Blake's POV
I've been playing along with what Kyra said for long enough. Now that this demon has been summoned, I'm not going to let my guard down or stay back. My duty here is to protect Brielle until everything is over. And that Kyra, she completely deceived us. She never mentioned that she knew this Kael demon. Why would she do that? Something about this just doesn't feel right.
" What's the price for the flame?" Brielle asked. I still didn't let her go in front. Whatever happens, I will stand in front of her like a shield. It's a good thing she wasn't protesting.
" Mmh, nothing much. I just need a soul. One should for this exchange," Kael said nonchalantly, as if what he wanted was a piece of cake.
" Any soul?" Brielle asked.
I turned to look at her. Her expression was cold as she looked at Kael.
" No, not just any soul. I've been surrounded by rotten souls for such a long time. This time, I want a pure soul.. If you can manage that, then we have a deal."
Something about the way he was looking at Brielle didn't sit well with me. He looked at her with lust, amusement and curiosity.
" Alrgiht. Then it's a deal. When I die, my soul is yours," Brielle declared.
What? She can't be serious.
I pulled her away from the pintacle.
" What the hell is that? How can you say something like that and promise him your soul? We didn't discuss this. No, no! I won't let you promise on your soul!"
I tried to pull her away but she refused.
" We can't go away. We have to do this no matter the cost," she insisted, but it was all bullshit. I wasn't going to accept that. This is no small matter. It's about her soul. If that man attained it, what would happen to Brielle? I just can't bring myself to accept that.
I pulled Brielle and put my hands on her arms.
" Listen to me, Brielle. I can't let you do that too. It's absurd and all of this is not worth your soul. So please, I am begging you. Don't do this," I pleaded.
The unyielding look in her eyes told me that I had failed to get through to get through to her.
" If we stop now, we won't ever be able to live in peace. I want peace, and I'd give anything to make sure that we live peacefully. Especially at this time," she said in almost a whisper.
" What are you talking about?"
She shrugged off my hold and turned away from me.
What is she talking about? I was confused, but she refused to be clear with me.
I went in front of her, and she was crying. Angry and frustrated about this whole situation, I lost control over my emotions.
" Will you tell me what it is you are hiding from me already!" I snapped.
" She looked shocked and hurt. She was not hurt like I was. He took such a drastic decision without a second thought or caring about how I feel hurt even more. It was like a dagger to the heart. How can she just expect me to just stand by and watch her make a deal with the devil?
" Please tell me."
" I am pregnant!" she exclaimed.
For a moment, I thought that I had misheard her. But i didn't. She said it, loud and clear. She is pregnant. In the current situation, my emotions are mixed up. I didn't know how to feel, so I couldn't react properly.
" Won't you say anything?" She asked, on the verge of tears. I gave myself a mental slap to get my head together. Brielle had just given me the best news of my life. Yet I couldn't jump for joy. How could I, when she wanted to sell her soul to the devil?
" How long have you known?"
She looked taken aback, and then she avoided my eyes.
" I-It's b-been a while."
Figures. It seems she had been prepared to go through any lengths because she knew about her pregnancy.
" There is no need to worry. We can still find another way to do this. You are pregnant, and we can't trust this demon."
" I'm getting so bored. Are we going to do this, or should I go back? This is no fun at all," Kael whined, interrupting me.
" Don't do this," I begged Brielle.
She sighed and walked away from me. I stood there defeated. I couldn't get through to her.
" You will only get my soul when I die. Not a second later. If we have a deal, please fulfill your end of the bargain," Brielle spoke with conviction.
" Very well," he smiled menacingly. With a flick of his fingers, the flame appeared in front of us again. Momentarily captured by its beauty.
" This is the fire you seek. Use it wisely," he said.
He opened the scroll and words appeared on it. The words of a formal agreement. He was going to bind Brielle to a contract so she didn't turn back on her word.
" Firstly, sign this. With this, I will be assured that we truly have an agreement. I hope you don't mind."
" It's not a problem. How do I sign?"
" No signature is as effective as a blood signature," he replies.
Brielle bit her thumb, drawing blood. She then pressed her thumb on the scroll. The contract glowed before incinerating into thin air.
" It is done."
Brielle took the lantern of life and put in the fire.
" Thank you."
" Well, my job is done. I'll leave you to it. Until next time," Kael says, winking at Brielle. Just like that, he disappeared. I could finally let out a breath of relief. I walked towards Brielle and hugged her. Today she made such a big sacrifice and I couldn't do anything about it. I was powerless in the face of that demon. It still feels like he had an ulterior motive for demanding a purpose. He knew she would be left with no option but to offer her own.
" I'm sorry," I whispered to her.
" No need to apologize. It's not your fault. It had to be done. For our happiness and the safety of our family."
Kyra stood on the other side looking at us regretfully.
"I am sorry that I deceived you. To be honest, I know that demon. I am indebted to him. To repay him, I promised him that anyone needing demonic assistance, I would introduce them to him, and he would help them in exchange for soul."
I sighed. She might have deceived us, but in the end, it was still our choice to go through with it. At any moment, we could have refused the offer, but Brielle was determined to see this through to the end. I can only hope the demon doesn't try anything tricky.