Page 25 of Insatiable

Felix's jaw tightens and his fists clench at his sides, his frustration reaching its boiling point. "Last time I was an idiot. This time, I'm trying to make amends."

I look away, unable to process the mix of emotions swirling inside me. “Well, your concern is noted. But I can take care of myself.”

“Evidently,” he mutters. Once again I’ve pushed him too far, but Felix likes to hurt with his words, not his fists.

He says something, his face tight with anger, but I can’t hear anything. My mind is swirling, pretty much like the food in my belly.

“Something’s wrong,” I cry out, holding my belly that now looks enormous. “I…” My stomach feels like it’s full of snakes. Half a second before I black out, a terrible thought occurs to me. The food was poisoned… and Felix gave it to me willingly. He knew. The bastard knew. I can’t get the words out before everything goes dark and I crash to the floor.

13

LUCIFER WAS AN ANGEL ONCE

QUINN

“Dade?” I cry out his name, running round to his side of the table where his face has slumped right into his food. As I pull him out of his dessert, his head lolls back, his eyes closed. “Dade!” I cry out again, giving him a shake. Bits of chocolate pudding drip from his face to the floor. “Someone help me!” I shout out desperately.

The room goes black and then the Earthery lights come back on. I stare through tears at the warehouse sized room. Dade isn’t the only one on the floor. Looking around, I see one of each of the pairs is on the floor. Fuck. They were poisoned. Anger swirls in the pit of my stomach, hot and relentless, but I force myself to keep it under control. The panic is there too, clawing at the edges of my mind, threatening to spill over, but I bite down hard, refusing to let it show. I won’t give the leadership team the satisfaction of seeing me unravel. Not here. Not now.

“You bastard!” someone shouts out as George steps into the Earthery.

George chuckles as though this is some kind of joke to him. Beside him, Anthura looks smug as she surveys the giant room. Her eyes land on Felix, who is hovering over Rowenaprotectively. Her face hardens into a snarl. She clicks her fingers and a number of glamored demons come running in with stretchers.

George’s voice echoes round the cavernous room. “I couldn’t make the second trial too easy. I did plan to, but then I thought it was a bit boring. So one of you eats a meal. Big deal. This Circle is all about gluttony and I can say that either you left standing are more selfless than the average human or those on the ground are gluttons, just like everyone else in this place.”

“What did you do to them, you monster?” I look over to see a distraught Tomas holding Juliette in his arms. She’s unconscious, like the rest of them.

“I put a little something in their food. It may kill them, it may not. Only time will tell, but here’s the good news for those of you left. You have all gotten through to the next trial.”

I stare at him open mouthed. If those still standing are through to the next round, the implication is that those who ate are not… if they even survive. I let out a sob. This can’t be happening. Two demons pull Dade from my arms and place him onto a stretcher. His huge wings scrape the floor beneath him. I don’t even bother to ask where they are taking him. Wherever Dade is going, I’m going too. I follow them out to the elevators. Dade’s wingspan is so huge and with them draped over the side of the stretcher, just the four of us can fit in the elevator. I’m so angry I can barely breathe, but beyond that, I’m scared. Right from the start I knew I’d get through this with Dade. Without him, I don’t know if I can do it. I tuck his wings up as gently as I can onto the stretcher. After the elevator doors open, it becomes apparent where they are taking him. It’s a place I’ve been more times than I care to think about. We are the first to arrive at the hospital wing. The demons hoist him onto a bed at the furthest end before leaving him alone.

A demon doctor comes over quickly with some of the magical apparatus I’ve come to recognize take the place of normal hospital equipment. It’s clear she knew we were coming. As Juliette is placed on the bed next to Dade, another doctor runs out.

“He’s been poisoned,” I say, my voice tight with the memory of the burning sickness that comes with it. At least Dade is unconscious, his body slack, free from the pain for now.

"I know," the demon doctor confirms, not even glancing up from her notes. Her tone is as indifferent as her expression, and it sends a chill through me.

"Will he be alright?" I ask, urgency creeping into my voice.

She shrugs, her hands stilling. “The poison will either kill him or work its way out of his system,” she states flatly, as if discussing the weather. "The first twenty-four hours are critical. If he survives that, recovery will take about a week."

I stare at her, disbelief twisting inside me. She turns to leave, but I step forward. “That’s it? You’ve not even looked at him!” My voice cracks, anger bubbling beneath the surface.

She stops, turning slightly, her eyes bored and emotionless. “I don’t need to look at him. I know what’s wrong with him,” she says with a dismissive wave. Then, without another word, she moves on to another patient.

Tears well up, blurring my vision as guilt gnaws at me. If only I had taken the food when Dade insisted that I eat. But I’m headstrong and refused to eat it, so he would. I spent my life not being able to afford enough food and giving up most of what I had to feed Jenny. I’m used to feeling hungry. When I came into Hell I was incredibly skinny, but in the first two trials, I thickened out and my skinny body got curves and became more womanly. I know my body can handle being skinny again, but I couldn’t bear that for Dade, so I forced him to eat. And in that small act, I will go on to the final trial and Dade won’t. Myheart grips when I think of the decision I’ll have to make. If I go through the next trial and win, I’ll be closer than ever to Jenny, but with every step I take toward finding my little sister, I’ll take another step away from Dade.

Loud sobbing takes my attention away from Dade. With another jolt of my heart, I see my best friend lying on the bed next to his, her breathing shallow. The sobbing is coming, surprisingly from Tomas, who is clutching her hand in his. I’m surprised he’s even bothered. From what Juliette told me of him, he didn’t care about her. He cheated on her repeatedly, but I don’t see that on his face now. My own despair is echoed in his face, but there’s remorse too. Maybe he does love her.

“Juliette is a fighter,” I say to him, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

“I know.” He smirks mirthlessly through his tears. “She fought me all the time. Living with her was like going into the ring with Muhammad Ali, except wearing washing gloves instead of boxing gloves.”

Despite everything, I smile at the image. I could imagine Juliette being hard to live with.

“She’s a feisty woman. That’s how I know she’ll make it.”

Tomas nods toward Dade, a curious gleam in his eyes. “Your chap looks like he’s made of sterner stuff, too. Demon?”

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