Skulduggery fought Malicant out of his mind a while ago now. He hasn't felt even the beginnings of a re-possession attempt. He hesitates before explaining that, however, concerned that just pointing out the fallacy might be enough to draw Malicant's attention to it.

Then he decides the benefits outweigh the risks. "If this pattern holds," Skulduggery tells Akito, "it won't happen again. If it does, I'll be here to stop it long before you become a hindrance."

Stop you is the unsaid addition to that sentence. While Skulduggery will do everything in his power to keep Akito alive, he still has his revolver.