"Come with me," the man says. "Be my bride, the mistress under the hill. I will do anything you ask." Mercy Broome has been her father's prisoner for her entire adult life, denied marriage, choking on Goody Keyne's moralizing and her father's condemnations. The stranger seems to know what she longs for - the chance to be a lover and wife, the chance for vengeance, the chance for freedom. His gifts entice Mercy but also reveal their terrifying origins and the sort of creature he truly is. As Mercy gradually succumbs to his sensual persuasions, she must decide how much she dares ask for - and discover what it will cost her. Available for the first time in a standalone edition, this dark, erotic story is now accompanied by an author's note offering a behind-the-scenes view of its origins.