Racing Hearts (Shadow Quest 4.5) by Kiersten Fay Read Free Book Online

“Unfortunately, I cannot wait for Kierok. But I will
not pay full price for partial delivery.” He slammed his hand down
on his desk to emphasize his point.
    Sebastian shrugged, unconcerned. “I
will offer to take three percent off the agreed price.”
    Darius, visibly agitated now, leaned
back in his chair. “Make it thirty percent.”
    “Eight percent.”
    Through clenched teeth, Darius replied,
“I will accept no less than twenty percent off.”
    Sebastian pretended to weigh his
options. “Then I am sorry, I'll have to decline your offer.” He
stood, indicating the end of negotiations and his patience. He had
many other contacts that would pay adequately for his
supplies.
    He held out his hand in a businesslike
gesture, resolution covering his features.
    Darius eyed his outstretched arm with
disgust. “Fifteen percent,” he growled.
    Offering him a fake look of indecision,
Sebastian pulled his hand back and contemplated the new offer. If
he had more time, he would have argued further, but he needed to be
on his way. “I think I can deal with that.” He didn't offer his
hand again, and neither did Darius.
    Darius bent to unlock a drawer low on
his desk, lifting from it a small black box. He reached in and
counted, then recounted the correct number of chips before tossing
them on the desk in front of Sebastian.
    Sebastian gathered the payment, bid
Darius farewell, and proceeded back to his ship, passing a handful
of bodyguards on his way out. He couldn't wait to get back. The
next stop promised to be a big job, one of their biggest. He was
about to negotiate a contract with the Serakians—an ancient and
wise race, known for their peaceful and gentle nature. When riled,
however, they proved to be exceptionally fierce.
    To anyone who chose to accept, the
Serakians were offering a generous sum to transport a curiously
small amount of cargo. He'd received the notice just after he'd
negotiated the contract with Darius. Now that the contract was
fulfilled, he and his crew would head straight to the Serakian
rendezvous point. Luckily, it wasn't too far from their current
location, and should only take a week or so of travel.
    The commission from this coming job
could feed his crew for months, maybe a year. Sebastian was
protective of his crew. He was their leader, their captain. Every
action he took affected them as much as it did him. Many in his
crew were next to family. Of the more than two hundred crew members
more than half were loyal friends, but only two were blood
relations—his sister Sonya and his brother Calic.
    With a sense of satisfaction, Sebastian
crossed onto his ship. Calic grunted a nod at him. Calic was his
second in command. He was a tough leader, and an even tougher
adversary. When they would spar, Calic held nothing back, as if he
possessed a deep rage clawing for release. He demonstrated a
ferocity Sebastian had never seen the likes of.
    Sebastian had the same rage bubbling
inside him. However, he was able to hone it differently by focusing
on the survival of his crew and on each commission.
    He understood where the malice came
from, though. They'd both been betrayed by the women they loved.
Calic's beloved mate and their own mother had turned their backs on
them at the worst possible moment.
    As a result, both Calic and
Sebastian kept their women at a distance, using them for what was
necessary and discarding them the moment after. The only difference
between the two was that Sebastian never slept with anyone
aboard Marada ,
though more than enough women lived on the ship. A few had even
propositioned him. It was a strict policy he tried to enforce with
everyone, including Calic. But, like many, Calic refused to
submit.
    “Is everything unloaded?”
    Calic nodded. “Yeah, how did it go with
Darius?”
    “He got fifteen percent
off.”
    “Huh. Not too bad.” Calic pressed a
series of buttons on the control pad and the docking hatch began to
close. Metal screeched against metal as the heavy