Fae Boyfriend: Aymeric 3 (special preview)

To be fair, you had never told Aymeric the exact sort of fairytale castle you had imagined in your youth. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing that needed explaining. You say ‘fairytale castle’ and instantly the images of white stone spires, lilac and blue stained glass, slowly falling drawbridge, and a garden of roses, is just what pops into mind.

For Aymeric though, you really should have known better. The castle he took you to was high up in the mountains. It was a obsidian obelisk surrounding by spiraled towers, teeth like walls, and equally haunted looking trees. It looked like a much grander version of his mansion, a sharper, more haunted version.

Aymeric snaps off his sunglasses and looks you up and down. “What’s that look?” He asks as you look up at it. “I don’t like this look. Tell me about this look?” He pinches your cheeks between his fingers.

“It’s a castle.” You push his hand aside. “Just not...exactly…” You sigh. “It’s a castle. Surely the insides are much more in line with what I have in mind.”

“This isn’t just any castle, my love, this is a fortress! A keep, a safe place.”

You smile reassuringly at him and lay your hands flat on your chest. “This is the unsafest looking place I could imagine. Not that I doubt inside you’d be safe, but if I were standing outside it, like now, I would feel horribly unsafe.”

Aymeric slips his sunglasses back on. “The canons aren’t active, you know? They’re far too old. Now let’s get back into the car. The drawbridge should be down by now.”

“You keep canons?” You balk after him as he pops back into the driver’s seat. 

You look back up at the castle one last time and sigh. It belongs to Aymeric, therefore you can understand it. It’s in his taste, it’ll probably be even more his taste once you get inside.

Once you’re over the drawbridge, the main courtyard of the castle is mainly stone. It’s wide open so that once, long ago, it could house soldiers, now it has cars parked off to the sides. You’re still uncertain why he needs so many cars, especially since he hasn’t been to this castle in a while.

The stairs that lead up to the entrance are pitch black with massive stone dogs on either side, their features sharp and teeth bared. You could almost hear them snarling.

“I know these stairs are quite high, but you won’t need to traverse them until we leave.” Aymeric’s long legs take the steps in great strides. His stiletto heels also seem to blend in with the stone. He offers out his hand to you, slowing to match your gate up.

The massive doors open as you approach, staff already prepared to receive you. “I thought you said you hadn’t been here in years,” you murmur.

“I haven’t, but I have family members who often comes to stay, so I just keep the staff here regardless.” He takes off his sunglasses again and tucks them into your purse as he retrieves the cluster of keys he placed in there earlier. 

“Why not put things in your own pockets,” you tease.

Aymeric slaps his hip. “You look at these pants and even try to fit a thought inside them. But thank you for allowing me the space of your handbag. I’ll be sure to buy you a new one.”

“Sure, sure.” You follow along behind him as he sorts through the keys. You come to the end of the main hall and then up a narrow, spiraling staircase into another long hall. All the while he combs through the keys.

He eventually stops before a massive door and shoves an old key into the lock. “I keep my special rooms locked up. So I don’t know what state I have left them in. We’ll get changed and have something to eat while the staff freshens it up and cleans.” 

“I was hoping we could have a moment alone, you know?” You smirk. “To give me a chance to let my conquering queen out.”

Aymeric bites his lip. “In due time.” He bends down to kiss me, pushing open the door as he does. “We have so much time to get acquainted with her.”