The workmanship was otherworldly, the way the two blades on either side of the hilt flowed up to become one mighty tip. Joined to make a stronger whole.
He clenched his jaw and closed the case. The last thing he needed was a reminder of her, of what they could have been. In the past.
Or it would be.
When he turned to go, something caught his eye. He reached up over the door and found another tiny camera pointed directly where the box would have been to hold the Tyrfing. He chucked it out the porthole, enjoying the splash as it hit the water below.
She’d never trusted him. It had all been an act. He’d been duped.
He sucked in a deep breath, relieved that his body no longer physically ached. He still carried a scar, but it would be a healthy reminder not to give his heart away so freely. He hadn’t meant to. She’d come onboard as his enemy and had left…with a piece of him he couldn’t seem to retrieve.
With the sword stowed, he headed for the galley to find Colton.
But the demolished kitchen was deserted, except for Bob and Char. They each held a bloodied towel. Char’s glasses were sporting one shattered lens, and Bob had one hand elevated, carefully moving each digit.
“This fucking thing was pinned under the mast. Lucky it didn’t snap it off.” Bob looked up with a sigh. “I sent Colton to town with a list of supplies for the return trip. My kitchen is…”
“Destroyed,” Greyson finished. “Damned demon.”
The prep area was buried under debris. The mainmast lay where their long dining table used to sit, and the kitchen appliances were smashed, hidden by giant sections of the roof.
“Aye.” The older pirate nodded. He stood up and peered past Greyson. “Agent Henderson…”
“Is gone.” Greyson shook his head. “Good riddance.”
Char raised a brow with disbelief in her eyes, but she was kind enough not to speak the words that were written all over her face. “I’m going to check on Harmony. She was trying to get our wifi back up.” She looked up at Greyson as she walked by. “Glad you’re okay.”
He turned to Bob and gestured to the mess. “Where should I start?”
Bob fished out a stool and sat. “Start with how you’re going to win her back.”
“I’m not.” Greyson crossed his arms, surveying the mess rather than making eye contact. “She doesn’t love me. There’s nothing else to say except good-bye.” He focused on the cook again. “My own fault for not seeing her game.”
“The way she looked at you…” Bob shook his head. “That was no act.”
“Enough.” Greyson put his hand up to stop him. “Let’s fix the Sea Dog. She’s the only woman in my life now. As it should be.”
Bob chuckled and rose to his feet. “And Department 13 has been the only thing in Aura’s life. Maybe she doesn’t know anything different. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t share your feelings.”
Greyson sighed. “What’s the saying? If you love something, you set it free, right?”
Bob’s eye sparkled. “Maybe she’ll return.”
Greyson shrugged. “Or she won’t. I’ll get over her.”
But the deep, dark hole in his soul whispered something different. A spark of hope that scared the shit out of him.
…
Aura slept on the jet flight home, emotionally and physically exhausted from the past twenty-four hours.
When the wheels of the plane touched down in D.C., she jolted awake, struggling to orient herself.
She was no longer on a ship.
“You should take the rest of the week off,” Agent Bale said as he drove her back to the Department 13 headquarters.
Normally, she’d fight him about the time off, but not this time. She was bone weary and emotionally drained. Her heart physically ached, and it wasn’t something the Holy Grail could heal. Maybe nothing could.
He pulled into the parking structure as she replied, “I’d appreciate that, sir.”
Agent Bale parked beside her car and turned toward her. “You drank from the Holy Grail. That’s a big step.”
She met his gaze. “I wasn’t ready to die just to end a curse.”
“Good.” He slid his hands down to the bottom of the steering wheel. “If you ever need to talk to someone, I’m here for you. I don’t discuss it much, but I’ve been with the department since the sixties.”
She nodded slowly. “I don’t know the particulars, but I’ve heard rumors you stopped aging decades ago.” She studied his profile. “Did you drink from the Grail, too?”
“No.” He plucked a velvet pouch from his pocket and looked her way. “These are blended for the Department 13 directors.” He put them away and faced forward again. “Charmed herbs and roots, doused in water drawn from the Fountain of Youth and bound by oil made from the Gilead balm. They help me heal and slow the aging process until it’s almost nonexistent.”
That would also explain why the directors’ wall in the department held so few pictures. The department ran with one director. Agent Bale was the fifth person to lead the department since its founding in 1780.
“Do you ever regret it?”
He looked over at her for a moment. “Eternity, or devoting my life to the department?”
She shrugged. “Both?”
“We all have regrets.” He stared out the front windshield. “If you’re really asking if I would do it all again…” He paused, a muscle in his cheek tensing. “Yeah. I would.” He gradually started to nod, and his attention slid over to her. “It’s lonely, thankless work, but I make a difference. It gives me purpose, which is a necessity if you’re looking down the barrel of eternity. Time can be a vindictive bitch. My best advice is to stay busy and find a reason to get up every day. That makes everything worthwhile.”
Worthwhile. She swallowed the knot in her throat. “What about love?”
The words slipped out before she could reel them back in.
He sighed. “Love has kicked my ass enough that I give her a wide berth.” He looked her way. “Undercover operations are always tough. They blur the lines sometimes.” He searched her eyes. “I didn’t think you were happy about being paired up with Greyson Till.”
“I wasn’t, but…” She shook her head, breaking eye contact. Just hearing his name hurt. “He was much more than I bargained for. I wouldn’t have been able to get the Tyrfing from the demon without him.” She did her best to bury the pain in her heart and cleared her throat. “Have you figured out how the demon got past our safety protocols?”