If you’ve read (or are planning to read) the Chronicles of Nick, these are cheat sheets you won’t want to miss. Decadence summarises what we know about Nick Gautier from the Dark-Hunter series.

Origins of Nick

Nicholas Ambrosius Gautier (pronounced Go-shay, the Cajun way) was born to 15-year old Cherise, whose rich parents disowned her when she fell pregnant with Nick. Without a complete education, she became an exotic dancer to support Nick, but never resented him for the direction her life had taken. Cherise used to take Nick to the clubs with her so that she could remind herself why she did her job and find the will to keep doing it. She was a loving and nurturing woman who even tried to feed Acheron while she worked as Sanctuary’s chef and bartender.

Nick was always told his father was an abusive felon who was killed during a prison riot. Nick found his share of trouble until he met the Dark-Hunter Kyrian, who gave Nick a job as his squire at the age of 14.

The sarcastic smart-arse proved himself to be honest and loyal and took the opportunity provided by his job to get himself an education. He is a skilled computer hacker as well as a Blood Rites squire (authorised by the Council to kill if necessary). He was also a player who was rarely seen with the same girl twice.

Nick bought his mother a house with his salary and since she was never aware that Dark-Hunters or Were-Hunters existed, she sometimes worried that he was dealing drugs, but loved him anyway.

Nick’s role as Kyrian’s squire introduced him to Atlantean god Acheron Parthenopaeus, whom he treated like everyone else. Acheron found this a refreshing change, and Nick became the closest thing Ash had to a best friend.

One night, Nick met a strange girl who seemed to know him, but whom he’d never met before. He took her out on a date and after they had sex Nick found out that she was Acheron’s adopted daughter, Simi. Nick tried to apologise, but Acheron was so enraged he cursed Nick to commit suicide to save Ash the effort of killing him.

As a god of fate, Ash’s hastily spoken curse not only affected Nick, but caused a chain reaction in which a Dark-Hunter was killed and possessed by the uber-daimon Desiderius, who killed Cherise. When Nick saw his dead mother, he called Artemis and killed himself in front of her so that she would be forced to turn him into a Dark-Hunter. His bow and arrow mark is on his face and neck, since Artemis was cradling his head when she created him. She gave Nick’s soul to Acheron.

Nick was fated to settle down and start a family with Tiyana Devereaux, Amanda and Tabitha’s sister, but she was killed in the same killing spree that claimed Cherise, and Nick is unaware of his original fate.

Nick hasn’t been able to forgive Ash for letting Cherise die when he was able to raise Kyrian and Amanda from the dead and blames Ash for Hurricane Katrina. Unlike everyone else who forgets almost instantly that Ash is a god, Nick is aware of what Ash can do.

Ash gave Nick to his own mentor Savitar to train, who then assigned Ravyn Kontis to train him.

Stryker’s sister Satara fooled Nick into joining forces with Stryker in return for revenge on Acheron. By drinking Stryker’s blood and turning Daimon, Nick’s own powers have increased along with the powers he has from being a special kind of Dark-Hunter. Theoretically this might have been explained by him having been created from a suicide, something Artemis promised Ash she would never do, but is actually a clue that Nick is something more than he appears.

Nick is potentially a useful weapon against Acheron as Ash promised Cherise not to let anything bad happen to her boy, which means that Nick can hurt Ash, but Ash can’t hurt Nick, even in defence. Also, because Ash cares for Nick, he cannot see Nick’s fate, so he would be completely unaware that the newest Dark-Hunter has turned Daimon.

Although Nick has been told that the price for access to Stryker’s powers must be paid by bringing Kyrian and Amanda’s daughter Marissa into Kalosis, he has yet to make any progress.

Nick killed Satara to protect Soteria, so Stryker wants him dead. He sent the spirit of War to kill Nick, but when their blood mixed during the attack, Nick’s dormant Malachai powers were activated.