The first sentences of this story is from the latest book "Resurrection". The reason I have them here is because I got inspiration for this story by those lines. I thought to myself "What if Skulduggery took Valkyrie's words about going out literaly?" and this is what I came up with! And I also want to add that the reason I chose Skulduggery's facade to have red hair is because he's Irish and many Irish people have red hair, so I thought "Why not!" :) I hope you enoy! PLEASE, leave a review! It helps me in my writing!
"We'll just have to help each other find our way back to the light."
"I like that", she said, and walked over to him. Xena was still on her back, her paws in the air. Valkyrie put her hands on Skulduggery's chest. "Your tie's crooked", she said, adjusting it. "I can't have you looking dishevelled when you're out with me. I have a pretty terrible reputation to protect."
"We're going out, are we?"
"Of course", she said. "We have mysteries to solve, and adventures to undertake, and I need my partner looking dapper by my side."
"Are we taking the dog?"
"The dog is staying. Tonight it's just you and me." She gave the tie a slight adjustment, and nodded. "There. Perfect."
"Are you with me?" he asked.
She looked up at him. "Until the end."
Skulduggery hugged her and whispered in her ear. "Welcome back. I'm glad you chose to come back to us, since we need you. I need you."
Valkyrie hugged Skulduggery back and found herself discovering how much she actually had missed embracing him. It did not matter that he had no skin and that the only thing she felt was hard bones against her body. She did not mind it, she liked the feeling Skulduggery's skinless body gave her.
"And I thought you did not need anyone other than yourself in your life. You have said that you are the only one who can understand your jokes and sarcastic statements."
"That was the truth until I met you, Valkyrie. You are the only one I have met that can even come close to being as sarcastic as me. The difference between us is that I dress better."
Valkyrie looked up at Skulduggery and even though he had no face, she could see on him that he smiled. She laughed and gave him another hug before she turned to Xena who was still lying on the floor. "Be a really nice girl now until mom's coming back home, okay?"
Xena gave out a bark and rolled around before she got up. She stroked against Valkyrie's leg and Valkyrie bent down and began to scratch Xena on her head and neck. "Who is a good dog?"
Xena barked and Valkyrie laughed before she gave the dog a kiss on her nose. "That's my girl!"
"If you are done cuddling with your little darling I suggest that we get going now."
Valkyrie gave Xena a last pat before she got up and followed Skulduggery through the doors to the waiting Bentley. Inside the car, Valkyrie dropped down in the seat and closed her eyes. Even though she had been traveling in the car for several days already, it was as if she was reliving it once again. It was as if her decision to come back had revived the feeling she felt every time she sat in the car before the entire "Darquesse-thing" had happened several years ago.
As if Skulduggery had read her thoughts, he put his hand on her knee and pressed it gently. "She has missed you, too."
Valkyrie opened her eyes and turned to him with a smile on her lips. "'She'? Is this a little bit like your revolver?"
"What's my revolver got to do with this?"
"Well, I just thought that because you call your revolver for a 'she' and now also the Bentley, I thought you might have a thing to see your 'toys' as women."
"Do you find it disturbing?"
"Not at all." Valkyrie shook her head. "It's pretty cute, in a strange and unnatural way, but…"
"What do you mean with unnatural?" Skulduggery interrupted her. "There are many things in the world that are classified as female. Mother Nature, the clock and cars among several others."
"Has anyone ever told you that sometimes you're a real nerd?"
"And a really handsome, well-dressed one", answered Skulduggery, laughing.
"Drive now, or we will stay here all night."
"As you like." Skulduggery started the engine and drove away from Gordon's property.
"Where are we going, by the way?"
"Do you mean that you asked me to drive from your house without knowing where we are going? You surprise me, Valkyrie. I thought I'd learned you better than that. A good detective can figure out most things from the clues given to him."
"And what clues would that be?"
"It's up to you to figure out."
"Skulduggery, sometimes I swear that you are really getting on my nerves! If I did not know you that well and knew that you are just making fun of me, I would hit you. Hard."
"Violence does not solve anything, and you know that, Valkyrie", Skulduggery answered with a tone that told Valkyrie he smiled.
"Says the skeleton that is using nothing else but violence. Sorry, Skulduggery, you'll probably have to think of something better."
