A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Saracen, Dex, Erskine, Anton, Ghastly, Tanith or Skulduggery.

When we got back to the hotel I had a surprise for Abby. I'd figured out how to call Midnight to me, even if I wasn't a skeleton when I needed him, so I took her for a ride on the beach. And although I should have told her magic horses weren't quite real, I let her brush out his mane and feed him lumps of sugar anyhow. Midnight whinnied happily as they bonded and I was glad it took so little to please her. Ride and grooming over, we returned to the hotel. Abby settled into the common room to read a book and I joined her.

I was debating returning to the beach for a swim when Saracen strolled in, looking way too innocent. "Some of us were up late last night, and well, you might need to go on another grocery run." He grinned and I sighed.

"I ought to make you walk into town for them." Anton said from the doorway and Saracen turned to smile faintly at him. Anton looked like he was in a bad mood, and I hoped he didn't want company on his grocery run.

"Uh, yeah, Anton, sure thing. Dex, Erskine and I will go." Saracen said nervouisly, then jumped slightly as Anton smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I'm teasing, you're guests of the Midnight Hotel. Eat what you want. I don't suppose two young ladies would like to accompany me?" He asked, taking out his keys and jangling them.

"Go ask mom first." I said and Abby was off as fast as she could run. Anton smiled and joined me on the sofa.

"You're good with her. You'd make a good mother." I wasn't sure what to say to that, and luckily Abby's return saved me. She was giggling as we got in the small, blue VW and I knew she wondered where we'd even fit any groceries.

"Magic boot." Anton assured her.

In the grocery store he kept a careful eye on her and asked her advice on just about everything, including what vegetables for the salads for dinner. He turned to look at me after selecting some fresh corn to put in them. "I think you'll like this, at least I hope you will." He said and I assured him I would.

By the time we'd returned to the hotel I was puzzled. It was like there were two Antons. The one who had kissed me and the one who had just taken us on a grocery run. He'd been friendly, polite and warm towards me, but he hadn't acted like he was in love with me. Puzzled, I tracked down Tanith on the beach where she was going through her daily training exercises with her sword.

She frowned slightly as I described the trip. "Well, I don't think there are two Antons unless we count the Gist. So maybe he has a lot on his mind, Val. He did tell you he's in love with you, right?" She asked and I shook my head.

"Not in so many words. Oh God, I kiss so badly I scared him off. That has to be it, or he's just playing along with what everyone expects him to feel for me." I said, sitting down heavily in the sand.

"Hey, Sis. He said he loved you, repeatedly, when we were looking for you. If he's being shy now maybe you need to approach him. I know what the guys have been telling you, but maybe he's just as scared as you are." She said and I smiled in relief. Maybe he was scared.

I was really confused as I walked back to the hotel. Were we in love? Why did it seem like he was going to propose and have me stay with him forever one minute, then seem like the kisses had never happened the next? I sighed and went into the common room to scan the bookshelves. I smiled, thinking of Anton's story that the bookshelves would really open if you read every book. Wait, read every book.?I I thought slowly. If it is a magical lock it would be simple, so you'd read every title.

I shook my head. It was just a story he'd made up, but I still found myself reading every book title just to see if there was a magical lock. That and I was looking for something to do besides tan or hang out on the beach. An adventure sounded good to me then, so as I read the final title I wasn't too surprised to hear a soft click and see one of the bookshelves swing forward. I hurriedly pushed it back into place. Figuring out there was a magic lock was one thing, snooping around in places I didn't belong was another.

But I kept thinking about the magic lock through the day. I wanted to tell Abby in the worst way. After all, why had Anton told her about it in a room full of detectives and explorers if it was a secret? I grinned and started plotting out a nighttime adventure. Hopefully she wouldn't have figured it out by then, and hopefully Anton wouldn't be too angry. I sighed. I had to tell him. It felt wrong exploring, considering I was in love with him.

I found him in the kitchen, prepping dinner. "I figured you'd be the one to figure it out first." He said, turning slightly to look at me. "You can go in, there's nothing in there but more books." He said, smiling.

"Nighttime adventure with Abby if she wants." I said and he nodded. "It was sweet of you to tell her. She'll have an adventure she'll never forget." I said and he smiled before turning back to his work. I felt like I was being dismissed and didn't like it much. I wanted to ask if there were two of him, but kept my mouth shut. Anton was still my friend, even if he wasn't interested. Maybe he said the things he did during the search for me because rescuing me had sounded romantic at the time. That has to be it.

I was nodding to myself, then looked up, startled. Anton had left his work and come closer to me. "Working on a mystery, Detective?" He asked with a grin.

"In the Midnight Hotel?" I asked, blinking innocently. "Never." I grinned and would have walked away, but Anton came froward tentatively and took me in his arms.

He was holding me and I was sure he was going to kiss me when we heard the front door slam open and he sighed and released me. I silently cursed Dexter and Erskine's bad timing and left the kitchen. I listened to them noisily enter the kitchen, joking with Anton and wanted to hide. I'd just made a fool of myself, I was sure I had.

I went out to the beach, tempted to call Midnight to me and ride away and find a better hiding place than last time. But wasn't I getting what I deserved for being a bad girlfriend in the past? I sighed and sat down on a rock, staring out at the waves until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Dad sat down beside me. "Give him time, Val. He's had a bad past with women. He knows you're not like them, but give him time."

"How bad are we talking about?" I asked and dad hesitated.

"He should be the one to tell you." He said vaguely.

"Anton won't spend five minutes alone with me." I said and dad nodded then looked at me.

"And a detective would figure there's a good reason for that, wouldn't she?"

"He doesn't want to kiss me again?"

"Close, but remember something. He has a Gist, Valkyrie. And wherever Anton's heart goeth-" He trailed off and now I understood. I'd thought Anton only let the Gist out to fight, but it clearly had a mind of its own and I could imagine that if the Gist were in love with a woman it would be hurt and confused when she started screaming. Or Anton would.

"That poor man, poor Gist too." I said and dad nodded sadly. This gave me a lot to think about. Could I love his Gist as well if that was the reason he was avoiding me? Could I accept affection from the part of him that was pure evil and hate? I wasn't sure and I knew it would be cruel to try and fail, not to mention potentially deadly.

As we sat down for dinner Anton smiled at me nervously. Somehow he knew that I knew. I smiled back tentatively, and agreed to help him clean up afterwards. Anton asked me to also help with the tea and coffee and I followed him into the kitchen. He turned to face me, gathering me in a tight hug, cradling my head into his chest. "I'll do everything in my power to control my Gist, Valkyrie, but if I'm in love-"

"He is too, because he's a part of you?" I asked, craning my head back to look up at him and he nodded sadly. "Then, when were both ready, I'm guessing I'll meet him." I said and Anton looked at me in disbelief.

"He will be gentle, but he is a Gist, Valkyrie. I don't even know if he will come out of hiding, but yes, we're a package deal. He loves you very much, you know." Anton said, stroking my cheek tenderly. "He'd never hurt you." Then he was kissing me and I hoped for both our sakes things went as smoothly with his Gist.

What every girl wants. A hyper-aggressive double of the man she loves in love with her.