Page 32 of Insatiable

Felix stares up at her, anger flashing in his eyes.

“I’m talking to Rowena,” Felix growls.

“And now you’re done,” Juliette snaps, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Felix’s face darkens, but Juliette holds her own as he stands up to her.

He turns to me. “Rowena?”

“If I throw a stick, will you leave?” I snap, my voice laced with a nastiness that feels oddly satisfying, like slipping into a familiar old habit.

Felix's expression tightens for a moment, but he decides against responding. Instead, he turns on his heel and walks away. I watch him go, not shifting my gaze to Juliette until the door closes behind him with a soft click.

Juliette steps closer, her face full of concern. “I’m sorry, babes, but I couldn’t sit there watching him argue with you when you’ve just woken up from a coma. The docs need to check you and the baby out.” She waves one over.

I place my hand on my belly, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. Now that I don’t have the suffocating feeling of Felix next to me, I can finally concentrate on the most important thing. The baby is fine. I can’t feel it moving yet, but deep down, I know it’s still there, still alive. I keep my mouth shut as one of the demon doctors gives me a perfunctory once-over. He barely looks at me before declaring, “You’ll probably make it.” Such comfort.

“We’re out, but I guess you already know that,” I say to Juliette once the demon has left.

She nods. “Dade is out too. Only Quinn got through.”

“Felix got through,” I point out, a bitter edge to my voice.

“Of course he got through,” Juliette says, rolling her eyes. “Me and Quinn were talking about him earlier. You know, it never occurred to me that him and Anthura had planned all this.”

I raise an eyebrow, incredulous. “Seriously? It’s the first thing I thought about when he told me. First, he got me on his side in the first round, softening me up so I’d trust him, and then he and Anthura concocted this plan where I’d take the stupid food. She probably told George to put us together. I should have figured it out sooner. Since when has Felix ever chosen to do something for anyone but himself?”

Juliette looks thoughtful, her brow furrowed. “He’s not left your side in two days, Ro. He punched George when he found out what happened to you.”

“He punched George?” I echo, suddenly feeling sick.

Yeah, right in the face. Apparently, he knocked him right over. Quinn told me. I was still out of it when it happened.”

I stare at her, trying to process this new information. “Why would he do that?”

Juliette shrugs. “The guy is a grade A asshole, but maybe he really does care about you. Maybe there’s more to him than we thought?”

Pain twists in my stomach that has nothing to do with the baby. He wouldn’t have punched George if he wasn’t really angry. Anthura I can believe was in on all this, but not George. There’d be no reason for him to stage it. If Juliette is right, Felix has more than likely given himself a one-way ticket out of the games… for me.

“Well, shit!”

Juliette smirks. “I wouldn’t have thought he had it in him either, but there you go.”

I close my eyes and let out a long, shaky breath. “I’m going to have to go apologize to him, aren’t I?” I open my eyes again and look for Juliette’s reaction. She screws up her face into a look of disgust.

“Eew. I wouldn’t. If he fucked his chances up in the games, then that’s on him. You had nothing to do with it. The way I see it is this. Either he did deliberately poison you with Anthura’s help and he deserves everything that’s coming to him, or he was looking out for you and took it too far. Either way, it’s not your problem. Your problem is getting stronger, so we can both get out of this hospital wing and plead our case.

“You still want to be in the games… after everything that’s happened to us?”

“Rowena, my darling. I’d rather fuck an angry porcupine than stay in this circle without food.”

I laugh. “You mean you haven’t already? I’d write it in my diary that I’ve finally found something that Juliette Perez hasn’t fucked, but I can’t seem to find a pen.”

Juliette grins and suddenly the crippling worry and stress recede a little.

“You get yourself fighting fit, because I’m not doing this alone. You’re coming with me.”

“Dare I ask where? Not a porcupine sanctuary, I hope ‘cause I already have a headache.”

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