Insatiable (Inferno Games #3)

32. In The Den Of Demons

32

IN THE DEN OF DEMONS

ROWENA

M y nerves are chattering as we enter the demon’s lounge. The last demon lounge I was in, we were chained to the walls and left as demon fodder. It’s clear that I’m not the only one remembering that as we follow Twila. The air is thick with a heady mix of smoke and something sweet—perhaps incense or the lingering scent of overindulgence. Dim, flickering lights cast eerie shadows across the room, revealing groups of demons lounging on opulent, crimson velvet sofas, their eyes gleaming with hunger as they glance in our direction.

“Keep your heads down and don’t make eye contact,” Dade murmurs, his voice low and tense. As if I need reminding. I get the feeling that it’s only Twila’s presence that’s stopping the demons from lunging at us. I can feel Juliette's hand tighten around mine as we weave through the tables, each step making my heart race faster.

“Maybe they won’t notice us,” I whisper, though I know it’s a futile hope. We’re fresh meat in a den of predators and have a dog with three heads trailing us. Just as I say this, a demon with glittering scales and a wicked grin leans over, his eyes locking onto mine.

“Look what we have here,” he says, his voice smooth like silk but dripping with malice. “A little snack for the evening.”

I swallow hard, my throat dry. “We’re just passing through,” I stammer, my instincts screaming at me to run, but the weight of Dade’s grip on my shoulder keeps me rooted in place.

“Passing through?” the demon echoes, leaning back in his seat, his laughter rumbling like distant thunder. “Where’s the fun in that? We don’t often get visitors down here who aren’t already on the menu.”

Before I can respond, Twila steps forward and places herself between me and the demon. “We’re here on business,” she declares, her voice steady.

The demon raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but not yet convinced. “Business, you say? And what business exactly would that be?”

Twila hesitates, glancing back at us before continuing. “I’m here with Hades, as you well know. If you lay a finger on me or my friends, he’ll have you flayed.”

The demon’s grin widens, revealing rows of sharp teeth. “I don’t see Hades here now.”

My heart sinks, dread pooling in my stomach as the tension thickens. Cerby lets out a low growl. With a scaly finger, the demon reaches out and trails it down Twila’s cheek leaving a scorch mark. She recoils from his touch, but before she can regain her composure, his hand is suddenly slapped away.

A long breath escapes my lips when I see Hades towering over the slender demon.

“Maybe you should invest in an optician, Danak,” he says, his voice low and commanding.

“Yes, sorry, sir,” the demon stammers, dropping from his chair into a low bow.

Hades leans closer, his expression darkening. “You will be very sorry if you even think about touching a hair on her head again.”

The demon sniffles incoherently before Hades kicks him clear across the room. I cheer inwardly at the sight of the demon being sent flying, but my relief vanishes when I notice that Hades’ anger is now directed at us.

“Come with me,” he orders.

We all scramble to keep up as he strides toward a private room at the back of the lounge. It’s dark and smoky and, though as opulent as the Brimstone Bistro, has an air of unkemptness.

“Sit!” Hades commands. The four of us sit on a plush velvet covered bench seat.

“What is the meaning of this? How did you even get here?”

“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.

“What’s going on? A party without me?”

Everyone turns toward the door to see a man in a sharp suit, impeccably dressed, with a slight goatee that gives him an air of smug confidence. He exudes authority, and the tension in the room shifts slightly as he strides in, his eyes gleaming with interest as they land on the chaos unfolding.

“Ah, I see we have a bit of a situation,” he observes, glancing around the room, his gaze lingering on Anthura’s seething form before shifting to me, curiosity glimmering in his eyes. “Care to enlighten me?”

Anthura’s expression darkens, her claws retracting slightly as she realizes her chances of lashing out might be compromised by this unexpected arrival. “Stay out of this, Baal,” she snaps, but there’s a tremor in her voice that hints at her uncertainty. Is this finally someone that Anthura is scared of?

Baal, who I assume is the same Ballam that Twila mentioned, steps fully into the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Hades,” he says smoothly, “Care to enlighten me as to what’s happening in my circle?”

“I didn’t want to burden you,” Hades responds, his voice tight. “Twila found these contestants running through the corridors.”

“Ex-contestants,” Anthura interrupts, her voice sharp. “They were eliminated in the last circle.”

Ballam's brow furrows in confusion. “Then explain to me how they’re here if they failed. Don’t tell me your demons brought them down by accident, Hades?”

Hades shifts, visibly uncomfortable. “No. They came down on their own. They got past the Hellbeast.”

Ballam’s eyes widen in surprise. “Past the Hellbeast? Without assistance? Remarkable. How did you manage that? I was informed that passage was... impossible.”

Tate steps forward, her voice steady. “I dressed up as an angel. It let us pass.”

Ballam sidles up to her, his smile curling in a way that makes the air feel colder. “And how did you know to do that?”

Tate hesitates, uncertainty flickering in her eyes for the first time. “We saw it in the Earthery,” she lies smoothly. “If you don’t believe us, ask the demon in Gluttony. We just copied what we saw.”

“Ingenious,” Ballam murmurs. He straightens, glancing between them with newfound intrigue. “So now that you’re here, what do we do with you?”

Tate lifts her chin, her voice full of defiance. “You’re going to let us back into the Inferno Games.”

She says it as if the decision had never gone against us at all.

“Like Hell,” Anthura snarls, her fury palpable. “We’re going to kill the fucking nuisances.”

Ballam licks his lips, his gaze traveling over Tate with obvious interest. I can’t shake the feeling that her ethereal appearance is going to play in our favor. “Let’s not make any hasty decisions. Weren’t you telling me just this morning that half the contestants were beheaded by persons unknown? We could do with more people in the games… in case the same thing happens again.”

It’s clear he’s needling Anthura who, I suspect, has no clue who’s been murdering people.

“Not on my soul will I let you add them to the games,” Anthura retorts, her voice laced with venom.

Hades bursts into laughter, a deep, booming sound. “Anthura. You have no soul. You never did. Let them in. Ballam’s right. Even with the contestants from the other towers joining us, we need more people should the same unfortunate circumstances of the last trial arise again.”

I let out a low breath, incredulity washing over me. That’s it? It was that easy? We’re actually going to get back in? I can hardly believe our luck.

But Hades’ voice turns cold as he gestures dismissively. “Better let this one in too.”

He shoves Twila toward Ballam, sending her stumbling to the floor.

“Hades. Why?” she cries out, panic flaring in her eyes.

Hades' voice turns cold, dark, and twisted as he glares at Twila. “I’m not the fool you think I am,” he growls, his words dripping with venom. “Maybe your friends did use the Earthery, but the Earthery wouldn’t have shown them an angel unless they already had that image in their minds.”

He steps closer to her, his presence suffocating. “Now, I didn’t tell them. And judging by the desperately pathetic look on Anthura’s face, she didn’t tell them either.” His eyes narrow, glowing with malice. “That leaves only you.”

“Hades, please!” Twila’s voice breaks, trembling with fear. Tears brim in her eyes as she looks up at him, pleading. Hades steps over her, cold and uncaring. “Baal, do what you will with her. The games start in roughly two hours. I’ll see you there.” I hold my breath as he strides out through the door, slamming it behind him.