Ivar's Escape (Assassins of Gravas #2) - N.J. Walters Page 0,51

was pure torture to walk away, but it was the right thing to do.

Still, she found her head swiveling around, capturing one final glimpse.

Sitting upright in bed, a frown on his face, his hair neatly trimmed, his jaw shaven, he appeared very different from the man she’d first encountered. Until she looked into his eyes. There was her Ivar, the man she’d love forever.

“Good-bye,” she whispered before slipping out of the room. Oh gods, she couldn’t break down. Not here. Not now. Clenching her jaw, she put one foot in front of the other, managing to nod at several people she passed on the way to her assigned chamber.

As soon as she was inside with the door locked, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself, rocking back and forth, a profound sense of loss gripping her. A low keening sound broke from her lips. Alone, in her room, she cried as she hadn’t done since the night her parents had been killed.

Just as they were lost to her, so was Ivar.

Who would watch his back? Make sure he was safe?

She cried until she was totally empty inside. A numbness settled over her. Her eyes were gritty, her nose running. Every inch of her skin hurt, as though it had been flayed open and exposed to the world.

Hurting as though she’d been beaten, she slowly pushed to her feet and stumbled into the bathing chamber. She stripped off her clothes and stepped into the gel-cleansing unit. Once she was clean, she shuffled back to her room, pulled on some clothes—because an assassin never slept naked—climbed into the bed, and pulled the covers over her head.

She peered into the endless darkness until she finally fell asleep.

****

Letting her leave was the hardest thing Ivar had ever done, but he wouldn’t keep her by his side if she didn’t want to be here. Had he dreamed she’d told him she loved him? Because the woman who’d just left had made it pretty clear she wanted to put their time on Tortuga behind them.

Frustrated, he banged his head against the pillow.

“Don’t scramble your brains any more than they’ve already been. You can’t afford it.” The male voice caught him off guard.

“Where did you come from?” Stupid question. Spear was adept at moving in total silence.

The corners of his brother’s mouth quirked upward. Not quite a smile, but about as close as Spear got. “If I believe what I was told, from our mother and father’s love.”

Ivar laughed and shook his head. “And to think I missed your dry sense of humor.”

“Most people don’t believe I have one.” He stood beside the bed and glared.

“Oh, it’s there. You just have to look really hard for it.”

Spear sat and studied him. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

Emotion welled up inside him. He took a couple of deep breaths, settling himself before trying to answer. “Me too.”

“I’m surprised your guard left.”

“Guard?” What was he talking about?

“Delphi has left your side only long enough to speak with our father and get cleaned up and treated. I don’t think she’s even eaten.”

Worried filled him. She didn’t eat as much as she should. Was she in pain? “She told me she was fine. Is her injury worse than she let on?”

Spear shook his head. “Meditechs cleared her. Bumps, bruises, slight dehydration, and a graze from a blaster.” He sat silently for a long minute. “What happened between you two?”

“Nothing.” It was between him and Delphi. The last thing he wanted or needed was a warning or lecture from his older brother.

“Are you lying to me or yourself?”

“Stay out of this, Spear.”

“Intense situations breed intense emotions that aren’t always real.”

It would be a shame if he ruined his homecoming by punching his brother in the face. Not to mention it might end up with him getting another beating. And he’d had enough of those to last a lifetime.

“It’s none of your fucking business.”

Leaning back on the mattress, supporting himself on his hands, Spear nodded. “Of course, sometimes an intense situation can strip away everything and lay us bare.”

Okay, now he was totally confused. “Just what are you trying to say?” Worry about Delphi nagged at him, giving him a headache. Or maybe that was simply a result of his injuries. Either way, it was making it difficult to figure out exactly what his brother was getting at.

The door to the room slid open and a woman strode in. Tall and lean with short black hair and blue eyes, she was