Page 63 of Insatiable

Tate grins. “I’m so glad,” she whispers, leaning in to us. “Quinn had a theory, but the only way to test it safely is in here.” She glances up at Dade. “Once we’re done, we’ll need to head straight to the demon level. Quinn said you’ve got a key for the elevator?”

Dade gives a curt nod.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she adds, relief flickering across her face. “This will be a lot easier with you than the alternative I had in mind.”

“Time’s ticking!” I cut in, nodding to the clock. The urgency in my voice matches the pace of my racing heart. “I don’t know what you have planned, but I hope you can do it in thirty minutes.” I hold my Hell Cell up to the pad next to the doors and they open.

“Let Dade think of the Demon Level,” she whispers as we step into the darkness. “The rest of you let your minds go blank. The Earthery moulds itself to the minds of the people inside and we don’t want distractions.”

Seconds after the doors close behind us, a corridor begins to materialize. The walls are dull and gray, but lining them, stretching endlessly, is food. Cupcakes, candy, chips—everything I love.

Tate furrows her brow. “Is this what the demon level looks like?”

“There’s no food there,” Dade says flatly.

Everyone turns to me.

“Sorry.” I shrug sheepishly. “I tried to think of nothing, but… I’m hungry.”

Dade steps forward, glancing down the corridor. “It doesn’t matter. The layout is the same. We’re in the right place.” He looks back at Tate. “What do we do now?”

“I need you to close your eyes and focus on where you got stuck last time,” she instructs, then turns to me. “And you need to stop thinking about food. This has to be as real as possible.”

“Like that’s gonna happen,” I mutter, but Rowena jabs me in the stomach. “Fine,” I grumble, pouting. “I’ll try.”

Reluctantly, I close my eyes and force the thought of food to fade away.

A growl has me opening them.

“What the actual fuck is that?” I yelp, pressing myself against the wall as a massive, disgusting beast snarls and snaps in a crystal-lined room ahead of us.

“It’s chained. It can’t reach you,” Dade says calmly. “But we can’t get past it either.”

Realization hits. “Oh, that’s the beast Quinn mentioned. Yeah, I’ve changed my mind. Definitely don’t want to fuck it. It’s disgusting.”

Tate and Dade give me matching looks of confusion, while Rowena just shakes her head.

“We’re in the Earthery, though. This thing can’t actually hurt us, right?” I say, peeling myself off the wall and stepping closer. The beast strains against its chains, baring yellowed teeth, its breath rancid enough to kill a cactus. I step back quickly, my heart pounding. It looks real enough

“Of course it can hurt us,” Rowena says. “Did you forget everything that happened last night? That was in the Earthery, too, remember?”

“Well shit!”

“But in here we can all think of something safe and the room around us will change,” Tate points out.

Dade steps in front of me, his eyes fixed on the beast. “This place has a mind of its own. Until we’re sure, let’s assume everything in here can hurt—and kill—us just as easily as in reality.” He turns to Tate. “What did Quinn say to do next?”

“Quinn actually thought this would be safe, but I hear you about exercising caution.” Tate drops the bag she’s carrying to the floor. “She said that you couldn’t fight it, get round it or…” she looks my way, “get past it by other means. She did say there was one way to get past it, though.”

Rowena shakes her head, wrinkling her nose at the beast. “She said only Satan could get past that thing.”

“No,” Tate corrects, “she said Satan probably brought it here, but what Quinn actually said was that angels could get past it.”

I cross my arms, staring at the hulking beast. “Unless you’ve got a spare angel stashed in that bag, I think we’re wasting our time.”

“Ye of little faith,” Tate says with a grin. “Dade, step in front of it. Just don’t get close enough for it to make you lunch.”

Dade moves up cautiously, but the moment he’s in front of the creature, it goes wild—snarling, snapping its teeth, and raking its massive claws into the ground, desperate to close the gap between them. The sight is terrifying, and this isn’t even the real thing.

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