Page 74 of Insatiable

“They got past Satan’s Hellbeast in Gluttony and came down by way of the main elevator,” Twila mutters.

Hades stares at her, his face darkening. “And you knew about this?”

Tate speaks before Twila has a chance to. “She saw us wandering about down here and I guess felt sorry for us. She took us for some food and when we told her how we got down here, she demanded that we come to you.”

“She was adamant!” Juliette adds. I shoot her a look but she’s too busy looking at Tate, who, in turn, is staring defiantly at Hades as if daring him to question her version of events.

“It is impossible to get past Satan’s protections,” Hades says.

Tate stands up and steps over to him. “Not only did we get past Satan’s beast, we did it with ease.”

I gawp at the balls on the woman. Hades almost seems impressed. Tate is tall for human, but Hades still towers over her.

“Did I not tell you to sit?” he growls, his voice low and menacing.

Tate holds her ground, and I fear that instead of merely feeding us to the demons, Hades might choose to devour her himself. His eyes darken, the atmosphere thickening with tension, until Juliette grabs the back of Tate’s dress and yanks her back down to the bench. “Let’s save it for the trial, eh?”

Hades’ gaze shifts to Juliette, his expression unreadable. “Who said there was to be a trial? You broke the covenant of the Inferno Games, and for that, you will be punished.”

I wince at his words. I know all too well what their idea of punishment entails—it’s never a simple reprimand or a warning.

“Please don’t hurt them,” Twila says. “They are my friends.”

“Friends or not. I cannot let them go,” Hades growls. “If word got out, there would be a mutiny. These games have worked for thousands of years and I will not let them fail now because of sheer good luck on getting past a Hellbeast.”

My heart plummets as Hades pulls out his Hell Cell and begins typing something into it.

“Anthura is coming down. I will let her decide your fate because I trust she knows you better than I do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Juliette asks, her brow furrowing with confusion.

“I think it means she’ll know how to torture us better than Hades can,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper.

Hades remains silent, but the look on his face confirms my suspicion. He’s passing the buck. What an effing coward.

The moment Anthura steps into the room, her face lights up with pure joy. When her eyes settle on me, her grin turns malicious. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Robert, coming to fuck my boyfriend again.”

Before anyone can react, Jules races across the room and stands in front of Anthura. “Call her Rowena, you fucking monster!”

Anthura raises an eyebrow at Jules, a smirk playing on her lips. “I’d have thought watching your husband brutally murdered might have cured you of your insolence, but it seems not. Maybe you should watch your friend get brutally murdered, and then you’ll finally learn not to stand up to me. You always were a fucking annoyance who thought too much of herself.”

In a flash of white, Tate steps in between Jules and Anthura. “You’ll have to kill me before I let you get your claws into Juliette… or Rowena.”

“And why the fuck do you care?” Anthura snaps, her gaze icy. “Hades. I don’t know why you even asked me here. You know my thoughts on the matter. Kill them in whatever manner will hurt most. Let the demons devour them. I don’t actually care, as long as I don’t have to look at any of their miserable faces ever again.”

She sniffs at Tate, then turns her gaze to me. “Except this one. This one is mine.”

I think we’ve all been silenced into shock, but as Anthura steps round Tate and Jules and grabs me by the arm, yanking me to my feet, Dade stands up and swipes at Anthura, knocking her to the floor.

“You do not treat a lady like that,” he snarls. “Kill us if you will, but let us die together and let us die with dignity.” He turns to Hades. “Anthura is a witch that isn’t fit to lick Rowena’s boots. She shouldn’t be in charge of if or how we die. You are the true leader of these games. You should make the decision.”

Hades narrows his eyes as he regards Dade. It’s clear he’s not used to being stood up to, especially by someone who is usually so quiet. The pair of them facing up to each other is breathtaking. Dade with his wings outstretched and his shirt ripped to shreds and bloody thanks to the hellbeast and Hades, who stands a head taller, looking magnificent and godlike. If I wasn’t about to be murdered in the most brutal way possible, I’d almost be turned on by watching them square up to each other.“Nevertheless, I tasked the job to her,” Hades answers. I notice he doesn’t bother to help Anthura to her feet.

If Hades wants to do what Anthura wants, then our fates are sealed. Dade will never see Quinn again. I’ll never see Felix. I hate how there’s a flutter in my belly at the thought of him, but then with amazement I realize it’s not my stomach that’s fluttering, but the baby. Despite everything, I clap my hand to my stomach. Joy pushes out the despair. “I can feel the baby!” I say with almost a laugh. It’s absurd. We’ll both be dead soon, both me and my child, but here, right now, in this moment, he or she is telling me not to give up.

Jules rushes over to me and puts her hand on mine. There’s a moment of utter stillness as we wait for the baby to kick again. It’s like time has stood still. For the briefest of seconds it’s beautiful.

You fucking disgusting bitch!” Anthura snarls, shattering my moment of hope. I instinctively step back, knowing she’s about to come at me again, claws bared and ready for blood.

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