Authors Note - WOW.... Ok I've seen reads go up this fast but only on really good books.... Is THIS a good book? Huh? I mean, 420 reads?!?! I love you all..... Please vote for this chapter!!! Sorry that this chapter took so long but commenting WOULD speed things up you know! Have any of you read the new Skulduggery Pleasant book? I laughed, hung off the edge of my seat and admittedly cried when the last chapter ended! A year of waiting seems far too long! Ok so, time to sum up my last chapter ok? Both sides if Valduggery have confessed their love, not to mention accepted the others feelings of love. Valkarie got mad at Fletcher because she felt that he hadn't been there for her enough, especially seeing as he disappeared to Australia for what seemed like ages. There was also a short P.O.V from Fletcher at the end where he seems to be about to attack Skulduggery....with the intention of killing him. Shocking enough? Shout outs and fan of the update will be in my ending Authors Note! Sayonara! Xxx
She frowned, the blossom suddenly ceasing it's dance, poised to continue. Why wasn't he here? Why had he only come at night? Where the hell was he? She'd had no calls, no messages. Just flowers and silence. What gave him the right to be sulky? He was acting like a stroppy little boy,hiding himself away like this... No more. What she'd felt for him that night on the road was gone so far that she couldn't even pull her thoughts together enough to know what it had been. If he wanted to see her, this time it would be on her grounds.
Pushing at the air to open the passenger window she held the blossom out. Cold air whipped the petals so violently that they nearly tore. The flower clung desperately on to Valkarie's thumb and finger, but the dance was over, no encores, the curtain had fallen. As soon as she let go, the blossom was torn from her grasp, a flash of red could be seen momentarily before the scene outside changed back to dull. Skulduggery's hand held hers gently.
Valkarie turned away, trying to fight tears.
Chapter Nine
FLETCHER
Love At Last
The flower landed with a final tumble at my feet but I carried on watching the car drive away. I watched until it was just a black dot that blinked into nothingness.
If I'd been an hour sooner, I would have been the one she woke up to, me. Skulduggery would have to be the one that ran around that god forsaken hospital looking for her when he'd found an empty bed. The skeleton could stand there while the blue haired girl told him that she'd woken up and left, with the one she loved. He could find the flowers had been casually dropped in a dustbin by a nurse. Let the dead man die inside.
I picked up the flower, I'd seen her, she held it out the window and dropped it like a wrapper. The petals were worn, the stem had been twirled, I could see where she'd held it. The smell filled of it filled the air around me.
I tucked it into the button hole of the casual jacket I was wearing and hoisted up my shoulder bag. Grudgingly I started walking in the general direction they'd driven in, shoving a hand inside the bag I could feel the knife, the edge of it cut deep into my thumb. My lip twitched but I just gathered my thoughts concentrating hard on where I'd found them.
Then I was gone.
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Chapter Ten
VALKARIE
Love Was Meant To Last
Skulduggery's gloved hand kept Valkarie grounded, stopping her mind from overflowing with thoughts of Fletcher. His thumb drew small circles on the back of her hand, it was like a dam holding back how much hatred and other feelings she had for the stupid haired teleporter.
They drove away from Roarhaven, the trees and grass gradually turning brighter, roofs higher, clearer skies and more cars. The smell of that red blossom had almost gone from the Bentey, a light tinge still lingered on her jacket. Valkarie had to strain against the urge to rip it off her back, tear it into a million little pieces and walk away. Truth be told she just didn't want to let go of the hand on hers.
Skulduggery didn't say anything, and Valkarie was glad that he didn't, she needed time to think, and he respected that. It suddenly struck her, just how lucky she was to have him, the one that she loved, most people wouldn't get anything even close to this.
She looked up at him, with a sudden feeling that she was making sure this was all quite real, feeling it was honestly too good to be true. Valkarie waited for the world around her to blur, fade into unconsciousness as she woke in the hospital. Instead, as if he'd felt her eyes on his skull, Skulduggery looked at her, tilted his head and squeezed her hand, bringing her back to reality.
"I love you." this time was no different from the first, he literally took her breath away as a hurricane of butterflies stormed up inside her. Blush streaked across her cheeks but she kept her head up, wanting to go on looking.
Valkarie hadn't even realised that the car had slid silently into Skulduggery's drive way until the engine cut out. She blinked, disbelievingly, had time passed them by that quickly? Usually she noticed everything, except now...
