The black Bentley rolled slowly along the gutter and stopped right in front of the house of the murder scene. Valkyrie found it strange and slightly unnerving that while the rest of the street went about their days they were completely unaware that inside this house was a bloody murder scene. The moment she stepped out of the car her necromancy ring went ice cold around her finger.

"Well, we got the right house," Valkyrie said.

Skulduggery grunted a reply.

"What is your problem?" Valkyrie asked angrily. "Ever since our conversation this morning you've been angry and I want to know why."

Skulduggery whirled around and faced her, his head close to hers. "You think that if you... die, I will just simply continue on my merry way as if nothing had happened. You think that after all we've been through that I think of you as disposable. Well you're wrong," he hissed and continued on his way to the house.

They both strolled in as if they were the owners simply coming back home. If it weren't for the severed arm lying at their feet, Valkyrie could have believed it herself. "Warlock," Skulduggery concluded as he stepped over a foot.

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" Valkyrie asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "We leave it up to the Sanctuary, we have better things to do."

Valkyrie stomped past him and into the kitchen. Blood was trailing from a leg and Valkyrie stepped over it carefully. With a little scan of her surroundings she didn't find anything unusual in there.

Skulduggery was at the open front door ready to leave, talking to someone on the phone. A shriek in the background almost made him drop his phone until he realised where the shriek was from. Valkyrie was doubled over in pain, blood trickling from her mouth. She dropped heavily to her knees and the handle of a knife was sticking out of her back, just beside her spine. Skulduggery dropped his phone to the floor and rushed over, helping her to the floor without the knife twisting inside her. A shadow rushed past and the back door opened as the attacker escaped. Skulduggery didn't bother getting up. One look at the blood covering his sleeve from Valkyrie's mouth was enough to keep him place.

A car pulled up outside the house followed by Ghastly's van. Skulduggery couldn't move Valkyrie nor did he risk removing the knife. His back was against the wall with Valkyrie hunched over and unconscious in his lap. "You better have brought the doctor," Skulduggery said as Ghastly, Tanith and Dexter ran in.

"Val!" Tanith yelled and slid to her knees by her side. "Who did this?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"I don't know, they escaped out the back door," Skulduggery replied as Valkyrie was taken off him by Doctor Synecdoche.

"And, what? You didn't go after him?" Tanith asked angrily. Skulduggery stood up and looked down at Tanith. He had no face but he was as menacing as ever.

"You don't think I wanted to? The moment I looked at Valkyrie and saw the blood pouring out of her mouth I decided I'd rather do what I could for her rather than let her die," he hissed.

Tanith's eyes were wide and she backed away and ran out the back door. She removed her sword and began looking for the Valkyrie's attacker.

Ghastly gave Skulduggery a disapproving look but Skulduggery held up a hand. "Don't start with me Ghastly. You know full well not to comment on my actions."

"I'm not saying a word," Ghastly muttered.

"Detective Pleasant, will you please join me?" Synecdoche called.

Valkyrie was now lying on her back with a stack of towels and blankets already soaked with blood under her. The knife was beside on top of a piece of plastic. Her eyes began to flutter open although her skin was pale and dotted with sweat while her chin and mouth were bloodstained.

Skulduggery knelt by her side. "What do you need?" He asked Synecdoche without taking his gaze away from Valkyrie.

"Mr Bespoke and I need to clear out the back of the van and clear room for Valkyrie to get her back to the Sanctuary. I need to stay with her and possibly change those towels as well, they are well soaked through," with a nod she jogged out to the van and began clearing it out.

Ghastly followed with an armful of towels. "I got what I could find in the linen cupboards and bathrooms," he said as he handed them to the doctor. She laid them on the floor of the van.

"He loves her doesn't he?" Synecdoche asked quietly.

"Excuse me?" Ghastly asked.

"Detective Pleasant. He loves Valkyrie, well it seems that way. Sorry," she apologized, suddenly embarrassed. "It's not my place to ask."

"No, it's quite alright. I've been wondering myself, actually, if anyone else has noticed. I believe they feel mutually but neither will admit it," Ghastly sighed.

"Do you disapprove?" The doctor asked.

"Not at all. I don't believe Skulduggery should be deprived of any happiness though he believes he must be punished. Not to mention he believes she is much too young," he replied.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"She has been through hell more times than a girl her age should. She's young, yes, but her mind has never matched her age. Ever since I met her she's been stubborn and very intelligent for her age. I think Skulduggery is worried it will be wrong, him being a skeleton and all but also because he seems to think he's bad for her. What he doesn't realise is she's most unhappy without him. They both need each other."

Synecdoche looked through the window from the van. Skulduggery was holding Valkyrie's hand against his rib cage, his head was bowed but his jaw was moving. He was talking to her.

Valkyrie reached up and touched Skulduggery's jaw though the movement seemed weak and heavy. "I'm fine," she muttered. "Just ridiculously embarrassed."

Skulduggery shook his head. "Why?" He asked.

"I was fooled," she admitted. "I looked in that room and the moment I stepped into the kitchen the coldness of my necromancy ring faltered. I should have known," she explained.

"We argued, both of our minds were on other things. We all make mistakes, don't worry about it," he replied softly and held her hand against his rib cage. He was saddened in that moment as he wished he had warmth and a heartbeat to be felt beneath that rib cage but he was left with an emptiness.

Valkyrie's brows furrowed in deep thought. "Do you think Alistair set this up? Killed this sorcerer in order to lure us out and potentially kidnap one or both of us?"

Skulduggery nodded. "Yes, unfortunately," he said gravely.

"I want to sit up," she croaked and began to attempt to do so.

Skulduggery glances at the blood soaked towels he'd forgotten to replace. "I don't think that's a good idea. We're going to take you back to the Sanctuary and get you up and healthy again."

Valkyrie, although pale and sickly, folded her arms stubbornly and glared at Skulduggery. "Can't I just be given a leaf to chew on and we can go hunt the jerk that did this?"

Skulduggery chuckled. "Unfortunately, no. Although with all the blood on your mouth you'd make quite the scary hunter," he joked. "Hey, with all these body parts lying around we may as well just conclude that you bit the poor man's limbs apart."

Valkyrie's mouth dropped open in disapproving shock and she punched his arm weakly. "I actually hate you," she said.

Skulduggery chuckled again and brushed the hair out her eyes and gently tucked it behind her ear. "No you don't," he replied. He left the room and came back with a wet piece of fabric and cleaned Valkyrie's face.

She smiled in appreciation. "There," Skulduggery said when he finished. "Now you don't look as if you've just mauled someone," he laughed.

"I do hate you," she muttered. Synecdoche waved to Skulduggery and he carried her out to be taken to the Sanctuary.