"Okay, then. I will give you free reins. Where do you think we're going?"
"Well, given the road you have chosen, I would like to say we are on our way to meeting China. Why you want to meet her, I have no idea."
"I thought it would be nice for her to hear about your choice to come back to us and once again fight the good fight against evil. She would never admit it, but she missed you, Valkyrie. She knew there was a risk that your visit was only temporary but still stuck to the hope that you would come back and continue to fight. Those who is still your friend after all that happened, hoped for it and I know they will all be happy when they hear the good news."
Valkyrie did not answer, but instead looked out through the windshield. The choice to go back to the world that gave her so much happiness, but also so much pain, had not been easy. She knew that the threat Darquesse had represented was gone forever, but it did not mean that someone or something else that was at least as evil or worse could appear.
The thoughts wandered to Abyssinia and the threat she allegedly represented. Since Valkyrie had not participated during the time she had been alive but had only received Skulduggery's version of the story, she could not be sure that Abyssinia was as dangerous as she claimed to be. Certainly, being able to revive yourself from just being a heart was impressive, but since Valkyrie had not seen her in action, she had not got a true picture of who, what or which kind of threat Abyssinia was to her.
She was just about to ask Skulduggery about the matter when her thoughts were interrupted by the Bentley who brake and Skulduggery that turned off the engine. They were in an underground garage that only the employees of the Sanctuary got to use. Their car was the only one at this late hour and Valkyrie was happy about that. She was not in the mood of having to chat politely with a stranger in the elevator on the way up.
They stepped in and the elevator took them up to the sanctuary where they would soon meet their Grand Mage, China Sorrows. Valkyrie had been suspicious of having China as their Grand Mage at the beginning, but now she could not see anyone else in the role. Sure, China may not be the best Grand Mage, but she was far from the worst they had had. She ruled fairly and punished those who had to be punished. She also seemed to keep up to date with the latest technology to get ideas about how she could simplify everyday life for the sorcerers, as they were not allowed to show their magic to the public.
"So... I've thought about something I have wanted to ask you for a while now."
Skulduggery turned his skull towards her as they walked through the quiet corridors to China's room. "And what could that be?"
Valkyrie felt how her cheeks started to turn red of embarassment, but continued anyway. "Well... How did... your and Abyssinia's relationship really work? I mean... you are a walking skeleton without skin, organs or lips. So you should not have... you know... been able to do things like a couple... usually do."
"Valkyrie, stop immediately. You will only embarass yourself if you continue on the road you have started going into when you asked that question. I do not intend to review my previous relationships with you and how they worked so you might as well stop now."
"But..." began Valkyrie but was interrupted by Skulduggery's gloved hand that was lifted up in front of her face.
"No buts. End of discussion. Oh, we're here."
Valkyrie looked up right to see China Sorrows where she sat on her throne and looked down at them with a smile on her beautiful, full red lips. She was wearing a dark red dress that made it look like she wore a lamina with dried blood over her body. She was magnificent where she was sitting, and she knew it.
"Skulduggery, Valkyrie! Fun to see you again, although I have to point out that we did not say goodbye too long ago. Has any new threat besides Abyssinia appeared as I have not heard of yet?"
Skulduggery shook his head. "We have nothing new to report about Abyssinia and no new threats have yet appeared. Not what we know of in any case, but in this profession you will soon learn that the danger can pop up when you least of all know or suspects it."
China nodded and turned to Valkyrie. "I see that you are wearing your old clothes, Valkyrie. May I ask what that's all about?"
Skulduggery nodded and opened his mouth to answer the question when Valkyrie put her hand on his arm. "I can talk for myself, thank you very much, Skulduggery." She turned to China and smiled a happy smile. "I'm back, China."
China clapped her hands together and laughed heartily. "Finally! If you only knew how long I have longed to hear you say those words, Valkyrie. I'm pleased to have my two favorite people work together again."
"Well then, now we have announced those good news. Now when that is done, I shall ask you Grand Mage for permission to bring my partner out for a late dinner to celebrate the good news."
China waved one hand against them and smiled a smile that caused Valkyrie to wrinkle her eyebrows. Something was going on, but what this something was, she did not know, but she would find out...
