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“Once you rattle the core with your spiritual energy blast, the demonic energy will disperse throughout his body once again,” Xen said.

Evan’s expression turned thoughtful. “But will that break his curse? Will he be released from this…prison?”

Xen stared at Evan for a long moment. “If every curse is a lock, then it has to have a key. When you hit his core, I will absorb the excess demonic energy that is necessary for him to remain in his original form. That will force him to turn back to his normal skin.Thatis the key to breaking his curse.”

For some reason, Evan didn’t like the sound of the last sentence. Xen was a low-level demon. How was he planningon absorbing three centuries worth of demonic energy from a Hellguard into himself? Was that even possible?

If Xen died absorbing the energy from the demon, would that still be Evan’s fault for not trying to talk him out of this? Would he have innocent blood on his hands?

But again,innocentandXenwere antonymous.

Reluctant and a little embarrassed about the concerns rising inside him, Evan cleared his throat. “Will you… You’ll be okay, right? I…don’t wanna drag your dead body back.”

A look of brief surprise flashed across Xen’s face, red glinting in his irises. Then that overconfident, borderline arrogant smirk was back. “You’d rather drag my body back than leave it here.”

It wasn’t a question.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Okay. Whatever. How do we go about this?”

They made a plan.

To hit the demon’s core, which sat at a towering height, Evan needed to stand somewhere equally high. If he missed the shot, hurting the demon would be the least of Evan’s concerns. That beast would probably chase him down and tear him apart. Who would even savehim?

Xen gave a nod, then disappeared. He had not explained where he would be or how he would absorb the demon’s energy, only prompting to Evan, “I’ll be one step above you.”

That sounded haughtier than Xen had probably realized, considering he was saying it with the look of someone trying to comfort another.

Evan stood at the edge of the thorn walls, along with another presence hovering behind him.

“Okay, little self-advice, Evan,” he took off his coat, dropping it to the ground, and rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbow before cracking his neck. “Don’t die.”

The Shadow loomed behind him, grunting in approval. Its red eyes curved into crescents as it stared at Evan, who looked like he was preparing for battle.

“Ready?” Evan threw a look over his shoulder, eyes glowing blue.

The Shadow gave a firm nod—just like Xen—then started growing. Bigger than it had been before. Bigger than the trees around them. Its overpowering presence alarmed the nearby creatures in the dark that had drawn closer to Evan when Xen had left his side. The chittering voices cried before leaves rustled away from the area as they fled.

In the night sky, the silhouette of the Shadow grew almost as big as the Hellguard, crimson eyes burning with killing intensity. But even amidst the hostility erupting in wave after wave from the Shadow to attract the Hellguards attention, Evan could make out the form of Xen in it. No matter how big or small it grew, it never stopped resembling Xen—except for the horns.

Does Xen’s original form have horns?

The Shadow leaned down, bringing its two enormous palms together and laying them flat on the ground. Without hesitation, Evan climbed into its palms, swaying only slightly as he was lifted into the air, higher and higher, until he was eye level with the Hellguard's massive head.

Evan looked ridiculous, a tiny human in the midst of two giant demonic entities, but his spine remained straight and feet planted firmly into the Shadow’s palms as he stared at the Hellguard. A mixture of dread and excitement buzzed through his body, warming his glowing skin.

This is either going to be the best moment of my life or the worst death in the history of the Blackwood bloodline.

With a long inhale, he yelled out, “Hey, rock brain!”

The Hellguard stilled in the middle of ripping the crown off a nearby tree, then snapped his head in the direction…thedirectionoppositeto where Evan stood. It roared and started charging away.

Evan stared at him, dumbfounded.

Oh, he is really a rock brain.

“Here! Here!” Evan cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs. “Behind you!”

The Hellguard stopped again, snapping his attention here and there as Evan’s voice echoed in his head, making it difficult to decipher where it was coming from. He turned and turned, essentially spinning in a circle before dashing into a nearby tree and taking out his frustration on it by tearing it apart.