Page 14 of A Match Made in Hell
I leave out the part where there’s plenty in my past she could have used. That it might not have been my future she was talkingabout at all.
Sathanas shrugs. ‘The Sorter was here a long time before me. I don’t question her methods.’
I blink. ‘Aren’t you the Devil? Shouldn’t you have been here since the dawn of time, or whatever?’
His eyes shutter, and I can tell I’ve overstepped. There’s nothing relaxed about him now; he’s all tense muscle, sharp edges. That lick of shadow I spied earlier snakes its way around his arm, coiling power ready to be unleashed. The wall lamps flicker. ‘Your five minutes are up,’ he says, making to get off the sofa.
‘Wait!’ Panic sparks in my chest.Without thinking, I put a hand on his arm, and immediately flinch. His shirt sleeves are rolled up, and his bare skin is unreasonably warm, almost feverish. His gaze drops to where I’m touching him, like he can’t believe I’ve done it. I should have learned my lesson from the chest-poking incident. Really, I should remove my hand before he removes it for me, but the room is brighter now; shadows retreat from the corners while flames steady in their oil lamps.
‘She said there was no way out,’ I hedge – this is dangerous, dangerous territory now – ‘but that can’t be true, can it?’
His gaze locks on mine. ‘It’s true.’
Liar.
‘Please.’ This can’t be over. I refuse to give up. I have to try one more time to fulfil the vow I made the night Mum died – a night I’ll be forced to relive over and over again if I end up in the Void. ‘I can’t be here. I had plans. And I was putting them off because . . . because . . .’ I have no good answer to this. ‘I was stupid.’
Sathanas doesn’t speak, but he isn’t actively trying to kick me out any more, which has to be a good sign. The embarrassing amount of tears dripping down my face must have finally uncovered his sympathetic side.
‘I’m not done,’ I plead. ‘I wasn’t done.’
He tenses, going ramrod straight, and his head jerks round. He’s looking at me like he’s seeing a ghost. ‘What did you say?’
‘That I was stupid. That I’m not done.’ I continue to fling words at him, hoping something sticks and he gives me what I want. ‘If you let me leave, I’ll be better. I’ll do it right next time. I’ll be good, I swear.’
That strange expression remains on his face. ‘How good?’
What does he want – me to do more for charity or something? I’m always donating my old clothes. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something silly likehow good would you like me to be?but I catch myself in time.
‘The voices in the Void,’ he says slowly. ‘Was it hard for you to ignore them?’
‘What has that got to do with anything?’
‘Answer the question.’
‘I don’t know.’ I wish I knew what he wanted. ‘I got out of there, didn’t I?’
‘You did.’ His tone is thoughtful as he drums a beat on his thigh. ‘Maybe you could do this after all.’
My mouth drops.
‘You said you wanted to be good,’ he goes on. In the dim light, his eyes had been almost copper, bordering on brown. Now they blaze amber again, mirroring the flames dancing on the wall. ‘Would you defy all sin? Denounce all pleasures? Would you refuse to let temptation overwhelm you?’
I’m not entirely sure what he’s asking me, but he’s very serious about it, so there’s only one answer that’s going to get me what I want.
‘Yes,’ I say. It comes out quieter than I expect. I tilt my chin in the air. ‘Yes,’ I say again, as forcefully as I can muster.
Triumph flickers in those eyes. ‘In that case, Willow White, I have a proposition for you.’
7
I did it. I actually got him to offer.
My skin prickles with anticipation, but outwardly I press my lips together and school my face into what I hope conveys innocent confusion. ‘A proposition?’
‘There is one way out of Asphodel,’ he tells me. ‘A series of tests to prove your worth. Pass all seven, and you’re free to leave.’
If it were that straightforward, surely everyone would be taking the next boat out of here. I narrow my eyes. I want what he’s offering me very, very badly, but I’m sure he’s only dangling half the carrot, and once I grab on I’m going to find a shark’s head on the other end.
