by Peter Glenn
What to Expect When You Have a Fae Baby
The Immortality Curse, Volume 2
Peter Glenn
Published by Peter Glenn, 2021.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU HAVE A FAE BABY
First edition. March 4, 2021.
Copyright © 2021 Peter Glenn.
Written by Peter Glenn.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Author’s Notes
OTHER BOOKS FROM PETER GLENN
CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR | Peter Glenn Social | Website: www.peterjglenn.com | Email: www.peterjglenn.com/email | Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorpeterglenn
As always, I'd like to thank my wife. She gave me the idea for this book, so it really wouldn't be possible without her.
Second, I'd like to thank my editor Christopher Bailey and beta reader Amanda Bailey. Quality work as always.
Third, I'd like to thank Miblart Designs for another awesome cover.
Chapter One
THERE WAS DEFINITELY something off about him, though what it was, I couldn’t quite place. He was a tall, brown-skinned man that looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was wearing a nondescript, bluish, long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans, with a wool hat that went halfway down his forehead and black leather gloves on his hands. None of which were out of place for being out on the docks in the morning in late September. Maybe it was his slim figure, or his crooked smile, or the way his gray eyes glinted even though the sky was overcast.
Maybe it was the slightly uneven gait of his feet as they trudged along the wooden boards of the pier, one after another in a halting pattern, like he was still getting used to the idea of walking as a mode of transportation and hadn’t really bothered to try it out before now.
I wasn’t at all certain, but what bugged me even more was that he was coming directly at me.
Pier 62 could get quite busy on weekends and later in the day, but it was early morning yet, only nine o’clock, and a Wednesday, so the only two people out here were me and mystery boy over there. Everyone else in the city was probably at work or on their way there. It’s why I’d picked this time to be out here in the first place.
My hand went to the hilt of Grax’thor, my magic good luck sword, as he took another few steps closer. Was that a glint of something metal that I caught sticking out at his side? It was there for a second, then gone just as quickly.
I’d made a good deal of enemies in my three-hundred years on this rock. It wouldn’t shock me if one of them had managed to find me.
“What do you think, Grax’thor?” I whispered, looking down at my sword.
The runes on the blade swished and swirled, forming a sentence.
Suck rocks, she said.
Humph. So much for help from the beyond. The spirit of the evil Queen Boudicca was trapped within Grax’thor. She was a snarky bitch sometimes. Couldn’t blame her. It couldn’t be the most fun existence out there, being trapped in an inanimate object. And I was the one that had trapped her there, so I couldn’t blame her for still being angry about it.
Another strange side effect of that whole episode was that the blade had bonded itself to me. That was the “unintended consequence” of the spell Rick had cast on her evil spirit to banish her a few months ago. Well, one of them, at the very least. There could be more, but I hadn’t sensed anything else just yet.
Regardless, it was proving quite difficult to get rid of the damn thing. But I had a plan to change that, too. It’s why I was out here on this foggy September morning, standing at the edge of a pier.
Mystery Boy raised one of his hands in a defensive pose and stopped his approach. Not an enemy, then. Or at least, not an overt one. I couldn’t rule anything out, yet, but at least he didn’t seem eager to rush me.
“Who goes there?” I asked him. I kept my hand on the hilt of my blade just in case but didn’t raise it or change my stance. There was no reason to get too jumpy. Yet.
Mystery Boy’s face cracked into a wide grin. “Damian, the great investigator of all things occult, I presume?” His tone was a low, melodic bass, like he was almost singing the words instead of saying them. Another oddity to add to Mystery Boy’s qualities.
I shrugged. I appreciated the flattery, but I still wasn’t about to just up and trust the guy. That whole experience with the evil Celtic queen a couple months ago had left me feeling overly cautious.
“Depends,” I said in as unassuming a tone as I could manage, trying to keep my face even and blank. “Who’s asking?”
“Not a bill collector, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said, tipping his head slightly and flashing me a wink.
My stoic expression broke. I couldn’t help it. I let out a stifled laugh. “All right, you’ve got my attention. And obviously know a thing or two about me, if that’s your opener.”
He chuckled a little as well and lowered his hand to his side.
I relaxed my grip and let go of Grax’thor, offering my hand out to the stranger. “I’m Damian, all right. Occult Investigator extraordinaire. And you are?”
“Elden,” he said. He took a few steps forward, closing the gap, and took my hand. “Just plain old Elden.”
His grip was solid and firm, even through the glove, speaking to his overall strength. I was suddenly glad this wasn’t an enemy. I would not want to face him alone in a dark alley.
I was immortal, true, but I could still die if my body took enough damage. And even though I wasn’t overly fond of life at the moment, I didn’t want to die a stupid death, either. Hey, even a guy like me had the right to be picky on occasion.
Humph. Just plain old Elden indeed. This guy had something going on behind the scenes for sure. He was no ordinary human. But then, most of my patrons weren’t.
