He shrugged. “Much easier to push you away than risk being rejected.”
“No.” Greyson frowned. “She rejected me, mate. I put my feelings out there. She’s the one who said she didn’t love me.”
Bob sobered, leaning in closer. “Did she speak those words?”
Did she? Greyson tried to replay it in his head. “Maybe not those exact words.” Shit. Was Bob right? “She said she didn’t know how to make a relationship work. She wanted to be sure I understood she wasn’t drinking from the cup so we could be together.”
Saying the words out loud shone a new light on Bob’s theory.
“Doesn’t sound like she doesn’t have feelings for you, mate. Sounds more like she doesn’t know what to do with them.” The cook took another chip and stood up. “I’ve got more food to cook. I could use an extra set of hands.”
Greyson followed him deeper into the galley, struggling to find some balance between the sting of her rejection and the hope that maybe Bob could be right.
Chapter Twenty-Three
David stared at the digital scan of a centuries-old map on his laptop and glanced over at Kingsley on the tablet. “You’re sure this is the one Flynn wants?”
Kingsley nodded. “Appears so.”
“Why would he want the location of the Fountain of Youth? He already drank from the Holy Grail.” David shook his head, staring out at the clouds outside the jet. “Why would he need this, too?”
“Double immortality, sir?” Kingsley’s clipped English accent made the sarcasm even thicker.
“I don’t know what he’s up to, but I don’t see how it could put anyone in jeopardy if we gave him this digital image.” David glanced his way. “Are there any notations in the file about the accuracy of this map?”
King clicked a few keys and pulled up a scan of handwritten notes. “The last notations are from 1879. The area was searched, but they didn’t find a fountain or spring of water on the island. Either the map is fiction or the agents misread it. Impossible to tell at this point.”
Even if it turned out to be real, what harm would it do if Flynn ran off in search of the Fountain of Youth?
“All right. Send it to my phone, and I’ll text it over to Flynn.”
“Good luck in Glasgow, sir.”
David ended the call and checked the time. He was halfway there. He just needed to hold Aura off from facing the demon for a few more hours. His phone dinged, and he downloaded King’s scan of the map. He sent the text to Ian Flynn and followed it up with one more.
Don’t let Agent Henderson leave the Sea Dog until I get there.
His phone rang before he could set it back down. “This is Bale.”
“It’s Agent Henderson.”
He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “I’m almost there. We land in three hours. Wait for me.”
“You don’t need to come. The sword can’t hurt me.”
He frowned and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “What are you talking about?”
“I took a drink from the Grail.”
He blinked, speechless for a moment. “That’s a big step.”
“Yeah.” She paused. “My commitment to the department hasn’t wavered, sir.”
“Good. My orders still stand.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’ll wait for me. Then we’ll retrieve the Tyrfing.”
“Why? He can’t kill me.”
David got up, pacing the tiny office on the private jet. “The Grail makes it possible to heal. It won’t suddenly make you able to regenerate. If that demon goes for your head with the Tyrfing sword, you’ll be just as dead as you were before you took a sip.” He let his words sink in, and then added, “I’ll see you soon, Henderson.”
He ended the call and stared out the window, praying to whoever might be listening that Captain Flynn followed through on their bargain.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Aura got up, pacing the empty cabin as she mulled over Agent Bale’s parting words. She’d been so wrapped up in the wonder of instant healing, it hadn’t occurred to her that death could still be on the table.
It also meant Greyson was in just as much danger as she was, and yet he’d been trying to convince her he should be the one to retrieve the Tyrfing. He must’ve known he’d be risking his own immortality to keep his promise that she’d have her sword.
And he claimed she was the stubborn one. Her blood pressure rose with her frustration. She needed to talk to Greyson. When she turned for the door, she almost gasped, surprised to see Captain Flynn filling