"I didn't expect you so soon," I remark, continuing into town without looking back. "I was hoping to meet tonight instead."
"Tonight is important to the Fae. As is every full moon. I don't appreciate you summoning me like I'm some trained dog."
"I have a question."
Our footsteps are the only sound for a long moment. Finally, when town is within view, he says, "What is it you seek?"
"You somehow healed my mother. She seems ungrateful of your service. She told me I should have let her die."
"And?" Kailan presses.
"Can you make her sick again, and cancel our bargain?"
He laughs. "I can make her sick again, yes. It will not cancel our original bargain, it will add an additional favor you owe me."
I turn to him, hesitating when I glimpse his ethereal beauty. Skin as fine as porcelain, hair like spun silver falling down his back, eyes as sharp as any predators. "I will grant your favor. But I will only bear your child."
He cocks his head. "Fae and human do not often copopulate."
"Not often, but they do."
"Are you... attracted to me?" He steps closer to me, grabbing my chin in his slender fingers. His touch is cold, his eyes studying mine. His breath fans over my face, smelling of mint and roses.
My pulse quickens. I stare into his eyes, unwilling to look away. His lashes seem impossibly long, shadowing his eyes, making them appear darker. He is attractive, far more so than the human men in the village and around town.
"Do you want to kiss me?" he purrs. His voice is different, shifting to a lower pitch. Intoxicating. I do want to kiss him.
"I can't kiss you here. We're close to town and we are unmarried."
He blinks, releasing my chin harshly and stepping back. "How curious."
The air feels warmer now, the chill he was radiating dissipating with his distance. I take a step back. Kailan closes the gap between us again. "Cara."
"If I tell you I'm attracted to you, will you bear children with me?" I press. "It was your bargain after all. I have no prospective husband, and you're the only male I talk to."
"You are a beautiful woman, Cara. The benefit of taking your firstborn is you don't have to be married. No one will know of your misdeeds except yourself. And me, of course." He continues to stare, blinking slowly. "Find a willing human. I'll be back in a month's time to check your progress." He strolls away before I can say another word, his steps making barely any sound against the gravel.
My mood falls. If I am so beautiful, why does he resist? The walk to town is slower. By the time I get there, people bustle about in the streets, arms already full of groceries they need for the day. At high noon, I head for home again, having only sold three eggs. Damn Kailan. If he hadn't shown up, I would've beat the crowd.
Thankfully, Mother has been sick for almost a year. I doubt she remembers how many eggs we sell on a given day.
Tucking the remaining eggs under a hen, I clean out Betsy's stall and bring her in from the pasture, brushing her down and untangling her mane. I grab a handful of hay and drop it into her feeder. She knickers, kicking the dirt.
"How's the little one?" I wonder, rubbing her belly affectionately. "Do you get excited thinking about having a foal? Or is it just some instinct to you?"
For the first time since making the deal, I wonder what I'll be like when pregnant. In town, the women seem to radiate a beautiful glow, gently rubbing their swollen stomachs, smiling at anyone who compliments them. But there are a few who snap at anyone they see, clearly irritated for no reason at all. I pray I will be the former.
Pausing my duties, I look at Betsy like she just came up with the best idea. Tonight's the full moon. Kailan said it's very important to the Fair Folk. Every full moon, he clarified. When I was a child, the faery tales always warned of the full moon, saying it's a night of magic and mischief. Secret parties were held on their account.
I can't wait a month for Kailan to check up on me. And I know no man will bed me for the sake of getting me pregnant. I don't want that anyway. As I told Kailan, it was his bargain. We should keep it between ourselves. I haven't seen many Fair Folk, but he's still far more handsome than a human.
"Wish me luck, girl," I tell Betsy, patting her neck. I'm going to find that party tonight, and I'm going to bear Kailan's child whether he knows about it or not.