Racing Hearts (Shadow Quest 4.5) by Kiersten Fay Page A

of the ships were in a state of disarray as workers
rushed to make them ready for the long flight to come.
    To her right, people lined up to
register for the competition. Anyone had the privilege to enter and
nearly every planet encouraged participation. It was the few
activates that brought both the allied and disjointed sects
together.
    A lift vehicle rumbled by, honking as
people made a path. Over the chaos, she spotted the appreciable,
dark-brown hair of her soon to be captain, Aidan. It had been cut
short since she’d last seen him. He stood with a small group of men
next the open hatch of a ship. She assumed the craft would be her
new home for the duration of the race.
    She could hardly contain her excitement
as she crossed the great room. A few months ago, Aidan had
surprised her by showing up at Uli Rings, where, until recently,
she’d had a nice, cushy job as head of security. The massive space
city was a popular tourist destination, made up of three giant
rings that spun to simulate gravity. She’d hoped to take him out
for a drink and catch up, maybe offer him a job, but he hadn’t had
the time.
    Then a few weeks ago she’d received a
transmission from Aidan to get her ass to the North Star spaceport
and prepare for Phase Nine.
    She’d sat back in her expensive office
chair, stunned to the core. An hour later she was shoving clothes
into a large duffel bag with the tags still attached.
    When Aidan caught sight of her, he
rushed forward to clasp her in a bone-crushing hug. His massive
arms held her up as though she were light as a pea. “Priya! Thanks
for coming.”
    As her feet met the ground again, she
couldn’t help but tease, “You know, I received three more offers,
besides yours. Pretty good ones too.”
    “Aw, and you chose me above all others?
I’m flattered,” he replied with a smirk and offered to take her
heavy bag.
    Glad to be rid of its weight, she
handed it over. “Don’t be. I was considering not coming at all.”
Lie. Although, she wouldn’t have answered any other call but his.
Or have traveled so far just to risk her life.
    “Tell me,” she said. “Why in the name
of the gods are you entering Phase Nine under the banner of the
Legura Dragon Clan? Since when does your clan mingle with theirs?”
When she’d received the news, she’d been taken aback. Though their
respective planets share a solar system, their cultures were quite
different.
    “It’s a long story,” he replied,
looking frustrated. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
    At his back, three men stood observing,
one of which was a stranger to Priya. With a smile, she approached
Asher and Zeek. Seeing them brought her back to a time when she was
truly happy—when they had all worked together as mercenaries on a
POS, rust bucket of a ship. Only one other face was missing from
the reunion. But she knew if she saw him, her joy would turn
sour.
    She greeted her old crewmates with big,
squeezing hugs. In turn, they messed her hair with a rough, playful
palm, effectively ruining her sleek braid.
    She slapped their hands away with
irritation and undid the tie to run her fingers through her
now-tangled locks. “In some corners of space, people get shot for
that,” she chastised.
    They only laughed.
    “You two haven’t changed at all,” she
grumbled.
    “Have too,” Zeek protested. “Check this
out.” He lifted his sleeve to reveal dark ink against his otherwise
tan skin. The tattoo was outlined in red as if it were still
healing. It was the image of a buxom, black-haired lady looking
over her shoulder, hand covering her mouth as her obscenely short
skirt rode up to offer a peek of white panties.
    “Classy, Zeek.”
    He gave her a boyish grin that was
accentuated by his short blond hair and stormy blue
eyes.
    Turning to Asher, she asked, “How about
you, Ash? Any tattoos?”
    She knew better. Ash’s skin was as
tough as metal, with the hint of a metallic sheen. Most needles
couldn’t penetrate it. His pewter, chin