Page 69 of Insatiable

Juliette suddenly stops, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face her, her expression intense. “I didn’t kiss Tate. She kissed me.”

I try to keep my expression neutral, but amusement flickers in my eyes. “Maybe she was just happy we escaped.”

“You’re not getting this, Ro. She had her fricking tongue in my mouth!” Juliette’s voice rises, flustered in a way I’ve never seen before.

A smirk pulls at my lips. I’ve never seen Juliette so rattled, and honestly, it’s kind of hilarious.

“I wouldn’t read much into it,” I say calmly. I’ve noticed Tate’s lingering looks at Juliette and the half smiles in the past day, but I didn’t think much of it until now. Not that I’m going to tell Jules that. She stares at me as though I’ve gone crazy.

“Come on, or we’ll lose them. We walked for hours to get from the tower and it’s probably the same distance back to the Avarice tower.”

I take a few steps, hurrying along to catch up with Dade and Tate, but I soon have to stop to see if Juliette is following.

“Do you want to lose them?” I ask, as she stands still, disbelief still covering her features. “May I remind you that our only map of this place is tattooed on Dade’s back?”

“But she kissed me. What does it mean?”

I sigh. “Jules. You’ve fucked every man you’ve ever met. Maybe this is the universe’s way of telling you that you should try something new?”

“You just told me I shouldn’t read anything into it and now you want me to fuck her? I’m not even a lesbian!”

I sigh, not in the mood for a lengthy conversation about Juliettes’ love life. “I don’t want you to do anything other than get a move on. My feet are killing me. I’ve suddenly developed hunger that feels like my stomach is revolting against me and who knows what we’ll come across down here. I doubt the hellbeast in Gluttony was the only one. Maybe stop thinking of Tate as someone who kissed you and start reminding yourself that she was the one who got us away from the hellbeast in the first place.”

31

IN AVARICE

JULIETTE

I’m trapped in Hell. I’ve just fought a literal Hellbeast… well, kinda. My ex-husband has died—again, for the second time—and all I can think about is Tate’s lips. Not exactly what I imagined would be occupying my thoughts right now, but here we are. It’s almost enough to distract me from the hunger gnawing at my insides. Almost. Rowena’s right, though—the hunger here hits differently. I thought Gluttony was bad, but this circle? If they don’t feed us soon, I might actually die.

Watching Dade and Tate walk is like watching a movie preview with the two main characters walking away from a massive explosion. The juxtaposition between Dade with his long black hair and giant black wings, now folded up behind him standing next to Tate with her platinum blonde hair over the white dress is something else. The contrast between them is striking, almost surreal.

And here I am, stuck in Hell, hungry as ever, obsessing over a kiss I can’t stop thinking about.

I must be going insane. Hunger has been known to do that to me. I try to look at Tate objectively. She’s... pretty. No, actually, she’s not just pretty. Quinn, Ro, and Twila are all pretty in theirown ways. Tate is striking—tall and almost fae-like in that white dress. There’s something about her that demands attention. She’s attractive, sure, but am I attracted to her? I can’t be. I’ve never been into women.

I guess I fell for Tomas in school and spent the rest of my life—and death—revenge screwing my way through anyone who crossed my path because of all the hurt he caused me. Urgh, that sounds pathetic. Exactly the kind of thing Ro would raise an eyebrow at and have some wisecrack ready for. I make a mental note never to say this out loud in her presence. She’s already offered me her ridiculous advice on the matter, and I don’t need more of that nonsense.

I avert my eyes from Tate and focus on where we are, trying to make sense of the seemingly endless corridors. Maybe they’re just like the other circles, but it’s hard to tell. Everything smells of sulfur, way worse than it does upstairs, and the surroundings are dull—dull grey walls, dull grey ceiling, stretching out forever.

“Quinn better be down here,” I mutter to Ro. “And she’d better have a bacon sandwich ready to hand over to her bestie.” As if on cue, my stomach growls loudly, an obnoxious reminder of just how desperate I’m getting.

“Are we nearly there yet?” I shout out ahead of me.

Dade stops and moves his wings to show his entire back. “I think we’re about a third of the way. You’ll have to check on the map.

I stride forward, feeling self-conscious for the first time in my life. I can practically feel Tate’s eyes on me, and it sends a shiver down my spine. I don’t know where to look, so I focus on the one thing that feels safe—the map tattoo etched onto Dade’s back.

“I think we’re here,” Tate says, her finger tracing a point on Dade’s skin. “See, we passed a couple of T-junctions, which are here.” Her touch is light, but it causes his muscles to ripple under her fingertips.

“Great,” I manage to say. I glance at Tate and immediately regret it. That sly smile playing on her lips—like she’s reading my thoughts, my embarrassing, ridiculous thoughts—makes my heart race in all the wrong ways.

Turning away quickly, I head back to Ro, who’s standing a few feet away, observing the whole thing with a knowing grin. She even throws in a raised eyebrow for good measure. Seriously? Can everyone read me like an open book? Do my thoughts stand out as clearly as the map tattooed on Dade’s back?

Urgh! “Come on, let’s get going then,” I say, trying to shake off the awkwardness. “Hopefully, we’ll be there in time for breakfast.”

It takes us hours to traipse the same path we’ve already done, but in reverse. It’s only when we get near to the place where, in the upper circles, there is an elevator to the tower, that I begin to feel nervous. Thoughts of Tate and bacon drop away when Dade stills and holds a finger to his lips.

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