is your partner for this mission. You should ask him.” He turned and walked away, leaving her stewing in his wake. She narrowed her eyes, shooting daggers at him, but he never looked back.
Fuck.
…
Greyson followed the scent of hush puppies and jambalaya into the mess hall and grinned. “Smells like heaven.”
“Yer just in time to help me serve!” One-Eyed Bob looked up with a grin, flashing his pearly white veneers. No more gold-capped teeth for the old pirate.
Because Bob had been in his sixties when he’d first sipped from the Holy Grail, he usually had to disappear sooner than the rest of them. Once people started noticing they weren’t visibly aging, they’d fake their deaths and leave their assets to their next of kin, who happened to bear a striking resemblance.
Each new “lifetime,” Bob tried something new with his missing eye. He’d been sporting a custom glass eye this time, but for this trip, he’d swapped it out for the nostalgia of his weathered leather eye patch.
Greyson was less creative. Sometimes he cut off his long hair or grew a beard, but he always ended up gravitating back toward his long braids and kept his facial hair short. He struggled with reinventing himself. He’d been a survivor of the gallows, plagues, and even a shipwreck, and he was proud of it. He didn’t want to hide his identity or try on a new one.
He picked up the large pot of jambalaya and followed Bob to the long wooden table. The paper plates, napkins, and plastic utensils were already at one end.
Bob pointed to the center of the table. “We’ll put the grub in the middle, and everyone can help themselves.”
Greyson set the jambalaya down beside the heaping platter of hush puppies, stealing one and popping it into his mouth before Bob noticed it was missing.
“I can get the rest. Will you let the crew know the food is ready?” Bob paused and glanced over his shoulder. “You might have to find the lass from Department 13 and bring her to the mess hall. I don’t believe she’s had a tour of the whole ship yet.”
“She’ll chew yer arse if she heard you call her a lass.” The corner of Greyson’s mouth twitched at the memory of the fire in her eyes. “Agent Henderson is all business.”
“Don’t see her becoming future crew?” Bob grinned.
“No.” Greyson paused and raised a brow. “What are you cookin’ up in yer head there, ye old salt?”
Bob shrugged, looking like an angel who’d traded in his halo for devil horns. “Yer going to be working closely with her. Ye both fancy weapons…” His voice trailed off as he focused on placing serving utensils in the platters and bowls.
“Yeah, well, we’ll be lucky if we don’t kill each other.” Greyson walked to the door and paused. “I want to hold the Tyrfing, to feel the weight of it in my hands. I’ll suffer through her company if that’s what it takes. Don’t be filling yer head with romantic ideas.” He lifted his arm, staring at the tattoo on his forearm. “My heart belongs to the sword.”
“A sword has no heart to give in return,” Bob said as he disappeared into the kitchen.
Greyson chuckled to himself. “Neither does Agent Henderson.” He walked out to the center of the deck and shouted, “Food’s in the mess hall!”
Colton helped Keegan, the ship’s pilot and resident rock star, tie off the wheel, then clasped Greyson’s shoulder as he passed. “Thanks, mate.”
Greyson nodded, making his way down the deck, toward the stern.
When he reached the back of the ship, it was deserted, save one lone government agent dressed in black from head to toe. Her dark-brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. The wind whipped it around her face as she stared out at the sea. For a moment, he didn’t make a sound, just took in the way she studied the ocean.
There was something about this woman. She was strong and, from what he’d seen, fearless. She’d infiltrated a witches’ coven that had worked in dark magic that was strong enough to practically trap Drake inside his own mind, and now Agent Bale had sent her alone on a mission to Scotland to retrieve a mythical weapon capable of mass destruction.
Her clothes clung to her slender figure, and his gaze wandered down her toned body. A warrior’s body. He caught himself wondering what had led her to work for a top-secret government agency.
It was none of his business, but after