Page 1 of Stealing Mercury
Prologue
RomaRexArena,Roma
EarthAllianceBeta Sector
2210.140
Mercury clenched his fists. The blood on his hands had started to dry, making his skin feel tight and brittle. He stood in the center of the arena, shoulder to shoulder with Lo. He breathed through his mouth to avoid the stench of the frenzied crowds, but the taste coated his throat and turned his stomach.
The patrons wouldn’t want to see any hint of softness, so he kept his face carefully blank. He fought the urge to drop to his knees alongside his three other pack brothers where they lay, chests heaving for air, their life’s blood soaking into the dirt.
The crowds were on their feet.
In the cheap seats, boots stomped rhythmically on the metal stadium decks—an unnatural boom-boom-boom echoing to the city dome over their heads. On the other side of the dusty field, the crowd had abandoned their plush cushioned seats to bounce and weave for a better view. In the luxury boxes the patrons leaned forward, some pressing pale, skeletal hands against the transparent security barrier.
Voices swelled in a mix of cheers and boos as the Game Master stepped onto the platform that jutted out six meters above the arena floor. The crowds would try to influence his decision.
Life or death for the losers.
Mercury ignored the chants and watched as the crimson robed man extended an arm, fingers clenched tight, thumb pointed to the side. The outcome had been promised—make a good show and his pack brothers would live.
Three on two, brother against brother.
They’d made a good show.
Maybe too good.
He wanted the verdict declared, the match finished, so they could tend the three in the dirt before they bled out. Bled out from injuries he and Lo had inflicted.
The Game Master’s thumb dipped suddenly down.
Death.
Mercury’s lungs seized. Shock tightened around his chest like a ruthless leather cinch. Animal rage pulsed dizzyingly through his oxygen-deprived brain. Beside him, Lo howled.
Mercury glanced down to Carn, lying at his feet. His pack brother. His friend. Eyes glassy, Carn met his gaze with acceptance. Carn knew Mercury’s pain. Knew he’d look after Carn’s mate. Knew he had no choice.
Fuck that.
Air rushed back into his lungs. His chest expanded. His muscles twitched and jumped. Had the owners forgotten the power of the bodies their genetic engineering had created?
The crowds had picked up the verdict. They chanted it like a heartbeat. “Death. Death. Death.”
Yes. He would give them death.
He flicked a glance to Lo, coated in the blood of their brothers. Lo’s eyes glowed with rage. His body quivered with aggression.
Mercury sucked in air then loosed three quick barks. He flicked his gaze to the patrons’ box, then to a point below the Game Master’s platform, and back to Lo. His pack brother nodded, leaped over their fallen, then sprinted to the point Mercury had indicated.
Adrenaline flooded through Mercury’s bloodstream. His animal nature strained against the reigns of his control. The muscles of his thighs burned as he surged over Carn’s prone body and pumped arms and legs to build momentum. In his peripheral vision he saw the guards run forward and aim weapons, but he trusted his speed.
His muscles were on fire as he planted one foot in Lo’s cupped hands. He sprang into the air, muscles working with the momentum of Lo’s throw, and flew. His body stretched and twisted. Pain snapped from knee to groin as something tore. His fingers closed around the Game Master’s ankle. He ripped the man off his perch, tossing him to the arena floor as he flung his own body onto the platform. The Master’s scream choked off suddenly, but Mercury focused on his target.
The patrons’ box and the Owner inside.
The Game Master was only the Owner’s puppet. The startled face behind the polycarbonate wall was to blame for this latest betrayal. Mercury raced up the platform then launched into the air, arms and legs extending to clear the impossible distance.
His body slammed hard into the transparent barrier. A wave of black flashed through his vision, but he tightened his grip around the corner and dug the toes of his flex-boots into the ledge. He struck the glassy surface with all his strength. Beneath his fist, it splintered but didn’t shatter. He pulled back for another blow.
