26. Valefar
Valefar
The light is not of Hell.
It is a presence of absolute, staggering warmth. The sheer radiance forces me to squint; the glow is so bright, it erases the very shadows cast by the black candles.
At the edge of the pentagram, a man materializes.
I recognize him from the honorary portrait in the shop. He wears a worn trench coat, which hangs a little too heavily on his frame, a neatly tied bow tie tucked beneath the collar. A profound smugness overcomes his features as he regards my Mistress.
Harold Finch. The Druid. Vesper’s deceased mentor.
Lucifer recoils, his hand still smoking from the white-hot backlash of his own flames. The prince of Hell bares his fangs with a volatile mix of fury and genuine, sudden apprehension.
“You,” Lucifer spits, the word carrying a weight that vibrates through the earth. “What is the meaning of this intrusion, you stinking spirit? I was performing an execution.”
Harold sighs, adjusting his coat collar with a dramatic, weary flick of his wrist. “Why did I get stuck with Devil duty?” he mutters, shaking his head. He looks at the ruler of Hell with a haughty annoyance. “You lost this round, Morningstar. Put the toys away and run along back to Hell.”
Lucifer bristles, his posture stiffening as he draws himself up to his full, terrifying height. “He is mine. His tether is anchored in the Pit. You have no jurisdiction over his contract, spirit.”
“I don’t need jurisdiction,” Harold continues. He sweeps a single translucent hand through the air. “Let me show you exactly why you no longer have a claim on him.”
A sudden, high-pitched chime rings out through the yard, like the striking of a crystal bell. Both Vesper and I freeze, our jaws dropping. Vesper lets out a breathless gasp. I see it in her eyes first.
Above my head, floating in the space where my crown of horns sits, a beautiful, molten orb of glimmering gold light appears. It is not a flat halo, but a perfect, rotating sphere of liquid starlight, radiating a resonant warmth which vibrates in perfect harmony with the bond in my chest.
A soul. I stare at the reflection of the golden light in Vesper’s wide, shocked gaze.
I have a soul.
Lucifer stares at the golden orb, his pale face draining of all color. The absolute, undeniable truth hits him like a physical blow. A demon with a soul is no longer a demon. The Pit has no claim over a living soul.
The ruler of Hell tips his head back, releasing a deafening, furious roar, thundering the ground all around us. With a sharp, explosive crack, his physical form disintegrates, disappearing into a thick cloud of harmless, black ash and brimstone smoke.
Vesper is trembling as the adrenaline of the confrontation begins to fade.
I do not hesitate. The basalt-black chains binding my limbs dissolve into nothingness the moment Lucifer’s presence is gone.
Within a fraction of a second, I am there, pulling her into my arms. I hold her safe and sound against my chest, her hands clutching at the heavy fabric of my Jinu robe as she shivers.
“I have you,” I murmur, my chest pressing against hers. “You are safe. And I am here.”
“Vale,” she whimpers, burying her face in my shoulder.
Harold walks forward without making a sound. He stops at the edge of the circle and looks at us, his expression softening, though his smug posture remains intact. He clears his throat. “You have a choice to make, Valefar.” His voice carries the weight of a quiet, ancient law.
I do not look up from Vesper. I tighten my arms around her, my tail wrapping protectively around her waist. I raise one clawed hand toward the spirit. “Whatever it is, I choose Vesper,” I state without a single second of hesitation.
Harold arches a brow. “Perhaps you should listen to the terms first, young demon. If you wish to remain with Vesper, you must reject immortality. You will reject all opportunities to serve Heaven. You will surrender half of your newly grown soul and bind yourself eternally to Vesper Larson. You will no longer be a demon. You will take upon yourself a mortal crust, and you will be subjected to all the repercussions and symptoms of humanity. Sickness. Aging. Death.”
I barely acknowledge the weight of his words. Sickness, aging, and death are minor details. They are insignificant compared to an eternity without her. I keep my attention locked on the woman dressed in the blue tiger onesie in my arms.
Vesper, however, snaps her head toward her old mentor. “Can we keep the tail?” she asks. “Pretty please?”
A startled sound escapes me before I can stop it—not quite a chuckle, not quite disbelief.
Harold blinks, his translucent brow arching high. “That is your first question?”
Vesper’s cheeks instantly flush a brilliant, deep pink.
I stare at her, my heart swelling with a warmth so intense, it borders on ridiculous.
She is entirely absurd, but to me, she has personally hung the moon in the sky.
I cannot help the urge to laugh. My tail finds its way along her spine.
In the face of the oncoming loss of demonic identity, she has chosen the least dignified moment to remind me she intends to keep every piece of me she can.
