve been keeping secrets from me, Eren. I can feel it. And Axel—"