I nodded anyway and retracted my hand, letting it fall to the side near my weapon just in case. My eyes trailed to the spot where I’d seen a glint of metal earlier, but there was nothing there now. If the guy was armed, he was hiding it well.
Of course, with his strength, he might not need a weapon.
“So, Elden,” I said slowly, “what is it the great Damian can do for you?” Hey, he’d started it. Who was I to turn down free praise?
Elden’s expression turned neutral, losing that hint of joviality from before. “Is it true that you can find anything, or anyone?”
“Where did you hear that?” I was good, sure, but this guy seemed to have an overinflated sense of my skills. I wasn’t a tracker and had no actual magical talent, aside from my overly long life and an insane amount of good luck.
But if someone was spreading good rumors like that about me, well... I wanted to thank them. Business could be hard to drum up, and rent was due soon.
Elden waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, your skills are known far and wide in my hometown.”
A lie. I could tell it was a lie. Still, I let it slide. I could at least hear him out. I hadn’t promised anythi
ng yet.
“Sure,” I said, grinning slightly. “Of course.” I let out a long, slow breath. “Well, enough chit-chat, let’s get to what brought you to my little neck of the woods today, shall we?”
“Well, Mr. Damian, it’s a... missing person case. One of my dear friends has gone missing, and I need to locate them before they have a chance to harm themselves.”
A decent cover story, to be certain. His tone sounded genuine enough, but something about it still didn’t sit right with me.
“Missing person, huh?” Elden nodded. “Why not go to the police, then? Isn’t that their role?”
Elden shook his head vigorously. “I can’t,” he blurted out. His eyes darted about for a second, looking frantic, then his expression went back to neutral. “Or, I mean, it wouldn’t be prudent.”
“Not prudent?” That was the first time I’d heard that one. “How so?”
Elden tapped a finger on his chin for a second. “It’s hard to explain. Suffice it to say the species of my friend would make the police less likely to remain neutral.”
Ah, so his friend wasn’t human, then. That explained it. Police usually left those matters alone when they could get away with it. Still, something about his story didn’t add up for me. I needed a way to test it out. See if he was on the level or not.
An idea came to me a moment later. Yes, that would do it.
“I understand, sir,” I said. “Tell you what, I’m a little preoccupied at the moment, but let’s meet at Mei’s bar this afternoon. Say around three o’clock. Sound good?”
Mei’s bar was the premiere place for the magically inclined in western Washington. Everyone knew where it was. Better yet, you couldn’t enter the bar if you had evil intentions toward one of its patrons.
A safety net that, apparently, didn’t extend to the bar’s owner. A strange exclusion, to be sure, but old magic could be tricky like that. At any rate, if Elden was on the up and up, he’d have no trouble going there.
“But...!” he protested.
I gave him a knowing smile. Here it comes.
“But my friend? What if something happens to her in that amount of time?”
“That’s just a chance you’re going to have to take if you want my help,” I told him, crossing my arms over my chest. “Look, I’m sure you’re very worried about your friend, and I admire that, but I’ll need time to get things ready, anyway. Surely you understand?”
It was true. If I were going to go on an excursion to chase after a missing non-human, I’d want to go in prepared. That meant securing any magic charms I could. And grabbing my passport, just in case. Didn’t want a repeat of three months ago.
Elden sighed and lowered his head for a moment, then stared at me again. “Very well. You have a deal.”
The corners of my lips curled into a smile. “Excellent. I guess I’ll see you there in a few hours.”
Elden nodded, then turned and walked the other way. I watched him leave for several seconds, still a bit wary about the whole thing. If he was that worried about his friend, why lie to me about it? None of it made sense.
A moment later, he was gone, disappearing around the corner of some building, and I was all alone with Grax’thor once again.
I picked her up and stared at her beautifully polished metal. It sure was going to be a shame to lose this baby, but a talking magical sword that insulted me wasn’t all that much of a treasure, really. And I already had enough good luck.
“So long, Grax’thor,” I told her. “It was nice knowing you.”
Screw you, too, the sword said.
I shook my head. Defiant to the last.
With a mighty heave, I swung the blade outward and released it, letting it fly into the cold, brackish waters below the pier. The weapon managed to soar several feet before it dropped into the waves, hopefully never to be seen again.
I dusted off my hands and flipped Grax’thor off one last time for good measure, then turned around and started walking towards a nearby shop.
“Finally, that nightmare is over,” I said, grinning to myself a little bit. That had been easier than I’d thought.
As I kept walking, I felt a slight tug on my left shoulder, like the wind was trying to pull me backward, only there was no breeze this morning to speak of.
“That’s odd,” I vocalized.
I looked behind me, but there was no one back there. Nothing but blue waves as far as the eye could see.
