She'd been traveling for hours by foot, hoping to find the mythical creature lurking in the woods notorious for making deals with people. So far she'd been unsuccessful, and as the snow fell in waves around her, Calliope didn't think she would ever find what she sought.

A chill wracked her frame as she walked, her booted feet sticking in the heavy snow. Her clothing was threadbare, leaving no room to block out the chill as she continued to trek through the woods. She could have been seeking out the elusive Bargainer for riches beyond her wildest imagination, but instead she'd come to plead for her mother's life.

Her mother had been sick for most of the year. First with a terrible cough that never seemed to dissipate and now she was constantly getting sick, unable to even keep a meal down. Her mother was skin and bones.

The nearest healer had declared her mother on death's doorstep, but Calliope wouldn't accept that. She couldn't. Her mother was all she'd ever had, even if the woman was bitter and jaded by life. Even if she didn't love Calliope the way a mother should. She didn't begrudge her mother her feelings, but she would do anything and everything to see her well.

Calliope had talked to a few people in town, asking about alternative methods to save her mother's life and after several hushed whispers from a few local drunks, Calliope had been informed that lurking deep in the woods was a man. No, not a man. A creature. The Bargainer. And for a price he would grant any wish. No one had told her the price of such a wish, only that it was useless to hunt him down.

She thought maybe he was a warlock, but she'd been told he was far beyond their conceptions of magic. Such a man seemed made up, but desperation had Calliope nearly freezing as she searched anyway.

Calliope cast a wary look around as howls sounded off in the distance, alerting her to the fact that the Bargainer may not be real, but other predators were and she was all but defenseless.

Why had she been so foolish to seek out the Bargainer at night?

Calliope had simply been too impatient, feeling as if she was on the precipice of saving her mother's life. She only had a small lantern to guide her through the darkness and she hoped it was enough, though she knew a simple light wouldn't protect her from what hid within the woods.

"It is unwise to seek out the Fae." A deep masculine voice seemed to echo all around Calliope, startling her enough that she almost lost her grip on the lantern's handle. "You are but a scared little mouse and I, the lion sent to devour you," the man whispered in her ear and Calliope jumped.

She spun around, the skirt of her dress tangling in her legs but there was no one behind her. Only trees and their branches that whipped in the cold wind, creating a low whistle that grated on her nerves.

"You're the Bargainer?" Calliope's voice wavered. She sounded frightened even to her own ears.

"I've been called many things, mouse. What is it that you seek?"

Calliope's mouth was dry, her eyes frantically scouring the area she'd heard his voice, but nothing was there. Was he moving too quickly to detect? How could that be? "I-" Her throat closed, fear keeping her from speaking any further.

A sigh echoed behind her and she whipped around. More darkness greeted her and Calliope took a hurried step back, bumping into a solid object.

"Why are humans always so frightened when they find what they have been searching for?" A sensual voice murmured in her ear. Fingers gently caressed Calliope's white blonde curls and she sucked in a startled breath.

The lantern fell from her fingers, landing in the snow with a small thud. The candle flickered, casting the ground in an orange glow.

"Are you frightened of me, mouse?" Warm fingers found her throat, stroking her cold skin. On instinct, Calliope sank into the warmth provided, pressing into what she now knew was a hard chest at her back. He must have been tall, she could feel his chin brush the crown of her head as he bent, his fingers wandering toward her collarbone.

"Wh-why are you touching me?"

"I find you intriguing. Typically the only humans who seek me out are greedy and pompous, their bravado easy to see through. They don't smell like lilacs or look so... innocent." He inhaled deeply, an aggravated sigh sliding against her curls. "Nor do they smell so unique."

Human..?

"You're a Fae?"

Calliope had heard of the Fae before, but only in stories involving all sorts of unpleasantness. They weren't real. They couldn't be, and yet...

"What did you expect? Did you think the key to saving your relative would be found at the hands of a mere mortal?"

Calliope's frame shook at his question, his warm breath skating along her cheek. He was so close to her. Too close. Yet she found herself leaning back even further despite her fear, hoping to stay in the embrace of a creature.

"How did you know I was here for my mother?"

"I can always sense a bargain to be struck and as your soul tastes of such sweet innocence, I knew only an ailing family member would bring a little mouse like you to my door."

