“Hold on, hold on,” Eva chanted, panic dimming the anger in her chest. “Let me just…” She released the straps, catching Hunter as he sagged off the chair. He jerked in her grip, back bowing as he finally let out a cry. Eva heard every bone break, his body twisting as he slowly transformed into his alternative shape. Skin ripped, exposed muscle rippling before fur forced its way through to cover him entirely.
She had never witnessed a shifter change before, it was violent and graphic.
His cries turned into snarls, his sharp fangs dripping saliva as he shook his head, paws releasing long claws that scratched along the concrete. When he looked up, Eva finally realised she was locked inside a room with a large, angry cat.
Oh shit.
Chapter24
Kace
For fuck’s sake.Kace dodged the large spike that appeared from a small hole on the side of the platform, deciding to take the blunt hit of a swinging panel instead. He had braced for the impact, but the wood smashed him with more weight than he had expected. A grunt, the force dragging the breath from his lungs while the shock spread across his abdomen, reopening the wound on his chest. It pushed him to the edge, a dark pit beckoning death below.
He took a second sweep of the platform for traps. He had figured pretty quickly that there were pressure sensors that set off certain events, but they were well disguised amongst the constantly changing course. It was pure luck he hadn’t accidently set one off, and even after four platforms he was conscious of every step. It slowed him down dramatically, and patience wasn’t one of his virtues.
Click.
“Fuck!” The screech drew his attention further up the platform, Number Five impaled on a long metal spear that protruded through his foot. He tried to pull himself off before another one shot through his other foot, setting off a series of spikes that randomly pierced through the floor in an unpredictable pattern.
“Bloody hell,” Mikayla cursed, stepping up beside him. There was a gap between the platforms, an easy enough jump with a slight run up. Except the rolling spikes caused an issue on the other side. “You got a plan?” she asked, her breathing laboured. A line of red wet her arm, and a bruise was already blossoming on her cheek.
“Do you have access to your magic?” he asked, feeling his chi. He had called his arcane to his palms, but as soon as his fingertips sparked pain had shot in his chest, his heart skipping a beat. It was an interesting repellent, one he hadn’t come across before.
Mikayla nodded her head. “They need magic to control this shit-show, so they can’t strangle it completely like last time. But whatever they’re using is powerful, I’ve never been quite so controlled,” she chuckled, the sound hollow. “I felt it activate as soon as the first charm rang. I’m pretty sure it can kill us.”
Click.
Kace turned as he heard the whoosh, ducking just in time as a large log swung. It knocked Mikayla in the back, and she fell towards the open gap to the platform below. She scrambled on the edge, fingers clinging to anything she could hold.
Kace dropped to his knees, catching her outstretched arm just as she slipped.
Boots appeared in his peripheral. “You know this is a competition, right?” Gus grunted. “Only the strong survive.”
Teeth bared, his beast tearing at his mind Kace pulled Mikayla up and back on to the platform just as Gus jumped, rolling and missing the spikes.
“You fucking…” Number Five screeched as Gus knocked him to the side, dislodging the spears that had him pinned, only for him to slip straight down. He had finally moved off the pressure trap, deactivating the rolling spikes but not in time to stop one from impaling him through the chest.
Two distinctive beeps, signalling the end of an opponent.
Kace had lost count of how many beeps that had rung, so he had no idea who had died, and who had survived.
Mikayla coughed, her mouth spluttering red. “Fuck,” she croaked as she collapsed under her own weight.
Kace could hear the rattle in her breathing, the log having done some serious damage. Witches had the same physiology as humans, which made them physically weak. Nothing but meat sacks held up by a brittle skeleton. Druids too, except he wasn’t exactly a ‘normal’ druid.
“Just wait, and we’ll get you out of here,” he said, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Trust me.”
Mikayla started to laugh, the sound pained. “I don’t have much of a choice.” She sucked in a wet breath, her front soaked in crimson. She reached for the front of his shirt, her fingertips sparking against his skin with a sting. “Make sure they fucking pay.”
With a nod Kace eased her down, her breathing worsening as she whispered something beneath her breath. The arcane on her hands increased, the physical manifestation of her chi flickering. With a flash it launched across the space, exploding when it hit the other side. The trap triggered, splintering as the arcane ate away until the structure groaned, and an opening to the fifth level dropped.
Kace jumped the gap, landing in a crouch. Gus was right, it was a competition, but he still turned back towards Mikayla, who lay on her back, head fallen to the side.
Two distinctive beeps.
Rage burned hot through his veins, but he didn’t have time as he climbed through the new opening, finding himself faced with two walls and a floor of spinning blades.
Two distinctive beeps.
