"I will meet you where we first met," Samael stated, cupping her face. He pulled Calliope in for a heated kiss, his tongue teasing her lips. Her lips parted almost immediately, giving in to his desires easily. Each stroke of his tongue was possessive as he claimed her mouth anew, his hands wandering down to her waist and dragging her to him until she could feel his hard cock press against her.
She whimpered into his kiss before pulling away gently. All she wanted to do was drag Samael back to bed, to ride him and have him take her from behind. To feel his hands and teeth bite into her flesh as he roughly worshiped her body.
Instead, she grabbed the luxurious velvet cloak he'd given her, placing it over her shoulders. It was warm and a deep shade of pink, the material so rich it nearly shimmered in the candlelight. Samael told her it reminded him of her lips when he'd given her the cloak.
"I wish you would come with me," Calliope said softly, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.
Today, she was going to the village she'd grown up in to say a final goodbye to her mother. Only three weeks had gone by since Calliope made her deal with Samael, but he'd informed her that each week in the Fae realm was equal to a month in the human realm.
Calliope had essentially been missing for months. Her mother, despite her wariness of her own daughter, must have been worried, so Samael had agreed that Calliope would go home for a short amount of time, bid her mother farewell, and then they would begin their life together in his Court.
"I know," Samael replied, his lips brushing her forehead. "I'll be waiting for you, but I cannot make myself known to your kind. Bargaining is one thing, but it is taboo to mingle with those lesser than the Fae. To make my presence known there is foolhardy."
"I'm a human," Calliope reminded him teasingly, her fingers winding in his tunic.
"You are mine, my darling. Only mine." She smiled at Samael's possessive words, a small laugh escaping when he nipped her neck, his tongue sliding out to caress the mark he'd put there during their lovemaking only just that morning.
Samael liked covering her in his marks and Calliope liked to please him, so she didn't mind that certain parts of her body were constantly various shades of red and pink from his teeth and tongue.
"I'll give you an hour to say your goodbyes," Samael informed her, eventually leading Calliope to the front door.
"I'll be back to you before then." Calliope grabbed his hands, kissing his glove-covered knuckles before he led her from the cottage and into the woods that would slowly turn into the human realm once more.
She couldn't find the portal to the human realm without Samael, nor did she ever intend to. She only wanted to go where he led.
Calliope was floating on a cloud of happiness as she wandered back to her village, her new cloak trailing behind her in the growing grass. The sun shined high in the sky, reminding Calliope of a lesser version of the Fae realm she'd grown accustomed to.
It was surreal, stepping back into her old life after so many weeks in a different world. Calliope knew that time had passed, but it was still startling to see flowers beginning to bloom so close to her village when only a few weeks ago it had been the dead of winter.
She was nearly too warm in her cloak as she meandered back to her village, taking in her surroundings as if everything was brand new to her.
It was, in a sense.
Calliope could almost feel Samael's eyes on her before she stepped from the woods, the trees concealing her from view. Already she wished she was back in his arms, starting a new life with him instead of stepping back into a past that had never wanted her.
Several villagers loitered on the outskirts of the village, some too occupied with their work to notice her approach. The ones that did reared back as if she'd struck them, turning quickly to one another to whisper.
Calliope had forgotten what it was like to be the village outcast, but she still felt odd at seeing their reactions. Usually they didn't behave so... crassly to her presence.
She nearly stopped to ask what was wrong, but it must have just been because she'd been missing for so long. Calliope shrugged off the sense of foreboding, determined to see her mother and leave. Samael had given her an hour, but Calliope wouldn't even need half of that time to say her farewells.
Giving a slight wave, Calliope continued on past the village walls, passing several people as she meandered down the dirt path that led to her mother, Elizabeth's, small home. She pulled back her hood as she approached the front door, frowning at the disarray of her mother's flowerbed.
Usually she was much more prompt with the coming spring.
Without bothering to knock, Calliope entered her old residence, calling for her mother.
There was a shuffling toward the back of the small home and Calliope followed the noise.
She found her mother soon enough, her hair unkempt and her dress in disarray, but that wasn't what startled her. It was the man on top of her mother, grunting harshly.
Calliope let out a fierce cry as the bread maker, Philip, plowed into her mother, his face slick with sweat and an unflattering shade of red.
"Get off of her," Calliope shouted, horrified at what she was seeing.
She grabbed at Philip's arm, tugging him back as forcefully as she could manage. He stumbled backward, nearly falling as his pants twisted around his ankles. He barely managed to right himself, turning to snarl at Calliope.
His face blanked when he realized who had stopped his unwelcomed advances, an expression of horror dawning before he promptly departed, fleeing the cottage as if a ghost were chasing him.
