It was interesting, Gabriel found, that the sorcerers here at once looked down upon those they called 'mortals' and yet feared them. From what Skulduggery had said, even Mevolent hadn't underestimated them, which was something of a surprise--Lucifer underestimated humanity every minute of every day.

Very insightful. But Valkyrie was right; things had been quite depressing of late. At her suggestion the Archangel noticeably perked up. "I love puppies," he exclaimed, smiling hugely. "I never stayed in one place long enough to keep any of my own, but Michael and Rafe both have. Of course, the puppies never actually stayed puppies, but they made very fine dogs too."

Granted, Gabe found the form of a cat to be more versatile for a variety of reasons, but when it came to sheer adoring playfulness, dogs were incredible. Especially given he could become one of them. They were wonderful to play with. "I remember once," he said in that tone of someone looking far back on a beloved memory, "while Rafe was in Jerusalem, his dog wound up being adopted by an orphanage there. He always grumbled about their 'theft', but ..." He grinned. "We knew better."