She sat upright and gasped at the blistering pain in her back. Her head throbbed so badly, it made her want to retch. She was in bad shape, but what was scarier was she didn’t recognize her surroundings at all. A holey dilapidated roof above her, splintered rafters, dusty light streaming in through wooden walls gone gray with age. Her eyes rolled back in her head, but Rieland slapped her again and ripped her hair back until she met her eyes. “About fuckin’ time,” the woman growled. Rieland had pulled her nut-brown tresses into a severe ponytail that made her face look like she’d had it lifted, and was donning the ranger’s uniform she’d had on when she picked her up. Her eyes were predatory and burning silver, and she shoved Reese back onto the filthy wooden floor she’d been lying on. “Why didn’t you kill me?” Reese asked through a parched throat. Even at this soft volume her head felt like it was going to explode. “Because our games aren’t through yet. You’ve been an irritating little bitch about a bump on the head, and have slept the entire night.
