Chapter 1, Part 4 - Excerpt from The Reluctant Incubus

Thank you again for your kind words. They mean the world to me.

Now it's time to post the final 25% of Chapter 1. You'll now have the whole first chapter! (For those who missed them, you can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.

If you want to see what happens in Chapter 2, please let me know in the comments!

Chapter 1, Part 4

“How do you know so much about me?”

Thank you again for your kind words. They mean the world to me.

Now it's time to post the final 25% of Chapter 1. You'll now have the whole first chapter! (For those who missed them, you can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.

If you want to see what happens in Chapter 2, please let me know in the comments!

Chapter 1, Part 4

“How do you know so much about me?”

Thank you again for your kind words. They mean the world to me.

Now it's time to post the final 25% of Chapter 1. You'll now have the whole first chapter! (For those who missed them, you can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.

If you want to see what happens in Chapter 2, please let me know in the comments!

Chapter 1, Part 4

“How do you know so much about me?”

He contemplates me blandly, like he’s reading a shopping list. “You take the same route back and forth to your internship every day. Go to the same grocery store every Saturday. Gaze longingly at the consumer electronics in the same Chinatown shop windows every Sunday. And you talk to your mother on the phone beside your open kitchen window at the end of every month when you become desperate for your next rent check. You are a creature of habit and desire, Alvin Alonso, and for my kind, that makes you a very open book.”

I grit my teeth. Maybe he is an asshole elf, but it might as well be Ms. Stryker lecturing me on security hygiene. I’m a paranormal with a lot to lose if I’m discovered, and I haven’t been careful. Of course I’m easy to blackmail!

Whether I learn how to cast spells or not, if I’m even a little bit serious about becoming a real paranormal investigator someday, I’ll need to get smarter. A lot smarter. That is, if I survive this insane heist I’ve gotten myself roped into.

The elf extends his hand, his smile broad. “So, do we have a deal?”

And there it is. Fae are legendary for their unbreakable bargains, and humans are terrified of accidentally getting trapped into one. (At least the few on the Internet who suspect such things exist.) But while you can be coerced, you can’t actually get tricked into a real Obligation—if you don’t truly understand what you’re agreeing to, it doesn’t count. And anyway, most humans don’t have enough magic to feel consequences if they did break a fae deal.

But for paranormals, like me, it’s another matter. Even if we’re never able to do anything with it, magic is intrinsic to what we are. Mother barely has a protective bone in her body, but she did make me swear up and down as a kid to never accept a deal with a fae. Not even for something small.

Well, looks like I’m going to find a whole new way to disappoint her. Yay.

I can at least try not to be completely stupid about it.

“You say the guy is not going to be there, and the doors are unlocked. You mean I can just walk in and take it? No guard dogs, security, or anything?”

“Well, I’d certainly recommend being more discreet than you usually are. You never know if the neighbors might be watching. But there should be nothing in the house that can cause you harm. I do need the watch, and I have no illusions about your ability to defend yourself.”

“Fair enough. Do other fae or anyone else you’re associated with know about me?”

“No. I’ve kept that information to myself. For now.”

“Great. Then if I do this, you have to promise you will never reveal my identity to anyone, or ever use what you know about me against me in any way. You get to play this blackmail card once, and never again.”

The elf smiles, mildly impressed. “That’s a very reasonable and wise addendum to our agreement, Alvin. I accept that stipulation, if you get me what I’ve asked for.”

It’s at least something. Supposedly the fae can lie, but they can’t break a deal. Ever.

I extend my hand. “I’ll get you your damn watch.”

We shake, and then I immediately feel it, like heavy chains falling onto my shoulders. The Obligation. I have knowingly given a fae my word, and now all the magic inside me (what little there is) has been bent to that purpose.

He hands me an address written in fine calligraphy on the back of a fancy hotel napkin. And before I can even ask him his name and how I’m going to get the watch to him, he vanishes into thin air.

Typical.

Whether I like it or not, I’m in it now. Normally, after a boring day sorting Ms. Stryker’s mail and answering her phone, I’d go home to scarf some Lean Cuisine on the couch and fall asleep in front of the TV. Looks like tonight, I’m going to steal a magical artifact for a fae.

And the weird thing is, there’s a part of me that’s actually looking forward to it.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

So what do you think?

How do you feel about the magic system with the Obligation—the way fae deals work in this world?

How do you feel about Alvin's final admission that part of him is looking forward to the heist?

And what are your predictions for how this little heist is going to go?

I'd love to hear your thoughts below!

Read the whole book for free!

Both books from Alvin Alonso's Secret Files will be released simultaneously on November 10 on Amazon which will give readers the complete duet to binge right away.

And if you're interested in reading the full story and leaving a review on Amazon for launch day, I still have advance review copies available through two options:

For immediate reading: Get advance copies on NetGalley here (limited spots available—but I've extended it for 30 more days with this new link): https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/716233

For polished final versions: If you'd prefer to review the publication-ready editions available in October, you can join my official ARC Team here: https://alexwoolfson.com/arc-sign-up

Just want to pre-order the the final version of the duology? Click here: https://amzn.to/4mn2J42

Do you want more?

Anyway, that's all of Chapter 1!

So, what did you think of me sharing my work this way? Did you enjoy it?

What did you think of the lengths of the excerpts? Too long? Too short? Just right?

Please let me know in the comments and, if folks are interested, I'll start sharing Chapter 2 with y'all!