"I won't be gentle with you, mouse, and I am not known for my caring nature," the Bargainer admitted with a curl of his lip.
Calliope shook her head. "I don't want you to be anything you're not."
The Bargainer glared as if he were irritated with her answer. Almost as if he didn't want her to tempt him further. Maybe he didn't, but his curiosity toward her was unmistakable. More important than that, he wanted her. Calliope was more sure of that now than she had been a few minutes ago. Knowing she wasn't alone with her carnal cravings, Calliope refused to be deterred from her desires any longer.
Never in her life had she been selfish with her wants or her needs, but she was determined to be now.
The silence between them was charged with tension, though Calliope wasn't going to back away from him, no matter how many warnings he gave her. Somehow she didn't think she could, even if she tried.
"My name is Calliope Gray," she said eventually into the silence, hoping she could entice him to divulge some information about himself if she offered some of her own. The Bargainer's eyes widened at her introduction before he sighed in disappointment.
"The Fae are particular about sharing their names, little mouse. You should not give your full name to another of my kind."
Her brow furrowed. "Why not?"
"Names hold power and some of my kind are capable of controlling another with something so simple as a name."
Controlling her? How powerful were the Fae?
Enough to heal your mother with one drink after more than a year of her slowly dying.
"Does that mean you'll never tell me your name?"
"I am called many things, Calliope, but my name is mine alone."
Her mouth watered at the decadent sound of her name on his lips, barely registering the denial he'd given her. Why did her boring name sound so sensual when he said it?
"If you won't tell me your actual name, what would you like me to call you?"
He reached up, cupping her face as tenderly as a lover might. His palms were warm and his body surrounded hers, keeping out the biting cold around them. "I am sometimes called Samael." Samael? Where had she heard that name before? "Calliope, are you certain you wish to fulfill your bargain this way?"
"I thought the Fae didn't care for humans or their feelings."
"The Fae don't typically," Samael replied with conviction.
Calliope's head tilted back as she stared up at him. The top of her head didn't even reach his shoulders, he was that impressively tall. The fact that Samael loomed over her should have been frightening. He was as terrifying as he was beautiful, but Calliope couldn't help but feel safe with him.
She was foolish to think he'd never harm her, but she did. She felt he would always protect her, the certainty of it was settled into her bones.
"Then why do you care about my decision? I've made it."
Samael swept Calliope into his arms without another word, his jaw clenched and his eyes cold as he carried her through the woods as one might carry their bride.
All but her nightgown was left carelessly on the hard earth, but Calliope didn't have the strength to remind him of her discarded garments. She didn't want Samael putting her down for any reason.
Calliope's hands wandered his chest before she found the opening of his black, fur lined cloak. She nestled closer to Samael and he stiffened, as if unused to being close to another. He didn't tell her to stop her perusal, so she continued slowly exploring his muscular torso as he walked aimlessly. She wanted to learn as much of him as she could, even if their only encounter would be physical.
Were all Fae like him? Perfectly sculpted and devastatingly handsome?
Calliope felt a tremor of unease. What if when he removed her nightgown he found her lacking?
Boys like Thomas in her village always eyed Calliope with both hunger and animosity, but she'd never particularly cared for their opinions. But Samael? Calliope intended to give him everything she could. His opinion mattered to her, even though he'd made it clear that he would never desire her any other way than physical.
Samael looked down, his eyes meeting hers as he wandered through the wood. The air around them seemed to stir to life with each step he took, pressing in on Calliope until she felt her chest tighten and her lungs ache as she struggled to breathe. The feeling was gone a moment later, though Calliope still felt bereft from the odd contact.
What was that?
The gloominess of the day disappeared in an instant as Samael stepped through a thicket of trees and into a clearing. Bright rays of sunlight poured down overhead, though snow still fell heavily from the sky.
Standing proudly before them was a small cottage that practically glistened in the sun. It was completely untouched by the flurry of snow, with flowers in perfect bloom neatly lining the flowerbed.
The cottage was built with rich, red brick and a solid brown door. Vines with various flowers grew along the sides, only enhancing the beauty before her. The cottage appeared to be in use as smoke escaped from the stone chimney. There were even leaves on the trees, though only a moment ago they'd been barren and the branches had seemed withered from the cold.
"Where are we?"
"We've crossed into the Fae realm."
Calliope stiffened. "What?"
Samael grunted in response, moving casually to the front door.
It opened of its own volition, creaking gently until the entry was wide enough for him to fit through. Samael didn't set Calliope on her feet as he entered the cottage, barely slowing his pace as he carried her from one room to the next.
Calliope had assumed the inside of the home would be small, but the cottage was massive.
"I don't understand why we're here." Why would he ever take her to his home? Was it even his home?
"Did you think I would bed you on the ground like an animal? That I would hold you down in the snow and rut you like a beast?" Samael asked roughly, his fingers tightening on her body.
Calliope flushed at the question, afraid to answer. Her silence was telling as Samael looked down at her, his expression still hard from earlier, only now there was a carnal gleam in his eyes.
"You surprise me, little mouse. I did not think you would wish for something like that."
