Veronica Lancet
There’s a scene I can’t get out of my head, even two decades later. Lestat—yes, that Lestat—portrayed by Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned, lounging in a Roman-style bath overflowing with rose petals, blood dripping in the water like paint. Beside him is Aaliyah’s Queen Akasha: divine, deadly, enthroned in sensuality and violence. The visual is unforgettable. The red of the roses, the sheen of blood, the stillness before devastation. It’s not just erotic.
It’s feral, sacred, sacrificial.
That scene haunts me. As an author, it lives rent-free in the back of my mind every time I write a dark romance. Why? Because it captures the essence of what I like to call the supernatural lover archetype: a being not bound by the mortal world, who does not answer to anyone, and whose only god is his woman.
The supernatural lover is not your average brooding bad boy. He doesn’t just survive death. He owns it. He seduces with power, with danger, with the unspoken promise: I could destroy everything, but I won’t. Not for you.
Enter Amon d’Artan, the antihero of Fairydale.
Amon is portrayed as a dangerous demon at first: an ancient, apocalyptic force. He’s introduced as the villain, powerful, amoral, and hellbent on bringing about the end of the world. The twist? He’s doing it for love.
In most books, Amon would be the big bad. He manipulates, he kills, he dismantles worlds with a flick of his hand. And yet, in Fairydale, he’s the love interest.
Let’s pause there. How does a character who literally triggers global disasters and tortures his enemies end up as the romantic lead?

Simple. Because in romancelandia, we love our bad boys (even when they have white hair instead of dark).
In the realm of romantasy, the rules shift. Morality becomes a gradient, and what might be taboo in a contemporary setting transforms into something compelling, even beautiful. The key lies in motivation. Amon isn’t evil for the sake of chaos—he’s evil for Darcy. Every monstrous act, every moral transgression, is in service of a singular, soul-wrenching goal: reuniting with the woman he’s loved across lifetimes.
He is the walking embodiment of I would burn the world for you. And guess what? He does. Twice. (more like two and a half times, but who’s counting?)
But here’s the real kicker: he doesn’t pretend to be good. There’s no redemption arc, no false humility. Amon is evil, and he knows it. He doesn’t try to reform for Darcy. Instead, he gives her his darkness like a crown. In his own words, “I might be evil personified, but you’re the only one I’ll ever be good to.”
Tell me that doesn’t do something to your insides (and lower bits).
It’s not about excusing the darkness, it’s about owning it. In fact, what makes Amon so alluring is his loyalty. His love doesn’t flicker or fade; it’s eternal, elemental. He watches Darcy die over and over across centuries and never once moves on. He doesn’t date around. He doesn’t “find himself.” He waits.
Who wouldn’t want a love like that? A love that spans millennia? A lover so obsessed he refuses to live in a world without you?
Of course, all of this works because we’re in a fantasy setting. Amon’s crimes would be horrifying in the real world. In romantasy? They become symbolic. The supernatural frame allows for a heightened emotional landscape, one where grief, longing, and desire can echo through time and space. Everything is exaggerated: the stakes, the devotion, the danger. And the most intimate expression of that devotion?
Blood.
In Fairydale, blood isn’t just a metaphor for life or lust—it’s the romantic currency. It’s the root of Amon and Darcy’s bond, the thing that binds them beyond words, beyond life. Their connection isn’t sealed with a ring or a promise—it’s sealed with blood.
But here’s the twist that makes Fairydale stand out: it’s Darcy, not Amon, who holds the power.
In many supernatural stories, it’s the male hero whose blood grants immortality, healing, or magical gifts. But in this story, it’s the heroine’s essence that heals, sustains, and anchors their bond. Her blood is the catalyst. It doesn’t just connect them—it creates them.
That’s what makes blood so potent in this genre. It goes beyond physicality. It becomes a medium of soul-deep connection—an act more intimate than sex. It’s sacramental. Erotic. Holy.
Sharing blood, in Fairydale, is the ultimate declaration of love, of immortality.
And it’s no coincidence that blood, loyalty, and supernatural power are the core themes of so many romantasy stories today. We crave not just passion, but eternal passion. Not just safety, but devotion in the face of danger. We want lovers who will destroy worlds for us, then build them back from the ashes—just so we can live together in them.
The supernatural lover gives us all that and more.
He is deathless. He is dangerous. He is emotionally unhinged. And he loves like no one else can.
So if you find yourself swooning over the villain, the demon, the emotionless god who only softens for you, you’re not alone.
In this genre, love isn’t just a feeling. It’s a force of nature.
And sometimes nature is catastrophic (and it kills anyone who touches her).
But it’s the beauty in the chaos that counts.
About the Author: Veronica Lancet is a doctoral student by day and an author of dark, epic love stories by night. She loves to tread the line between right and wrong, exploring the many shades of morality through flawed heroes, forbidden desires, and the razor-thin edge between love and obsession.
If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to The Strand Magazine.
We publish newly discovered stories, original fiction, and interviews with major writers.

Be the first to comment