He even opened up her side of the car door for her, leading her into his house. Valkarie felt like blushing, but found herself calm on another unexpected level. Skulduggery busied himself making tea in the kitchen while Valkarie fell into the nearest sofa, her previously calm mind filling suddenly with a million questions.
What would happen now? We're they going to live together? Was he her boyfriend, no, too strange... What were they going to tell everyone? Do they? Would this last forev-
Yes.
Valkarie didn't need the answer to that question, and she didn't need any of the other questions answered now either. She knew and remembered how being with and without Skulduggery, love didn't feel any different. Right now. It didn't matter how many questions there were, or what they asked, all that mattered was the man making her tea.
Right on cue, Skulduggery walked in, a mug of tea floating behind him to land on a nearby table. Ignoring what would usually amaze her, Valkarie held her arms out to him, completely unafraid now. Wordlessly, he sat down beside her, pulled her up so that she was curled half on his lap, head on his chest. She smiled into his rib, Skulduggery seemed to sink further into the sofa.
CRACK!
Skulduggery leapt up, dropping Valkarie as gently a he could back onto the sofa, looking towards the kitchen. Valkarie stood up too, looking from him, to the doorway, half expecting some assailant to streak out any second. Dusk. Instinctively she edged closer towards Skulduggery, straining her ears for another sound. Nothing. Looking right, she could tell by Skulduggery's clenched fist that his gun was elsewhere, if this was Dusk, they didn't stand much of a chance...
CREAK...
There it was, the indication of a trespasser that they'd been waiting for. An impatient creak, as if whoever it was just couldn't stand still another moment. In perfect unison, she and Skulduggery moved in opposite directions towards the empty doorway, Valkarie felt for the connections in the air, wanting to be ready for whoever, or whatever, was edging around the kitchen...
Without warning, Skulduggery sprinted the last length to the door. Surprised, Valkarie set off clumsily after him, Skulduggery reached the door first, summoning a flame to his hand he raised back a flaming fist-
CRASH!!!!
It happened... In a swirl of shadows and a cry of pain from Skulduggery. So fast that Valkarie's eyes couldn't follow it, a solid wall of shadows had sent Skulduggery across the room to the wall, landing in a crumpled heap on the carpet. Valkarie pushed at the air so that she rose up and flew the last meter to the door, landing in a tense crouch. The shadows were still there, curling expertly across the floor,ad there, carried in their midst, was Fetcher.
No.
Valkarie stood, then stumbled. What was happening? How was he here? Was he doing this? The shadows struck out like daggers, transforming the curtains and furniture into tatters. The darkness seemed to be coming from Fletcher himself, curling around him, tousling his still ridiculous hair. A noticable sheen stood out on his face, and his eyes were shut tight, looking strange in comparison to the rest of peaceful face. Fletchers hands there spread out like spiders in the centre of a black web, strained and still. He hovered about a foot of the ground, which was being destroyed by the ruthless power emitting from the teleporter.
This was wrong. So so so so wrong. Fletcher wasn't even a necromancer, how was he doing this? Why, why was he doing this? Why now?...
No time for any more questions. Valkarie was sick of them. Now was the time to fight. The ring on her finger was colder than ice, crueler than the darkest of days, time to show Fletcher just how dangerous it could be when he attacked Skulduggery.
As if they had read her mind, the shadows that were previously ripping wires out of walls snapped towards her. Valkarie dove out of the way as they ripped through where she'd just been, she rolled, then came out of it with fire in her hand. She had expected the shadows to recoil, but instead they streaked after her, only just rushing past her face.
In an instant, Skulduggery was in front of her. Pushing sharply at the air with both hands to deflect what would have been a deathly blow.
"Don't you dare." Skulduggery growled. His voice not needing to be loud to sound threatening. In hindsight, Skulduggery could be a very threatening skeleton when he wanted to.
The shadows pulled back fractionally, and out the corner of her eye, Valkarie saw Fletchers sinister smile. She opened her mouth to warn Skulduggery,
"Skuldug-" but then the the shadows towered over them like a tsunami, and she didn't need to warn him anymore.
Skulduggery yanked her into his arms faster than Valkarie thought possible, turning her away as a fresh torrent of shadows cracked painfully into Skulduggery's spine. She heard him yell in pain as they were propelled through the air, and another agonised scream made her heart tear ruthlessly as he turned them around again, so that the impact on the wall was taken again on his back.