"Go, have fun! Go out and enjoy the evening as long as it lasts. I await your report on Abyssinia and her plans when you have found enough information for it to be called a report."
"As you wish, Grand Mage." Skulduggery bowed to China before taking Valkyrie's hand in his and led her out of there.
As soon as they left China behind, Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery. "Okay, what's going on? I saw the smile China gave you in there as soon as you mentioned dinner. You have planned something, right?"
Skulduggery did not release Valkyrie's hand, even when they got into the elevator that would take them down to the garage where the Bentley waited for them. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Valkyrie. I thought it might be a nice variety to do something normal for once instead of throwing us headstep into the next threat that shows its ugly mug."
"Yes, you're right, I suppose. But it does not mean that the smile that China gave you goes away. I want an explanation, Skulduggery."
"I've already given you the explanation, Valkyrie. I want to invite you on a nice night out where we do not have to fight, threaten anyone or be afraid of losing our lives. Okay?" Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie at the same time that the elevator doors opened.
Valkyrie did not answer but just looked up in Skulduggery's black eye cavities. Even though he had no eyes that could show feelings, she could still read so much in those black holes. What she saw there was how much Skulduggery cared about her and her safety. He just wanted her to feel good and would do everything to make sure she was secure, at all cost.
Valkyrie smiled and hugged Skulduggery hard. She laid her head against his chest and again thought about how much she had missed to hold him and feel how his arms were wrapped around her in an embrace. Although he was so thin, bony and without clear contours, she could always feel safe in his arms.
Skulduggery hugged her back and laid his skull against her head. So they stood for a while until the elevator doors were about to close and Skulduggery had to stretch out his hand to prevent the doors from closing. When he did that Valkyrie stumbled, which resulted in Skulduggery getting pushed against the elevator wall and Valkyrie against him. Valkyrie became red in the face of embarassment and looked up at Skulduggery. On his posture, Valkyrie could see that he was amused which made her laugh despite the awkward situation they were in.
"Sorry, Skulduggery. I really have to work with my footwork."
"The pleasure was all mine, Valkyrie." Skulduggery leaned his head in a way that told Valkyrie he smiled and stroked her cheek before taking her hand again and led her to the Bentley.
They sat in the car and Skulduggery drove out of the garage. Soon they were out from Roarhaven and were on their way back to Haggard. The sun had just gone down and the only light on the road was that of the street lights and from the Bentley's lanterns. They did not meet any other cars until they were on the outskirts of Haggard and only then Valkyrie felt brave enough to turn towards Skulduggery.
His skull shifted between being visible and disappearing in the shadows between the shine of the street lights. It all made him look spooky, but not in a scary way. Valkyrie could never be afraid of Skulduggery, not after all that they had been through. They were partners, they stood up for and protected each other.
"Skulduggery?"
"Yes, Valkyrie?"
"Where are we heading now? I know you're going to invite me for dinner, but you never said where. Is it a place I know?"
"I actually thought that you should be able to decide. Do you want to go to a human or magical restaurant?"
"Are there restaurants governed by sorcerers, here in Haggard?" Valkyrie looked suspiciously at Skulduggery.
"Of course there are. There are shops that are managed by and are for only sorcerers, right? Why should there not be any restaurants too? Sorcerers also need to eat now and then."
"Besides you."
"Besides me, but I'm also the only one in my kind."
Valkyrie laughed and leaned back in the seat. "You really are. I do not think the world could handle more than one of you. You can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."
"I, who is the most beloved person to all who ever met me?"
"Now you're just egocentric, Skulduggery."
"I know and my ego can never be too big."
Valkyrie smiled and gave him a slight push in the side. "Enough talking about you and your ego. Just for a change, can you take me to a magical restaurant? Just so I can compare it to a 'normal' restaurant."
"There is no big difference between them, except that the cooks use magic as they cook the food, and sometimes they will have magical entertainment to make the guests enjoy their stay even more."
"Cool!"
Skulduggery shrugged. "It's not that cool. On the other hand I can understand that you are excited since it's your first time."
They parked outside a brick building with an outdoor seating. On the sign above the door it stood "Welcome to Bespoke's and Shudder's Inn". The name made Valkyrie to stop and she felt how her belly knelt at the memory of her dead friends. Skulduggery saw her reaction and put his arm around her.
