Page 39 of A Match Made in Hell
‘Well, well, well,’ the familiar tone says, ‘haven’t you all been busy?’
14
Sath leans against the doorway with his arms folded over his chest, one leg crossed in front of the other. He isn’t slapping me in handcuffs – or whatever the Asphodel equivalent may be – which I have to take as an encouraging sign.
Maybe he hasn’t spotted Aric yet. The humans trembling in fear are probably distracting, along with the dismantled pool table. I sidestep to try and hide the body, and his eyes are immediately on me. I avert my gaze, which I’m sure screams innocence.
‘I’m waiting for an explanation.’ He points at Harper, who’s crying less than the other two. ‘Speak.’
I’m reminded of the one and only time I got detention in school. Sasha had taken it upon herself to spray-paint our English teacher’s car, shoving the can into my hand at the end so I could perform the final touch. We were caught running away. Pinned down by the headteacher the way Sath pins us now, demanding an explanation.
Harper’s voice is no more than a whisper. ‘We were –’
‘Louder.’ This isn’t the Sath who cleaned my arm or confided in me about some gates that are falling apart. This is King Sathanas, ruler of Asphodel. He prowls towards her, those flames of his licking up his arms, and I’m half afraid he’s going to burn her alive right here, right now. I take one tiny step in herdirection, but a quick shake of Sath’s head has me pausing. His words from before haunt me.
If you’re seen challenging me, I’ll be forced to do to you what I did to that man.I suspect coming to their defence falls under the category of challenging him. Pfft. I shut my mouth and scowl, just in case he had any doubts about my opinions on the matter.
‘We said . . . we said we wanted to . . .’
‘Yes?’
‘To see the sun,’ Harper finishes. ‘One more time. It . . . He . . . overheard, and she . . .’ Her eyes flick to me, just like Sasha’s had on that day. The can was in my hand. There was no reason she should take any of the blame.
‘Ah.’ Sath clucks his tongue. ‘How very, very calamitous for you all.’ His voice is soft, the words somehow both a caress and a curse. My stomach knots. I really want to believe he won’t hurt me.
I may not have given him a choice.
Sath comes to stand beside me. I tense at his proximity, but all he does is nudge Aric’s prone form with his shoe. His gaze drifts to my hands, and the blood encrusted there. I suppose it’s too late to shove them behind me.
Sath inclines his head towards the others. ‘I’m going to do the rest of you a favour and assume this girl is responsible for what happened here today.’ His eyes lock on mine, although his words are directed at them. ‘Leave.’
To my surprise, Harper’s feet remain planted on the spot. ‘It wasn’t her fault,’ she says. ‘We were the ones who upset him; she was only trying to help –’
‘Are you questioning my judgement?’
I shake my head furiously in her direction. I have no idea what she thinks she’s doing. The blood on my hands is far more damning than any can of paint.
‘N-no,’ she says. Her friends are already edging towards the door. ‘I . . .’
‘Get out.’
She flinches at the raw power in his voice, but doesn’t move, her gaze flicking between me and him.
‘It’s fine,’ I say. ‘Go. I’ll be fine.’
She has no reason to believe me –I’mnot sure I believe me – but, finally, after a staring contest which I manage to win, she nods and backs away, giving me one last panicked glance and mouthingI’m sorry, before disappearing.
And we’re alone.
I hold my breath. I’m not sure how much of this is part of his act. Sath is what I would callglowering, simmering flames in his eyes, smoke uncurling from his arms. He inhales deeply before clicking the door shut, and when he faces me again he’s a little more Sath-like and a little less Devil-like.
Doesn’t stop him sounding utterly exasperated when he says, ‘What were you thinking?’
I bristle. ‘I wasthinkingthat your demon here was about to attack three people for no reason. What was I supposed to do, let him hurt them?’
‘Yes!’ He closes the gap between us, but I don’t cower away, standing toe to toe with him. Heat emanates from his body, searing into mine. ‘That is exactly what you should have done!’
‘Unlike you, I’m not prepared to sit around and do nothing while innocent people get hurt.’
