Piper Cross, an undercover spy, must relive her past as a child gladiator in order to bring the underground arena to justice.
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Growing up gladiator is brutal. The cells are cramped...
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"Rule number one: only wear original pieces," Avah barked, when I complained after getting stuck with multiple pins by a vampire spinster. I knew she was doing it on purpose; her work was too impeccably precise to warrant that many accidents, and she kept sucking the pins clean as she went. The endorphins in her venom were starting to make my skin prickle and my thoughts feel loose, as if they might slip out of my head if I tipped it the wrong way.
"Why?" I asked stubbornly.
"Only commoners wear mass produced fast fashion."
I was a filthy commoner, but I bit my tongue, reminding myself that this was important to the mission. We had to blend in at the gala, which meant standing out anywhere else. The Golden One had called everyone together — lanistas, gladiators and the highest paying patrons — to celebrate the winners from the previous week, who would be heading into the semi-finals. It was the perfect opportunity to establish contact with Roman and Roland.
Extracting them would be a lot easier if they decided to come willingly, after all. Especially if I could corner them outside of the arena.
"Rule number two: never wear more than one thing from the same place," she said, when I made the mistake of asking if we could go home after the tailor. "You still need shoes, a shawl, a handbag, accessories and makeup."
I groaned, which made Isaac smirk, even though I was confident he was chafing as much as I was here.
Mason scratched the back of his head. "You're right. Maybe we should split up; I still need to make some finishing touches on that painting. Meet you back here for the final fitting?"
Avah gave him a soldier's nod. "You have cash?"
"Even better," Mason said, flashing a credit card that wasn't mine, for once. "Courtesy of Piper's mysterious benefactor. Apparently we're on the payroll now."
"Great," she said, as I tried to find the root of my sudden disappointment. Had I enjoyed being the only one who could provide for the hybrid pack? "See you in five."
I felt a surge of hope as she towed us away. "Minutes?"
"Hours," she corrected me.
I could have sworn I heard Isaac chuckle as we walked away.
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