Spear's Search

by N. J. Walters

  He rolled, taking her flat onto the bed and looming over her. “A woman who understands me, sees me as I truly am, and still welcomes me with open arms.”

  “Spear.” The way she said his name, the slight sigh, made him want to give her the universe. It was hers for the asking.

  But she would never ask, nor would she want it. There was something he could offer her. “We can go to Ramos 3 and find your identity if you wish.”

  She stilled and slowly pushed upright. He sat back to give her space. “Truly?”

  “There are no guarantees,” he warned. “But our computer techs are the best in the world. If we can determine when you were born and around the time your mother passed, we might be able to track it.”

  Her expression clouded. “That info might have been on Artemis’s ship. I know she kept extensive comp files on all of us.”

  “Then we may find out sooner. It’s likely they hacked the ship’s electronics and took everything before destroying it.”

  Her mouth fell open. She closed it, started to speak, stopped, and tried again. “You’re that good?”

  “We are. And you said she had other homes. Gravasian command is tracking them, if they haven’t already found them, and will dispatch warships to gather any intel and destroy any remaining structures.”

  “What about the people there? Some of them are like me, taken and trained from childhood.”

  He shook his head. “It will depend on them. Gravasian command will assess them all and make decisions. It’s out of our hands.”

  She sighed and nodded, as though she hadn’t expected anything else. “If word gets out about Artemis’s demise before your ships arrive, there will be a revolt. The assassins will make a break for it. Her minions will likely try to steal as much as they can and save themselves.”

  “Gravas cannot risk any of them knowing about my brother and warning whoever has him.”

  “I understand, and I can live with that. All the guards and those who worked for her knew what she was, what she did, and supported her. Only the assassins had no choice.”

  She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “But that doesn’t answer my question. What happens now?”

  He hesitated, not sure she was ready for this.

  Catching his pause, she lifted her head and went still. “What?”

  Spear cleared his throat. “My father would have contacted my mother by now. She’ll want to throw a party in our honor. My siblings will all want to meet you.”

  “I have to meet your family.” On a groan, she fell back and dragged a pillow over her head.

  Spear threw back his head and laughed. Not since he was a boy had he felt this free and light.

  She lowered the pillow and glared at him, which only made him laugh harder. He couldn’t stop, not even when she threw it at him, hitting him square in the face.

  In dramatic fashion, he toppled over beside her.

  Taking advantage, she jumped on top of him, crossing her arms under her chest, pushing up the plump mounds. “It’s not funny.”

  “Of course, it isn’t. One of the best assassins in the universe is afraid to meet the parents.”

  Her lips twitched but she hung on to her scowl. “I know how to kill. I don’t know how to act at a party.”

  The starkness of her confession highlighted the difference in their lives. He’d always had family and a loving home. She’d lacked those things.

  Cupping the side of her face, he made her a promise. “I’ll be beside you. They’ll love you. My brothers will be in awe that you took me on. My mother will adore you. She’s feared no woman would ever accept me. You have the king’s respect. That is no small thing,” he assured her. “The rest is details. Anything you want to learn or know I can help you with.”

  Leaning down, she took hold of the pillow, moving it aside as she took his mouth with hers. The kiss lingered, a soft exploration. “All I need is you.”

  “You have me. Now and always. You are my kismara, my heart, my love.”

  “And you’re mine.” She smiled at him then, a mischievous glint in her eyes before she smacked the side of his head with the pillow.

  Laughing, he rolled grabbed it and tossed it aside. “You’ll pay for that,” he promised.

  Her entire body shuddered. “I certainly hope so.”

  He rolled her under him, entered her, and made love to his wife, his woman, his love.

  Epilogue

  The party was in full swing. Food and drink were plentiful, carried throughout the room on large silver trays by servers. There was also a long table at one end with more. The people were gaily dressed, laughing and chatting with one another. Musicians played in the corner of the room, lending a softness to the background with their stringed instruments. Lights twinkled.

  It was totally surreal. She’d seen parties such as these before while on missions, but always from the shadows, never a part of it, and certainly never at the center of it.

  As promised, Spear had given her a rundown of what to expect and who would be there. She was dressed for the occasion. Not in a dress or skirt. No how, no way. But she was wearing a lovely pair of black pants made from the softest material and a black tunic that hung to her hips. She didn’t mind the length as it allowed her to hide several weapons. And she wasn’t the only one armed. Spear was too. And she suspected her siblings had managed to get hold of a few weapons of their own.

  The party wasn’t as bad as she’d thought in some ways. In others, it was worse.

  People did seem to be in awe of her, giving both her and Spear a wide berth. All but his family, that was. They kept asking questions and generally prying into her life, but not in a mean-spirited way. They just seemed interested. So far, she’d managed to deflect most of their inquiries.

  And the rest of the partygoers? They watched her like she was some exotic creature they’d never seen before.

  And maybe they hadn’t. They didn’t get many outsiders.

