Free Aimée and the Bear: A BBW Bear-Shifter Romance (Fairy Tales with a Shift) by Cara Wylde Page B

folds and held them tightly with my left hand. I didn’t have many dresses, so I couldn’t afford destroying this one. I was right behind the left wing, and as far as I could see, this part of the garden was full of blood red roses. I took a couple of steps and bent down to smell them.
    “Dear God… They are perfect!”
    I touched the velvety petals with the tips of my fingers, smiling at the sweet thrill that sneaked under my skin and ran up my arm. These were the most gorgeous roses I had ever seen. The long, thorny stems ended in thick petals embracing each other, forming big, rich flowers.
    “These beauties will make me a small fortune.”
    With that in mind, I put on the gloves I had brought with me, took out the sharp scissors and set to work. The garden looked like a sea of red roses. There were so many that no one would even notice I had been there. I cut a couple of dozens, but I had to stop to wrap them in my scarf and make sure I was able to carry them without scratching myself in their thorns. They were quite heavy. I lifted the bunch gently and secured it in my arms, then straightened my sore back and looked for the way out. Once again, my eyes fell on the majestic mansion, and curiosity took the best of me.
    “I’m just going to check the front door. If it’s open, I’ll take a small peek. No harm in that, right? If it’s locked, at least I’ll be able to sleep tonight.”
    I had always been a curious person. As a child, my curiosity made me fall in love with adventure novels and helped me learn history and geography. It wasn’t even an effort. If it was new and interesting, then I had to investigate and assimilate, and the old, ruined mansion in front of me was taunting me with its air of mystery. I was sure it didn’t hold any life-changing secrets. It was probably filled with junk and furniture that would fall apart at the slightest touch, but I had to know.
    I walked around the building slowly, careful not to bump into anything. I could barely see from behind the huge bunch of roses in my arms, and their perfume was starting to make me dizzy. As divine as it was, it was quite intoxicating. Finally, I reached the front steps and wiggled the flowers so I could free my left hand to try the rusty handle. To my surprise, it slid down smoothly, its soft click letting me know I was in, the heavy wooden door opening with a long, painful creak. I let go of the handle and watched how the door continued on its established way and hit the wall with a muffled thud. I stretched my neck to peek inside the large hall, not yet sure if I truly wanted to step over the threshold. But once I caught a glimpse of the interior, I simply had to. There was no way I could resist the temptation.
    “What the…?”
    My impatient feet made the decision for me, and before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of the hall, staring dumbfounded at the polished floor, the golden walls, and the beautiful staircase that led to the upper floors. There were vases with red roses everywhere, as if the whole house had just been cleaned and decorated in preparation for a party. I blinked a couple of times to make sure there was nothing wrong with my eyes. Maybe the strong perfume of the roses had started to mess with my head, making me see things which weren’t there. But no, this was real. I had just stepped into a whole different world, and it was as real as it could be.
    “Holy mother of…” There were no words to describe the feeling. My confusion was stronger than my brain’s ability to analyze the facts logically, but the mansion was far from being abandoned. Or haunted.
    I turned around to steal another glance outside, through the open door, at the desolate image of the unkempt garden. I barely saw the weeds waving softly in the lazy wind and the sun shining on the iron gate, when the door closed with a loud bang. My heart jumped in my chest, my stomach twisted into knots, and a shriek escaped my lips. The red roses I was