Insatiable (Inferno Games #3)

13. Lucifer Was An Angel Once

13

LUCIFER WAS AN ANGEL ONCE

QUINN

“ D ade?” 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 Rowena protectively. 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. My heart 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?”

“Not exactly,” I reply, watching Dade out of the corner of my eye. “He’s tried out for the Inferno Games before. Each time he competed and lost, then tried again, he became... more demon-like.”

Tomas considers this, his brow furrowing. “So, all these people... they'll start to look like demons the longer they’re here?”

I shrug. “It seems that way. The more you fail, the more you lose a part of yourself. You adapt, or you become one of them."

I hadn’t considered it before, and it wasn’t something I wanted to consider now. Dade was so close to becoming a full demon as it was. The only thing he didn’t have was the red scaly skin and the hooves. Would that be next? “I’m hoping it only happens if you try out for the Inferno Games again, which I don’t think they can do from this Circle. They only have that chance from Purgatory. I’m surprised they let you sign up from Lust to be honest. I thought only people from Purgatory could sign up for the games.”

“I was surprised as anyone that I was let in.”

It doesn’t make sense, but I can see that he’s telling the truth. Besides, nothing about Hell makes sense to me. It’s full of liars and backstabbers and demons that consistently bend the rules to suit themselves.

My thoughts are interrupted by loud shouting coming from the other end of the hospital wing. I look up to see Rowena being wheeled in on a stretcher, her face contorted with pain even though she appears to be unconscious. Felix is with her. Anthura and George follow behind, their voices echoing off the walls.

“You fucking bastard!” Felix's enraged voice pierces through the air as he confronts George. Surprisingly, George just smirks in response to the outburst.

“She's pregnant!” Felix screams, his fists clenched at his sides.

“Calm the fuck down,” Anthura hisses, trying to restrain Felix from attacking George.

“I will not calm down, Anthura! I'm sick of you always telling me what to do!”

“Felix,” she warns sternly.

“It doesn't even matter now.”

“Yes, it does matter! Now get your ass outside before you do something stupid that you'll regret.”

“I'm already going to do that,” he seethes, pulling his arm back and delivering a powerful punch to George's jaw. The force causes George's jaws to wobble before he collapses onto the ground.

A cheer goes up amongst the contestants that remain awake. As a team of demon doctors rush over to tend to George, who definitely deserved the hit, Anthura quickly drags Felix out of the room.

Everything I am wants to stay by Dade’s bedside, but there is nothing I can do for him sitting crying at his bedside. I’ll come back later, but first I need to see the only person that can help me and Dade stay together without me destroying my chance to get to Jenny.

I say a quick goodbye to Tomas and quietly slip through the hospital wing. As I approach the door, I catch the tail end of an argument between Felix and Anthura. Normally, I wouldn't care less about their drama, but after what Felix said to her, I decide to linger and listen.

“I fucking knew it. I knew you’d give her your food, you spineless wimp,” Anthura snaps.

Felix's voice rises in response. “So you wanted me to eat it and stay back here, on death’s door? If you knew I’d give her my food, maybe you should have tried harder to keep us out of the trial together. Then we’d both be okay.”

“I didn’t get a say in who went in with whom,” she retorts, venom dripping from her words. “I don’t give a shit that the knocked-up freak of yours is probably going to die. Without it around, you’re free to move on to the next circle, and we can put all this shit behind us. Quite frankly, I’m sick of it.”

I can’t see Felix’s face from where I’m standing, but I can hear the incandescent rage in his voice.

“Fuck you, Anthura. Fuck you and fuck all of this. I’m going to do what Twila did in the first circle and tell Hades I cheated and rescind my part in the games so Rowena can take my place.”

“You fucking wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.”

There’s a scuffle and then, “You go to Hades and I’ll make sure Rowena never wakes up. In fact, you’d better stay by her side because the second you look away, I’ll make sure she never leaves this hospital. Her and that bastard freak of a child.”

I’m almost knocked over by Felix barreling through the door and past me. He’s so red in the face that I don’t think he’s even noticed I’m here. I wait for the click clack of Anthura’s heels then slip through the door. So Felix has been cheating? What’s new? The guy never once did anything that didn’t suit him. Except stand up to Anthura for Rowena. If only he wasn’t a cheating murdering child rapist, I might actually be impressed.

I don’t have time to ponder Felix’s behavior, I’m only glad he’s going to keep Rowena safe… for tonight at least.

Anthura is already stepping through the door that will take her to the moving platform back to her penthouse when I get to the atrium. I scan the area, taking in the almost empty canteen as I search for Twila. She’s not there, so I head into the elevator and head back down to the entertainment floor, hoping to catch her if she’s with Hades.

When the elevator opens, I take a turn to the right and race down the classroom corridor to the first classroom. I barge in then wish I hadn’t as I find her giving Hades a blow job on one of the tables.

“Er, sorry!”

I close my eyes at the sight of Hades’ member which is so huge it’s making my eyes water and I’m not the one trying to deep throat it.

It’s like watching a car crash where you can’t take your eyes away. If I wasn’t going to have nightmares about this day already, I would now.

