Valkyrie's mouth dropped wide open in shock.
"She's a what?!"
"Shhhh! Nobody else must know."
"So she's a hitwoman, like a hitman but a female."
Saracen nodded.
"How in the hell?!"
"Valkyrie shhhhh! You'll make them all come up here. Do you really want that?"
Valkyrie sagged.
"No."
"Keep quiet then. Like I said, Avril Saffron is a hitwoman."
"So that's where she got the Porsche from."
"Exactly."
"That's why she wouldn't tell Skulduggery where she'd been all these years. That's why she wouldn't tell us how much the car cost! She's a bloody hitwoman!"
"Valkyrie!"
"Sorry."
"You're lucky she didn't hear that. None of them did. They're all too busy chatting."
"What's Skulduggery doing?"
"Talking with Avril."
"About what?"
"About cars."
Valkyrie groaned and Saracen grinned.
"That bad huh?"
"Yes," she moaned.
"Come on Val it's not that bad."
"Yes it is! Now he'll never shut up about his bloody Bentley!"
"You love the Bentley."
"That is! Completely true."
Saracen laughed.
"So what are we going to do about Avril?"
"Not yet Valkyrie. Let's give her some time to bring back the connections."
Valkyrie looked at him confused. Then she grinned.
"God Saracen you're so evil."
"Only when I need to be." He winked at her and she blushed. Then he put a hand on both of her cheeks, and she looked at him.
"Promise me you will not go near Avril," he said. And by the tone in his voice, Valkyrie knew that he was more than just worried about her.
"I promise," she replied, her voice a whisper. Saracen smiled and Valkyrie's heart did a little flip.
"Good girl."
Valkyrie didn't think, she just did. Before she knew what she was doing she had her hands tangled in Saracen's hair, and smashed her lips to his. At first she was surprised, then her heart started doing backflips. That's when Skulduggery walked in.
Valkyrie broke the kiss immediately, and looked up, a shocked expression lining her features. Skulduggery just stared, and Saracen sighed.
"Oh no."
Valkyrie didn't say anything as Skulduggery turned and walked back down the stairs, his footsteps fading.
"Whoops," she said. "How come you didn't know that he was coming?" She asked.
"My focus was elsewhere," he admitted sheepishly.
"Now I feel bad. Like really bad. If he really does love me, what the hell have I done!"
Valkyrie walked back down the stairs, and Saracen came down a few minutes later. Jess smiled and Valkyrie went over to where she was standing with Dexter and Ghastly.
"Hey," Jess greeted.
"Hi," Valkyrie replied, catching a glimpse of Skulduggery talking to Avril across the room. Avril was laughing, and so was Skulduggery. But underneath that, Valkyrie could see how hurt he was. That was the type of connection that they had. But Avril couldn't see it. She was so blind by not seeing the emotions underneath the masked barrier. That was something that no one could take away from them. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain, more than partners in crime. Sounded good to Valkyrie.
"So I heard you're a bone breaker," Valkyrie said to Jess.
"Oh yeah I am. Did Saracen tell you?"
"Yeah he did. Don't touch me though."
Jess laughed. "Don't worry, it won't hurt you unless I will it to."
Valkyrie breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank god for that."
Jess, Dexter and Ghastly all laughed, and Valkyrie laughed along with them, although inside she was dying. What had she done?