Insatiable (Inferno Games #3)

29. Angel In Disguise

29

ANGEL IN DISGUISE

JULIETTE

I open the door and wait for Tate. When the platform descends to our floor with her on, I see that she’s a mess. Dried blood coats her clothes and her leg is crisscrossed with stitches. She winces as she steps off the platform.

“Should you be out of the hospital?” I say, looking her up and down? Even her blonde silvery hair is tinged with red.

“Probably not, but I wanted to leave. I knocked a doctor out to get to you.” She sighs. Her pale face looks even paler in the blue light of night. She stumbles forward and I catch her. I wrap my arm around her, holding up her weight as we step into Ro’s room. She leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“You can sleep here, but it’s going to be a squeeze. You’ll need a shower to wash all that blood off you, too.”

She nods as I guide her into the bathroom and turn on the shower. “Are you going to be alright?”

She nods again, but I don’t believe her. She looks half dead. I leave to grab her some pajamas of Ro’s. When I get back, I find her sitting in the base of the shower, letting the water cascade over her. She’s still fully clothed with the dress she was wearing in the labyrinth. It’s clear that she doesn’t have the strength to wash herself.

“Can I help you?” I sigh, placing both a towel and the pajamas on the vanity.

She barely raises her head, but I’ll take that as a yes. She doesn’t have the strength to stand, let alone clean herself. I help her out of her dress and underwear. And grab a sponge to wash the blood from her body. She clings to me limply as I run the sponge over her perfect skin. “Tomas would have loved watching this,” I joke, to take away some of the tension I’m feeling. It’s weird how that thought is comforting rather than painful. She doesn’t even respond. I finish by washing her hair. By the time I pull her out of the shower, we’re both soaked to the skin, but at least she’s clean now. I towel dry her hair then work my way down her body, wiping away the rivulets of water. When I get to her mauled leg, I’m as gentle as I can be, but her breath still quickens. I stand to face her. Her expression is unreadable, but she looks exhausted. I hand her the pajamas then turn to leave. I’m going to have to find a fresh dry pair of pajamas for myself.

“Juliette?”

I turn to face her.

“Thank you.” She closes the distance between us, wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face against my shoulder. I hold her tight, feeling the warmth of her body against me. Just two days ago, this would have seemed unthinkable, but so much has changed in the last forty-eight hours. I try to push aside the fact that she’s naked, focusing instead on offering her the comfort she needs right now. Her breath is warm against my neck as she clings to me, her body trembling slightly. I rub her back in slow, soothing circles, trying to calm her.

"It's going to be okay," I murmur, even though I have no idea if that's true. This feels so alien to me. I’ve seen so many naked people in my time, but generally they’ve been men’s bodies.

She pulls back to look at me, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Quinn wanted me to save you.”

I don’t know what to say to that. I just want to get into my own pajamas and fall into the void of oblivion. I have no emotional bandwidth left for anything else. I untangle myself from her and try not to look down at her naked body. “You’re wet again. Dry up and come to bed. I’ll get dry in Ro’s closet.

She’s still in the bathroom when I’m dry and redressed and I worry that she’s fainted or something, but almost as soon as my head hits the pillow, I feel the weight of her getting into the bed next to me. Beside me on the other side, Rowena is snoring lightly. I shift over, allowing Tate some room, but as the bed is made for one, it’s a tight squeeze. Tate’s body presses up against mine and she gives a long sigh. I lay awake long after Tate drifts off, my mind racing with thoughts and emotions I can’t seem to sort through.

In the moment between sleep and waking, I feel Tomas beside me, his arms around my waist, but my heart already knows what my sleepy brain cannot quite comprehend. I wake up and turn over to find Tate with her arm around me. Not Tomas. I move her arm and, because Rowena is still sleeping on the other side of me, have to shuffle down the bed to get out of the bottom of it.

Tomas is gone. Quinn is gone. All I have is Rowena… and, I guess, Tate. It’s all so overwhelming. Hearing about Tomas’s death yesterday was compounded by the loss of Dade. And I had to hear it from Anthura. After leaving Tate in the hospital wing last night, Rowena and I had gone straight up to the very top floor of the tower. Anthura had the audacity to mock us when she told us that Dade had been killed because of his actions in the Labyrinth. At least I’ll never have to see that bitch’s face ever again. She’ll have toddled off to the next circle at some point in the night. Now that everything is over, I have to find a way to get on with an eternity in this hell hole. I quietly change into one of Rowena’s dresses, trying to keep the noise to a minimum as I rummage through her closet. After slipping out through the back door, I take a deep breath of the stale air. I need to be alone for a while. I need to grieve without Rowena offering platitudes or Tate… I’m not even sure how Tate will handle grief.

