Page 67 of Insatiable

The thought sobers me instantly. We managed to get out of George’s traps quickly enough, but we still have a long way to go.

“Come on.”

Dade takes the lead, opening the door back to the corridor. He ushers us all outside. Cerberus follows wagging his tail.

“That thing is not coming!” Juliette warns, but Tate reaches down the front of Juliette’s bra, pulls out three cup cakes and throws them to each of Cerberus’s heads, rendering Juliette speechless for the first time in her life and death.

When she sees that her indignation is not going to be heeded, she follows us down the long corridor.

After about two hours of relentless walking or limping in Tate’s case, Dade suddenly stops. “I’m going to have to take my shirt off.”

I glance down at my swollen ankles, feeling the heat radiate off my skin. I’m exhausted and uncomfortable, but I don’t have the luxury of being able to discard my shirt whenever I feel like it.

“Such a turn-on,” Juliette jokes, a playful grin spreading across her face.

Dade shakes his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. With a swift motion, he pulls his shirt over his head. He shuffles it around, carefully guiding his wings through the fabric.

Despite my irritation, I can’t help but draw in a breath when Dade turns his back to us. I’m not alone; beside me, Juliette and Tate gasp in unison.

“It’s London,” I say, gaping at the massive tattoo that sprawls across his back.

Juliette leans in closer to inspect it. “It’s a map.”

“A map of these corridors,” Dade clarifies. “Quinn marked the beast’s room with a red dot.”

“Quinn did this?” I ask, stepping up beside Juliette, my curiosity piqued. “I never knew.”

“I asked her to keep it a secret,” Dade replies, reaching over his left shoulder to prod a specific area of the map. “I think we’re around here somewhere. We just passed a fork and a T-junction.”

I shake my head in awe as Juliette follows the path along Dade’s back with her finger, tracing the intricate lines.

“It’s right here!” Tate snaps, jabbing her finger down just below Dade’s left shoulder blade. “And the red dot is down by his right kidney. We need to take the next right, then a left, then another left.”

Juliette raises her nose in the air, a hint of disdain evident on her face. When Dade, Tate, and Cerberus start moving, she pulls me back.

“Why is Tate even here?” she sniffs, crossing her arms.

“Uh, because she was the one who took us to the Earthery. She figured out how to get past the beast…”

“That was Quinn,” Juliette reminds me, her tone sharp.

“Okay, fine. She was the one who got us all out of the manacles in the demon’s lounge.”

“Yeah. And now I’m three cupcakes lighter because of that slobbering mutt.”

“You’d be a whole lot lighter than that if the demons had eaten you. Face it—we wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for Tate… or Cerberus. Now come on. We don’t want to lose them.”

It takes another four hours to reach the crystal room. Four hours of Juliette complaining about the dog and Tate.

I’d seen the beast before in the Earthery, but now, standing before the real thing, my fear creeps back in, settling like a heavy weight in my chest. Cerberus whines slightly, with one of its heads giving a timid bark. He slips behind Tate’s legs and cowers. For a type of hellhound with three heads, he’s an awful coward.

The hellbeast looks different—bigger, for starters. Its teeth gleam menacingly, longer and sharper than I remember.

It unleashes an almighty howl that reverberates off the walls, sending a chilling roar down the corridor. The force of it rustles our hair and sends shivers racing down my spine.

"Alright, Dade. You know the drill," Tate says, dropping her bag and pulling out the familiar white fabric we used before. She tosses the dress aside, quickly unraveling the material to drape over Dade’s wings.

This was easier in the Earthery. There, the chance of being mauled to death was significantly lower. Now, the stakes feel terrifyingly real. The beast’s breath reeks of sulfur, its jaws snapping with unnerving force. Yet, somehow, the three of us work together, dressing Dade in his angelic disguise.

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