A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Tanith, Ghastly Skulduggery or Anton.
Anton grinned at me. "Same here, Val. You're already checked in and my wife is serving lunch now. I'll take your bags to your room." He smiled as we set down our bags at the front desk, then the men led us into a small dining room.
"His wife is a wonderful cook." Ghastly assured us. "Luckily you two arrived just in time." A woman entered smiling at us and I smiled in return. She was tall, wearing a simple black dress that looked like it matched Anton's suit and she was very beautiful. Her long silver hair was piled high on top of her head and I knew instantly Anton had fallen in love with one of the shidhe. She smiled warmly. I guessed instantly that she was a hearth spirit and her softening influence explained the bed and breakfast.
"Hello, and welcome, both of you. My name is Cara. Anton has told me so many stories about his friends. I'll have lunch ready in an instant, and the kitchen will be left open for you, day or night." She smiled and continued. "Please, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me. Anton on the other hand-" She shrugged and laughed, a tinkling sound like bells. I liked her.
Tanith looked fascinated. "I'm sorry if I'm staring. We just never expected Anton to get married." She said and it was the truth though I'd had no idea she knew Anton other than my stories. An uneasy feeling came over me, like someone walking over my grave. Did she have a past with him as well?
Cara smiled. "A lot of people tell me that actually." She turned to me. "Would you be kind enough to help me, my dear?" She asked and I nodded and followed her into a snug kitchen where the aroma of freshly baked bread and homemade soup made my mouth water. "Would you be so kind as to put the soup tureen on the cart for me, dear?" I did and she smiled coming over to take my hands in hers. "You can trust her with your heart, you know. She's a good woman and serious about you. She will not stray."
I nodded dumbly. What could I possibly say to that? She had no idea the kind of reputation Tanith had. Cara smiled gently and continued. "Your pendants are a gift from the sidhe my dear. If you weren't with your true love, they wouldn't work. She is in love with you, you know." And the way Tanith's eyes shone when I rejoined her I believed Cara. Tanith gave me an affectionate nuzzle as Cara served us and the older woman smiled at the sight. She gave me a wink then turned and bustled out of the room.
Skulduggery turned to me, amused. "None of us thought Anton would get married again. You'll love the food here, even I like it." He said, then started in on his soup. I watched, fascinated, he was still a skeleton. He paused to grin at me. "I've no idea where it goes either, only that I can eat over here. And I've been making up for lost time." He grinned and turned back to his soup.
Tanith and I exchanged surprised glances. Curiouser and curiouser. Belatedly I remembered the warning about not eating in the land of the dead that I'd been told in a million tales and just hoped we wouldn't return to find that centuries had passed.
Of course if everything was this nice, I didn't know if we would want to return. Tanith seemed to think the same thing as she played with the ginger cat we found in the garden later. She grinned up at me from where she say with him on her lap. "I told you our vacation would be fun." She said.
Note: Cara means friend.