Piper Cross, an undercover spy, must relive her past as a child gladiator in order to bring the underground arena to justice.
*****
Growing up gladiator is brutal. The cells are cramped...
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I woke up to fingers twining in my hair, holding my head in place as my body convulsed. My mouth was full of blood, and it felt like something was sloshing about in my head, making the room spin and turn. My stomach lurched and I tore free of the man's grip, accidentally crushing a vial of glass with the weight of my hand as I vomited all over the pristine carpet. Colden's blood was the faintest trace of brown amidst the yellow and green, oily and half-digested.
"Get out," I snarled, my voice so hoarse and angry it sounded like it belonged to somebody else. "Get it out of me."
"Shit," somebody swore, pulling back my hair. It was only the light dusting of freckles on the back of his knuckles that kept me from ripping out his throat.
That, and the sudden urge to puke again. I threw myself into the motion with everything I had, eyes watering and heart straining against the trappings of my chest, beating far too fast for comfort. When the nausea subsided I shoved two fingers down my throat, triggering yet another wave, so strong that my fingers clawed in the carpet and the tendons in my neck felt like they were going to snap.
"Jesus Christ," Lawrence swore. "Are you okay?"
Only when my stomach cramped and clear bile hung from my nose did I let myself relax, feeling wretched as if I'd run without pause for days. "The bastard tried to mate with me," I said hoarsely, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I hurt all over, but I wasn't sore anywhere... specific. A brisk pat down of my mind reassured me there weren't any foreign thoughts lurking behind the scenes. For all intents and purposes, Colden had failed in his attempt to bring me to heel psychologically. Lawrence must have woken me up just in time to eject his blood before I metabolised it, rendering my blood in Colden's system useless.
I was relieved by the emptiness in my chest as I processed the extent of his betrayal. I just needed facts to work with; I could worry about processing them emotionally later, when it was safe.
It certainly wasn't safe here. Not even to play along and try to manipulate Colden into giving up his discriminatory beliefs about the hybrids.
The grim press of Lawrence's mouth only confirmed my suspicions; he was dismayed, but not surprised that Colden would stoop this low. "I'm sorry, Piper. I tried to warn you earlier, but I have to be careful. My power to intervene is limited by the need for secrecy."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, using the bed to prop myself up. There was a red streak on my forearm, attesting to the needle Lawrence must have stuck in my veins to counteract whatever tranquilliser Colden had used. "You mean waking me up?"
"In part," he said, already moving for the walk-in wardrobe. "Quickly, you need to get dressed. I'll explain along the way."
I stumbled into the dark space, staring blearily at the contents of the drawers Lawrence pulled open. He only had eyes for the shifting leather garments, but I couldn't help but linger on the assortment of lingerie in the top drawer, all of it in my size. The knot in my stomach pulled tighter.