She was too sick to really deal with anything last night; she needs sleep to heal.

The atrium feels almost hollow now that the games are over, a stark contrast to the vibrant party atmosphere from the night before. I scan the canteen, my heart heavy, wondering if I can bear to sit there with the faces of the Inferno Games winners looming over me on the big screen. Those who died aren’t shown. I suppose that would be too much of a downer. It’s all fun and games watching the carnage unfold, but now that they are gone, there’s nothing left to commemorate their existence.

“Hey, Juliette.”

I turn to find Twila standing before me—well, more like face to stomach since she barely reaches five feet tall.

“I’m so sorry about what happened to Tomas.” Her voice wavers. “We didn’t intend for him to die like that.”

“No, you just planned for him to starve to death or get eaten by a hellhound,” I shoot back, the bitterness spilling out before I can contain it.

Her eyes fill with sadness, her face etched in guilt, and that only makes me feel worse. I rub my forehead. “I’m really sorry. I know you don’t have any control over these games.”

“If I were you, I’d hate me too,” she says,. “I have no clue what’s going to happen next, but I get a free pass through the circles.”

“I guess you’ll be heading to Avarice now?”

She nods slowly, her expression somber. “Yep. Hades is waiting for me. I hoped…” She glances down, shame flickering in her eyes. “I hoped to say goodbye to you and Rowena before I left. I actually thought you were her in that dress until I saw your black hair.”

I look down at the flowery dress, my chest tightening. “It belongs to Ro. She’s still asleep. Should I go get her?”

Twila shakes her head, urgency in her voice. “There isn’t really time. Hades is dealing with Dade right now, and we need to leave before the contestants wake up in Avarice.”

My brow furrows in confusion. “Dealing with Dade? Anthura told us he was dead.”

Her brow furrows. “Dead? No,” she says, a glimmer of surprise breaking through the sorrow in her voice. “He’s locked up on the demon level.”

A wave of relief washes over me, momentarily pushing back the pain. “Take me to him.”

She hesitates. “I can’t. You know that.” Her voice is firm, but her eyes hold a hint of compassion, as if she wishes she could help.

I want to tell her that Tate can get us out of here. All of us, but whether I like it or not, I can’t trust her. Not while she’s still hooking up with Hades. Until they split up, she’s on their side.

“Quinn will never get over it if she knows Dade is being held hostage.” I want to add that she’d never forgive Twila, but that might be overkill.

Twila screws her face up in frustration as her name is called out. We both turn to see Hades striding over to where we are.

Twila pulls me down to her height and gives me a hug. It feels hollow until I hear her whisper in my ear. “I’ll see what I can do.”

And then she’s gone. Down into the elevator with Hades. Down to Avarice, where Quinn will be waking up, hopefully as good as new in a few minutes. I can’t even follow them. The only person I know with an elevator marble key is Dade, and he’s already down there.

I sit in the canteen, lost in my own thoughts and grief for almost an hour, before the elevator doors finally open and a man with giant black wings strides out. A spark of excitement and relief fills my chest with warmth. I rush to Dade and am in his arms with his wings wrapped round me before I know it.

“Quinn wasn’t wrong when she said you give amazing hugs!” I mutter, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the sudden public display of affection for a man I have barely talked to before. I don’t even really know him.

“She said that?”

“No,” I confess, cringing slightly. “She said you were an amazing lay, but I rephrased.”

Dade’s dark face brightens for a second, and then he laughs. It’s a comforting sound, one I’m not used to coming from him.

“What happened?” I look up at him. “Anthura told us you were dead.”

Dade looks thoughtful. “I guess I would have died, but Twila unlocked my chains before she left.”

Anger fills me. Anthura would have left him there to die at the hands of the demons, and with no way for us to get down there, I guess she thought she was telling the truth.

“Tate came to Rowena’s room in the middle of the night,” I tell him. “She said that she remembered what Quinn wanted her to do, but she needed you. She said she could save us all.”

Dade’s expression turns thoughtful. “I don’t know if redemption is on the table for any of us, but if she can get me to Quinn, then there’s no time to waste."

