Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas Book 2)

by N. J. Walters

  “She’s not yours, Gravasian.” Zaxe stepped forward, hands fisted. It was probably good that he didn’t have a blaster. But he didn’t need one. Like his sister, he was a weapon.

  “That’s not up to you to say.” He looked to Delphi. Fury burned in her eyes. “It’s up to her. Kismara?” Now was her chance to walk away if she so desired. He’d been confident before his father had dismissed her, before her brother’s objection.

  He forced himself to release his hold on her, when he’d rather yank her into his arms. It had to be her choice. He held his breath when she searched his face. He hid nothing from her, letting her see the love.

  She squared her shoulders and rested her hands on her hips. “Ivar is mine.” He couldn’t manage to hide his smile as he tossed his words back at him.

  “What are you saying?” Zaxe demanded. “What has your son done to my sister?” he turned his ire on the king.

  “Let’s all take a step back.” Ivar fell back on his diplomatic training. Attacking the king was a sure way to end up dead.

  Delphi strode to her brother and slapped her hand on his chest. “Trust me.”

  He cupped her face in his large hands. Ivar tensed, even though he knew Zaxe would never harm his sister. “You, I trust,” he assured her. “Him, I do not know.” He pressed a kiss to his sister’s forehead and came toward Ivar. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

  Ivar held up his hands as two of his brothers surged forward. Spear stood back with his arm around Sass. The bastard seemed more amused than anything. “Let’s all calm down. I’m sure Zaxe is speaking as a brother to a man who loves his sister, not as an assassin to a prince of Gravas.” Best to remind the man he was putting himself and his sister at risk.

  A muscle in Zaxe’s jaw clenched but he turned to the king. “My apologies, your highness. This is a shock. I meant no disrespect.”

  “I share your shock.” Ivar’s father frowned. “You were under a lot of strain, my son. You had no memory. It was natural to reach out for companionship.”

  Now the muscle in Ivar’s jaw clenched. One beneath his eye twitched. “Without any memories, I became more myself. Like a titansteel blade forged in fire. It is my choice.”

  “I am your father and your king.”

  “For that, you will always have my love and respect. All of you will.” His mother had her hand to her throat, likely bewildered and devastated by the turn of events. Not the happy homecoming she’d envisioned. “But if we are not welcome here, I will leave. With Delphi.” A smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “And I will depend on her to keep her brother from killing me.”

  She coughed to hold back a laugh. “I’ll do my best.”

  “You are assuming I’d let you leave.” His father leaned back against his desk, crossed his arms over his chest. “I could simply put Delphi and her brother on their new ship and send them away.”

  His stomach dropped. This was not an outcome he’d foreseen. “Then I’ll follow her.”

  “Not if you’re under house arrest.”

  “I’ve already escaped one prison. I can do so again.” The thought of being locked away, unable to breathe fresh air, to go where he wished, had his lungs seizing and his heart jumping. Only years of training and undercover missions allowed him to keep his cool and act as though it didn’t bother him in the least.

  “Stop this.” Steffa walked over to her husband and poked him in the chest. “Our son has just survived being imprisoned. How could you even suggest such a thing?”

  Pure exasperation, tinged with love, flashed over his father’s face. “It would not be the same. He would not want for anything. I don’t want him to make any rash decisions. I want him to take the time with us, to fully recover before making changes to his life.”

  “That’s fair.” It wasn’t his mother who spoke, but Delphi.

  “What are you saying?” Anger surged through him, his emotions volatile. It was unlike him and had to be linked to the trauma he’d endured.

  “Your parents want what is best for you. This is hurting your family. Give it time. I’ll be waiting.” She glared at her brother. “And nothing will keep me from you.”

  “You’d do that, for me?” Her courage and honor were boundless. She shamed him.

  “For us.” Her eyes were glassy, but no tears fell.

  He went to one knee before her and took her hands, uncaring what his family thought. A strong man knew when to bend so he didn’t break. “I am not worthy of you, but I will be.” He’d train to get stronger and get a better handle on his emotions. He’d figure out ways he could make enough money to support them. With his knowledge of the known galaxies, his contacts, and his ability with languages, it would be easy enough.

  And in time, his family would understand their love was real enough to endure any test.

