The Faustian Love Bargain (COMPLETED)

Chapter 19

Stella knocked wildly on Micheal’s door until the door was opened.

“Tell me everything you know, please!” Stella begged, exasperated. He looked pleased that she had finally believed him. They sat down on his couch and he began his story, “My guardian in France, let’s call him Uncle Jack, well, Uncle Jack told me the only way was to find the angel. The angel who said that she would be back to kill all of the souleaters. I asked, how may I find her? He said she was living now in this city. He had recently went to a psychic who told him that the angel had been reborn but she had came back not knowing about her purpose. Why, Uncle Jack asked. Because her soul does not wish to recall it, the psychic told him. Uncle Jack said he must find her and the psychic directed him to this building.”

“You’re telling me this angel is me?” Stella knew Micheal’s purpose now of finding her.

“Yeah. I don’t know how you can kill souleaters but you can,” Micheal said.

“I think the psychic got the location wrong,” Stella countered. 

“I thought so too because you looked so human to me. But your connection with Nick Smith made me suspicious.”

“What about...him?”

“Did you see the photo in that file? The photo with eleven men? Yeah, Uncle Jack told me all of them are souleaters. His sister’s murderer was Paul Riravanja when he was young. You can spot them from their ageless looks, like they went through Botox and surgery but they never did. Well, Anthony Smith is definitely a souleater and so is Nick Smith. I don’t know why Nick Smith has approached you but I believe he knows something about your existence.”

The photo was taken ten years ago but it was true Anthony Smith had not changed at all since then. It was true that all of Nick’s friends were too good looking to be human. Micheal suddenly held her shaking hand and said staidly, “Souleaters would do anything to hide their secret and anything to secure their existence. I can’t be sure but there is only two possible things that Nick Smith wants from you. It’s your power to kill and his possession of you would make him invincible, or at least, retain his position as king of souleaters. Or he wants to take your life.”

She shook her head. It was impossible. She was in a bad dream that she wanted to escape from. 

“No, Nick is human. There is no such thing as souleaters.” She got up before falling back on the couch as her legs weakened.

“Stay away from him,” Micheal said, “Even if you don’t believe that you are the angel, please protect yourself.”

Was that why he was playing with her? Was that why he was tempting her each day with gifts and money? Was that why he was nice to her but mean to others? Had she been tricked so stupidly into his ploy? Yes, she had. It now made sense to her why he had approached her to sign a contract that bound her to him for life, why he had been nice to her, and what he meant by searching for the correct person.