He said, "Let's get out of this town
Drive out of the city, away from the crowds"

"How about leaving here and taking a drive in the Bentley, Valkyrie? I'm personally getting really tired of all this political talk." Skulduggery Pleasant turned to his partner Valkyrie Cain and tilted his head in a way that told Valkyrie he was bored.

"And here I thought political talk was one of the things you like to listen to the most. Hours of discussions that usually lead nowhere."

"I hear you're trying to be funny, but you're not doing a very good job, I'm afraid."

"Everything I do is good, Skulduggery."

"If it makes you sleep well at night, then..."

Valkyrie slapped Skulduggery's arm but couldn't hide the smile that spread across her lips. "Sometimes I hate you."

"You are not alone in feeling that way. Luckily for me, I happen to know that you like this side of me."

He's so tall and handsome as hell

He's so bad, but he does it so well

Valkyrie studied Skulduggery. He was tall and even though he was nothing but bones she thought he was handsome, in that way that tall and thin men can be. He also had that "bad boy" aura that many women find attractive, including her. After all, she had dated a vampire when she was a teenager even though she knew she shouldn't have. She had learned the hard way why many people warn you against dating "bad boys".

But Skulduggery, unlike many other young men who thought they were "bad", was a real bad boy. He had many sides that were dangerous and that Valkyrie had experienced many times before, but that didn't scare her in the slightest. On the contrary, it only made Skulduggery even more attractive in her eyes.

"Valkyrie?"

"Yes, Skulduggery?" Valkyrie was snapped out of her thoughts by Skulduggery's voice and she looked up at him. She noticed that he had taken a step towards her and he was so close that their bodies were almost touching.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Which was?"

Skulduggery didn't answer but held out his hand to her. She took it and he led her out of the conference room they were in. They walked out to the Bentley that glinted in the setting sun and soon they were out on the road that led them out of Roarhaven. Valkyrie looked at the sunset and a smile could once again be seen on her lips. She didn't know where they were going, but she knew she could trust Skulduggery.

They drove for a while in silence and Valkyrie couldn't help but study Skulduggery again in an attempt to figure out what he had planned for the both of them. Sadly, he revealed nothing. "Where are we going?"

"Those who wait will see."

Valkyrie sighed. "You know I don't have the best patience when it comes to waiting."

"See this as a perfect opportunity to practice."

Valkyrie sighed and once again looked out the car window. They had now driven onto a gravel road and apart from the Bentley's tires rolling over gravel she thought she could sense the sound of waves crashing against a beach. Her mood instantly improved when she realized that Skulduggery had taken her to the beach. She loved sitting down and watching the waves roll in. It calmed her down and having Skulduggery sitting next to her always made her feel at peace.

Say you'll remember me

Standing in a nice dress

Staring at the sunset, babe

Red lips and rosy cheeks

As soon as the Bentley came to a stop, Valkyrie opened the passenger door and threw off her trainers. She ran into the water and laughed as the cold water splashed over her feet. She spun around a lap and then turned to Skulduggery who was leaning against the Bentley's hood where he was studying her. Valkyrie gave him a smile she knew Skulduggery would have returned if he had had lips.

Skulduggery wished Valkyrie could see what he saw. She wore a black dress that clung to her body and showed off all her curves. Her red lips and rosy cheeks. The sun that lit her up from behind and bathed her in a red-orange light.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever been lucky enough to lay eyes on and he couldn't fathom that she was his. She just didn't know it yet, but she would soon find out…

"Valkyrie, you are beautiful."

Valkyrie laughed and held out her arms towards Skulduggery. "Tell me something else I already know."

"I love you. Until the end."

"And I love you, Skulduggery."

Skulduggery walked up to Valkyrie and put his arms around her waist. He pressed her against his bony body, loving the feeling her warm body gave him. He leaned closer to her and put his teeth against her ear. "If you could only see what I see every time I look at you..."

Valkyrie shivered and pushed herself closer to Skulduggery. "Tell me..." she whispered.

"I see the woman I love above all else and for whom I would do anything. I could die again to save you, Valkyrie. If I lost you, I would lose a big part of myself. I don't know where I would be today if I hadn't met you, Valkyrie. You make me feel things I haven't felt since I died 300 years ago. I see the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with." Skulduggery grabbed Valkyrie's chin and lifted her face up to his own before leaning forward and pressing his teeth to her warm lips.

His hands are in my hair,

And his voice is a familiar sound

Nothing lasts forever

But this is getting good now

Valkyrie wrapped her arms around Skulduggery's neck and kissed him back. She felt Skulduggery place his other hand in her hair and pull her even closer to his body. She let out a low moan of pleasure and let her tongue explore Skulduggery's teeth and chin. She could feel Skulduggery shudder beneath her and his hand gripped her hair tighter.

"Valkyrie..." he whispered, opening his mouth to her.

"Skulduggery..." Valkyrie whispered back, letting her tongue explore the inside of Skulduggery's mouth.

Skulduggery's hand that had gripped her chin now wandered down. He caressed Valkyrie's neck, collarbone, sternum and waist. It stopped at her hip and he pulled away from Valkyrie a bit to watch her. He couldn't believe that he was so lucky that Valkyrie reciprocated his feelings and now that she was finally his for real, he was going to seize this opportunity. He was going to explore her body until she begged him for release and only then was he going to become one with her as he had dreamed of doing for so many nights...

He laid her down in the sand and caressed her cheek before leaning forward and pressing his teeth to her lips once more. Then he let his hands and fingers explore Valkyrie's body in the way he had fantasized about doing for so long.

"No one has to know what we do"