Page 12 of Insatiable

Maya swirled her wine lazily, a cruel smile on her lips. “Brian’s right, you know. Like, it;s a fact you always need something to fall apart over. Maybe you’re the problem.”

That was it. Rage exploded inside me. I lunged at her, grabbing her by the face, my nails digging into her skin. “Youbitch... You’ve got some nerve!” I screamed, my voice trembling with fury. “You ruined my life! You destroyed everything!”

Her wine glass shattered on the floor, and Brian jumped to his feet. “Rose, what the hell—!”

Maya recoiled, shock flashing across her face as she brought a hand to her cheek, blood welling from my scratches. Her voice wavered, but she still tried to bite back. “Rose, you’re insane—"

"You slept with my husband!” I shouted, completely losing control. “You cheating, sniveling, low-life whore!”

Maya’s face paled, but she quickly recovered. “You think I’m the reason? Phoenix was done with you long before I came along! You were too much—too needy, too emotional.”Her tone was defensive and venomous.

Her words cut, but I didn’t flinch. I leaned in, voice low and sharp. “You’ll never be more than a side piece, Maya. No matter how hard you try. For Phoenix, for Brian, for every man you’ve thrown yourself at. They all use you, then toss you aside. You’re nothing but a good time. None of them ever wanted more. None of them ever put a ring on your finger, did they?"

For the first time, she had no comeback. Her face hardened, but the cracks were showing.

Brian, still reeling from my outburst, tried to step in. “Alright, maybe we should all just—”

"Shut up, Brian,” I snapped, not sparing him a glance.

His smug arrogance filled the room, pushing me past my limit. I spun around, glaring at him. “You want to keep running your mouth, Brian? Because the only thing smaller than your brain is your dick.”

I turned to the others, my voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Yeah, guys, Brian could never get past second base because he was too ashamed of his tiny dick. First time he showed me? I laughed. And after that, he got all nasty with me, so I had to dump him.”

I could see the shock on their faces, but I didn’t care. I was done holding back.

Katie grabbed my arm firmly. “Rose, none of this matters. Let’s get out of here.”

I took a deep breath, stepping back from Maya. My chest heaved anger, but I felt lighter—like I’d dropped something I’d been carrying for too long.

"Yeah, let’s go,” Alex chimed in, breaking the tension.

Just as the three of us turned to leave, a sound echoed through the mansion. At first, it was distant, like something breaking far away, but then it grew louder—glass shattering, windows smashing, the sound engulfing everything around us.

We all froze. The noise became frantic, rattling the walls around us. It was coming from the basement.

Maya’s eyes widened in shock. “What the hell is that?"

Katie’s face turned ghostly white. “What is happening?" She glanced at me, fear etched in every word.

Then, a different noise—wings. Not the flutter of birds, but something heavier, more menacing. The flapping was deep, vibrating through the floor, shaking the very air around us.

We bolted from the living room, racing into the foyer, desperate to reach the door. Then a blur of darkness shot overour heads, too fast to comprehend. The noise was deafening—a massive shape tearing through the air like a living shadow.

It landed with a heavy thud, blocking our path. It was the scarecrow I saw in the fields—it was the Creeper!

The creature stood tall, wings unfurled, leathery and cracked like old parchment. His body was massive, muscles rippling under pale skin, dark veins webbing across his flesh. His face—sharp, cruel, hauntingly beautiful—was twisted with hunger.

His glowing eyes swept over us, freezing us under their gaze, trapped in the grip of fear.

First, Brian. He straightened his shoulders, trying to maintain a shred of arrogance but I could see the tremble in his hands. His face paled, his usual smugness replaced by a flicker of dread. Brian’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard, realizing his bravado meant nothing.

Next was Sophie. Her lip quivered, her body stiffening under the Creeper’s molten gaze. She stood rigid, her wide eyes flicking from his wings to his claws, like she was already imagining the damage he could inflict. Her breathing quickened, shallow and rapid, like a trapped animal. The moment his eyes left her, her legs gave out, and she stumbled back, barely holding in a scream.

Then, Maya. She wasn’t trembling like the others, but I could see the fear in her eyes, masked by her cold exterior. She squared her shoulders, but the tightness in her jaw gave her away. Her fists clenched at her sides, as if that would keep the panic at bay. When his eyes passed over her, she held her breath, not wanting to draw any attention.

Alex was different. His whole body stiffened when the Creeper’s gaze landed on him, his hands twitching, like he was ready to run but couldn’t. His face was almost expressionless, but his eyes betrayed him—wide, darting nervously, filled with the kind of fear that made a person shut down.

The moment he looked at Katie, tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks, but she didn’t move. Frozen in place, her whole body shaking, she looked like she wanted to scream but couldn’t find the strength to. Her breaths came quick and shallow, but she remained frozen, paralyzed by fear.

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