What used to be a table shattered as Skulduggery slammed into it, cradling her as gently as he could in his arms, his skull bent over her head to protect her. It had worked, there wasn't a scratch on her. Blinking, she struggled to uneasy feet, then turned to help Skulduggery.
Valkarie tried and failed to pull him to his feet, each attempt resulting in another exclamation of pain that cut her up inside.
"I found him..." the voice coming out f Fletchers mouth made Valkarie's skin crawl, it was like lots of sinister voices talking at once, they sounded both happy and evil... At first she thought that whatever was using Fletchers body was talking about Skulduggery, and fear gripped her heart like a vice, but then it continued.
"In the hospital.... He was alone, with an open heart... So easy... You did not even realise that I had left you.... Did you?" what was so familiar about that voice, she knew it from somewhere... Somewhere.... "And you still do not... Do you Valkarie?"
A shadow seemed to extract itself from the surrounding, writhing others and slipped over to stroke her face. It trailed down from her cheek bone to her jawline, trailing paralysing cold fear behind it, lingering on her jaw, holding her face.
"No!" Skulduggery roared from the ground, "Don't! Don't touch her! Keep away from her!" he tried pulling himself to his feet, hissing painfully with every move. Fletcher turned to him, and very slowly, pulled what looked like a shoulder bag from amongst the shadows, then, with a wide smile splitting his pale face drew out a bag from within it. The long curved blade glinted in the flickering overhead light.
"He was holding this... In his bag... And I know what he planned to do with it... Who he planned to use it on.... Would you like to know?... Valkarie?..." the knife began to turn in mid air, Valkarie watching it, all too aware that Skulduggery was still trying to drag himself closer to her, fighting the pain. The shadow dragged its tendrils across her lips now, leaving them numb and freezing.
"Get.... Away from her!" Skulduggery gasped, pushing himself up on one elbow, raising his revolver which he must have found in the rubble around them. Fletcher turned to him and smiled more broadly, the phrase 'smiled from ear to ear' came to Valkarie. Slowly once more, the shadows raised the knife to hover ominously in front of Skulduggery.
"No!" Valkarie screamed, her legs moved without permission to carry her in front of him, arms spread wide, her face a hairs breadth from the blade. The smile vanished as Fletcher - if she could ever see him as that any more - let the weapon fall to land with a clatter.
"Very well..... I will see you again soon Valkarie.... Till then....." the shadows writhed and contorted violently, surrounding and covering Fletcher, who had kept his eyes closed the whole time, suddenly opened them. Valkarie stared, the whites, irises and pupils were gone, his eyes were completely black, much like a ravens, as if more shadows raged inside his head. The shadows then masked him, hiding those eyes, then they withered into nothing, what was left of Fletcher shadow walked out.
Valkarie dropped her stiff arms to her sides, staring at where the shadow Fletcher had last been, had all that really just happened? Skulduggery's fingers grazed her hand as he tried to stand. Then, without warning, he jumped to his feet with a groan of pain, pulling Valkarie into his embrace. His arms were tight around her as if he never wanted to let go, his skull back on top of hers, burying his skull in her long hair.
For god knows how long they stood like that, Skulduggery ignoring the pain, Valkarie deep in thought.
"Don't ever...." he whispered into her ear, "... Do that again... I thought I was going to loose you." he said it as if the very thought killed him, Valkarie smiled shakily, still thinking.
"Never."
Skulduggery pulled away slightly.
"What do you think that was? It couldn't have been Fletcher on his own." so he had noticed that it wasn't him too...
Valkarie took a breath.
.
It all made sense.
.
What that thing had said.
.
That feeling in her head.
.
She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before.
.
"I think..."
She met Skulduggery's
"That was Darquesse..."
.
.
.
.
.
.
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Authors Note - well? Does THAT ending make up for the long long long wait? DOES IT?!?!? Yes guys, writers block had lead me here... To the return of Darquesse... We all knew that SOMETHING as dramatic as this was coming didn't we!?!?!?! I actually came up with that idea in the shower, which by the way, is a BRILLIANT place to brainstorm! A long shower! Comment, fan, recommend and add to your library! I want the reads up to 1000 by the next time I update! Ok? Great!!! Thankyouuuuu!
Shout outs to: LeaCarosella and Arielle123 for liking my fb page! Karumine and LeaCarosella for comments!!!
Now, I would normally go through ALL the shout outs I need to do.... But this is so late, I might as well make a small exception THIS TIME!!! Ok?
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Byeeee! ~ Phee
Xxxxx