  She took his face in her hands. “You have an inner strength that is more enduring than titansteel. Even after everything you went through, you kept your honor, kindness, and compassion intact. Even when you thought I betrayed you, you did your best to shield me. You saved my life.”

  He rose to his feet. “And you saved mine. And not just because you broke me out of captivity. I didn’t know how empty parts of my life were until you were there to fill them.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, took her hand, and addressed his father. “I will give you your time. You are my father and my king. I will honor that and my obligations to my home and family. When it is done, I will follow Delphi.”

  His mother was crying now. So were his sisters-in-law. Sass was stoic, but she did surreptitiously press a finger to a corner of one eye.

  “You are willing to do this?” Agman stood tall, looking every inch the king of the most powerful planet in the galaxies.

  “Yes. Honor demands it.” He brought Delphi’s hand to his lips and kissed it. Being without her would be like living without his heart, but he’d survived months of torture without an end in sight. He could survive this knowing Delphi was waiting for him.

  The experience he had been through had changed him, but Delphi had helped forge him into the new version of himself. Her love gave him purpose beyond simply honor and obligation.

  ****

  She’d known something like this was going to happen. Ivar might have expected otherwise, but she hadn’t.

  Zaxe’s reaction hadn’t shocked her at all. He’s always been protective of her. But she was an assassin, had taken lives. Childhood was so far behind her it was nothing more than a dim memory.

  “And you will leave my son?” the king asked.

  “I will.” She was a fighter, born out of the worst kind of circumstances. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was how to survive. She clutched Ivar’s hand, allowing his strength to calm her.

  “You and your brother may leave Gravas. Safe journey to you.”

  Now? He was making them go now?

  There was no time for any kind of personal goodbye. Her knees trembled, but she locked them. She gave a curt bow to the king and queen before turning to her sister. Sass gave her a slight nod. Good, she’d stay and keep an eye on Ivar. Zaxe had one eye on the exit and the other on her. Worry darkened his eyes.

  I can do this.

  “We’ll talk,” she assured him. It wouldn’t be the same, but it was better than nothing.

  Ivar swore, dragged her into his arms, and kissed her as though they’d already been parted for months. Tears threatened, but she shoved them back. Never show your enemy fear. And right now, that was what his family was. This foe couldn’t be defeated with force. Only time, patience, and stealth would get the job done.

  When they finally pulled away, she whispered in his ear, “I broke you out of one prison. I’ll do it again if I have to.” Her brain was already calculating possible weaknesses that could be exploited.

  There was no smile, not this time. Only a grim acceptance. Then his expression went blank.

  It was time.

  Turning on her heel, she walked away,
wondering how she was still on her feet when her heart was bleeding. The last time she’d experienced such a sense of loss, of sadness was when her parents had died. But there was hope. She clung to it with the same tenacity a Vusarian cave snake did with its prey.

  Zaxe fell into step beside her. “This will pass,” he murmured. Did he mean the time or her feelings for Ivar? Either way, it didn’t matter. Work would keep her busy and pad their credit accounts. And she and Ivar could talk, even if she had to hack the Gravasian communication system.

  The door was the prize. She had to get out of here before she did something stupid that would get her and her brother killed. Having him beside her was a stark reminder that it wasn’t just her life on the line.

  Behind her, Ivar’s voice reached her. “Forgive me if I’m not up for any family reunion. I’ll retire to my quarters. I’ll be there if you need me.” His father had pushed too hard. Ivar was going to isolate himself from them. Her only solace was Sass wouldn’t allow it to go on for long. If she couldn’t prod him out of it, Spear would, if only to make Sass happy.

  Zaxe reached around her to grab the ornate handle when the king spoke. “Wait.”

  She stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around. If she saw Ivar again, she’d break. Her throat grew tight, making it impossible to swallow.

  “I needed to be sure,” Agman continued. “Needed to know what you would both sacrifice in order to be together.”

  She faced the door, fury and uncertainty bubbling up inside her like a molten volcano.

  “You accept my decision?” Ivar’s voice was harder than she’d ever heard it. His father might have been looking out for his son’s best interest, but he’d done damage to their relationship that might never be repaired.

  “You think me hard, maybe cruel. I accept that. Someday you will have children of your own. Then you will understand you are willing to do anything to assure their safety and happiness, even if that means they hate you.”

