Warning! Sexual content, read at your own risk!

Time stood still, or at least that was what Valkyrie thought it felt like. The only thing that existed was her pounding heart that beat hard in her chest of anticipation, the softness of the blanket against her body and Skulduggery's eye sockets looking down at her.

She wanted to say something, but noticed that her mouth had become dry and she swallowed in an attempt to wet it but before she had time to give as much as a spout, Skulduggery put his index finger over her lips. "Sch, Valkyrie. Say nothing. I'll teach you a lesson and in order for you to understand the meaning of this lesson, I can not allow you to speak unless I allow you to speak. All I want is for you to observe and feel. Nod if you understand."

Valkyrie nodded and swallowed again, but this time it was not because of dryness but because she was filled with excitement and a hint of desire. She thought she knew what kind of "lesson" Skulduggery would give her and she looked forward to seeing what he had in mind.

"Good girl."

Skulduggery took off his gloves and laid them on the bedside table next to the bed. He then turned to Valkyrie and tilted his head in a way that told Valkyrie he was pleased. He let his fingers slowly caress Valkyrie's cheek and chin before letting them wander down her neck and onto the outside of her shirt. He made slow circular motions around her breasts and abdomen before letting them continue downward.

Valkyrie shuddered and closed her eyes. She wanted to feel every move Skulduggery made and she had to fight with herself not to ask him for more. She knew that the more she prayed, the slower Skulduggery would touch her, just to mess with her. One of her flaws was her lack of patience. She wanted everything to go fast, she hated to wait. She liked when things happened and quickly became restless when nothing occured.

"Tell me how you feel right now, Valkyrie."

"I feel relaxed at the same time as I am excited. I like the feeling your fingers are giving me. I am shaking from your touch and I want more. I do not want you to stop what you are doing and I hope that I will not have to ask you to continue, as I have a feeling that you like this almost as much as I do."

Skulduggery chuckled and stroked Valkyrie's cheek. "Well done, Valkyrie. If you continue to be this good, I might give you what you want faster. We will have to see how good you can be when I get started for real. Something tells me that the longer I will continue, the harder it will be for you to stay still."

"Why don't we find out?" Valkyrie wondered and gave Skulduggery a smile that said 'I want to see you try'.

Skulduggery stopped for a second and studied Valkyrie where she lay under him. He tilted his head again and Valkyrie knew that if he had had lips he would have given her the same smile she had just given him. "Challenge accepted."

Suddenly Valkyrie felt a weight fall over her and she could not move. She saw Skulduggery waving his hand and she understood that he had used wind magic to keep her in place. "Hey, that's cheating!"

Skulduggery did not answer but instead let his fingers move in a sweeping motion. Valkyrie felt her clothes fall off and wearing only her underwear got the sudden cold to make her shiver. She was just about to say something when Skulduggery's fingers moving along the inside of her thighs instead made her moan low in pleasure. She thought that Skulduggery would give her the same treatment as in the Bentley, but her hopes were quickly dashed when, instead of touching her abdomen, he let his fingers wander upwards over her hips and stomach.

"You're beautiful, Valkyrie..." Skulduggery whispered, letting his teeth touch her lips before taking a tentative bite of her lower lip.

Valkyrie sighed with pleasure and let her tongue wander over Skulduggery's teeth where she reached. Skulduggery responded by opening his mouth so she could explore the inside while continuing to caress her body warm with his fingers and hands. He slid his left hand behind her back where he unbuttoned her bra and pulled it off unbearably slowly. The feeling of the fabric being pulled along her shoulders made Valkyrie fill with impatience as she knew that Skulduggery was making it extra slow to tease her.

"We have all night, Valkyrie. Why be in such a hurry when there is so much to explore? I've been waiting to touch you this way for a long time and now that I finally have you exactly where I want you I'm not going to let you get away", Skulduggery whispered in her ear as her bra disappeared down on the floor.

"Why don't you show me exactly how you have wanted to touch me, Skulduggery...?" whispered Valkyrie in a hoarse voice filled with restrained desire.

"Don't be so hasty, Valkyrie. You do not want this to be over right away, do you? Given the sounds you made in the Bentley before, I have a feeling that tells me you like my touches."

"Yes, Skulduggery..."

"That's what I thought", replied Skulduggery and let his hands grip Valkyrie's now exposed breasts. He began massaging them slowly while giving Valkyrie's chin, throat, neck and shoulder small bites.