"It was my idea to name the restaurant after them. I wanted to honor their names by creating a place where sorcerers can gather and socialize regardless of faith, descent or magical discipline. The world does not need a war after the last one we had but what it needs right now is that we put old groll behind us and start building our defenses for future threats."
"Do you still miss them as much now as then?" Valkyrie wondered and leaned towards Skulduggery.
"The missing will never disappear completely, Valkyrie. It is there so it can remind us of the choices we have made and the people we have lost. All you can really do is to try to live side by side with it and turn it into something positive, which I chose to do with this restaurant."
"You are a great man, Skulduggery. You may not want to admit it to yourself, but you can actually heal and become a better person than you were before during the war with Mevolent. You may not realize it, but you've actually done a lot of things after the war that might be called 'amends' for the terrible things you did before when you were 'Lord Vile'. I have not even begun my amending for all the horrible things I did to everyone when I was Darquesse. I do not know if I can either..."
Skulduggery looked at Valkyrie and grabbed her chin. He lifted it up so she could look him in his eyes, or in his eye sockets rather. "Valkyrie, we all do things we are not proud of. Some can be forgiven, others not. Such is life and we can not do anything, even how much we would like to."
Valkyrie smiled and felt how a single tear ran down her cheek. Skulduggery stroked it away with his thumb and tilted his skull. He looked at her for a little while before releasing her chin and giving her a quick hug before he took her hand and led her into the restaurant.
Inside it was warm and the atmosphere calm and relaxed. There were sorcerers at almost every table eating, drinking, talking and laughing. Waitresses in black and white clothes walked around among them and served their guests or picked up their plates after they had eaten their meal.
"Come", said Skulduggery, leading Valkyrie into the room. He stopped at a table for two standing at a window that had a view over the pier and the water where Valkyrie had bathed so many times when she was younger.
Valkyrie sat down and let Skulduggery push in her chair. She followed him with her eyes as he sat opposite her. As he sat down, he looked at her before he stretched his hand inside the suit jacket and touched his clavicles. At the same time a face appeared on Skulduggery's skull. This face had high cheekbones, a hefty nose and green eyes. The hair was short and red.
Valkyrie raised her eyebrows against Skulduggery, but before she had time to open her mouth to ask why he had conjured up his façade a young female waitress came to take their order. Valkyrie quickly looked through the menu and decided for a chicken salad with a coke while Skulduggery ordered a bloody steak and mineral water.
When the waitress had wrote down their order and walked away, Valkyrie turned to Skulduggery. "Okay, tell me."
Skulduggery looked at her with an eyebrow lifted. "What?"
"Why you have your façade on you and why you ordered food when you can not eat?"
Skulduggery smiled secretly. "Surprise."
"It does not answer my second question, just the first one."
"Guess, you're a detective after all. There should be no problem for you to solve this little mystery."
Valkyrie sighed and shook her head. "Seriously, Skulduggery. Sometimes you can be really tiring..."
Skulduggery did not answer but just continued smiling secretly. Valkyrie wrinkled her forehead in concentration. Skulduggery used to use his façade only when they were out among mortals and did not want to show his true self. She knew that he had thought of improving it, but he had never mentioned in what way he would like to improve it.
An insight struck her and she looked up at Skulduggery with wide eyes. "Do not say you..."
Skulduggery lifted an eyebrow again but said nothing.
"Have you... Has China helped you getting a whole body instead of just a face? She has, hasn't she?!" Valkyrie's face broke into a gigantic smile and she stretched out her hand and laid it on top of Skulduggery's gloved one where it lay on top of the table. "It's just so cool!"
Skulduggery laughed and pushed Valkyrie's hand. She could listen to his laughter for hours without getting tired of it. "Yes, she has. I felt that if I now would invite you out for dinner, it would be nice to dine with you instead of just watching. As you know, I have not had to eat for over four hundred years and since I met you and saw how you could enjoy yourself over such a simple thing as a plate of milk and cereals, I started to miss eating as well."
