Yet she’d been the one who’d pushed him to admit his feelings. His words had confirmed her deepest hopes that he hadn’t been playing a part, that he did care for her.
And then she hadn’t known what to do with his declaration. What the hell did she know about love? Her only true love was for justice and safety.
Ugh.
She laid her forearms on the table and rested her forehead on top, sucking in slow, deep breaths. What was she supposed to do? She’d screwed up her whole plan to keep him at a distance so that when their cover was over, and she went back to work in D.C., it wouldn’t hurt.
Too late. And to top it off, she’d just been a total asshole to the best partner she’d ever had. The only partner she’d trusted completely.
Footsteps came down the stairs again, and she straightened in her chair, quickly wiping away tears she hadn’t realized she had shed. “That was fast.”
But it wasn’t Greyson who came through the door.
Char’s brow popped up over her glasses as she came closer. “Are you all right?”
Aura relaxed as she huffed out a relieved breath. “I will be.”
Char sat down and closed her books. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“No.” Aura stared down at her hands in her lap. Her fingers were still red and raw from the car. She pressed her lips together and rested back into her chair again. “I’m going to take a drink from the Grail. Maybe then I can lift the curse from the Tyrfing and send that demon back to the realm he came from without dying in the process.”
“Good.” Char put her books into her lap.
Aura glanced at the empty doorframe and back to Char. “Why did you decide to drink from it?”
Char shifted in her seat. “I wasn’t conscious when Keegan poured it into my mouth, but we’d talked about it before.” She patted her stack of books. “I’m a historian. If there was a chance for me to witness the rise and falls of civilizations, I was going to take it. Now I have time to learn new languages and study other time periods.” She added with a crooked smile, “Plus, it gives me lifetimes to love my rock star pirate.”
The pit in Aura’s stomach wasn’t getting any smaller. “It’s nice you can study history from anywhere.”
Her brow arched. “Don’t you save the world from anywhere, too?”
Aura chuckled. “My home base is in D.C., and I’d never ask Greyson to leave his crew. I’m drinking from the cup, but we’re not going to get lifetimes together like you and Keegan.”
“I guess that’s on you.” She shrugged. “You won’t if you’re not willing to try.” She stood up with her books clutched to her chest. “Love doesn’t make things easy. It makes them worthwhile. Big difference.”
Char walked out just as Greyson came back with the Grail in hand. He set it on the table in front of her and went around to the other side where Char had been sitting.
“No sign of the demon yet,” he said.
“Good.” She examined the mythical cup, stunned to be so close to it.
The Grail was nothing like the bejeweled relics in the movies. This was a wooden chalice, hand-carved and sanded smooth. In fact, if he hadn’t told her this was the fabled Lord’s cup, she never would have guessed it.
She lifted her gaze to his face. “It’s not like I imagined at all.”
“Aye.” He nodded. “I’ll never forget the day we took over that ship. Captain Flynn heard a Spanish ship carried the world’s greatest treasure. Then we boarded and there weren’t any gold pieces, no chests of gemstones, just a priest and this cup.”
“Whose idea was it to drink from it?” She’d never read the Department 13 files on the Holy Grail, and besides, hearing him speak soothed some of the pain in her chest.
“Flynn was the first to notice the water inside. He brought it to his lips and drank it empty, then it was full again.”
“The spring of living water. That’s how the prophets described God.”
“Aye.” He stared at the cup. “So, we all drank. On our way back to Savannah, we were caught in squalls and struck the bottom at the mouth of the Savannah River. We lost the Sea Dog that night and discovered we were immortal.” He pointed to the cup. “Take your drink and I’ll stow it again before the demon shows up again.”
She nodded and wrapped her fingers around the stem.
Nothing.
Somehow, she’d expected a jolt or some magical sign that she was touching a divine object. But the wood was smooth and cool to the touch. She lifted the chalice from the table, weighing it. Not light, but not heavy.
Clear water filled the cup. She stared into it, her reflection wavering.
Eternity.
Would she regret it?
Her hand trembled as she brought the cup to her lips. She closed her eyes and tipped it back. The cool water invaded her mouth, refreshing and clean. She swallowed, trying to memorize the feeling of immortality as it became part of her.
She set the cup back down and blinked. Nothing seemed different.
Greyson pointed at her hands. “Look at yer fingers.”
Her gaze flicked to her hands. Her fingertips were no longer red or raw. She held them up, inspecting her skin. Healed.
She blinked, stunned, as she whispered, “It worked.”
Immortal. She still felt the same, but nothing would ever be the same.
She stared out the porthole at the ocean, envisioning the future. She could visit every continent, defend her country without threat of death, but she caught herself replaying Char’s words. She had lifetimes to love her pirate.
She turned to Greyson, but before she could form words, he stood and retrieved the cup. “It’s done.”
She caught his wrist. “Greyson, wait.”
He met her eyes. “Don’t.”
She let go of him, hating this distance growing between them.
“I’m fine.” A forced smile curved his lips. “Guess I just got used to having someone to…love.” He walked to the door and glanced back at her. “Don’t worry. It won’t happen again.”
His words stabbed her heart, choking her with regret. As his footsteps faded in the distance, she stared down at her newly healed hands. A tear dripped down onto her skin. Immortality lay ahead of her like an empty, barren desert.
What the hell was she doing?
…
Greyson took the stairs two at a time.
After stashing the Grail back in the back of the gun safe in the armory, he headed straight into the galley. He needed something to fill the gaping hole Aura had just scooped out of his chest. Food might have to do.