"I'll do anything," Calliope whispered and the Fae behind her laughed. The sound was deep and melodious, melting some of her fear, though she was sure he intended quite the opposite. Fingers brushed her cheek and she turned her head, needing to catch a glimpse of her tormentor and savior. Fingers caught her chin in a tight grip, keeping her from looking in his direction.

"Humans are all the same, mouse. Of course you'll do anything." Lips brushed the side of her head and she shivered, though Calliope was unsure if it was due to the cold or something dark in her responding to the callous treatment of the Bargainer. "There is something about you..." His words trailed off, leaving her feeling oddly bereft.

"What is the price to save her?"

"You will give me your firstborn child." He wanted a child? From her?

"I-"

Fingers found her throat again, squeezing gently when she stopped talking. His thumb slid over her flesh, teasing her rapid pulse and Calliope sucked in a shallow breath, her thighs clenching at the light caress.

"Is the price too high for such a sweet, innocent mortal?" He murmured the question and Calliope quickly shook her head no.

No. It wasn't too high. Nothing was too high a price when it came to saving her mother.

"I'll do anything," Calliope repeated, her words full of conviction and only a slight tremble.

"Good, mouse." A pale, masculine hand appeared in front of her face, a vial full of glowing liquid held out. His arm was covered in a thick black, cloak. She could tell it was lined with fur and a flare of envy struck her that he possessed such a warm garment. "Give this to your mother, the entire potion. She'll be well by morning." Calliope reached out, her fingers brushing his. There was a small shock when their skin touched and her mouth dried even as desire pierced her heart. His hand disappeared from her line of sight and a flare of magic encompassed her, urging her to complete the bargain between them. Calliope's fate was sealed. "Remember our bargain. Your mother healed for your first born child."

"When do I come back to you?"

There was a slight pause. "When you're ready to deliver your end of the bargain," eventually came the dark reply.

Calliope wasn't sure how long she stood there, her lantern stuck in the snow and her heart in her throat. Long enough for the thick atmosphere of the Bargainer to dissipate. Long enough that she was chilled to the bone and her eyelashes had long since frozen.

"I've brought you some medicine, mother." Calliope hurried inside of the cottage belonging to her mother, pulling back the curtain used for privacy.

Her mother was pale, her lips cracked and stained with dried blood. The older woman could barely sit up, but that didn't stop her from staring warily at Calliope and moving away when her daughter sat on the edge of the bed, holding out a cup of tea laced with the potion.

Her mother had always kept herself distanced from Calliope, as much as it hurt. Calliope had been born after her mother was assaulted by a man who'd broken into her cottage years ago and despite the love she knew her mother harbored for her, Calliope also knew it would never be the kind of love she needed.

Despite that, Calliope was determined to see her well.

"Come now," Calliope chided gently. She placed her palm behind her mother's head, helping to lift her slightly so she might drink the tea. "The healer told me you'd be as good as healed by morning, but you must drink," she lied.

Her mother sighed wistfully, closing her eyes and doing as her daughter bade. Once she was finally done and the cup was empty, she lay back down, her body relaxing into the bed.

"Nothing will see me better, child, though I do appreciate that you've tried."

"Nonsense," Calliope stated. "I've been assured you'll be well by morning." And then Calliope would be leaving, returning to the looming forest in search of the Bargainer.

Calliope was uncertain how long the Bargainer would wait for her to bear him a child. She didn't want to delay, so as soon as Calliope knew her mother would recover, she would find him and complete her end of the bargain.

"Always so optimistic." Her mother coughed, her small frame shaking the small bed.

"Rest." Calliope smiled softly, waiting until her mother fell asleep before she ran a hand through her graying hair, smoothing the frayed ends while the older woman slept.

Calliope and her mother didn't share too many similarities. Calliope had perfect, white blonde curls, creamy skin and pink, plump lips. Her eyes were a vivid blue, so clear that people often thought she'd sought a witch to enhance the color.

Her mother was quite the opposite. Olive skin, blackish gray hair, dark eyes and she was naturally tall and thin where Calliope was short and curvy.

A soft snore came from the bed and Calliope stood slowly, carefully backing away before she made it to her side of the room. She was careful to keep her movements quick and quiet as she dressed in a nightgown, laying down on her thin mattress.

The blankets did nothing to keep out the chill in her bones, but carnal dreams of a Fae male as pale as the moonlight kept her warm well into the morning.