Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas #2) - N.J. Walters Page 0,40

and sneak it up here.”

“Still smart to remove any sign of our being here.” He continued to pack efficiently.

“You’re right. We can store them behind the boulder in case we have to retreat.” That wasn’t likely. If they didn’t get away, it would be because they’d been captured. But it was better to be prepared.

She grabbed one of the bags and carried it beyond the hot springs room. After storing it, she stared down at the ground. She’d lost her virginity here, had her first lover. Maybe not the stuff of dreams, given the location, but she wouldn’t change it for anything.

Ivar placed his pack beside hers. “Ready?”

“Almost.” She dug a straw hat out of the pack for him. “Here, put this on.” It hid his hair and gave him a totally different look from the unkempt man she’d broken out of the cell. She pulled out a pair of thin sandals. “Sorry I couldn’t get anything better.” They were cheaply made from local materials and worn by about half the population.

“I’ll make do. Anything is better than being barefoot.”

Then it was time. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the change to come over her. She was no longer Delphi, the woman who’d taken a lover. She was a ruthless assassin with a mission. One she couldn’t afford to fail.

Without a backward glance, she headed back through the cave with Ivar close behind.

Chapter Eleven

It was fascinating to watch the transformation come over Delphi. This was the woman he’d met the first night. But the Delphi he knew, the one he was coming to love, was still there beneath the façade.

He hadn’t been himself since he woke. The dream from last night had followed him into the morning. Even knowing it would do no good, he strained to recover more memories. But to no avail. They remained locked away.

Spear is real. That knowledge beat in his heart. His memory had been right. He did have a brother, more than one. Delphi also had siblings. That she’d shared anything of herself had surprised him. Maybe it had been the intimacy of the night and their earlier closeness that had allowed them both to share.

Silent as a shadow, she slipped through the lush, thick vegetation. Beneath the limbs of towering trees and around full bushes with leaves almost as large as her. This planet was an oasis. It was small with one habitable landmass. The rest was water and rock and desert regions. It had no minerals and not enough good soil for large-scale farming. Plus no one wanted to face the might of the pirate king Balthazar, who ran the planet with an iron fist.

The people who sought sanctuary here would turn on one another in a heartbeat, but they’d join together to battle an outside source. The rest of the universe left Tortuga alone, preferring the assassins, bandits, pirates, and more nasty elements congregate here instead of on other worlds.

Even the Alliance ignored them.

Ivar kept Delphi in sight while paying attention to his surroundings. The bruises on his body were still healing, but the hot springs had helped his ribs. They ached but were more tolerable. The medication, the food he’d eaten, the rest, and fresh air had done wonders for him.

He would not go back to prison. Come what may, he’d rather go down fighting.

Stay alive.

The voice echoed in his head, but he ignored it. If it came down to a choice between dying and prison, he’d take out as many of his attackers as he could, but he would not surrender.

Delphi stopped and raised her right fist. He halted, going completely still. Two minutes passed before she slowly lowered her arm and continued.

Frustration gnawed at his gut. Only she knew where they were going. He’d been dragged unconscious into the prison. Other than a glimpse on the night and early morning of his escape, he hadn’t had a chance to get the layout of the settlement.

She moved without hesitation, her knowledge of the area unquestionable. Without him, she’d already be on her ship and blasting off.

He was a hindrance.

It pricked his male pride, no doubt about it. He used his silver tongue and his intellect to get out of tricky situations, relying on his brawn only if there was no other choice. Oh, he knew how to fight, but anyone could be overpowered if drugged.

The scene unfolded before him—a drink in a tavern, laughter, a steamy bowl of soup.

“What is it?” Delphi was beside him, her dark eyes filled