The next few days seemed like weeks to Valkyrie. It was like each day was lingering longer than the next, as if terrorizing and tormenting her. But the days soon passed and she found herself in Skulduggery's Bentley being driven back to Gordon's.
The trip was silent and, like everything else to her, seemed to take forever. Valkyrie sat quietly in her seat, fidgeting with her fingers, the pregnancy test in her pocket, poking at her side as a constant reminder. She was extremely nervous. Her period had still not started and she was thinking the worse.
She almost breathed a sigh of relief as her dead uncle's mansion came into view. She stepped out of the car and walked toward the house, Skulduggery right behind her. She stood up on the top front step, standing a good few inches above him.
"Well, goodnight," she said, turning to open the door. She felt Skulduggery grab her arm and twist her around to face him.
"Whoa, what's the rush? Don't I get a kiss goodnight?" he asked, smiling. Valkyrie rolled her eyes and smiled as she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. She felt him grip her waist, pulling her closer to him. She had made to just give him a kiss goodnight, but she could tell that he wanted more.
All the thoughts about the pregnancy test faded away as she slid her hands down and grabbed his tie, pulling him up the stairs as she backed up into the door. She reached behind her and opened it, pulling him into the house. She broke the kiss and dragged him through the house and up into her room. She swiftly undid his tie and started working on his shirt buttons as he kicked the door shut.
She slid his shirt off, running her hands all across his chest as she leaned up and kissed him, her tongue exploring his mouth. She felt him glide his hands over her chest, making her moan softly while his hands continued down to the bottom of her tunic.
Valkyrie, knowing his intentions, reached down and pulled the piece of clothing up over her head, breaking the kiss only briefly. She felt his cold hands run across her jaw line and down her neck. Valkyrie's hands went to his belt, quickly undoing it and the button on his slacks. She felt him biting her neck and she moaned in pleasure, dragging her fingernails across his chest.
She gently pushed him away and sat down on the end of the bed, bending down to take off her boots and trousers. Skulduggery then tackled her onto her back and she laughed as he began attacking her neck again. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his hips as she grinned down at him. She intertwined her fingers with his and then leaned down to kiss him, forcing his hands above his head.
Then she heard her name being called from down the hallway. She froze and broke the kiss, her blood running cold as she remembered the duplicate of her uncle's memory she had let roam around while she was away. He must have heard Skulduggery shut her bedroom door.
"Who the hell is that?" Skulduggery asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"No one," she hissed, trying to think of a plan, "Just…stay here and be quiet."
She got up off him and grabbed an overlarge shirt that had been discarded on the floor days prior, slipping it over her head. She squeezed through the door, carefully shutting it behind her as to not make another sound and walked down to the study. She pulled back on the untitled book to reveal the secret room behind it. The charger box was sitting on the table with the stone in it, but Echo-Gordon was nowhere to be seen.
"There you are Valkyrie," Gordon called from behind her, making her jump.
"Oh my god Gordon, you almost gave me a heart attack," she gasped, leaning against the wall to try and calm her rapid heart rate.
Gordon smirked triumphantly at his scare of his niece, but it soon turned into a frown as he took in her appearance.
"What have you been doing?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion. Valkyrie looked down at herself and turned beet red.
"Uh…I was…going to take a shower," she replied slowly. Gordon looked at her doubtfully.
"Then why is Skulduggery's Bentley still here? Is there something you're not telling me?"
"You ask too many questions," she said, walking over to the charger box and setting her hand on the lid. Gordon's eyes grew wide with understanding.
"You better not shut that lid! I'm warning you!"
Valkyrie smirked. "And what exactly are you going to do about it? You can't really do anything to me."
Gordon opened his mouth as to argue back, but he stopped as he realized that she was right. He looked away in defeat, then shook his head and turned back to her.
""As your uncle, I demand that you tell me what is going on!" Valkyrie glared at him.
"First off, you're not really my uncle. You're just a replica of my dead uncle's memory that just happens to haunt me. Now, if you don't mind, I have other things to attend to." Gordon pointed a stubby finger at her.
"Valkyrie I-," but she shut the lid of the box, cutting him off as his body quickly vanished. Valkyrie sighed. She was going to have to apologize later to him, if he would still be willing to listen to her. She walked back to her room to find Skulduggery leaning against the wall with his pants on and his arms folded across his chest.
"An Echo Stone," he stated, "Why didn't you tell me?" She sighed and leaned back on the door, shutting it.
"Because he told me not to tell," she muttered softly, looking down at the floor, "Believe me, I wanted to tell you."
"How long have you known?"
"A couple years now."
"Does he know about us?"
"No."
Skulduggery walked over to her, picking up his stuff off the floor on the way.
"I should probably go before I get us into anymore trouble," he said, pulling his shirt on and draping the rest of his clothes over his arm. Valkyrie nodded and opened her bedroom door.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow so we can go to the Sanctuary." She nodded again and kissed him gently.
"Goodnight," she muttered, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.
"Goodnight Valkyrie," he whispered into her hair, and then left swiftly.
She leaned back on the door, shutting it with a soft click. She looked down at the array of clothing on the floor and saw the pregnancy test sticking out of her recently flung off pants pocket. She walked over and picked it up, remembering the promise she made to herself.
"Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself as she walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
Valkyrie was leaning over the bathroom sink, her knuckles white from gripping the counter so hard. She willed herself not to look at the slim, white stick dangling precariously over the edge of the counter.
The wait was killing her, slowly driving her mad. She felt as though she had been standing there for hours, listening to every second tick by slowly. Another second closer to the turning point of her life. The outcome of this test would change her whole future and that thought of her world turning upside down started to make her stomach turn. Valkyrie feared that when Skulduggery came to get her tomorrow, there would be more to talk about than work.
A faint beep interrupted her thoughts. She let go of the breath she didn't know she had been holding and opened her eyes, then slowly leaned over to look at the small screen. Her face went flush as her fears were confirmed when she saw the small, positive sign flashing at her.