  The tremor in the king’s voice, coupled with his impassioned speech, had her turning around. The two men stood several feet apart, neither taking that final step. Ivar’s mother looked to her, her eyes pleading for help and understanding.

  She might never trust the king or become friendly, but she respected that he was willing to do anything for his son. Zaxe simply shrugged, willing to follow her lead.

  Getting onto Tortuga and breaking Ivar out of prison was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of his family relationships. If she’d been ejected into space without a suit or breathing pack and dragged back to safety seconds before it was too late, she wouldn’t be any more wiped out.

  Ivar strode toward her, tall and sure, his steps picking up speed. She broke, sprinting toward him, and jumped. He caught her and squeezed the breath from her. “Never again,” he whispered. “Let’s go.”

  She made the lethal mistake of looking at his family. His mother was sobbing silently. His father seemed to have aged a decade in the past minute.

  She cleared her throat. “Ah, why don’t we stay awhile?”

  Ivar pulled back. “What?”

  Her man might be tough as titansteel, but he had a compassionate side, a kindness that defined him. If he left the rift unhealed, he would regret it. Life was short. People died. Time sometimes ran out.

  Keeping her voice low, she pressed her hand over his racing heart. “He loves you. They all do. They thought you dead, even if they never admitted it. Maybe he didn’t go about it the right way, but your father is only trying to protect you. I’m an assassin. He has to worry. You lost your memories.”

  “How can you be so fair?” he demanded.

  “How can you not?”

  The furrows in his brow smoothed out and the corners of his mouth turned up. “Only you could talk me out of my anger.”

  “You could use some time with them.”

  “Not without you.”

  “I agree. They need to see us together. And to be honest, my brother needs to see the same thing.”

  “So he doesn’t slit my throat in my sleep?”

  “Something like that.” She was only half-kidding. “I’ll be sleeping beside you, just to be safe.”

  He kissed the top of her head, smoothing his hand over her curls. “You are one in a billion, Delphi. I thank the gods for the day you came into my life.” With his arm around her, he nodded to his mother. “I guess the family dinner is back on.”

  With a glad cry, she ran toward him in a repeat of his arrival. This time, the rest of his family, outside of Spear and Sass, joined in. His father held back. When they’d all greeted him, Ivar led Delphi toward him.

  “This is Delphi, the woman I plan to marry. She’ll be sharing my chamber.” It defied the customs of Gravas for an unwed woman to stay with a man not her husband, but on this, she knew he would not budge.

  “Then there will be a ceremony after dinner,” the king decreed.

  “Wait? What?” Delphi’s mouth dropped. “You want us to get married today?” The abrupt change in the king’s attitude from earlier made her head spin.

  Ivar’s lips turned up in a smile. Good thing one of them found this amusing. “We can leave until you’re ready to wed,” he assured her. “We’ll find some way around it.”

  “You’re that certain?”

  He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. “Yes, kismara. I want the world to know you’re mine.”

  Her stomach fluttered and her heart began to race, but from anticipation, not fear. A slow smile spread across her face. “Let’s do it. Life is too short to wait.”

  Beside her, Zaxe growled.

  “I will protect her with my life,” Ivar promised. “Once we are wed, she is a princess of Gravas. Anyone who thinks to harm her will face the full force of our fury.”

  “I’m not ready to be a princess,” she muttered.

  “Only you would consider that a drawback,” he whispered. “But you’ll manage. You can handle anything.”

  “With you beside me, I believe I can.” Their kiss sealed their commitment to one another. The ceremony later was only a formality.

  Epilogue

  “Find out everything he knows before he faces Gravasian justice. Someone drugged Ivar, someone he trusted. That person must pay.”

  Kyler el Darkos bowed to King Agman el Gravaso. “It will be done.” The viewing screen went dark, and he was once again alone on his ship. Few knew of his existence. Most believed Spear el Gravaso to be the most elite Gravasian assassin. And he was. But Kyler was apart from them, more dangerous, more deadly. The ultimate hunter, he didn’t stop until the job was done. It was in his blood, in his very DNA. Like his father and his father before. In every generation, one of his bloodline was the king’s blade, the sword that fell on those who crossed the crown.

  And he was damn good at his job.

  He manually set course for the last sighting of Balthazar he’d received from Gravasian command. The hunt was on.

  The End

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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.