retrieve this sword. I might be the only one who can.”
Agent Bale cursed under his breath. “Wait for me to back you up. That’s an order.”
“We both know we could lose the Tyrfing if he realizes we’re onto him.” She shook her head. “Greyson will be with me, and the wolf pack is going to watch the perimeter. I’ll let you know when I have the blade in my possession.”
She ended the call before he could respond and stuffed her phone into her pocket.
Greyson straightened as she approached. “Was Bale a fan of this plan to hand yourself over to a demon?”
“I think it’s safe to say, my hunch about the demon was right. He’s my ex-partner. It appears he stole the Tyrfing from the vault and left the department. When he found me in the police department, I resigned and fell off the grid until I joined Department 13. Looks like he’s been looking for a way to lure me out ever since.”
She cut the bindings from Shaw’s wrists and ankles, and Greyson helped the werewolf from the back of the rental car.
He rubbed at his raw wrists as he glared at Greyson. “You never told me what you are. How did you heal like that?”
Heal? She looked over at Greyson, seeing the blood and the hole in the bottom of his shirt for the first time. She’d been so intent on retrieving the Tyrfing, she hadn’t noticed it before.
“Long story.” Greyson glanced her way and back to the copper-haired shifter. “I’m a quick healer.”
Lennox came out of the warehouse and stopped beside Shaw. “My pack will be surrounding the rendezvous. Once we have my father, we’ll cover you.”
If his father was still alive. She kept the thought to herself, but if the demon knew the listing on the dark web worked and she was in Scotland, he didn’t need the pack’s help anymore. The pack Alpha was probably dead and possibly devoured.
She turned to Lennox and nodded. “Thanks. I’m going to need to know why he owed a debt to a demon, too.”
Lennox and Shaw shared a look before the Alpha’s son met her eyes. “I think we all need some answers.”
“We’ll figure it out once he’s safe.” Aura studied each of them. If the demon had already killed the Alpha, the leadership mantle would fall to Lennox. If things went south, she’d be depending on an inexperienced Alpha. Not optimal, but she didn’t see another option. She also didn’t want to rattle him, so she kept her concerns to herself. “You better rally the Pack, and we’ll see you soon.”
The two shifters walked around the building and pulled away in a white van.
Once she and Greyson were alone, her shoulders relaxed. As the adrenaline drained from her muscles, the weight of what was coming zapped her energy.
Without a word, Greyson wrapped her in his arms.
Her pride ached to shove him away, but her heart won out over her head as she slid her hands around his waist. She closed her eyes, breathing in his scent.
His voice vibrated against her cheek. “I called Caleb while you were on the phone. He’s on the way over here, with the Grail.”
She lifted her head, peering up at him. “I have every intention of living through this.”
“I know.” His crooked smile had her heart flipping like she was a schoolgirl instead of a hardened government agent. “And we probably won’t need it, but there’s no harm in having a backup plan, love.”
She’d told him to use that pet name. It was her idea. But she liked hearing him say it anyway.
“I guess not.” She forced herself to step back. “If you had known the cup would give you immortality before you took that first sip, would you have done it?”
He shrugged. “I was a thirty-something-year-old pirate. Probably?”
She nodded, imagining what eternity might look like.
She’d outlive her family, but realistically, she’d already lost them from her life. Even if she tried to reconnect with them now, she’d only be putting them in danger. She’d never want her work to put a target on their backs.
Agent Bale had his own antiaging magic, so he’d still be around, but what about the rest of her team?
Her gaze locked on Greyson. He’d still be there. And with time stretching out, no longer finite, she could learn new languages and see new technology. She’d be more valuable in her calling to protect Americans from paranormal threats.
The trade-off would be… “Why didn’t Colton take another drink when