Page 13 of Insatiable

My mind wanders. Therewasa cupcake store there. It was like heaven. I stand up and follow Ro and Quinn. “Why did we leave Purgatory again? It was heaven compared to this.

Ro presses the call elevator button and turns to face me. “We left because Quinn joined the games to find Jenny and we wanted to support her,”

“Hey, don’t blame me!” Quinn retorts. “You both joined through your own volition. If I remember rightly, you were trying to get away from Barclay and you were trying to impress Hades.”

Damn. Nowshe’sright. “And look how that turned out.”

“It turned out amazing,” Ro said, linking her arms in mine as we step into the elevator. “Because despite everything being a gigantic pile of diseased dog poop, we’re all still together.”

I grimace. “I know that was your version of a rousing speech, but next time, wait until I have a cupcake in my mouth before you try to rouse me, eh?”

The elevator doors open. We step in and go down a level. Just like Purgatory and Lust, they open out into a kind of underground courtyard with the classrooms and the entrance to the Earthery to the right, Infernos nightclub ahead and a parade of shops to the left. It becomes apparent very quickly that people don’t come down here often like they did in the other circles. We’re the only three here except for the people that I can see standing bored behind the counters in the stores.

“Is it me, or is this more depressing than upstairs?” I say, guiding my eyes along the storefronts, inwardly praying for a food store of some kind. Anything. I’d even eat a salad at this point and I really freaking hate salad. “Forget it. There are nofood shops. Let’s head into Infernos and get drunk. Maybe I can cope with the next few weeks if I’m inebriated the whole time.”

A small spark of hope ignites within me as we walk into a dimly lit place that looks oddly familiar. The bar is empty, save for a demon bartender wiping glasses behind the counter. It’s early, and the place has an eerie calm.

I sidle up to the bar, letting out a long breath of relief as I park my ass on one of the bar-height stools. I wave the barman over, eager for a taste of normalcy.

“Three Dragonfire whiskies, here we come!” I announce with a whoop, glancing at Rowena with a teasing grin. “Make that two Dragonfire whiskies and one virgin-whatever-you-have.”

“It’s been a long time since you were a virgin, ey?” I don’t even bother to look toward the dark corner to know who is talking. I’d know that voice anywhere. It used to haunt me in my dreams. Now it only serves to annoy me. Tomas. No wonder he’s here. He always did like the drink. If heart disease hadn’t killed him, cirrhosis would have. Or any number of STDs.

The barman plonks down three glasses: one tall cocktail glass and two shot glasses. Ignoring my ex husband’s quip, I grin at Quinn and Rowena in anticipation. But as the barman upends a bottle into one of the shot glasses, nothing comes out. It’s only when he pushes it toward me that I realize it’s empty.

“It’s empty!” I point out, frustration bubbling up. My voice is sharper than I intend, a mix of disappointment and anger simmering beneath the surface.

“And you’re in Gluttony, the place for food addicts, alcoholics, drug addicts, and people who don’t know when to say no,” the barman retorts, his tone dripping with disdain.

“I could never say no to you, Jules,” Tomas calls out. “Do you remember that? Irresistible you were. Want to come join us?”

I glance over at the dark corner briefly to see my stupid ex sitting in one of the booths with none other than Orlin Moss.

“Didn’t you read up on this place before you came here?” continues the barman, so I look back and set my attention on him. “You’re one of those Inferno Games contestants, aren’t you? I can tell by the fact that there’s still meat on your bones.”

I can feel my cheeks flush with a mix of embarrassment and irritation. The barman’s words cut deeper than they should, and I clench my fists, trying to keep my composure. Quinn and Rowena exchange uneasy glances.

“We didn’t come here for a lecture,” I snap back, unable to mask the edge in my voice. “I just want a fucking drink!”

“Let’s go back upstairs,” Ro suggests, but I’m angling for a fight and I’m not sure who I want to punch more. The nightmare of a bartender for not giving me what I want, my ex husband for giving everything to every woman he ever came in contact with or Orlin Moss for just being here and being his usual pathetic self. How the fuck did he even manage to get through to this circle, anyway? Oh, that’s right. For some unfathomable reason, Orlin is a secret sex god who got more points than anyone in the last circle despite there being no one admitting to sleeping with him. I get the feeling he’d be surprised if someone pointed out he even had a cock, let alone him knowing what to do with it. “I still can’t fathom how Orlin’s still around,” I mutter, “especially as Candice, the Hell slut, and Remy didn’t make it through.”

Ro elbows me in the stomach. “Don’t slut shame just because you’re hungry. It’s gross how women are called sluts and men are called cads and studs for the same behavior. Besides, you’re hardly a vestal virgin yourself.”

“How did I not notice Remy wasn’t here?” Quinn says aloud, her eyes widening. “I dated the guy, for Christ’s sake.”

At the other side of the bar, the bartender bristles with Quinn’s choice of words.

Rowena shakes her head. “I’m going back upstairs. This is too depressing and I’ve been to some real dives in my time.”

“Me too,” Quinn adds. “I need to figure out how to change Dade’s mind because if I don’t, I’ll have to go and find Jenny by myself. Juliette. You coming?”

I look back at Tomas and Orlin. They are probably the two people I’d least like to sit next to in a bar that serves air instead of alcohol, but sitting in my room twiddling my thumbs waiting for the first trial to start seems equally as depressing. At least hating on Tomas and Orlin will pass the time.

“You two go up.” I wave them off. “I’ll stay down here for a while.”

They give me twin incredulous looks, but walk away leaving me at the bar alone. I pick up the empty shot glass in front of me because it feels like I should at least have a prop, and head over to the two men.

It’s a hard push to decide who would be the worst to sit next to in the booth, but I remember that whoever I choose to sit next to, I’ll have to stare at the other one… sober. Orlin’s bad comb over and miserable face makes my mind up for me. I slide in next to him, which leaves me with the joy of spending the evening looking at my ex husband. He’s thicker round the middle than he used to be, but he hasn’t lost the boyish grin that captivated me back when he was a boy and I was a girl. The asshole was my first kiss, my first sexual experience and my first… and only broken heart. It irks me that he’s still got it. No doubt he’s still flinging it around.

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