Valkyrie, unable to move because of the weight that Skulduggery had placed on her, could do nothing but shudder and moan from the pleasure that Skulduggery's touch gave her. She tried to fight the weight, but she soon noticed that it did not work. Whatever Skulduggery had done, she would not be able to break out of it with the help of her body. She decided to let Skulduggery explore her body for a while longer so that when he was busy enough with other things she would break free so that she could have a chance to explore him in the same way as he now explored her at the moment.

Skulduggery continued to explore Valkyrie's naked body. He let his fingers caress where he could and gave her small bites from his teeth where he knew she was most sensitive. All the while he could feel Valkyrie's body responding to his touch and it made him happy to know that he could give the woman he loved this kind of pleasure.

When he felt satisfied with her upper body, he began to massage and caress her legs. He started with her thighs and occasionally touched Valkyrie's vagina intentionally, which made her moan deep in her throat and he could see that she was fighting the weight he had put on her in an attempt to get him to caress her where she was most sensitive. However, he did not intend to give her what she really wanted most yet. He liked to see her squeal and beg him. It excited him to have this control and he knew that the longer he held on to it, the more satisfying it would be once he gave her what she desired.

He let his fingers wander down her knee and down to her lower leg before stopping at her toes. There he let his fingertips caress the side of her foot and up over her toes before letting them wander up again. He never let go of Valkyrie with his gaze as he caressed her and the pleasure he saw in her face made him fill with a desire he had not felt for a very, very long time. She was so beautiful where she lay and all he wanted in the world was to be reunited with this incredible creature.

Not yet... he had to remind himself. Calm down, that time is coming soon. Let her suffer for a little while longer. The pleasure she will experience when you allow yourself to be reunited with her will only be all the more pleasant if you keep her on the stretching bench for a while longer.

"Skulduggery..." Valkyrie whispered in a voice full of desire. "Please..."

Skulduggery stood up so he was right above Valkyrie. "What is it, Valkyrie?" he asked in an innocent voice.

"It feels like I'm about to explode... I'm so horny it almost hurts... Please..."

"Oh, I do not know about that, Valkyrie. I happen to love seeing you suffer like this. It makes me incredibly excited to hear you say my name in that way. I could let you go on like this for hours and hours..."

Valkyrie gave him a look that told Skulduggery that if he had not already been dead, she would have killed him instantly. "Fuck you..."

"That's exactly what I am going to do to you."

"So why don't you do it if you so desire it?"

"I told you why. I love to see you suffer."

"Two can play that game."

Before Skulduggery had time to react, Valkyrie used her magic to tear herself free of Skulduggery's grip and threw himself at him. They rolled around for a few turns on the bed before Valkyrie managed to get the upper hand and pressed Skulduggery down against the bed in the same way he had done against her when they first entered the bedroom. "Now it's my turn, Skulduggery. I have also been waiting for this moment for a long time..."

Skulduggery opened his mouth to say something but closed it just as quickly when Valkyrie let her hands find their way under his shirt. She let her fingers caress his thorax and ribs while she leaned forward and gave him a kiss. Skulduggery put his arms around her and pressed her body against himself which made Valkyrie moan against his teeth. She continued to caress his bones and let her lips explore his face.

"You are beautiful, Skulduggery... Even though you are nothing but bones..." Valkyrie whispered and unbuttoned his jacket before continuing with his shirt.

Skulduggery shivered from her words and touch. "Thank you for saying that, Valkyrie, although I must admit that it does not come as a surprise that you think so."

Valkyrie laughed and pulled off the unbuttoned clothes which she threw on the floor next to her own. She stopped for a few seconds and just looked down at Skulduggery where he lay half-naked in front of her. To finally get to see Skulduggery, to really get to see the real him, got her off balance for a short while. He was even more beautiful than she could have imagined and she could not understand how lucky she was that had him in her life.

She let her fingers caress his scars and there were quite a few. Some were very old and were from the time before they had met and others were relatively new that had arisen during the battle against Serafina's sister Rune a few months ago. "Do they hurt?"

"No, it's just scars, Valkyrie. The only time they hurt is during the healing process, but as soon as I return to my old normal self, it is as if they do not exist."

"Good."

Valkyrie let her hands wander from the outside to the inside of Skulduggery's ribs and thorax. Seeing and hearing how much Skulduggery liked her touch made her even more excited than she had become when he touched her. She began to understand why Skulduggery wanted so much control. It was a very intoxicating feeling.