Valkyrie continued to laugh and felt how tears of gratitude and love began to form in her eyes. So typical her to start crying over such a simple thing! Actually, it was not that simple, really. She knew how much Skulduggery had had to sacrifice when he returned as a skeleton. How many things he had lost that for other people was part of their everyday life.
"Skulduggery, you did not have to…"
"Did I not? After all you've done for me, I think this is the least I can do to make make up to you. Also, consider it a way for me to apologize for all the bad I have forced you to undergo in the years you have knew me."
"Skulduggery, if you do not remember it I plunged voluntarily into the dangerous situations that occurred. You never forced me to do anything, but I chose to throw myself head-first even though I knew about the risks. I was seriously injured many times, but so were you. Sure, I've had more life-threatening injuries than you, but it's simply because you've got more experience fighting evil than I have. You will always be better than me Skulduggery, no matter how much I exercise and that's something I can live with. Damn, I do not want it in any other bloody way!"
Skulduggery did not answer but just looked at her with his green eyes. He still held Valkyrie's hand in a firm grip, and Valkyrie found herself smile. How many times had she got Skulduggery to become speechless in all the years they had knew each other? She thought she could count them on her one hand's fingers.
"Valkyrie..." Skulduggery began but was interrupted by the female waitress who had taken their order that brought their food.
Valkyrie reluctantly released Skulduggery's hand and she could see on him that he did not like the separation either. She thanked the waitress and began to eat her food while occasionally throwing a glimpse at Skulduggery. She simply could not withstand her curiosity about how he would look when he ate.
Especially considering that he, as he himself said, had not eaten for over four hundred years...
It took a while, but finally, Skulduggery also began to eat. He gently loosened a small piece of meat which he then dipped in sauce to finish with a piece of potato that lay next to the meat. He looked at the food and smelled it before he put it in his mouth and began to chew. His facial expression were quickly changed from cautious to surprise to then settle for pleasure.
Valkyrie laughed at Skulduggery's play of features and said, "Given your facial expression, I suppose you like your first meal in four hundred years?"
Skulduggery also laughed and smiled at her. "You could surely say that. It's like I'm tasting food for the first time in my life. This was really a good idea from my side, I want to promise."
Valkyrie shook her head smiling and took a new bite of her salad. One thought struck her and she looked at Skulduggery with a mischievous smile. He returned her smile, but at the same time raised an eyebrow in an inquiring gesture.
"I thought... It may be fun for you to test more flavors. Here, let me help you." She laid down her fork into her own food and then stretched it toward Skulduggery. "Open your mouth."
He did as she said, although she must admit he looked very skeptical. Valkyrie let the fork slip a little bit into his mouth and did not pull away before she was sure that Skulduggery had really taken all the food she had given him.
"Well, what do you think?"
Skulduggery nodded. "Very good. We need to do this more often. Maybe you can learn me to cook when we have time over?"
"Do you mean that?" Valkyrie looked surprised at Skulduggery.
He nodded. "Why not? After all, I have four hundred years to retake, right? In addition, I think we, and of course I mean you, need some time every now and then when we just do 'normal' things."
Valkyrie nodded at Skulduggery's proposal. In her ears, his proposal sounded really good and it would give her time to focus on everyday things. It, in turn, would hopefully get her to get out of the evil spiral of dark thoughts that had surrounded her since she came back to Haggard.
"That sounds good, Skulduggery. It would be nice to have a few days where we can only hang out without having to be attacked or need to attack someone else."
"Even if I like to hit people in the face, I have to admit that sometimes it's nice to be able to sit down with a good book."
Valkyrie laughed so she almost whooped. Such a typical Skulduggery comment! "For some reason, I'm having a hard iime seeing you sit completely calm and lose yourself in an ordinary book that got nothing with one of our cases to do."
"You would be surprised if you knew how often I spend my spare time reading. It's really relaxing, almost like when I meditate. It allows my thoughts to travel freely and sometimes it can make me succeed in solving a case."
Valkyrie thought about what Skulduggery had said, and they ate a little more under silence. It was not an awkward silence, but a relaxed one. She felt herself unable to tear her eyes off Skulduggery's face. She wondered how he looked under his clothes. Was he muscular and, if so, how much? What did his hands look like under the gloves? Was he... a good kisser?
