Page 29 of Shifter's Secret Baby

But I didn’t regret my choice for several reasons. Having Briar there with me was proving to be a much bigger distraction than it was useful, and now that she knew the truth about her father, maybe the contract was null and void, after all.

And maybe Briar might choose to stay.

As upset as she was about what she’d discovered, she couldn’t deny the force between us any more than I could. As much as it was best that she did go, I couldn’t help but hope she didn’t.

And you’ll trigger the curse and screw yourself,I reminded myself grimly.Is that what you want?

I shoved the thought out of my head. I’d gone almost two millennia without worrying about these things. Another twenty years of waiting was not going to kill me. I didn’t need to think about the curse when it was about to be lifted.

Two more decades, and I’d be free and clear to do what I wanted when I wanted.

But by then, where would Briar be?

I physically winced at the thought. A lot could happen in twenty years. Briar could have given up on waiting for me by then.

And would I really be able to go twenty years with her in reach?

“Dammit!” I cursed, hurling the crystal glass into the fireplace.

I relished the sound of the shattering before I reached for my phone.

Avalon didn’t answer, the call going through to voicemail.

“It’s been a while, you old bastard,” I said into the recording. “Call me when you have—”

A beep indicated the other line was ringing, and I saw the sorcerer was returning my call.

“Yes?” I purred, disconnecting the voicemail to answer Avalon’s call.

“I thought I was dreaming,” he chirped. “Because the great Ash Corpus hasn’t called me in at least half a century. The last time I had the pleasure, there weren't even cellular phones.”

I smirked, glad to hear that the old wizard hadn’t lost his quirk.

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t dead.”

“Not yet,” Avalon tittered. “But not for lack of trying, you understand. Immortality has its downside.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I replied. “I’m rather enjoying mine.”

“I assume you’re calling because you’re in some kind of trouble.”

I chuckled dryly. “No offense, Av, but if I were, you’re sincerely the last being I’d call. No, my old, crusty acquaintance, I need your research skills.”

“Oh! It’s been a long while since I’ve wandered into the Historical Society.”

“This is going to be more of the Ancestral Society territory,” I sighed, cringing internally.

I loathed that I was disclosing this information to anyone, but Avalon was the best start to that journey if there was a way out of the curse. He was the best researcher I’d ever known.

“Spill the tea!” Avalon squealed. “Do you have a bastard child running amok out there? I knew you had it in you, Ashy!”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not my lineage I need you to look into. It’s that of a fae from two thousand years ago.”

Avalon paused, inhaling.

“That’s going into choppy territory,” he said slowly. “You know that things weren’t as well documented back then.”

“I’m aware. That’s why I’m reaching out to you and not some hack,” I replied smoothly.

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