“You realize humanity traditionally involves fewer appendages,” Harold points out dryly.
Vesper shrugs, shifting closer against me. I bring her in tighter, lowering my brow to hers as she declares, “It’s not just a part of him. It’s a part of our family. And I’d say he earned it.”
Harold stares at us for a long, silent pause. He mutters something that sounds remarkably like, “I better get something like wings after this visit.” He sighs, adjusting his trenchcoat. “Okay. One tail. No venom.”
Vesper mutters, “Rude,” without looking at him.
“I heard that,” Harold grunts. He steps closer, gesturing to the beautiful, molten golden orb floating above my head. “You have done something extraordinary, both of you. You were not given a soul, Valefar.” He glances at Vesper. “You grew one. Together. Through your powerful devotion.”
Keeping her palms on my chest, she turns her head to her old mentor, her voice soft. “You could just say love. Did you know this would happen, Harry?”
Harold tugs at the lapels of his trench coat, then adjusts his bow tie.
“My dear, I have watched over you your whole life. I knew you were stubborn, and I knew you had a habit of collecting all manner of people around you. But I could not have predicted this demon would go so far as to offer his very existence as a shield against the Devil himself to keep you safe. But you must also accept the terms, Vesper.”
My summoner and savior turns her body toward Harold, but I hold her firmly from behind, my form stiffening. A cold wave of protectiveness washes over me. I would never ask Vesper to sacrifice a single thing on my behalf. I would rather return to the Pit than cost her safety or her spirit.
“Half a soul cannot survive separation,” Harold tells us, his tone growing solemn.
“You will remain distinct individuals. But neither of you will ever truly stand alone again. Your lives will become threaded together. You will feel one another. Weakness. Pain. Fear. Joy. And when one reaches the end of their road, the other will not be far behind.”
We turn to one another.
I take both of her hands in one of mine.
My other hand, still large and heavy, cups the side of her face, my thumb wiping away the remaining traces of her tears.
“I belonged to the Morningstar for seventeen centuries,” I tell her, my voice thick with emotion worthy of shaking my very frame.
“Now, I will belong to the Evening Star—if you’ll have me. ”
Through tears, she smiles and lifts her hand to touch the curve of my horns. “You came when I called you. Now I’ll be the home you never have to leave.”
“I could never run from you,” I agree. “You will always find me, Vesper Larson. And bring me back.” We share a smile, knowing the words mirror those of the Runaway Bunny. But to me, they feel like unbreakable vows.
Suddenly, I sense my soul weakening. It does not dissolve. Instead, it expands, reaching outward. I stare at Vesper where a beautiful, shimmering silver orb appears above her head. It is the perfect, radiant counterpart to my gold.
And then…the golden orb grows brilliant, molten tethers. Across the space between us, the gold and silver threads weave together in a complex, breathtaking dance until they fuse to form a single, glowing tapestry of light.
Vesper gasps, clutching her throat as the sheer rush of the transfusion washes through her.
I steady her, lifting her body until our chests press tightly together, our heartbeats finding their own singular rhythm.
The energy pulses through us in a warm, sweet tide, filling every hollow space in my chest. Finally, the glowing sensations slowly fade.
I look down at her, my breath labored.
She raises a hand to my head. “Vale, your horns…they’re gone.”
I blink, flexing my hand. “No claws anymore.”
I examine the back of my hand. The skin color is very similar to my original bronze, but it is no longer polished like stone.
It possesses the soft, breathing texture of a normal man’s skin.
We both register another shift. I no longer tower at seven feet tall.
I have shrunk to a more comfortable, mortal height of six feet and five inches.
The exact height I masked with my glamour.
Suddenly, I feel a familiar, heavy twitch behind me. Vesper flashes me a big, brilliant grin as my tail, still intact, skims along her arm and combs into her curly hair.
She flicks her head to the side to thank Harold, but the spirit is no longer there. The backyard is empty, save for the flickering candles and the lawn chair. She shakes her head, a soft smile touching her lips. “Bye, Harry. I hope you got those wings. And I hope they were organic.”
We stand there, wrapped in the quiet peace of the autumn night.
“Dear sweet baby Jesus!”
We both spin around.
Manny is standing at the edge of the treeline, close to the back fence, his magpie wings slightly askew, holding a sleepy Bethie in his arms. His jaw has dropped so low, it looks painful, his eyes dinner-plate wide as he stares, mostly fixed on the tail currently wrapped in Vesper’s hair.
“Does someone want to explain to me what just happened?” he demands.
Vesper’s face pales. She looks at Manny, then at me, her voice squeaking. “Um… how much did you see?”