Page 315 of Sinister

“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?”