Page 38 of Insatiable

Suddenly, an idea strikes me. It's crazy, probably suicidal, but it's the only option I can think of.

"What if we create a diversion?" I say slowly. "One of us lures the beast away while the others make a run for the elevator."

Rowena shakes her head vehemently. “And who is going to volunteer to be eaten by a hellbeast to save our sorry asses?”

“I think I’ve found someone.” Juliette sits up straight and pastes on a smug grin as Tate appears next to us, her genuine smile brightening the dimness of our surroundings. “Hey, ladies. I was wondering if I could join you. It’s a little lonely down here.”

Juliette scowls, crossing her arms defiantly. “You didn’t look lonely when you were snuggling up to Tomas just then.”

Tate furrows her eyebrows, her expression turning defensive. It’s reasonable, considering that when I glanced over earlier, she and Tomas were sitting at opposite sides of a table, hardly what I’d call snuggling.

“I’ve already told you I’m not interested in Tomas. He’s the only person that talks to me,” she explains, her voice steady but tinged with frustration.

Juliette snorts, a hint of sarcasm lacing her words. “I bet he is.”

“Anyway, is it okay to join you?” Tate gestures to the empty seat next to Juliette, her eyes hopeful.

“Of cour—” Rowena starts to respond, but Juliette shoots her a glare, cutting her off. “This seat is taken.”

Tate raises an eyebrow at the obvious lie, glancing between Juliette and the empty chair. “Seriously? By who?”

“By her!” Juliette points across the canteen where Hades and Twila are chatting. “Twila!” She shouts across the canteen, then waves Twila over.

Tate’s face falls, and she quickly walks away, clearly upset by Juliette’s outburst.

“Why do you have to be such a bitch, Jules? She said she was lonely,” Ro says, giving Juliette a disappointed look.

Juliette shrugs unapologetically. “Do you really want her hearing us talk about how to get past a hellbeast? We don’t even know if she’s in with the leadership. How else did she get in the Games from Lust if she’s not cozying up to one of them?”

“I thought we were done with that conversation,” Ro mutters. “You were going to fuck it to give the rest of us a diversion, if I remember rightly.”

Juliette gives her an annoyed smirk.

“It’s not over yet,” I interject, just as Twila takes the seat next to Juliette.

Twila looks between us with raised eyebrows. “What did I just walk into?” she asks, her voice teasing but her eyes sharp.

Ro glances at me, then back to Twila. "Quinn here is asking for hellbeast advice."

“Again?” Twila looks at me, unimpressed. “I thought I told you it was impossible, and now you're dragging Rowena and Juliette into this?”

Her words sting, and I feel like a scolded child. “There must be some way to get us all through this.”

“I told you there wasn’t," she snaps. "And you promised you’d stay in the games and forget about getting past the hellbeast.”

“I didn’t promise,” I protest. “I said I’d think about it. You said Satan can control it. Is there any way to get him up here to talk to us?”

Twila gives me a withering look. “Don’t you remember what I told you back in Purgatory? The only way to get to Satan is through the Inferno Games. That’s why I joined them. That’s why we all joined. I wanted to hook up with him, which I’m sure wasn’t everyone else’s objective, but no one can see him unless you make it to the ninth circle.”

Frustration bubbles through me. I don’t like being told no and I especially don’t like being told something is impossible. I was told it was impossible to find a way out of Hell, but then I was introduced to the Inferno Games. There’s always a way past things, even if they do seem impossible.

“What about getting Juliette, Rowena and Dade back in the games, then? Is that possible?”

She shrugs. “Possible but unlikely. Felix already tried that. I thought Hades was even considering it until Anthura pulled him away.”

Ro’s eyes open wide. “Felix tried to get back in the games? He was never out of them in the first place.”

Twila’s eyes wrinkle and she tilts her head to the side. “Didn’t he tell you this? I thought you two were hooking up now?”

---