"I-I don't," Calliope stammered, registering when they entered the bedroom he'd been striding toward. Samael set her down gently and her soft body slid down the hard planes of his until her feet touched the floor. Her fingers lingered in his tunic, holding him close to her. Calliope wasn't ready to part from him, even for a moment.
Samael leaned down until his nose brushed hers and their foreheads touched. For some reason it seemed more intimate than anything else she'd ever experienced before. "I did not mention before, but I can sense when you lie," he said softly, though his voice carried a hard edge. "Do not do so again. Not with me. The Fae cannot lie, so we do not tolerate such deception from others."
Calliope nodded once, too afraid to speak as her mouth was suddenly dry from nerves.
Samael stood to his full height, taking a small step away from her and her hands fell uselessly to her sides.
"Remove your gown, little mouse."
Calliope's hands shook as she did what Samael instructed, slowly tugging the material over her head. She couldn't bring herself to quite drop the cloth, instead holding it in front of her nude body like a shield.
Samael stood impossibly still, the move distinctly inhuman. His expression was blank, a mask that had fallen into place as she stood there, barely able to resist squirming due to her sudden anxiety.
"Let me see you, Calliope. Show me what I've bargained for," Samael commanded darkly. With only one more flare of nerves, Calliope dropped her garment to the floor at her side, leaving her bare before him.
Samael didn't move, but his eyes hooded, the gray color shifting into a molten silver as his gaze slid slowly over her body. Calliope felt that heated look everywhere and her breath caught as her core spasmed, slick gathering between her thighs. With one simple look, Samael had made her knees shake and her desire more intense than she'd ever felt in her life.
"Come to me." Samael's voice was guttural and so possessive that Calliope couldn't help but obey him, taking a few steps forward until his cloak teased her breasts.
"It's not fair that you're still clothed," she said softly, staring at his chest instead of looking him in the eye. Calliope cheeks flushed with aroused embarrassment, feeling silly for implying he needed to get nude.
"Then do something about it, little mouse," Samael told her huskily. His hands grabbed hers, leading her to the clasp of his cloak. Her fingers shook as she slowly undressed him, her mouth watering with each piece of skin that was revealed to her until Samael stood in only his breeches and boots.
"On your knees, Calliope. Finish what you've started," Samael instructed.
More eagerly than she intended, Calliope dropped to her knees, removing Samael's boots before her hands worked back up to his breeches. Unfastening the clasp, she pulled the tight material down. Calliope's mouth dropped open in shock as she slid the breeches past Samael's hips, her fingers stilling halfway down his thighs.
Calliope had never seen a man nude before, and she never expected to be so impressed or aroused by the heavy length between Samael's thighs.
His erection was long and thick, veins standing out prominently along his skin. A drop of pearly liquid covered the tip of his length and Calliope could only react, blindly reaching out to touch him.
Samael hissed out a breath when her fingers wrapped around his shaft, though he was wide enough that she couldn't grip him properly.
"Stroke me, Calliope."
"I-" The truth that she'd never been with a man was frozen on her tongue. Surely he knew she was inexperienced? Regardless, Calliope began pumping her hand up and down, finding encouragement in the husky sounds Samael made when her fingers tightened and her strokes became more confident.
Each soft groan that Samael elicited only heightened Calliope's own desire. Her pussy spasmed and her skin became flushed until both of her hands worked his length.
More of his pearly seed coated his tip, standing out against the slight reddening of his shaft. Samael's eyes were filled with lust as he gazed down at her, and for a moment she saw something sinister flash in his gaze. He blinked and it was gone, leaving her both nervous and aroused.
"It's time for a taste, little mouse." Samael's hands tangled in her curls, dragging Calliope forward until her lips bumped his cock. "Now isn't the time to be shy," Samael whispered darkly. Her body responded immediately, slick coating her thighs as her desire began to spread. "Open," he commanded, his voice harsher than she anticipated.
Calliope opened her mouth just as he sank inside. He wasn't gentle and she gagged when his thick tip bumped the back of her throat. She'd barely tasted him when he pulled out. She sucked in a harsh breath, her face heating as she noticed her saliva all over him.
"Have you never-"
Calliope shook her head quickly, nearly gasping as his hands bit into her scalp.
"Are you truly innocent?" Samael asked quietly, tension stamped in every inch of his body. She cast a nervous glance up his delicious body, her gaze shifting from his when she caught sight of his unreadable expression.
Calliope was ashamed to answer, just knowing he would turn her away when he learned she'd never been with anyone before. What appetite could she sate with her inexperience?
"Yes," she finally answered when his fingers twisted to the point of pain in her scalp.
"Ah, little mouse, you never should have given yourself to one such as me," Samael rasped. His fingers left Calliope's scalp and he knelt, taking her to the hard floor, his large body covering her. Her shoulders dug into the wood as his thighs wedged between hers, spreading her legs.
Cool air greeted Calliope's sex a moment before thick fingers slid through her arousal, teasing more slick from her center. Samael stared down at her, possession stamped in every feature of his face. "Never give the Fae gifts, little mouse. and you've just given me something precious." Fingers speared her pussy, driving into her tight channel.