Bad Company (Seven Deadly Sins #1) ✅ Completed

Chapter Forty-Two: The Fine Art of Negotiation

The Fine Art of Negotiation  

Asher regarded me carefully. Well, as carefully as he could without actually showing me his face. “What do you desire Eliza Taylor? Riches? Love?”

In front of my eyes a vision appeared. It was me, but not. I was older, much more beautiful than I could ever hope to be. I dripped class and wealth, and a gorgeous guy that looked disturbingly like Chase looking adoringly into my eyes.

“No.” I shook my head. What I wanted was a lot more valuable that all the riches or cute boyfriends in the world.  

“How about a loving mother? A loving father? A stable home? Perhaps you could be the envy of all your friends?” His voice oozed out of his hood and climbed over my skin, until it filled my head. It was gross and awful.

The vision changed, showing both my parents. They were smiling at each other, obviously in love. None of my mother’s acidity or my father’s tired rage marring either of their visages. Both stood in front of a nice home in a real neighborhood. It was clearly a place where kids were raised in wholesome loving environments, not the cold, hard reality of inner-city streets.

It was one of my old innermost desires. I thought I’d let go of it the second I realized who my parents really were. Actually, I had; what Asher showed me was all a lie. Those people weren’t my parents. The time for fantasies was long behind me. There was so much more at stake right now - having parents that loved and understood me was something I learned to stop waiting for a long time ago.   

“I want a chance,” I managed to get out, closing my eyes against the temptation Asher presented. Even though I knew it wasn't real, it was still tempting as all get out. God, he really was an evil master manipulator.  

“For…?” he asked now, his voice reminding me not of darkness but the total absence of all light. It was worse than darkness. It was the bleak realization that no light could ever exist wherever Asher stood.

I opened my eyes and faced him again, “I want a chance to help them…the people Celeste cursed. I want to help them get their souls back.”

“And why would I agree to that?” I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like I’d just shocked the all-mighty Asher down to his evil, black core. Had anyone ever pleaded for something that wasn’t entirely self-serving? Well, even I wasn’t so generous. Helping the others free themselves might be the only way I could get myself off the hook Dante kept harping about. 

Asher was silent as he waited for my response.

If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was press my advantage. I jumped on this one…ah, figuratively speaking of course, “Because you’re a creature who gets off on sick, twisted games. You enjoy watching people struggle and fail, and then taking them to Hell just to add insult to injury. Why would you pass this chance up? It’s like the opportunity of a lifetime.”

“What would you offer for this chance?” he asked curious. I was pretty sure he was really thinking my proposal over. All I had to do was get the hook in nice and deep and reel him in.  

I swallowed hard, my voice cracking on the next two words, “My soul.”

“Your soul is already mine,” he said matter-of-factly. It was like he was saying it was raining outisde, or what time of day it was; there was no affect whatsoever.