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t for Dade to tighten his grip and launch us into the sky. My heart plummets as I cling to him, my arms instinctively wrapping tighter around his shoulders. A rush of wind whips past, and before I can catch my breath, we touch down on the second-floor balcony. The jolt of landing is still sinking in when the door swings open, Rowena already standing there, as if she heard us coming.

“Dade?” Rowena gapes at him, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open in shock.

“Anthura lied to us—big surprise there. I’ve got Dade. Where’s Tate?”

Rowena blinks, still processing. “I just woke up and found both of you gone. I... I don’t know where she is.”

“Anthura, Hades and Twila have all gone down to Avarice, so it’s doubtful they have her.” I shrug my shoulders. “George might?”

“George is probably hiding out in the demon level after his disaster of a games.” Ro points out. “He’s probably licking his wounds after a murderer took out half the contestants before he did.”

A pang of sorrow hits me at her words, but none of us have time for grief now. If we get out of here, I can grieve then.

“Let’s find her and get the fuck out of here.” I grab Dade’s hand so he doesn’t get any more ideas about flying me anywhere, and drag him toward the stairs. Ro runs behind us.

“Shouldn’t we split up?” she asks when she catches up.

“No. We’re sticking together until we find her and then we’re going to get Quinn, too.”

Ro mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like ‘Felix.’ I’ve not put much thought into Felix. His face was up on the screen along with Quinn’s, so he must have gotten through to Avarice too. He’s the last of my concerns, despite Rowena being my best friend.

The atrium is mostly empty, save for a few stragglers. I pull Dade aside, lowering my voice. “We need to head down to the demon level and find George. I know Rowena doesn’t think he’s interested in Tate, but where else could she be? None of us know her room number, and she doesn’t have her Hell Cell.”

“Damn,” Rowena mutters. “Dade’s Hell Cell is still on my nightstand. I should’ve brought it.”

Dade shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. We can’t communicate between circles, anyway. The only one I want to talk to is Quinn. Besides, I’m not ready to tip my hand with George. He doesn’t know I have the marble key to the demon level, and I intend to keep it that way. We need to exhaust all other options to find Tate first.”

Dade makes sense, but I can’t picture Tate heading down to the Earthery level. Shopping or a trip to Infernos doesn’t seem like her style—especially since the place doesn’t even serve drinks. “Her leg was shredded. Wherever she went, it was deliberate. Unless... maybe she went back to her room?”

In the end, we pile into the elevator anyway and press down. I’m itching to go one more level down, but I respect Dade’s wishes. We really need to find Tate.

The lower level is as miserable as usual in this circle, with sad looking shopkeepers and very few customers. A quick race down the shopping street tells us that Tate isn’t here. I check in Infernos anyway. As I suspected, she isn’t there either.

I’m just about to suggest we go looking for her room when Dade stills beside me. “She’s in the Earthery.”

I want to ask him how he could possibly know that, but then I look over and see her in the entrance talking to the demon that works behind the Earthery desk on days it’s not being used for the games. She’s carrying a huge bag on her shoulder. “I’d forgotten this place had other uses,” I say as we walk inside.

Tate’s face lights up when she sees us, and as her gaze shifts to Dade, she brightens even more. She turns back to the demon behind the desk. “Make that four.”

The demon barely shrugs. “You’ve only got half an hour. I’ve got a booking after that. Don’t make me come in there and drag you out.”

Tate pulls us aside, out of earshot, though the demon seems far too disinterested to care. “I thought you were dead?” Tate says looking at Dade then throwing a questioning glace my way.

“Anthura lied,” I say.

Tate grins. “I’m so glad,” she whispers, leaning in to us. “Quinn had a theory, but the only way to test it safely is in here.” She glances up at Dade. “Once we’re done, we’ll need to head straight to the demon level. Quinn said you’ve got a key for the elevator?”

Dade gives a curt nod.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she adds, relief flickering across her face. “This will be a lot easier with you than the alternative I had in mind.”

“Time’s ticking!” I cut in, nodding to the clock. The urgency in my voice matches the pace of my racing heart. “I don’t know what you have planned, but I hope you can do it in thirty minutes.” I hold my Hell Cell up to the pad next to the doors and they open.

“Let Dade think of the Demon Level,” she whispers as we step into the darkness. “The rest of you let your minds go blank. The Earthery moulds itself to the minds of the people inside and we don’t want distractions.”

Seconds after the doors close behind us, a corridor begins to materialize. The walls are dull and gray, but lining them, stretching endlessly, is food. Cupcakes, candy, chips—everything I love.