“Let’s go outside,” Twila says, extracting herself from Hades and guiding me back through the door behind me.

“I need an eye enema,” I joke feebly as we make our way to Infernos. Twila orders two dragonfire whiskeys from the bartender, and when they arrive, they’re more than just empty glasses—they’re filled with the promise of oblivion.

“I shouldn’t be drinking this,” I remind her as we find a dark corner to sit in.

“I’m allowed to eat and drink, and after what happened in the second round, you deserve this.”

I eye the glass of amber liquid suspiciously. To drink it would be cheating, and should I get caught, it could very likely have me thrown out of the games, no matter what Twila says. But then I remember that Dade is already out. With a quick, defiant breath, I down the whiskey in one go.

“This is going to give me a hell of a hangover on an empty stomach,” I choke out, my eyes watering with the heat of it.

“I’m sorry about Dade. I knew about the trial, but I want you to know I didn’t know that the food was poisoned. I would have warned you.” Twila’s voice trembles slightly, a hint of guilt seeping through.

I cover her hand with mine, squeezing it gently. “I’m not blaming you, but you are the only one that can help me now. Please tell me you asked Hades about the monster.”

Twila shakes her head, then flicks her eyes around the bar to ensure we are out of earshot of anyone else. Her usual confidence seems to falter. “Before I tell you how to get past that monster, you must know its madness. You won’t get to Jenny that way. The only way you’ll get to her is by continuing through the games.”

“Dade, Rowena, and Juliette are all out of the games. They can’t stay here.” Desperation edges my voice, and I can feel the weight of my words pressing down on both of us.

Twila casts her eyes downward, her shoulders slumping. "Trying to get down through Hell in the elevator is a death sentence."

"And the Inferno Games aren’t?" I snap back, my voice laced with frustration. "They might die, Twila. And if by some miracle they all pull through, they’ll be stuck here forever. Dade will never find out what happened to his daughter. Rowena will have her baby here. Can you imagine being born in a place where you can’t eat? Her child will never know what it’s like to taste food, and I don’t even know how that’s supposed to work. And Juliette—she’s barely holding on. Without food, she’s on the verge of a complete mental breakdown. She’ll lose her mind."

Twila’s eyes flash. "You think I don’t know all that?" She sighs heavily. "It’s not that I don’t want to help; I’m just telling you the risks. When it was just you and Dade, it was insane. But now you want to bring Rowena and Juliette into this too?"

"Just tell me how to get past the monster," I demand, my voice steady even though my heart is pounding in my chest.

Twila slumps further, looking more defeated than ever. "I wish I could tell you it’s easy, but it isn’t."

"Since when has anything ever been easy in this place?" I retort.

"It’s a hellbeast. "You can’t lure it with food, you can’t sneak past it, and trying to fight it would be suicide. The only thing hellbeasts fear are angels."

I blink at her, waiting for the punchline, but there isn’t one. "Angels?" I repeat, incredulously. "You’re telling me the only thing that can get past it is an angel?"

Twila shrugs helplessly.

I throw my hands up in exasperation. "Because angels are just so abundant in Hell! I’ll just swing by the angel store and grab a couple, right?"

"Lucifer was an angel once," Twila says quietly. "He’s the only one who can control these kinds of hellbeasts, and, of course..." She trails off, leaving the thought hanging.

I narrow my eyes at her, the pieces clicking into place. “We can’t get to Lucifer unless we get past the hellbeast in the first place.”

“That’s about it,” Twila says apologetically. “He must have brought it up himself at some point. Probably before the Games came down to this circle. I would imagine that he has many of them guarding the elevators in the other towers too, now that he’s seen how close you and Dade got to the elevator in the last circle. You were never meant to find it in the first place. I’m guessing he’s pretty pissed.”

I lay my head on my arms and try to stop the spinning in my head, thanks to the dragonfire whisky. I’ve managed to piss off Satan himself. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

Either I forfeit my place in the games and stay in this circle with Dade, never finding Jenny, I go on without him, leaving him in this miserable hellhole, or we try to figure out a way to get past a monster that isn’t get-pastable.

“I wish there was something else I could do.”

I love Twila, but it's so easy for her. She likes Hell. She gets all the perks of being in this place without actually being a demon. It’s like she was born for this world. Meanwhile, I’m stuck here, fighting for every inch, and this pull of jealousy I feel is starting to gnaw at me.

I sit up and look at her, frustration building. “What would you do… if you were in my position?”

She sighs, her expression softening. "I don’t know. I guess I’d keep going through the games."

“And leave Ro, Juliette, and Dade behind, knowing what you know about this place?”

Her eyes flicker with something like sympathy. "The choice is never going to be easy, but you’ve only known Dade, Juliette, and Ro for a few months. You’ve been Jenny’s sister her whole life. She’s the reason you chose to come into Hell in the first place."

Even when she lays it out like that, it still feels wrong, like every decision is a betrayal. But what else can I realistically do? She’s right. I came here for Jenny.

I thank her and say goodbye, hoping that talking to Twila would give me some kind of clarity, maybe even comfort. But as I walk away, the hopelessness tightens its grip. Instead of finding a way forward, I just feel more lost than ever.