Fuck.
Kace paused, ignoring the crowd who were starting to liven up. The obstacle course was designed to give a three-sixty view, everything slowly turning as if on wheels, allowing the audience to observe from the safety of their seats. They could follow each layer, watch everyone fight their way through hurdles and traps until they advanced to the next platform, where they started again. The first three levels had been simple enough, and it was only from the fourth that Kace had found a little more difficult, with the walls more enclosing. It would have been hard for the audience to get a good look at the people they were betting on dying, except for the windows, and glass was fucking impossible to grip.
There was no glass this time though, the walls too tall to comfortably climb with the ceiling open air, allowing only the super-rich and powerful to watch. Kace felt like a rat trapped in a maze, attention a prickling weight on his shoulders as they waited for him to make a mistake. To slip and fall.
Two walls, a floor and a fuck load of spinning blades.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
Five seconds left. Ten seconds right. Twelve seconds down. Kace counted each spin of the blade on both the walls and floor. Five. Ten. Twelve. He knew he could move faster than that, so without hesitation he ran, timing his first step perfectly as the spinning blade kissed his ankle. Kace twisted on the tenth second, and then immediately jumped on the twelfth. He made it to the end, skidding to a stop when he found the space in front suspiciously void of anything except Gus. He lay face down on the floor, his body sliced into pieces. Yet there was nothing to indicate what could have ended him.
Just like before, the walls were too tall to comfortably climb, the ceiling enclosed this time, but made entirely of glass.
Kace pulled his shirt over his head, bundling it into a ball before he threw into the open space. Another set of spinning blades immediately appeared through the floor from discreet slices. It lasted only a second, but it was long enough as the fabric disintegrated, and what already remained of Gus was essential minced.
His shirt had weighed next to nothing, which meant it was likely motion activated rather than weight. It also meant he couldn’t go anywhere near the floor, and with nothing to grip on the walls he was essentially fucked, unless he figured out a way to climb.
Voices cursed just behind.
“Hey,” Kace called to the two men who stood at the beginning of the first set of spinning blades, their auras were no longer tainted. “You need to grab some of those stakes, ideally metal but wood will do.”
It was the bleach blonde that answered, his words more of a growl. “Why would we help you?”
The dark haired one leaned forward, his slim shoulders shifting beneath his shirt. “Why do you want them?”
“Because I doubt any of us will be able to get to the end without them,” Kace grunted, frustration rumbling his beast. “So unless you want to die in here, I need you to grab some fucking stakes.”
Blondey gave a tiny shake of his head, jaw rigid as he whispered to his friend. After a taut pause he turned back in the direction he came, returning after a few minutes with what Kace needed.
They crossed the obstacle quickly, the way they moved reminding him of a feline.
Definitely cats,he thought. Which wasn’t a surprise in a city that was heavy in predators. Wolves ruled London, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other predatory animals.
“Well, what’s the plan then?” Blondey asked, swallowing a gulp when he found Gus in pieces. “What’s with the stakes?”
Kace didn’t bother with a reply, grabbing the first stake and weighing it in his palm. It was reasonably heavy, and thick enough for his plan. Pressing his back against one wall he relaxed his shoulders, mentally marking the opposite wall. On his next exhale he threw, and the stake hummed through the air before it struck, imbedding itself deep. He didn’t need to reach for the next stake, because Blondey was beside him with the rest. It took a few minutes, but in the end there were eight stakes sticking out the wall, each different in size and weight.
“You’ve created a path with the stakes,” Blondey said with a grin. “That was fucking genius.”
Kace looked up through the glass ceiling to glare at the spectators. “The stakes further along the wall are at a dangerous angle,” he said, turning back to the two shifters. “So don’t stay on them too long.”
The dark-haired cat crossed his arms. “Who’s going first?”
It was Blondey who raised his arm, not waiting for a contest before he climbed on to the first stake. It groaned at his weight, but kept steady as he hopped to the next. The roar of the crowd was growing, and Kace tuned them out as he pulled himself up on the first one. He felt the wood beneath his feet begin to weaken and splinter, so he repositioned himself as close to the wall as possible before he jumped to the next. He heard the snap, the space between the sudden inhale and the wet sound of the blades lasting an eternity. There was a deathly silence between the break and the fall, so still that he felt the pressure in his chest. But Kace kept moving, only a step behind Blondey who reached the end of the obstacle first, turning around to punch the air in victory. His happiness was short lived as Kace landed beside him, a cry of anguish ripping from his throat as he dropped to his knees, facing the remains of his friend.
Beep. Beep.
Those two distinctive beeps would fucking haunt him.
The pressure in his chest grew, consuming until he pulled the strength from his beast. Exhilaration pumped, his senses more acute he prepared from what was next.
A growl rattled from his chest, and as he took the few steps up to the podium he turned until he found Augustine high up in his office. Kace’s smile was cruel, and as he flipped his middle finger he felt the rumble as the first of the bombs exploded.
* * *
EVA
The door was locked, her fists unable to make a dent.