As if Skulduggery felt where her thoughts were going, he leaned his head a little and looked curious at her. He said nothing, just looked at her with those green eyes that she could lose herself in...
"Did you and Abyssinia do these kind of things?" She heard herself asking and regretted it the moment she had said them.
Skulduggery's face expression was not changed, but he did not say anything either. Valkyrie began to speak quickly to try and smooth over it all. "I mean... You do not have to... answer... if you do not want, so... I was just curious..."
Skulduggery put his hand over Valkyrie's and looked her in the eyes. "Valkyrie, we had this conversation before and I'm going to say the same now that I said then. I do not intend to review my previous relationships with you and how they worked so you might as well stop now."
Valkyrie wrinkled her eyebrows in a grimace that made her look like a child who had lost her candy. "That's not fair, Skulduggery! You know everything about my past relationships, so why should not I be able to know anything about yours?"
"Because I do not have the least interest in telling you about any of them. As simple as that."
"Now you're just being silly, Skulduggery. That's not even a real reason! You do not want to tell me anything because you think it's embarrassing to talk about it, right?" Skulduggery said nothing and it spurred Valkyrie to continue. "You think I can not hear how you got it working with the others, right? You're afraid I'll think differently about you if you tell me. Then I have a news for you: If I could find out your biggest secret about what you did during the war without breaking my contact with you, then I can also listen when you tell me about your past relationships."
Skulduggery sighed and shook his head at the same time. "You're not going to give up until I tell you, right?"
Valkyrie shook her head and gave Skulduggery's hand a small squeeze. "You can tell me everything, Skulduggery, and you know that."
Before Skulduggery had time to respond the waitress came and wondered if they had liked the food. They replied that they had but they did not want any dessert. Just as the waitress would go to retrieve their bill, Skulduggery whispered something in her ear that Valkyrie could not hear. The waitress nodded and said "I'll fix it immediately" before she disappeared.
Before Valkyrie had opened her mouth to ask Skulduggery what that had been about, music began to play in the speakers. It was calm music, perfect for dancing to and Valkyrie thought she knew what Skulduggery had whispered to the waitress.
As if Skulduggery had read her thoughts, he stood up with her hand in a firm grip and led her to the middle of the room, which had suddenly turned into a dance floor. Skulduggery placed her free hand on his shoulder and put his free hand on her hip. "Valkyrie, may I have this dance?"
Valkyrie smiled and nodded. Slowly they started dancing in line with the music and Skulduggery made sure to have Valkyrie close to his body all the time. Valkyrie could not help feeling how Skulduggery's new body was pushed against her own and it made her blush a little, but it was not an embarrassing reddening but an embarrasment that came from that her thoughts was on their way to places she did not want them to go.
Skulduggery leaned his head against Valkyrie and whispered in her ear. "Somebody seems to like this dance. Tell me, Valkyrie, what's going on in your head right now? I hope there are no, how should I say this... forbidden thoughts?"
Skulduggery's voice so close to her skin made Valkyrie shiver in delight. Instead of answering him, she pressed herself closer to his body to be able to feel how his heart hit against hers and how his grip around her hip hardened. "Something tells me that I'm not the only one who are thinking naughty thoughts here, Skulduggery..." whispered Valkyrie back and smiled at him.
He laughed and put his forehead against hers while he looked deep into her eyes. "What are you doing with me, Valkyrie?"
"I'm probably supposed to ask you that question, Skulduggery. I can not live in a world where you are not, it would break me down totaly. You are the only one who understands me, who knows what I've been through and that makes me feel good again when I feel sad. I am nothing without you, Skulduggery."
Skulduggery said nothing but just continued watching Valkyrie. They had not stopped dancing. It was as if the two were the only people left in the restaurant. Valkyrie was filled with a feeling she had not felt since she had been with Fletcher. She had butterflies in her stomach and was filled with love for the skeleton that had been by her side ever since that day 12 years ago when she first learned that magic existed.
In a failed attempt to not show her feelings to him, Valkyrie asked "Did you and Abyssinia ever dance?"
Skulduggery looked surprised and lifted an eyebrow. "You really chose a strange occasion to ask that question, Valkyrie."
Valkyrie shrugged her shoulders. "Well, did you?"
