Free Racing Hearts (Shadow Quest 4.5) by Kiersten Fay Page B

barely taking a
moment to gasp for air. She hadn't realized how badly she was in
need of it.
    “Good girl,” Sebastian said when she
set down the empty glass.
    Then he scooped her up in his arms.
She'd been so taken by surprise at the sudden action that she'd
actually wrapped her arms around his neck for support. When she
realized what she was doing, she weakly pushed away from
him.
    She wasn't long in his grasp, as he had
only crossed to the other side of the room and set her down on a
thin cot within a small alcove—which became like a small room when
a solid beam of energy flashed between them.
    A force field?
    It was transparent with a slight haze,
masking everything on the other side in an auburn hue.
    From one prison to
another!
    “There. You're free of your
restraints.”
    She made a rough noise in her throat.
“You call this free?”
    “It's as free as you're allowed on my
ship. You've committed a serious crime by smuggling yourself onto
my ship. It requires serious punishment. I'm willing to be lenient,
though. If you tell me where you came from, I promise to take you
back there unharmed.”
    “I'd rather die,” she
supplied.
    He raised an eyebrow and
waited a moment before speaking again. “You're in luck then. The
punishment for your crime is death.” He scanned for a reaction. When he didn't
receive one, he continued. “If you don't tell me where you came
from, then your only other option is to be released into space.
Actually, you'd be releasing yourself into space. In my culture it
would be seen as an honorable death.” He crossed his arms in
expectation.
    Analia considered his words carefully.
He was offering her death at her own hand. She'd contemplated
suicide before—many, many times before. But, as closely guarded as
she’d been, she never found ample opportunity. Now it was being
offered to her on a silver platter.
    Thinking over her life, she could only
call up memories of suffering and sorrow. There wasn't a single
moment that brought her joy. No memory sparked a hint of happiness
to make her want to cling to this existence. Could she really push
the button that would end her completely?
    Yes.
    Her shoulders slumped ever so
slightly.
    At least I had
tried .
    Her greatest and, sadly,
sole achievement was her escape from Extarga . If she were dead, Darius
could truly never hurt her again. The time she had spent in the
small maintenance room had changed her completely. Even though she
was technically still trapped, it was a small taste of what true
freedom could be. It had been her choice, her decision, and no one
else’s, that brought her here now. She had felt the power of
freedom and knew she could never go back. The moment she set one
foot back on the Hell Ship would be the moment her spirit broke
completely, reducing her to a mere shell of herself.
    And here she was, locked up
at the amusement of yet another arrogant captain. If she couldn't
be physically free, then his offer was the only way to end her
suffering.
    With her decision resolved, she met
Sebastian's gaze. “I accept your offer.”
    “Good. First tell me the moment you
came to be on my ship.”
    “No. I accept your other offer.” She
almost smiled when his jaw dropped.
     
     

Demon
Possession is available now. Find it at
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