The tugging sensation came again, stronger than before. I had just a second to realize what was happening and react before it overtook me.
“Oh sh–”
The feeling of weightlessness surrounded me as I went hurtling backward through the air.
I WRUNG OUT THE SLEEVE of my Duran Duran long-sleeved shirt once again. A small rivulet of water poured down from the sleeve, soaking the pavement. I was still wet seemingly everywhere. Especially in my left ear. It wasn’t very fun, and even a bit cold.
But I had an appointment to keep, and I am nothing if not punctual.
Okay, that was a lie. I was late a lot. But I was trying to be better about it, and for once I was ahead of schedule, if only by a few minutes.
The rather plain-looking red door to Mei’s bar stood before me, beckoning me onward. It was two minutes to three o’clock. I pushed on the door and started my descent down the small stairway into the bar proper, every step sloshing water on the concrete steps as my sneakers made a bit of a squeaking noise. They were soaked, too, of course.
I stared down at Grax’thor, hanging dutifully by my side.
“Happy now?” I spat at it. I didn’t bother waiting for an answer.
The familiar smell of sage mixed with dragon’s blood incense greeted my nostrils, fighting back the smell of seawater that had been my whole world for hours now as I’d tried in vain to dry out on this cold, humid September day. I should have gone home to change, but I hadn’t. It had taken me a few hours just to get out of the pier, and then I’d been starving, so I’d stopped for a late lunch. And it had taken me a while to find something that wasn’t fish-related.
Before me, the bar laid open. All the regulars were there, with Mei in the back, polishing a glass mindlessly with a pristine washcloth.
A broad smile crossed my lips. I was home once again.
There really was nothing quite like Mei’s bar. In all my travels, I’d never found a single place that felt more like home to me than Mei’s.
“Hey, Damian!” a voice shouted, cutting through the din of bar noises. “Bring half the ocean with you this time?” It was Hank, the werewolf. He was a sheriff for one of the police departments around here. And he was constantly razzing me about something. But at least he took as well as he dished out. I liked that about him.
I shot him a wry smile. “Oh, you know me, always up for another adventure.”
“Bonjour, Damian!” Sevin said, nodding at me. “How is mon ami zis afternoon?”
Sevin was the clairvoyant of the group. His powers used to be next to useless, but he’d gotten a little bit better lately. Sometimes, he could make out events that would happen ten to fifteen minutes in the future, but only if they were really important, and he was focusing hard.
He was also an insufferable brat that insisted on living his “French heritage” to the fullest, even though he’d never even been to France since he was born.
“Doing great,” I lied, winking at him as my feet sloshed across the floor, seeking a nearby stool.
The rest of the regular crew was here, too, all save the cute vampire couple, but they were a bit hit or miss. On the left was Sally, the siren, talking to Yuri, the Russian immigrant. I still had no idea what his powers were, but his English was getting better. Isaiah, the magician, sat two seats down from him, next to Tacobeh, the Native American shaman.
Tacobeh had been in the Seattle area longer than any of us, and his real name was supposedly something people couldn’t pronounce, but he went by Tacobeh. He’d started coming to the bar in th
e past month or so, saying the spirits had called him here.
My guess was it was less spirit guide and more guidebook. Mei’s was in all the magical travel guides. But the reason wasn’t all that important. He was pleasant enough company either way.
I eased myself into a seat, my butt sinking into the plush leather fabric while simultaneously making a weird scooting noise. I hoped my wet jeans wouldn’t cause any permanent damage to the fabric. If it did, Mei would never let me hear the end of it.
“What’ll it be, sailor?” Mei asked me, barely able to contain a laugh.
“Ha ha, very funny,” I fired back, glaring at her. “The usual, please.”
Mei was a dragon, even though she usually took on her human form. She had emerald green hair and eyes and stood a few inches shorter than I did.
The two of us had been through a lot. Most recently, I’d rescued her from the clutches of an evil queen that had tried to drain her life force as part of a revenge plot to end the world. Which was kind of odd, when you thought about it, because usually it was her saving me from something stupid.
Of course, that whole incident had kind of been my fault...
Mei chuckled again and got to preparing a Manhattan for me. Moments later, she pushed a full glass toward me and flashed me a little grin.
“So,” Mei said, “gonna tell us all why you’re coming in here looking like you took a dip in the Sound this morning?”
“Heh, thought you’d never ask.”
I reached forward, my armpit chafing slightly against the wet fabric of my shirt, and snatched the Manhattan. One long pull on the drink later, and I was already feeling a little bit better.
“Where to begin?” I pondered.
“The start would be a good spot,” Hank said with a snort. So original, that guy.
I shot him an evil glare. “Long story short, it’s all Grax’thor’s fault, isn’t it girl?” I patted my sword on the hilt a few times, and my eyes sought out the cool metal of her blade, which looked no worse for the wear despite spending several minutes in seawater this morning.