Skulduggery shook his head and twisted Valkyrie around in a little piruette. When she again faced him, he pushed her body against his own again. His eyes never left her and the gaze he gave her got Valkyrie's butterflies in her stomach to reproduce further. She knew that if Skulduggery had not held her, her legs would probably have given way under her.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm just dancing with those I care about or if I absolutely need to. Dancing requires great finesse and I find it a waste of time to dance with someone I do not want to dance with."
"So even though you and Abyssinia were a couple, you did not care enough about her to think she was worth dancing with?"
"Precisely. It may also be because I never danced when I was Lord Vile. Partly, the need did not occur, and we never had any parties that required dancing. Additionally, I'm quite sure that Abyssinia could not dance even if the opportunity had been appeared."
"And you base that on...?" Valkyrie asked while Skulduggery turned her around for half a turn and put his one arm around her waist so that her back was pressed against his chest.
"Little things here and there. Among other things, the way she was moving, things she hinted and her reluctance to celebrations." Skulduggery looked down at Valkyrie and smiled. "You do not have to worry, Valkyrie. I have been dancing with many women in my days and nobody is as good as you."
Valkyrie smiled back and Skulduggery realeased his hold on her before he turned her back around so they once again stood face to face. "Was she a good kisser then?"
"Now you're heading out towards deep water again, Valkyrie. I said..."
"I know what you said. I promise, this is the last question. Tell me, was she a good kisser?"
"Not because we were kissing that much or often, I want you to make that clear to you, but no, she was not a good kisser."
"So sad for you, then." Valkyrie frowned her forehead when a thought struck her. "How did you kiss, by the way? You had no façade at the time, so you could not have had any lips to kiss her with."
"That was a second question, Valkyrie. I thought you said you would just ask one question?"
Valkyrie shrugged her shoulders, as if it did not matter. "I dare to say that my second question is associated with my first, so I do not think it matters."
Skulduggery shook his head and twisted Valkyrie into a new piruette. When she was in his arms again, he responded "Abyssinia could, when she wanted it, present a temporary human body to me. It was never active for more than a few minutes at a time. At most she could, if she really struggled, keep it up for a couple of hours, but it was not often she did it since it took a lot of energy."
Valkyrie smiled evil. "I feel so sorry for her. If she now was such a bad kisser, then how good were you kissing her?"
Skulduggery raised an eyebrow. "That was a third question. Someone sounds jealous. If I'm to be honest... I was really good at it."
"Oh, is that so? What makes you believe that?"
"Because I'm good at everything I do, simple as that. I thought you knew that by now, Valkyrie."
Valkyrie felt how her stomach began to tingle of nervousness from the crazy thought that hit her at the same time as Skulduggery had pronounced those words. Would she dare to challenge him about such a thing? What if he flinched? What if he... would think bad of her because she asked?
Valkyrie took a deep breath and looked Skulduggery deep in his eyes. "I do not know if you're good at everything, Skulduggery. I... we have never kissed, so I can not tell you whether you are a good kisser or not."
Skulduggery looked back into Valkyrie's eyes. In those brown eyes he loved so much... Had she just asked him what he suspected she wanted him to do?
"Skulduggery..." Valkyrie hesitated but decided to continue. "I challenge you to show me that you are a good kisser. I want you to kiss me."
Before Valkyrie had time to react, Skulduggery had leaned her down towards the floor so that his upper body was towering up in front of her. He did not let their eye contact break while his face came closer and closer to hers. He stopped for a second just before their lips met, as if he were hesitating whether he would do this or not. Valkyrie made the decision easy for him by leaning forward the millimeters that was left and when their lips met she closed her eyes.
First none of them moved but after a few seconds Valkyrie could feel how Skulduggery pressed his lips against her own and before she knew it Skulduggery kissed her with such passion that Valkyrie was worried that she would faint off all the feelings that passed through her while the kiss lasted.
When the kiss broke, Valkyrie opened her eyes and looked straight into Skulduggery's green eyes. What she saw in them revealed Skulduggery's true feelings for her. She smiled and laid her arms around his neck while she pressed her forehead against his.
"You were right, Skulduggery. You are a good kisser."
"Wasn't that what I told you, Valkyrie?" Skulduggery answered before grabbing her chin and kissing her again...