She let her lips and tongue explore Skulduggery's chest as she pulled his pants off with her hands before starting to caress his hip bones and pelvis, which made Skulduggery moan loudly with pleasure.

"You like when I touch you here, don't you, Skulduggery?" she said in an teasing voice as she kissed his spine.

"Valkyrie..." was all Skulduggery managed to get out before he gave another moan.

"I love hearing you say my name that way, Skulduggery. It makes me... excited."

Skulduggery did not answer but grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Valkyrie, can you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Touch my facade."

Valkyrie did as she was told and a human face appeared over Skulduggery's skull. It had blond hair and green eyes. When Valkyrie looked into them, she could see how much Skulduggery desired her. She leaned forward and let her lips meet Skulduggery's now human ones and the feeling of being able to feel him kiss her back made her moan low in his mouth. She laid her arms around him to get closer and it was only then that she noticed that instead of feeling his skeleton against her bare body, instead she felt a warmth and a softness that had not been there before. She opened her eyes and stopped kissing him before she looked down and what she then saw made her gasp in surprise.

"Skulduggery! You have... a human body!"

Skulduggery smiled. "Do you remember that I told you I had improved my facade tattoos? This is what I meant."

Valkyrie did not know what to say. She was still shocked to see human skin all over Skulduggery instead of just around his face. She let her hands touch his chest and stomach while she watched Skulduggery to see his reaction. She could see that he liked her touch.

Skulduggery laid her down on the bed before pulling off her panties. He looked Valkyrie in the eyes all the time and in them he could see that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He positioned himself over her and at the same time as they united, nothing existed but their bodies and the pleasure they gave one another.

They took it slow at first and just enjoyed finally being able to vent their feelings towards the other. They had both longed for this so that now that the moment was finally here, they wanted to enjoy every second.

Valkyrie put her legs around Skulduggery's back while she bent backwards to give him even more access to her vagina. "Oh, Skulduggery... Do not stop..."

"I'm not going to do that either", Skulduggery whispered in her ear and gave her neck a kiss. "How could I when you look at me that way?"

Valkyrie did not answer but pressed harder against Skulduggery before she bit his lower lip. This caused Skulduggery to moan and push deeper into Valkyrie, which in turn made her let go of his lip and moan loudly. She began to increase the pace and pressed harder and harder against Skulduggery's body. She was shaking with desire now and she knew she did not have much time left. Before that happened, she wanted to feel as much of Skulduggery as she could.

Skulduggery understood what was about to happen. He put his hands around her hips for support so he could push himself even harder and faster inside Valkyrie. The feeling of being with a woman again after so many years - and not with any woman, but with the woman he had come to love most of all since losing his wife - overwhelmed Skulduggery. He had thought that he would never experience this feeling again and now that the moment had come, he wanted to experience everything.

"Skulduggery!" Valkyrie shouted and embraced him as the waves of orgasm washed through her body.

The sound of her voice and the feeling of her trembling body beneath him also made Skulduggery reach his limit. He whispered her name the moment his seed filled her. They held each other while the last tremors ran through their bodies and afterwards Skulduggery lay down on the bed with Valkyrie still in his arms.

"You're amazing, do you know that?" Valkyrie wondered after regaining her speech.

Skulduggery chuckled and Valkyrie could feel the vibrations against her cheek. It would take a while for her to get used to the knowledge that Skulduggery could whenever he wanted evoke a fully functioning human body, but on the other hand, she would have many days to get used to and examine it.

The future looks much brighter now, she thought to herself, hugging Skulduggery.

"You're not so bad yourself, Valkyrie", Skulduggery replied, kissing her forehead.

Valkyrie looked up at Skulduggery and let her fingers touch the symbols tattooed on his collarbones. The skin that had just been there disappeared and in its place there were now only bones. Skulduggery leaned his head to the side and Valkyrie knew he was looking at her questioningly.

"I like the fact that you, when you feel like it, can evoke a fully functioning human body Skulduggery, but it was not that version of you that I fell in love with. I prefer your real self, even if you only consist of bones, because that is how you have looked all along ever since I have known you."

"Thank you, Valkyrie. I have to admit that even though it feels good to be able to experience what it is like to be human again for a few short moments, there are many more benefits to being a living skeleton." Skulduggery stroked Valkyrie's cheek. "And besides, I happen to know that you like when I touch you in my natural form..."

Valkyrie shudders as Skulduggery's bony fingers caress her side and stomach before heading further down. "Oh, Skulduggery..." she sighed before allowing herself to be swallowed up again by Skulduggery and his magical touch.