Page 15 of Insatiable

I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts before speaking. “Someone has been leaving these cookies for me every morning. Today, there was a note inside the box,” I explain, holding up the small piece of paper with the mysterious message.

Juliette and Quinn exchange a quick glance before turning their attention back to me. “What does it say?” Quinn asks eagerly, finally reaching for a cookie. I hand her the note.

“I was kinda hoping it was from one of you two.”

“If I had cookies, I’d give them to you to your face, not leave them on your doorstep,” Quinn says, her eyes scanning the note. Her brow furrows as she looks up at me, the weight of concern deepening the lines on her forehead. “I don’t like this. We’ve both had awful notes sent to us before. What if they’re from Anthura, just like the others were?”

“I thought Hades said Noémi sent the notes and that she’s not here anymore,” I reply, trying to dispel the growing unease.

Quinn folds the paper thoughtfully and I can see her mind racing. “Hades mentioned that she was responsible for everything that happened in Lust, but remember? She wasn’t in Purgatory. I found notes like the ones we received in Anthura’s drawer. I know it was her sending them.”

I take the note from her hand, my fingers brushing over the unfamiliar handwriting. “This note is different. The handwriting is different. Besides, I’ve been eating the cookies all week, and nothing has happened.” I attempt to reassure her, but a knot of doubt twists in my stomach.

“I love you both,” mumbles Juliette, crumbs flying from her lips as she speaks, “but if someone had been leaving me cookies, I’d have devoured the whole lot without telling anyone. Sorry, babes.”

I shake my head, laughter mingling with my anxiety. “I have been eating them myself,” I admit, pressing a hand to my belly, mimicking Quinn’s earlier gesture. “But I was only getting two a day. This box is a new development. It’s obviously something to do with the first trial today.”

Quinn pulls out her Hell Cell and looks at it. “I’m guessing we’ll get a message soon. It’s almost ten.” She picks up one of the cookies on the bed. “If it’s not Anthura trying to poison you, who do you think sent these to you?”

I shrug my shoulders. “As I said, I thought they were from you two. Who here has the ability to get cookies? It’s not been anything else, just these cookies. I think we can assume the first trial is going to have something to do with food, so we should do what the note says.”

Quinn looks uneasy. “I don’t trust anything that’s given to me by someone I don’t know.”

She’s barely touched the cookie in her hands. Felix poisoned her in Purgatory with cookies. The thought forms like a knot in my stomach. This can’t be Felix, I remind myself for the thousandth time this week. It’s just a coincidence. Besides, I’ve established these aren’t poisoned.

“I’ve been eating them all week and I’m fine,” I reiterate. “I honestly think there’s someone out there that wants to help me.”

Just as predicted, all three of our Hell Cells begin to beep. I pull mine out and read the message.

GEORGE: PLEASE MEET DOWN IN THE EARTHERY IN FIFTEEN MINUTES SHARP FOR THE FIRST TRIAL.

“It’s up to you,” I say, looking up at Quinn. “You don’t have to eat them, but if you don’t make your mind up, there won’t be any left to eat.” We both turn our heads to Juliette, whose mouth and hands are full of cookies. “There better be enough left for us,” I chide.

Between us, we finish off the box, miraculously managing to pry some away from Juliette. By the time we leave our room, I’m pleasantly full—something I haven’t felt in a week. Even more amazingly, I haven’t had the urge to throw all the cookies up. Nerves fill me as we gather outside of the Earthery. Not because it’s the first trial in a new circle, although that’s nerve-wracking enough, but because this will be the first time, I’ll have to be close to Felix in over a week. As soon as the thought of him pops into my mind, I see him standing at the back. At least he’s not with Anthura. She’s at the front, standing next to George and Cerby. On the other side of George stands Twila, looking beautiful as always.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” starts George. “So glad you could make it to the first trial. I’m sure all of you are familiar with the Earthery and what it can do. I don’t want to give too much away because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say you are going to love this.” He pats his round belly and gives us all abig smile, which none of us return. We’ve all been burned before, knowing what these demons think constitutes a good time.

It's only when we step into the Earthery that the source of my anxiety hits me like a tidal wave. The last time we were all in this room, chaos erupted—an explosion that left destruction in its wake and landed me and Felix in the hospital. I glance sideways at him, my breath hitching in my throat. Our eyes meet for a fleeting moment, and a shiver runs down my spine. I quickly drop my gaze, desperate to shield my thoughts and emotions from him. As soon as we’re all in the Earthery, the darkness begins to recede, and we find ourselves in a huge banquet hall. In the middle of the hall is a long table with seats down each side and one seat at each end. I count quickly. There are seventeen seats down one side, which makes thirty-six altogether. Someone places their palm in my hand, and I realize it's Quinn standing next to me. Her other hand is holding Dade’s, and he’s looking as stoic as ever.

