Page 27 of Insatiable

“Er, sorry!”

I close my eyes at the sight of Hades’ member which is so huge it’s making my eyes water and I’m not the one trying to deep throat it.

It’s like watching a car crash where you can’t take your eyes away. If I wasn’t going to have nightmares about this day already, I would now.

“Let’s go outside,” Twila says, extracting herself from Hades and guiding me back through the door behind me.

“I need an eye enema,” I joke feebly as we make our way to Infernos. Twila orders two dragonfire whiskeys from the bartender, and when they arrive, they’re more than just empty glasses—they’re filled with the promise of oblivion.

“I shouldn’t be drinking this,” I remind her as we find a dark corner to sit in.

“I’m allowed to eat and drink, and after what happened in the second round, you deserve this.”

I eye the glass of amber liquid suspiciously. To drink it would be cheating, and should I get caught, it could very likely have me thrown out of the games, no matter what Twila says. But then I remember that Dade is already out. With a quick, defiant breath, I down the whiskey in one go.

“This is going to give me a hell of a hangover on an empty stomach,” I choke out, my eyes watering with the heat of it.

“I’m sorry about Dade. I knew about the trial, but I want you to know I didn’t know that the food was poisoned. I would have warned you.” Twila’s voice trembles slightly, a hint of guilt seeping through.

I cover her hand with mine, squeezing it gently. “I’m not blaming you, but you are the only one that can help me now. Please tell me you asked Hades about the monster.”

Twila shakes her head, then flicks her eyes around the bar to ensure we are out of earshot of anyone else. Her usual confidence seems to falter. “Before I tell you how to get past that monster, you must know its madness. You won’t get to Jenny that way. The only way you’ll get to her is by continuing through the games.”

“Dade, Rowena, and Juliette are all out of the games. They can’t stay here.” Desperation edges my voice, and I can feel the weight of my words pressing down on both of us.

Twila casts her eyes downward, her shoulders slumping. "Trying to get down through Hell in the elevator is a death sentence."

"And the Inferno Games aren’t?" I snap back, my voice laced with frustration. "They might die, Twila. And if by some miracle they all pull through, they’ll be stuck here forever. Dade will never find out what happened to his daughter. Rowena will have her baby here. Can you imagine being born in a place where you can’t eat? Her child will never know what it’s like to taste food, and I don’t even know how that’s supposed to work. And Juliette—she’s barely holding on. Without food, she’s on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. She’ll lose her mind."

Twila’s eyes flash. "You think I don’t know all that?" She sighs heavily. "It’s not that I don’t want to help; I’m just telling you the risks. When it was just you and Dade, it was insane. But now you want to bring Rowena and Juliette into this too?"

"Just tell me how to get past the monster," I demand, my voice steady even though my heart is pounding in my chest.

Twila slumps further, looking more defeated than ever. "I wish I could tell you it’s easy, but it isn’t."

"Since when has anything ever been easy in this place?" I retort.

"It’s a hellbeast. "You can’t lure it with food, you can’t sneak past it, and trying to fight it would be suicide. The only thing hellbeasts fear are angels."

I blink at her, waiting for the punchline, but there isn’t one. "Angels?" I repeat, incredulously. "You’re telling me the only thing that can get past it is an angel?"

Twila shrugs helplessly.

I throw my hands up in exasperation. "Because angels are just so abundant in Hell! I’ll just swing by the angel store and grab a couple, right?"

"Lucifer was an angel once," Twila says quietly. "He’s the only one who can control these kinds of hellbeasts, and, of course..." She trails off, leaving the thought hanging.

I narrow my eyes at her, the pieces clicking into place. “We can’t get to Lucifer unless we get past the hellbeast in the first place.”

“That’s about it,” Twila says apologetically. “He must have brought it up himself at some point. Probably before the Games came down to this circle. I would imagine that he has many of them guarding the elevators in the other towers too, now that he’s seen how close you and Dade got to the elevator in the last circle. You were never meant to find it in the first place. I’m guessing he’s pretty pissed.”

I lay my head on my arms and try to stop the spinning in my head, thanks to the dragonfire whisky. I’ve managed to piss off Satan himself. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

Either I forfeit my place in the games and stay in this circle with Dade, never finding Jenny, I go on without him, leaving him in this miserable hellhole, or we try to figure out a way to get past a monster that isn’t get-pastable.

“I wish there was something else I could do.”

I love Twila, but it's so easy for her. She likes Hell. She gets all the perks of being in this place without actually being a demon. It’s like she was born for this world. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here, fighting for every inch, and this pull of jealousy I feel is starting to gnaw at me.

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