"Don't go!" Her mother shouted at Philip's retreating back, eyes unfocused before locking onto Calliope. "Calli- What are you doing here? You mustn't be here!"
The stench of mead was easy to detect and Calliope wrinkled her nose.
"I came to say goodbye. Oh, mother, I'm so sorry this happened to you, that Philip would do something so vile-"
Elizabeth adjusted her dress as she stood, swaying unsteadily on her feet. "Nothing happened I didn't ask for, at least not this time around," her mother snapped, seeming to get hold of her senses. "You shouldn't have come back here, Calliope!"
"I'm not staying long," Calliope admitted, though her heart hurt that her mother could not even feel an ounce of joy at seeing her daughter after so long apart. "When did you begin seeing Philip?"
Elizabeth shook her head, grabbing a cup and taking a hearty swig. "Philip is how I earn my money, flat on my back since my own daughter has made me into even more of a pariah. No one will hire me because of you!"
Calliope stared at her mother, feeling nothing but pity and confusion. "How much have you been drinking?"
Elizabeth continued to ramble as she drank, barely sparing Calliope a glance. "Consorting with devils, killing innocent people. They'll have you burned for this."
"I-" Calliope stopped, confusion and dread taking hold of her. "I don't know what you're talking about," Calliope said softly, her shoulders stiffening as she heard a bang at the front door.
"You need to go," Elizabeth yelled quietly, pushing Calliope toward the back of their home as another loud bang sounded, followed by harsh masculine voices. "Now, before it's too late."
"Mother, stop! This is a misunderstanding, please-"
Elizabeth tugged Calliope toward the back door, wrenching it open and shoving her daughter through the opening.
Calliope nearly fell, only stopping when strong hands grabbed her roughly by the arms.
Calliope looked up, for one brief second expecting to see Samael. Instead, the blacksmith, Joseph, snarled in her face.
"Where do you think you're going, witch?" His grip tightened, greasy fingers staining the cloak Samael had given her. She didn't know what was happening, what she was being accused of, all she could think was that Samael was going to be so furious when he found out someone had ruined the gift he'd picked out lovingly just for her. "I caught the witch escaping through the back!"
"I'm not a wi-"
A hard slap greeted Calliope. Her head snapped to the side, white blonde curls getting in her face as the sting from the blow slowly began to register.
Already her cheek began to swell and she cried out, hunching over from the pain.
"You're lucky that's all I'm doing to you," Joseph spat, shaking her hard. "What you did to Thomas was an abomination and you'll pay for his life in blood."
Thomas? What had been done to Thomas?
"Please, I don't understand what's happening," Calliope cried into the small crowd that seemed to grow around her. She looked around her frantically, hoping to find a familiar face, someone with an ounce of compassion that might help her understand. Only hateful stares greeted her.
"You don't understand what's happening?" Joseph shoved Calliope to the ground, spitting on her. "What needs clearing up?"
"Don't touch her!" Elizabeth broke through the crowd, wobbling on her feet. She rushed Joseph, beating on his chest. "I told you she didn't do anything!"
"Lies," Joseph roared, reaching into his apron and pulling out a small hammer. He aimed the weapon straight at her mother and Calliope screamed as Elizabeth's head snapped back, the sound of bone crunching making her stomach churn with nausea. Elizabeth collapsed to the ground, unmoving as the crowd murmured worriedly. Philip pushed through the throng of people, falling to Elizabeth's side. He touched her face, drawing back quickly at whatever he saw.
Calliope attempted to stand, but Joseph shoved her back down to the ground. Her back slammed into the hard earth and she let out a soft yelp of pain.
"You consulted a witch or a demon to heal your mother," Joseph practically bellowed. You made a deal with the devil to see her well. Multiple people heard you asking for information at the tavern the same night you disappeared into the trees."
"I-"
"The next day your mother was in good health. You disappeared again into the woods after speaking with Thomas. You never came back that night, but whatever demon consulted with crept into Thomas's home and slaughtered him like an animal."
Calliope gaped at the accusation, a horrifying truth keeping her from saying anything.
"You can't even deny your involvement!" Someone yelled from the growing crowd. "You're a witch!"
"I'm not!" She cried, her eyes filling with tears. What had Samael done? He'd asked her about those bruises, wanting to know about the man who'd touched her. Calliope sucked in a hard breath. He'd known she was lying to him.
"Then how did you see your mother healthy, Calliope? Everyone knew she was one breath from death's door and then the next day she was fully recovered."
Someone threw a small rock at her without waiting for her reply, missing by a hair. Another followed, striking her calf. Soon a small rain of rocks pelted her and Calliope screamed, the sound carrying far.
Hopefully far enough.