The Faustian Love Bargain (COMPLETED)

Volume 2, Chapter 16

Nick and his father were in the car. He did not answer a word as his father spoke, “You have grown up. I’m sorry. I thought I would take things into my own hands and remove that girl.” Nick thought that tears were cascading down his eyes but he was a souleater and he had no tears.

“Mr Grange killed Elizabeth Marcus,” his father finally said and Nick froze. “Her mother was stupid as well. When she could not get answers from me, she went to find Mr Grange. I figured that he kidnapped her to gain answers from her. What answers, I do not know but I suppose, they must have been futile because she was killed. I could not help it that he wanted her dead. No matter how powerful you are, keep in mind that you need your supporters to stay in power. ”

Nick looked at his father and wondered whether to believe him.

“I know I don’t speak to you often. But what is the point of tainting the vision of what you believe the world to be? Every time I see you, I see a human in you. To fill you with knowledge of murder, ruthlessness, inhumanity... it will pain me more than anyone else. I could not treat you like a normal souleater and I hated you for that. Why do you speak like you know what love feels like? Why do you believe in the goodness of everyone? Why do you smile at beauty when all I see is darkness? Ah, you possessed a kind of innocence that I feared. I tried hard to distance myself from you so as to protect you.”

Nick did not fully understand his father’s words. He could not imagine a world darker than his world. He was in sorrow, pain, torment, and inexplicable guilt. “How about her father? How about Stephen? How about Helen?” he murmured and his father’s voice turned frenzied, “Just know that I had nothing to do with everything! Pretend that they never existed! Hide all memories and bury them in the earth so deep that you may never recall them again!”

Nick could not understand a word. It was as if he suffered from a brain blockage.

“If you wish, put the blame entirely on me! Hate me if you need to! I would rather have you hate me than hate everyone else!” his father implored.

What was he speaking about? Why was he hiding the truth from him? 

“Stella didn’t kill Stephen,” Nick asked rather than implying it as a statement.

His father sighed, “Get her out of your head. When you met her, it was wrong. Everything was wrong. I should have stopped you earlier.”

“Answer me, please.” Nick looked at his father’s perplexed face.

“She only killed Bently and Caleb, I believe.” Anthony gave in. 

Nick felt a sudden surge of pain in his heart. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he groaned.

“I wanted you to hate her, so you could leave her,” he explained but Nick cut him off, “Who killed Stephen and Helen?”

“I don’t know,” his father said in true earnestness. Nick believed that he really had no clue.

“Whoever killed him or Helen is very powerful,” Anthony said, “And ruthless as well. Killing souleaters requires skills that are very different from killing humans. Humans are easy- you kiss them and they are dead. Souleaters need to be constrained by a high amount of energy if you want to kill them. You have that power only if you are at least an aristocrat.”

“Someone close to us killed them,” Nick concluded and his father nodded, “Yes. I thought that Stella wanted to kill you but I was wrong. It looked like she changed her mind. She probably wanted to kill those who were savage souleaters like Bently and Caleb. I believe someone else wants you dead, Nick, along with Kaela, Celine, Brandon and Isaac. This person is very intelligent. He or she used Stella perfectly. Helen’s death was a distraction to make it appear like Stella wanted all the heirs dead. However, Stephen’s death was a giveaway. Only souleaters killed souleaters in that way. If I am not wrong, Stephen wanted to stop that person but he underestimated that person’s powers.”

Nick was stunned. He had blamed Stella for everything. He even tried to kill her. Then, two names came to his mind- Micheal Owell and Mr Rousseau. Who were they exactly? 

And why did they want him dead?