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Skulduggery looked down at Valkyrie. "You heard the robot."
"Please don't do this. Let me go instead."
He went to turn away, but she grabbed his arm. "No! Listen to me! We can think of something else! We can figure it out!"
"We don't have time."
Valkyrie put herself in front of him, pressed both hands against his chest, felt his ribs. "For god's sake," she said, "please don't do this. Skulduggery, please. I can't lose you."
He tilted his head, and, with a gloved finger, he brushed a tear from her cheek. "You'll never lose me, Valkyrie."
"I need you here. Please. I've done terrible things. I hate … I hate myself. I have to go away. But I need someone to come back to. You can't leave me alone."
"Valkyrie –"
"Please don't go. Skulduggery, I'm begging you."
"You're really making a fuss over nothing."
She hit him, punched him right across the jaw. "You are nothing, you bloody idiot! You changed my life! You made my life better! You made me better! What do you think I'm going to do when you're gone? You think I'm going to be happy? I swear to Christ, if you go, I'll go."
"Well," he said, "now you're just being silly." Skulduggery put his hands on her shoulders. "Valkyrie, trust me on this one thing, and step out of my way. I have to do this."
She looked up at him. "I don't want you to leave."
"And I never will."
"You said we'd be together until the end."
He nodded. "Yes, I did."
A face flowed up over his skull, an unremarkable face with unremarkable features. He leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. The face flowed away. He hugged her, then peeled her arms from around his neck, took off his hat and put it on her head. He spent a moment angling it just right.
"There," he said. "Looks good on you."
She couldn't speak as he stepped round her. He walked up to the Accelerator. The Engineer watched him impassively. "I love you," she blurted out.
Skulduggery didn't look back. He walked up towards the Accelerator and watched it for a few seconds before he turned around, grabbed Ravels collar and threw him into the Accelerator. "Here is your soul," he said and looked at the Engineer who shrugged.
"You have made a fair point. I will accept this soul."
Ravel opened his mouth to say something but before he could, he froze and Valkyrie could see the life drain from him. His skin paled, his eyes became lifeless and Ravel's body fell to the floor in an immobile heap. He didn't move and Valkyrie could hear the Accelerator stop moving before it turned silent.
"Thank you for the help, Engineer." Skulduggery nodded and walked back to Valkyrie that looked at him with wide eyes and open mouth. He laid one of his hands on her shoulder. "You should have seen the look on your face when you thought I was on my way to give my soul to turn off the Accelerator. Did you really think I would sacrifice myself? The world is not ready to be without me and I have a lot left to live for. I won't be leaving yet for a very long time, Valkyrie."
Valkyrie didn't say anything but just continued to stare at him. She felt an enormous relief over the fact that Skulduggery wasn't dead, while she at the same time was chocked, sad and furious at him for doing this towards her. What had he been thinking? Did he really think that she would find this okay, that she would laugh at it and just move on afterwards?
Skulduggery took his hat and put it back on his own head. "A world without me would scarcely be worth living in, right? Thanks for taking care of my hat, Valkyrie. It did look good on you, but it looks at best on my own skull," Skulduggery said while he angled it in that special way he wanted it.
When he noticed that Valkyrie wasn't answering he looked down at her. He tilted his head and genuinely sounded surprised when he asked "What is it? Cat got your tongue?"
That made Valkyrie get out of her chock. She hit him where she reached and started to scream while the tears poured down her cheeks. "How could you do that?! That was fucking low, Skulduggery! You made me think that I would never see you again! That I was going to lose you forever! This is worse than when I found out you were Vile!"
Skulduggery took a hold of her hands and held her still so she couldn't hit him. "Valkyrie, look a me."
Valkyrie shook her head and tried to break free. "Let me go!"
"Not until you look at me."
Valkyrie looked up at Skulduggery with red-eyed eyes and tears that poured down her cheeks. Her whole body shook from anger and crying. Skulduggery laid his arms around her in a hard embrace. "I'm sorry, but I needed to make it look genuine so Ravel wouldn't suspect anything."
"You could have given me a clue!" Valkyrie sobbed. "Or a sign, anything!"
"No, because Ravel had noticed immediately and had then tried to escape. I am not going anywhere, Valkyrie. As I have promised you, I will be here for you until the end and the end has not yet occurred and won't do for a very long time."
"How can you know that?"
"Because I feel it in my bones."
"Now you're just talking nonsense," Valkyrie said with a little laugh.
"Maybe I am, but it made you laugh, didn't it?" Skulduggery countered with a smile in his voice.
Valkyrie laughed and sobbed at the same time. She dried her eyes and looked up at Skulduggery that hadn't let go of his grip around her but was still holding her. He laid one of his hands on her cheek and laid his teeth against her forehead in a kiss. They both looked into each other's eyes and eye sockets without saying anything for a long moment.
Valkyrie was so happy over not having lost Skulduggery and at the same time felt an enormous relief over the fact that she now could go away to heal after everything that had happened her in the knowledge that she would have someone that would greet her with open arms when she was ready coming back to the magical society again.
"I love you, Skulduggery Pleasant. Do you promise me that you will wait for me when I come back, no matter how long I will have to be gone?"
"I promise. But I feel forced to confess that my everyday life will be a lot greyer and more boring without you by my side."
"You will simply have to get used to it," Valkyrie answered with a small smile before she hugged Skulduggery again.
"Do I have any other choice?" Skulduggery asked with a little laugh before he hugged her back. "Joking aside, I will always be here for you as long as you need and want me by your side, Valkyrie."
"Which will be for a long time to come."
"Good." Skulduggery stroked her back with one hand before he whispered "I love you as well."