  “Some place, isn’t it?” Zaxe sidled up beside her with Delphi at his side. They both had a glass in their hands but weren’t drinking. It was simply camouflage to fit in.

  “How are you doing?” She hadn’t spent nearly enough time with them, almost all her waking hours taken up by new husband. Even now, he was only a few steps away, staying close as promised.

  “It’s different.” Something in his voice alerted her. She gave him her full attention.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” Delphi assured her. Ever the peacemaker, she should never have been forced to become an assassin. The deaths lingered with her, following her into her sleeping and waking hours, ghosts she could never rid herself of. Sass worried about her and knew Zaxe did, too.

  “But?” She knew them too well. Something wasn’t right.

  “What do we do now?” Zaxe shrugged, looking handsome in the clothing that had been provided. He and Delphi were the only dark-skinned people here and had garnered as many stares as she had. Like her, they were both dressed in black. “We’re assassins, Sass. It’s all we know.”

  She’d been having similar thoughts herself. A week to get settled in on Gravas—in the palace, no less—was more than enough. Now she was getting antsy. “I don’t know, but I have some ideas.”

  Delphi groaned dramatically and rested her head on her brother’s arm. “May the gods save us from your ideas.”

  She flashed a grin. “They weren’t all bad.”

  A strong arm slid around her waist and pulled her back against a very hard chest. “What isn’t all bad?” Spear whispered against her ear.

  She managed to suppress a shudder, and he knew it, the bastard. He was intentionally trying to arouse her. Two could play that game. She rubbed her behind against the hard ridge in his pants.

  “Should we leave? Do you two want to be alone?” The frustration, almost anger, in Zaxe’s voice caught her off guard. He really was on edge.

  Spear stiffened, turning t
o glare at her brother. This wasn’t good, not at all.

  “What are we talking about?” The woman’s name was Abby and she was married to Spear’s brother Vaden. Of all her new sisters-in-law, Abby was the most approachable. Maybe because she wasn’t Gravasian either. Right behind her was her husband. Gravasian men did like to keep their mates close.

  “My ideas.”

  Abby nodded. “You’re wondering what you’re going to do now?”

  Not only was she forthright, she was eerily accurate. “How did you know?”

  She shrugged. “I struggled with that, too. You have more skills than me. I was a space salvager. That’s how I met Vaden. I tried to salvage his ship when he was still in it.”

  That was a story Sass really had to hear, but another time. “We need to talk about this,” she told Spear. She couldn’t be happy if her siblings weren’t.

  “How about now? The king has requested our presence.” He tipped his head to his brother and sister-in-law. “We will see you later.”

  The four of them exited the room. It was a relief to leave the noise and lights of the party behind. She’d lived in the shadows too long to be comfortable there.

  They trekked down a long hallway and into a large office. The big desk dominated the room. Behind it, in an equally impressive chair, sat the king. “Come in.” He beckoned them forward. “Sit.”

  There were two chairs so the women sat with the men beside them. She might have protested, but this wasn’t the time for that battle.

  Spear’s father leaned back in his chair, rested his elbows on the thick wooden arms, and steepled his fingers together. “I have news.”

  Beside her, Spear stiffened, but didn’t interrupt. That said much for his respect for his father.

  “We’ve tracked this Balthazar. He has a fortress on Tortuga.”

  “By the depths of Gravas,” Spear muttered. And he was right. Named after an old Terran settlement that had been a haven for pirates, it was a planet run by the worst of the worst in the universe. Even the Alliance stayed clear of Tortuga.

  “I’ll leave tonight,” Spear told him.

  “We’ll leave,” she corrected him.

  But the king was shaking his head. “You won’t be able to hide there. You’ll stand out too much.” In a rare show of emotion, he closed his eyes. He looked tired, older. It was sometimes easy to forget this wasn’t just one of his people he was trying to rescue, but his son.

  “We can handle it,” Spear assured him. Sass reached up and took his hand, squeezing it, knowing it wasn’t easy for him to include her, to know she was going to put herself in harm’s way.

  “We’ll do it.” Shockingly, it wasn’t Zaxe but Delphi who spoke up. “This is what we do. And they won’t expect us to be working for you.” A small smile played on her lips, making her appear soft and friendly. “We stand out here. Plus, you don’t have female assassins.”

  “No, we do not.” The king glanced at Spear.

  “How good are they?” her husband demanded.

  Sass stood and faced them all. “I’d trust them with my life. If they give their word, they’ll do the job or die trying.” And that terrified her. They were finally free. But she understood it. If they were ever to make a place for themselves here or anywhere in the universe, having Gravasian support was vital. There were some who didn’t trust them, who weren’t happy they were here. If they saved Ivar, it would go a long way to cementing their future safety.

  They had money they could draw on, but it would never be enough if they had to continually be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

  Zaxe rested his hand on Delphi’s shoulder. “Our sister is married to your son. That means your missing son is also family.” His mouth tightened. “We don’t leave family behind.”