Tate furrows her brow. “Is this what the demon level looks like?”

“There’s no food there,” Dade says flatly.

Everyone turns to me.

“Sorry.” I shrug sheepishly. “I tried to think of nothing, but… I’m hungry.”

Dade steps forward, glancing down the corridor. “It doesn’t matter. The layout is the same. We’re in the right place.” He looks back at Tate. “What do we do now?”

“I need you to close your eyes and focus on where you got stuck last time,” she instructs, then turns to me. “And you need to stop thinking about food. This has to be as real as possible.”

“Like that’s gonna happen,” I mutter, but Rowena jabs me in the stomach. “Fine,” I grumble, pouting. “I’ll try.”

Reluctantly, I close my eyes and force the thought of food to fade away.

A growl has me opening them.

“What the actual fuck is that?” I yelp, pressing myself against the wall as a massive, disgusting beast snarls and snaps in a crystal-lined room ahead of us.

“It’s chained. It can’t reach you,” Dade says calmly. “But we can’t get past it either.”

Realization hits. “Oh, that’s the beast Quinn mentioned. Yeah, I’ve changed my mind. Definitely don’t want to fuck it. It’s disgusting.”

Tate and Dade give me matching looks of confusion, while Rowena just shakes her head.

“We’re in the Earthery, though. This thing can’t actually hurt us, right?” I say, peeling myself off the wall and stepping closer. The beast strains against its chains, baring yellowed teeth, its breath rancid enough to kill a cactus. I step back quickly, my heart pounding. It looks real enough

“Of course it can hurt us,” Rowena says. “Did you forget everything that happened last night? That was in the Earthery, too, remember?”

“Well shit!”

“But in here we can all think of something safe and the room around us will change,” Tate points out.

Dade steps in front of me, his eyes fixed on the beast. “This place has a mind of its own. Until we’re sure, let’s assume everything in here can hurt—and kill—us just as easily as in reality.” He turns to Tate. “What did Quinn say to do next?”

“Quinn actually thought this would be safe, but I hear you about exercising caution.” Tate drops the bag she’s carrying to the floor. “She said that you couldn’t fight it, get round it or…” she looks my way, “get past it by other means. She did say there was one way to get past it, though.”

Rowena shakes her head, wrinkling her nose at the beast. “She said only Satan could get past that thing.”

“No,” Tate corrects, “she said Satan probably brought it here, but what Quinn actually said was that angels could get past it.”

I cross my arms, staring at the hulking beast. “Unless you’ve got a spare angel stashed in that bag, I think we’re wasting our time.”

“Ye of little faith,” Tate says with a grin. “Dade, step in front of it. Just don’t get close enough for it to make you lunch.”

Dade moves up cautiously, but the moment he’s in front of the creature, it goes wild—snarling, snapping its teeth, and raking its massive claws into the ground, desperate to close the gap between them. The sight is terrifying, and this isn’t even the real thing.

Tate pulls a massive wad of rolled-up white material from her bag and steps up behind Dade. “Extend your wings.”

Dade glances over his shoulder, then complies, unfurling his magnificent wings.

No matter how many times I see it, the sight of Dade’s wings never fails to take my breath away. The feathers shimmer in the dim light, radiating an ethereal glow.

“Wow!” I mouth, captivated.

The beast halts its frantic thrashing and seems to still slightly. I guess I’m not the only one mesmerized by Dade.

“I didn’t have time to make a proper costume, but I’m hoping this is enough!” Tate exclaims, draping the white material over Dade’s massive wings. He ducks slightly, allowing her to throw the fabric all the way to the tips.

“Help me!” she urges, nodding toward her bag.

Rowena and I dive in, pulling out the rest of the material along with the dress I saw her making the other day. Together, we wrap swathes of material around Dade, nearly turning him into a mummy. Finally, his black clothes are hidden beneath swathes of white, and his majestic wings appear almost angelic.

“Step back!” Tate whispers, taking my hand in hers. With my other hand. I take Rowena’s and the three of us take a slow step back, leaving Dade to face the monster alone.

The beast seems confused for a second, but then, slowly, it lowers its head and drops to its front knees.

“Dade!” Tate whispers. “See if it lets you past.”

Dade keeps his wings open as he takes a step around the beast. It watches him, but doesn’t make a move, allowing Dade to get to the door. He pulls at the handle and the door opens. As it does, a light flashes a couple of times and then everything goes black.