Page 2 of Insatiable

I don’t want to see anyone.

I don’t want to see him...

The look of pure terror on Felix’s face as everything turned to black when we left Lust is more than enough to tell me what he thinks of our situation. My situation, because there’s no way in literal Hell I’m letting him be a part of this.

This... I can’t even begin to think of it as what it is. A pregnancy. Half of me wishes Noémi was blustering and it was her huge final joke, but the other half is terrified that she’s wrong. It’s a miracle I never thought possible and now that it’s happening, I’ve never been more scared in my life. Not even when a thug twice my size threatened to kill me, then actually went through with his threats.

“Ro, Girl. Come out. Quinn and I are in fits, worried about you.”

I ignore Juliette’s imploring plea from the other side of my door and take in a deep breath, closing my eyes and running my hand over my flat belly for the thousandth time this morning.

“The leader of Gluttony is waiting,” Quinn shouts, “but he says he won’t wait more than five minutes. If you don’t get down there now, he’s going to tell Hades and you’ll be out of the games.”

I rub my face, then haul my feet to the floor. Opening the door, I find Juliette and Quinn staring at me expectantly.

“Thank fuck, I thought we were going to have to break the door down and drag you out,” Juliette quips, before adding, “You look like shit!” She ushers me inside my room to my walk-in wardrobe and pulls out a flowery dress that I made a literal lifetime ago.

“We got our own clothes back?” I murmur, taking the dress from her hands. In the last circle, our outfits barely covered anything. I’m still stuck in the skimpy Moulin Rouge costume I threw together for the ball. Now, staring at my reflection—ripped stockings, hair a tangled mess—I feel a wave of nausea. What was I even thinking?

I know what I was thinking, and it was insanity. I just don’t want to admit it to myself. I was trying to impress Felix... or show him I was worth something... that I could be beautiful. Oh god. What am I doing?

A wrinkle appears between Juliette’s eyebrows at my expression. “Just go in the bathroom and put it on and for all that is holy, run a brush through your hair, Ro. I’m starving and can you smell that delicious breakfast? Bacon, eggs, pancakes.” She closes her eyes and inhales, her face a picture of bliss. “Gluttony! Can you imagine what the food is going to be like here?”

I sniff the air, but all I can smell is donuts over the lingering odor of sulfur before I quickly have to swallow to stop myself retching.

Quinn helps me into the dress, apparently in a rush. I suspect I’m not the only one risking my place in the games with my tardiness. They are risking it by coming to fetch me. “I know you’ll want to talk about the... you know, but we have to make this meeting. Afterwards, come to my room and we’ll talk properly.

I spin round to face her. “I don’t think I can face seeing him,” I admit. I’ve thought of nothing but the child that may or may not be growing inside of me for hours, but with those thoughts come the image of that asshole Barclay. Literally anyone would have been a better choice to impregnate me than him. One of the demons in the lower levels would have been a better choice and they probably eat babies for breakfast.

Quinn links her arms in mine. “I won’t let him come near you.”

“Too fucking right!” Juliette adds, linking my other arm in hers. I manage a queasy smile. My entire death might be the most fucked up thing and my stomach is curdling, both with the stink of sugary donuts and the memories that brings, but at least I have two of the best friends at my side.

The huge stained glass windows that wrap around each of the towers now show depictions of food. The vibrant colors dance across the glass, creating a mesmerizing display of culinary delights. It’s enough to churn my stomach.

In one window, a bountiful harvest is depicted, with fruits and vegetables spilling out of baskets in a riot of color. The next window shows a lavish banquet, with tables laden with dishes of every kind, from roasted meats to decadent desserts. I glance over and notice Juliette eyeing it, her lips parting as if she canalmost taste it all. But the display just stirs something uneasy in me, a sense of revulsion creeping up as I take it all in.

I don’t want to hope it's morning sickness. I can’t give myself any hope that this pregnancy isn’t just some cruel joke made up by Noémi to stick the knife in one last time before she was carted away.

I turn to Juliette. “First Lust and now Gluttony. This must be heaven to you,” I mutter.

“I can’t say the sex was particularly great in a circle that calls itself Lust, but how can they fuck up so badly with Gluttony?” she says with glee as we step onto the platform that will take us down to the lower level. “I’m going to eat so much food!”

Quinn shakes her head at her lie. Juliette was fucking Noémi’s huge bodyguards the entire last circle, and while they turned out to be gross little demons under their glamor, they were both amazingly hot before their glamor dropped. When the awful heaviness of reality recedes a bit and I feel like I can breathe, I remind myself to ask her exactly what was going on in Lust.

“We have approximately thirty seconds to get down to the meeting before they throw us out of the games and we’ll be stuck in this circle for eternity,” Quinn gripes, panic etched on her face.

Juliette takes another sniff. “If the food tastes as good as it smells, I can live with that... er, stay dead with that!”

It actually takes us a full minute and a half to join the meeting, but the four people standing at the front of the curved sofas don’t seem to mind. My eyes scan them, if only to keep my eyes away from the sofas where I know Felix will be sitting. Hades is there, his arm around Twila, who looks as gorgeous as always in a black corset dress that’s a masterpiece of lace and velvet, its dark hues contrasting against her fair skin. A crown ofdark roses sits perched atop her head and her eyes are lined with kohl.

Every time I see her, I’m reminded that I can’t pull off such amazing looks as she can. I don’t have the curves she has for a start. Not yet, I remind myself, then push the thought aside as I check out the person standing next to Hades. A man I can only describe as rotund stands with a welcoming grin on his face and open arms. He’s dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit, the buttons of his jacket straining due to his vast size and a yellow stain of some description down his front. Probably mustard. He’s closer to Twila’s height and is dwarfed next to the towering Hades. In fact, he’s almost as wide as he’s tall. In his hand, he holds a leash that is tied to a huge dog. Of course, this being Hell, it’s not a normal dog. It has three effing heads, all of them slobbering saliva. I love dogs, but I still have to fight the urge not to back away slowly. At least it’s on a leash and looks somewhat calm despite all the slobber. In his other hand he holds what looks like a half eaten turkey leg. I’m not sure if it’s for the dog or him.

“Welcome contestants!” His voice booms almost jollily as he gestures to the sofas. “I think that’s all of us now. Time to begin the third round of the Inferno Games.”

Juliette almost drags me to the sofa where I sit down with a thud. The smell of donuts is even more intense down here than upstairs, and it takes me a few moments to get used to it so I don’t inadvertently throw up. My stomach doesn’t stay settled for long as my eyes finally fall on the last person in the leadership lineup.

“How the fuck is Anthura here?” Quinn whispers in my ear.

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