  “So be it. You’ll have backup, but it will be up to you to get in, find any information you can, and get out.” The king pushed away from his desk. “Now let’s return to the party before the queen comes looking for me.”

  ****

  Later that night, Spear lay with his wife in his arms, both of them sweaty and replete.

  “They’ll be all right. I know they will.” He wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

  “They’re trained. They know the risks.”

  She thumped him on the chest. “Not what I needed.”

  “It is.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and held her tighter. “They’re skilled, but sometimes things go wrong.” He also understood his wife and added, “We’re going to follow them, be there as backup in case they need a quick extraction or find Ivar.”

  “We are?” Sass sat up and rubbed her face.

  “Did you really think I’d let them go alone knowing how much you’d worry?”

  “I’m not used to anyone carrying about what I think or feel.”

  “Get used to it.” He pulled her down, kissed her hard, and slid inside her warmth, finding love, finding home.

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  BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER

  RESCUING RORY

  Marks Mercenaries, 1

  N.J. Walters

  Copyright © 2019

  Sample Chapter

  “This is going to be a major clusterfuck. There’s no quiet way to do this.”

  Even though his brother’s thoughts echoed his own, Kal Marks didn’t spare Garth so much as a glance. No, his gaze locked solidly on the woman currently dancing in one of the gilded cages that hung from the ceiling here in the largest club on the pleasure ship Exos. The flashing blue spotlight made her smooth white skin look the same color, giving her an exotic appearance.

  Her long, blonde hair hung down her chest, covering her breasts, much to the dismay of the customers around her, and the skimpy thong barely covered her mound as she dipped and swayed to the pounding music. If anything, the tiny strip of cloth accentuated her nakedness, which was no doubt its purpose. She didn’t look at any of the patrons, keeping her eyes trained on the far wall.

  “Are you listening to me?” Garth asked, practically yelling to be heard over the noise. Impatience tinged his voice.

  Kal forced himself to turn away and focus on his brother. “I hear you, but we don’t have a choice.” They had to talk to the woman, the dancing vision.

  “You sure the information is good?”

  Now that was a question, wasn’t it? Digger wasn’t exactly known for his honesty, but he traded in information, and he knew the Marks brothers were always buying when it came to intel on the whereabouts of their missing sister. He also knew better than to lie to them.

  “Digger is too scared of Flynn to risk feeding us bad info,” Kal pointed out. Flynn was the oldest of the four brothers, massively tall and mean as a snake. It was well known throughout the Alliance galaxies that the only people Flynn cared about were his brothers.

  Cross one of the Marks brothers and you crossed them all.

  “I still don’t like it,” Garth muttered.

  “Noted.” Kal let his gaze drift over the room, observing the positions of all the guards. There were quite a few of them, as things could get rowdy on the Exos. In fact, Kal was counting on just that.

  The music pumping through the sound system was low and rhythmic. That, combined with the mostly naked women dancing around them, was designed to get men in the mood so they’d pay the money to visit the back rooms where women waited to service them. This far out in space the floating pleasure ship contained the only women many of these men would see for months.

  Kal looked at his brother and noted his scowl. Garth’s thoughts mirrored his own. What if their sister were abo
ard a ship like this? Most of the women weren’t here by choice. Usually the brothers would never set foot on a ship like the Exos, but when it came to intel about their sister, they’d go straight into the bowels of hell itself.

  “She’s got the tattoo Digger told us about.” Garth studied the dancer now, his gaze tracing the long length of her legs. Kal was filled with the sudden urge to punch his brother in the face.

  He rolled his shoulders and forced himself to lean back in his chair and act as if he were enjoying the show. And it wasn’t much of an act. The woman wasn’t really dancing, more sensually undulating to a rhythm far different from the music filling the room. He caught his breath when her hair slid to the side, exposing one perfectly shaped plump breast for a split second before her hair covered it again.

  Kal’s dick sprang to life, and he shifted to get more comfortable. No doubt about it, she was beautiful. There was something almost … innocent about her. Yeah, that was it. Impossible considering where she was. No one aboard this floating pleasure barge was innocent. Even if they started out that way, it didn’t last for long.

  He fought to bring his body under control, feeling like a jerk for getting aroused. He knew a good percentage of the women here had been bought from slavers. His fingers tightened into fists. There was nothing he hated more than slavers. Those low-life bastards all deserved to be shot out into deep space without a protective suit.

  If he could, he’d rescue all the women here. That just wasn’t possible, but he could rescue one. He let his eyes drift over her right arm. The tattoo on the woman was an unusual one, a stylized pattern of flowers that covered her left shoulder and ran all the way down her arm to her hand. There was no missing it. At the very bottom, a thorny vine wrapped around her wrist. Exactly as Digger had described.

  “So how are we doing this?” Garth asked.