PETRA #2
“She has all her memories. It is time you recover yours, too.”
“You mean . . . ?”
“A deal is a deal. I promised you that you would be reunited with your beloved, and he would retain his memories.”
Sin glances upon the vial with trepidation. Slowly, he accepts it, and popping off the lid, he brings the drop of liquid to his lips.
I stare at him, waiting.
He blinks, slowly, and a different type of awareness seems to penetrate his gaze.
“I remember.”
Two words, and I finally exhale in relief. He smiles at me, that warm smile that I missed with all my might.
He is now, just like me, the sum of all his personas—Elroy, my original lover, past-Sin, and present-Sin. All the pain I endured, all the lone years spent thinking about him, were not in vain.
Both of us made sacrifices to get to this point, and all of our actions completed each other, working in tandem for the same ultimate goal.
We glance at each other, and a silent current of acknowledgment passes between us.
I’d made the first deal, but I’d forgotten about it before I fulfilled it. He’d made the second deal, but fate had intervened, so he’d made a third deal that put all the wheels in motion so I could finally fulfill my deal.
Although he was the one to bear the brunt of the suffering, for which I will be eternally grateful, we would not be here without each other—without both of our efforts.
Even when we lacked the knowledge of the past, we were so in sync that we still completed each other.
Finally, we are once more together, and this time, I plan on never letting him go.
But there are still things I need clarification on, so I turn to Valerion.
“How did Sin’s powers in his second life come about? Elroy did not have any.”
Valerion’s lips curl up.
“That question would be best asked of my father. He is the one who granted him his gifts.
I raise a brow. “Your father?”
“He is a primordial deity and has the power to bestow spiritual energy upon whoever he wishes. He’s grown rather bored as of late, so he’s acquired a few side projects, so to speak.”
“He gave Sin powers because he’s bored?” I ask in outrage. But then I notice Sin chuckling beside me. “You knew about this?”
He nods. “Valerion and I have had conversations about this. And though I never met his father, I am grateful for the gift he’s given me.”
“But what about the demon part? Because you are a demon now.”
“He is a made-demon in the sense that his grief over your death caused him to morph into one. But because of his already existing spiritual energy, he is . . . something else.”
“Something else?”
“He exists in a state between a born-demon and a natural one. I have not encountered someone like this before, so I cannot properly define what he is.”
“But he is immortal, right?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
I had assumed as much, which is what makes a little uneasy.
“If he’s immortal, then what about me? I’ll grow old, and he . . .” I look back at Sin. He will remain as young and handsome as he is now.
“I have already asked about this,” Sin says. “You don’t have to worry about that. I would have never become this . . . thing if it meant living on without you.”
“Sin is correct. Since he is technically in-between a born demon and a natural one, his spiritual energy is high enough that he can lend it to you, too. Every time he feeds—”
“Feeds?” I blink.
“Every time he consumes a soul.”
I glance back at Sin warily. “Evil ones, right?”
He nods, smiling. “That was part of my second deal with Valerion. I would become a demon, but I would only feed off corrupted souls.”
I breathe out in relief. “That’s good.”
Valerion rolls his eyes and continues, “Every time he feeds, if you drink from him, you will get the same benefits.”
“By drink from him, you mean . . . ?”
“Blood,” he says unflinchingly.
“Oh . . .”
“If you drink straight from the vein, after he consumes a soul, you will receive some of his life force and, as such, you will also not grow old, nor will you die. Of course, Sin must feed more often to accommodate two people, but I do not think that will be an issue.”
“That’s weird, but pretty cool,” I mumble, though I’m slightly relieved.
As long as I get to live forever with Sin, I suppose a little blood doesn’t hurt. It’s not as if I’d ever leave him so he could find someone else. Uhm, nope. Absolutely no. Never!
“There is one last thing we’d like to know,” Sin adds.
I already anticipate his question, so I say, “The baby. Will he be fine? If Sin is not human, then—”
“The baby will be fine. He will be unique, and perhaps the only of his kind in the entire universe, but he will be fine,” Valerion states.
“How do you know for sure? If he’s so unique, then how can you be certain about that?”
“Because I know someone who can see all potential threads of the future, and I have confirmed it with her.”
“Who?” I ask through narrowed eyes.
Valerion smiles. “Someone very powerful.”
“Your lover or something?” I continue to probe, needing all the confirmation I can get that my baby will be fine.
He shakes his head and chuckles. “She is family, but she is not my lover.”
“I see.” I nod. “I suppose that’s as good of an assurance as we’ll get.”
“I will vow to you that should anything happen to your child, I will come to help.”
“We will hold you to that,” Sin replies solemnly.
I continue to assess this Valerion skeptically. Although I remember him from my past life as Agatha, and I could even say we were . . . friendly, there is still so much I don’t know about him. He was a mystery then and is a mystery now.
“You’re immortal, too. Don’t you get lonely all by yourself?”
He seems startled by my question. A slow smile curves at his lips. “I am not by myself.”
“I did not realize you had someone.” This time, Sin is the one who comments.
“I do technically have someone, though not in this timeline.”
We both stare at him.
“What?” I blurt out.
“It’s complicated,” he chuckles. “But in the meanwhile, I enjoy seeing others find happiness. Let’s just say it’s my way of accumulating good karma so I can get my own happy ending . . . at some point.”
“That’s rather sad,” I say without thinking.
He appears stricken by my words, but he quickly composes himself. “I suppose it is. All the more reason for you two to cherish what you have. It’s priceless.”
He looks upon us with a longing gaze before he takes a deep breath.
“My task here is done. Should your son ever need my help, I will return.”
Sin and I nod.
“Farewell, Sin, Petra.” He vanishes from sight, as do the bodies of Fiona and Daphne and any trace of blood or biological waste.
I blink. “I suppose that means we don’t have to clean up the scene of the crime?”
Sin laughs. “That’s Valerion for you. He always thinks of everything.”
“Yes, but . . .” I bite my lip. “He seemed rather sad, did he not?”
“He’s held a certain sadness to him for as long as I’ve known him. But despite his odd manner, he is a good person,” he assures me.
“We owe everything to him. Which is why I hope he gets his own happy ending eventually.”
“I think we should be concerned with our own for now.” He waggles his brows suggestively.
I crack a smile. “And what did you have in mind?”
He pulls me into his arms, and in the blink of an eye, we’re back at the underground bunker. We tumble together into bed, him on his back, with me on top of him.
I stare into his eyes, unable to believe that after everything, we’re here, together, with no more secrets between us.
It’s just me and him, as we were always meant to be. And . . . our little plum.
“I love you so much, Petra,” he rasps, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I will always love you.”
“I love you, too, but you should start putting your words into actions. Have you forgotten pregnant women can be very horny?”
He laughs and leans in to kiss my nose. “I don’t care about any other pregnant woman except you. And if my lady is horny, then I shall do my utmost to satisfy her.”
“I’m waiting.”
Except I do not have to wait long at all.