Reaching out with my spare hand, I grab Juliette’s hand.

“Take a seat, take a seat!” George says, extending his hand excitedly towards the table. We do as he says, though not with quite the same enthusiasm he’s showing. I think I can already guess what this trial is going to be. We choose to sit in the middle, not wanting to sit anywhere near George, who takes the seat on one end, and Hades, who takes the other. It might have been nice sitting close to Twila, who’s sitting next to him, but Anthura and Moloch have taken up places right next to them. My heart pounds as Felix takes the seat opposite mine.

It’s not until everyone is seated that George addresses us all. “For your first trial in the circle of Gluttony, you are required to partake in a grand feast,” he announces with a wicked grin. His eyes glint with amusement as he continues, “However, there’s a catch.” My stomach clenches in apprehension, and I feel Felix’s foot graze against mine under the table.

“Don’t eat!” Before George has uttered the last syllable, the massive table begins to fill with food.

I say a silent thank you to my secret benefactor, doubling it as more food appears in front of us. The feast laid out before us is almost mocking in its extravagance: roasted meats dripping with juices, freshly baked bread steaming in the cool air, and bowls of stews and curries and goodness knows what else. The scents waft around me, making my stomach clench painfully with hunger.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Juliette hisses under her breath. I squeeze her hand tighter, if only to stop her from jumping on the table and loading as much of the food into her mouth as humanly possible.

I can’t tear my eyes away from the display in front of us. The aroma of the food is intoxicating, making my head spin with desire. I can feel the hunger gnawing at my insides, begging to be satisfied. But George's warning echoes in my mind.

As I glance around the table, I can see the varying degrees of struggle on the other competitors’ faces. Tate looks pale, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she stares longingly at the spread. Juliette's eyes dart from one dish to another, a fierce battle raging within her. I tighten my hold on her hand. I only wish I could hold her other hand too, but when I look down, I see that someone has beaten me to it. On Juliette’s other side sits Tomas. I’m surprised. I thought she hated him, but as I look closer, I spot that she’s doing everything in her power to rip her hand from Tomas, who is gripping onto her like a dog with a bone. Her long fingernails are pressing down into his flesh so hard that blood is weeping from his fingers. She’s not doing that to my hand, and I’m not gripping half as tightly, so I can assume they didn’t kiss and make up after Quinn and I left them at Infernos last week. I should have asked her about that, but with the baby and constant hunger, it had slipped my mind.

At least he’s preventing her from doing what she clearly wants to do. I turn my eyes to the end of the table. George is filling his plate cheerfully. I hold my breath as he takes a huge mouthful of something that looks like stew, but nothing happens besides my stomach rumbling harder and Juliette growling under her breath. On the other end, Hades and Anthura are cheerfully eating away too, but between them, looking sad, Twila has left her plate empty. She looks like a girl who’d rather be anywhere than here, and I know the feeling well. She gives me a sad smile and a slight nod, which fuels my resolve further. Twila is allowed to eat. There will be no consequences for her in her position as Hades' girlfriend. She’s not eating out of solidarity with us, her friends. I’ve never been more grateful to have a belly full of cookies, but when an anchovy pizza with pickles and strawberry ice cream materializes in front of me, I can’t take it anymore. I’ve heard of weird pregnancy cravings, but before now, I didn’t have the first clue as to how strong they were. My stomach grumbles as I try to resist the urge to reach out and take a slice.

I look over the pizza as Felix catches my attention. His expression is unreadable as he gazes at the feast. There’s a steely determination in his eyes, a resolve that sends a shiver down my spine. He’s eaten before this. Everyone else is drooling at the food, and he’s maddeningly unnerved by the whole thing. His eyes shoot up, and I don’t have time to look away as his lock onto mine. The anchovy ice cream pizza is forgotten in an instant as it hits me. Hewasthe one that left the cookies. He’s helping me. My stomach tightens, emotions swirling in a chaotic mess—anger, confusion, disbelief. How can this be the same man who’s made my life hell? And yet, behind all the torment, there’s this... act of kindness. I can’t make sense of it. I already don’t know how to feel about him—half of me hates him, the other half... Idon’t even know. And now he does this. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

---