"So that's what we were doing on the beach the other night," Gabe murmured, looking innocently up at the sky with his hands behind his back. "What a pity we didn't find any bad guys down there to chase. That explains a lot."

That explains why we were chasing each other instead, went entirely unsaid, radiating from Gabe's sheer innocence and impossible for Skulduggery to miss.

"I like hide-and-seek," the Archangel went on smoothly and brightly. "Not so sure about Val, what with the trouble she had finding a lost dog yesterday afternoon, but I enjoy a good game. Besides, Rafe and the others are working on Bliss's reflections right now, so we want to make sure we've got something to talk about when he comes by to boast."