She nodded slowly. “Maybe. And if he doesn’t have this translation, he wouldn’t know the chosen one could end the curse.”
“I witnessed that blade cutting right through cars with one swing. If he thinks feeding the blade will make it stronger, what the hell is he trying to cut through?” Greyson cursed under his breath as he turned to Char. “What happens to the chosen one? Are we talking a prick on the finger or all their blood?”
Char stared at the text again and shook her head. “That information probably died with the dwarves who crafted the thing.” She lifted her head. “And how do we find the chosen one, anyway?”
Aura looked at each of them until her gaze landed on Greyson. There was a glint in her eyes that seemed…new. A recognition that he hadn’t betrayed her confidence. Or maybe he was reading too much into it.
She turned to the others and cleared her throat. “I think I’m the chosen one. That’s why I could hear the sword.”
“I’m guessing that must make you a descendant of the king.” Char tapped her finger on her tablet. “Wait, maybe not the king. I think this line is talking about his son. The prince who died by the sword.” She lifted her eyes from the page. “His bloodline can free the magic.”
“Could be, I guess?” Aura shrugged. “My grandmother was Scandinavian.”
Char’s eyes widened. “That’s why this demon is after you. He thinks you can lift the curse.”
“I doubt it.” She slid her hand free from Greyson’s and crossed her arms. “He’s the embodiment of greed. He told the werewolf pack he needed to ‘feed’ the Tyrfing. He believes my blood will give him more power.”
“So if we’re right and you can lift the curse…” Char stood up. “The key will be knowing how much blood it takes.”
Greyson tensed, stepping closer to Aura. “Our contract with Agent Bale wasn’t to lift a curse, it was to return a missing sword. I say we box it up and lock it back underground.”
Aura dropped her hands to her sides and turned to face him. “Mamon has had a taste of the sword’s power. He’ll never stop coming for it. He’s already broken into the vault once. This is a chance to end the danger of the Tyrfing forever.”
“Not if it means you die,” he growled. “You’re worth more than a fucking piece of metal.” Greyson pulled his doubloon from his pocket. Worrying the gold coin back and forth through his fingers helped him think. “Maybe we just kill the demon, then lock the box up in the vault. Problem solved and no blood spilled.”
Aura sighed. “Bullets barely slowed him down. For all we know, he can’t be killed.”
Caleb cleared his throat, and Greyson looked over at him. Caleb started to smile. “Maybe it doesn’t need to take her life, just her blood. The sword can’t kill someone who has taken a drink from the Grail.”
The Grail. Greyson shifted his attention to Aura. “The demon doesn’t know we have it.”
“It could work,” Aura replied, but her expression was far from relieved.
Char walked over to Caleb and caught his arm. “Let’s give them a little privacy to talk this over.” She looked at Greyson. “I’ll warn Colton we might have demonic company soon.”
“Thanks.” Greyson took Aura’s hand, then remembered something. He turned just as Char reached the door. “If you see that demon coming, cut the moor lines. The sword won’t be able to slice through the Sea Dog unless that bastard can swim out to us.”
“Good idea,” Char replied as they left the room. The door closed behind them.
Once they were alone, Greyson cupped Aura’s cheek, his voice barely a whisper. “Talk to me, love. What’s going on in your head?”
“You don’t have to call me that anymore.” Her lips curved into a smile, but it didn’t reach her beautiful eyes. “Our cover is blown now. No need to keep pretending.”
His stomach tied into a knot, and not a tiny square one. He lost himself in the depths of her eyes and did his best to keep his voice even, tamping down his nautical accent.
He needed to be sure she understood every word.
“I call you ‘love’ because that’s who you are to me.” She started to speak, but he touched his finger to her lips. “You’re my light in the darkness. You asked me before if immortality was all I expected it to be, and until you walked on board this ship, I never realized what a shallow existence it’s been.” His gaze wandered over her face. “I’m trying to tell you that…I love you.”
She searched his eyes. “Before I stepped onto this ship, I thought I knew who I was. I had a mission and a purpose.” She brought her hand to rest over his heart. “You make me wish I could change course, but I can’t. Once the Tyrfing is locked up, there will be another threat. It never ends. I can’t walk away from my duty. I’ll lose myself. This is who I am.”
Her words stung. Not only because she didn’t love him back. There was pain lining her features, making him ache to comfort her, but he didn’t fucking have that skill. Shoot a fly on the wall or carry her out of the path of demon—those were easy feats. This?
He didn’t know what to say or do, but he never wanted to hurt her.
“I’m not asking you to change. I didn’t tell ye how I felt to push you into anything, love.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. “And I don’t expect you to give up your calling.” The corner of his mouth curved. “All right, it does frustrate me when yer trying to fight a demon in hand-to-hand combat.”
She smirked, nuzzling into his touch. “If I drink from the cup and live forever, it makes me even more valuable to my department, my calling. I just don’t want to get your hopes up that I’ve figured out a way to make this…whatever it is between us…work.”
“Understood.” Okay, that one hurt, but he buried his emotions, using his pirate swagger as a well-worn shield, as he withdrew his hand from her skin. “Take yer drink. Live to fight another day.”
“Yeah.” She nodded, but she wasn’t as good at burying her emotions as he was. There was regret in her eyes. “I do care about you.”
But not enough to love him.
“Don’t…” He stepped back, out of her reach, shaking his head. “Don’t lie to me.” He walked away without looking back. “I’ll be back with the cup.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Aura sank into a chair as hot tears brimmed her eyes.
Between the mental attack from the sword and Greyson’s exit from the room, or her life, for that matter, she was coming apart at the seams. Hearing him say he loved her turned her inside out with wishing she could just be a woman in love with a man, but it wasn’t so simple. She was a secret agent for her country. She couldn’t have it both ways. Life had taught her this rule countless times.