Insatiable (Inferno Games #3)

25. The End Of An Era

25

THE END OF AN ERA

JULIETTE

I glance away for just a second, rummaging through my handbag to grab more of the bacon I’d stashed earlier. Before I can take a bite, Ro's piercing scream sends me tumbling off the bed and onto the floor.

"What the fuck, Ro! What happened?" I ask, scrambling back up in a panic.

“Shit, fuck, poop,” she mutters, eyes wide, glued to the screen. Ro never swears unless it’s serious, so I know something big just went down.

I whip my head toward the Hell Cell, and all I see is Quinn, standing frozen, her eyes shut tight. The camera pans, revealing an arrow lodged between the eyes of a statue of George, about five feet from where Quinn is standing. “What the shit fuck poop happened?”

“Felix looked like he was about to shoot Quinn over a grilled cheese sandwich, but then he moved the crossbow to the side and shot the statue instead.”

“He was going to shoot Quinn over a sandwich?” I ask incredulously before remembering I’d have willfully murdered half of Hell for a bacon sandwich before they decided to grace us with breakfast this morning. I chew on the last slice thoughtfully. “actually, I kinda get it.”

We both watch as Quinn cautiously opens one eye, then the other. A split second later, she’s sprinting toward the sandwich like her life depends on it.

“So, where’s Felix now?” I ask.

Ro sits up, her brow furrowed. “I don’t know. He’s starving. He needs food, but he gave up his last chance for Quinn.” Frustrated, she shakes the Hell Cell in her hands. “Cut to Felix, dammit!”

I grab the device from her before she can do more damage. “Careful. You’re going to shake the baby loose.”

Her eyes widen, and she presses a hand protectively to her belly. “Is that possible?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, but all this stress can’t be good for it. I get that Felix was a good lay, but don’t lose your head over the guy.”

“But he did something selfless,” she protests, almost defensively.

“You seem surprised,” I say, raising an eyebrow.

She sighs, sinking back into the pillows. “I guess I am. He really looked like he was going to shoot Quinn and for a split second I actually thought he might.”

“About time!” I exclaim as the screen finally cuts to Tomas. They’ve barely shown him at all. I get it, though—he looks about thirty years older and thirty pounds heavier than the other contestants. The cameras are too busy showing Tate mincing around in her heels and barely-there dress, or focusing on the Quinn and Felix drama, but at least that was exciting. The only person they’ve shown less than Tomas is Orlin, but again, I understand. Orlin probably hasn’t moved an inch since the claxon went off yesterday.

I sigh, watching Tomas clutch his stomach, ambling along like a man lost in his own misery. Poor guy was never built for starving. If there was one thing Tomas loved more than his libido, it was his stomach. Sometimes I wondered if he stayed with me all those years just for my cooking.

"Maybe his size will help," Ro says, her voice casual. "I mean, he can stand to lose a few pounds."

"Don't fat shame!" I snap, sharper than I intended. I used to be a big woman. It's only since I died that I got back to my youthful figure, and I still remember what it felt like.

Ro flinches. "I don’t fat shame. You know me better than that. I’m just trying to put your mind at ease. He’ll probably fare better in there than the skinny ones."

We’re turning on each other now, the tension getting to us. I sigh again, softer this time. "Sorry, Ro."

"This was never going to be easy. Look at us, sitting here worried about the fate of two men. Men that have treated us like crap in the past."

"Men that we’ll never see again," I say, the truth of it sobering both of us. "I’m glad I slept with Tomas that last time. I needed to put the past behind me."

Rowena squeezes my hand, silent. What is there to say? It’s clear she’s falling for Felix in a big way. I don’t get it, and maybe I never will. Then again, I never understood why I stayed with Tomas for so long, despite all his cheating. My head always knew better, but my heart never quite let go. It still hasn’t.

We stay in bed all day, watching the games. We cheer when Felix finally finds food, holding our breath every time someone we care about appears on screen. The hours pass, but the hunger in my belly doesn’t.

“I’m going downstairs to see if they’ve put out more food for us. I’ll bring back whatever I can fit in my bag.”

Ro barely looks up from the screen. She's too absorbed in watching Felix's every move.

Downstairs, the atrium is far busier than it was this morning. It feels like everyone in the tower is gathered around the big screen, eyes glued to the action. I can barely make out Tate on the screen over their heads. She’s not looking good. Earlier, she was attacked by one of those huge beasts from Hades’ labyrinth. The memory sends a shudder through me, and to my surprise, a pang of sadness for her.

I’m too emotionally drained after watching the games all day to muster up hate anymore. The sharp edges of my resentment toward Tate have worn down to almost nothing. I don’t even think I’d feel bad if Tomas and Tate ended up helping each other in the Earthery. My old jealousy about the two of them possibly hooking up seems ridiculous now that they’re both just trying to survive. I push past the crowds to the canteen, where there are indeed plates of food on the tables. I pick up a plate and empty the pile of sandwiches into a bag. I pick up another sandwich with the intention of eating it when an almighty cheer sounds out around me. I glance up at the screen and drop the sandwich back on the table. It’s not just Tate that’s in a bad way. Quinn is with her and she looks like she’s bleeding out, too.

Fuck! I stare at the screen open mouthed with my heart in my throat. All around me, the cretinous assholes are still stuffing their faces and cheering on the action. I try to make sense of the image before me. It looks like Tate is trying to comfort Quinn. Quinn is whispering in Tate’s ear while Tate nods her head, tears streaming down her face.

The screen goes black then cuts to Anthura standing at the front of the Earthery, the same malignant grin on her face that she’s been giving updates of contestant deaths with all day.

Despite the leader’s best efforts to have these games go on for weeks, the contestants have been dropping like flies, partly due to the monsters they put in there and the one monster they can’t find — the mysterious murderer.

“There’s been another death!” Anthura trills into the camera. My heart stops. Not Quinn. Anyone but Quinn! Suddenly, a roar erupts from behind me, shaking me out of my stupor. I twist around just in time to see Dade, his massive black wings unfurling as he launches himself off one of the balconies. He’s moving like a storm, straight toward the demons guarding the elevator. They barely have time to react before he takes them down, knocking them aside like they’re nothing.

I shove through the crowd, trying to catch up, but by the time I reach the elevator, Dade’s already gone. Panic rises as I look back at the screen, but I can only see the top of it through the crowd. Then I catch a glimpse of him—Dade, swooping in on Anthura and tossing her aside like a rag doll. The last thing I see before I bolt toward the platform to get back to Ro’s room is Dade’s black wings disappearing into the Earthery.