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Xen’s eyes flicked downward, sweeping over Tiago’s attire. Whatever he saw made his lips curl faintly in disdain.

Tiago quirked a smile. “It’s a small town, but I don’t recall seeing you before.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Xen’s voice was a warning rumble.

An unamused chuckle left Tiago. “What interesting friends you make, Evan. None of them seem to like me.”

He was talking about Aaron, who was also hostile towards him like Xen, just not as fiercely.

“Let’s stop beating around the bush, shall we?” Evan crossed his arms, discreetly reaching back to pat the Shadow, who was growling again. “Why are you really here?”

Tiago pocketed his hands, glancing between Evan and Xen before resting his eyes on the former. There was a pause before he cleared his throat. “I asked around a little and found out you were investigating the missing people’s case.”

Evan was slightly taken aback. Of all the nonsense he’d assumed he’d spit, that wasn’t one of them. Cautiously, he said, “Notinvestigatingexactly, but…yeah. Why?”

For a moment, Tiago looked conflicted, like he wanted to say something but it was costing him all his might to let out the words. With a clenched jaw, he muttered, “Robbie…”

He didn’t have to elaborate. Evan understood.

Tiago’s little brother, Robbie, who was younger than Evan by two years and a contrastingly bubbly human compared to his brooding older brother, had also gone missing.

After Aaron came back, the number of people missing had lowered to fourteen, but now it was back to the initial figure of fifteen. It seemed the Nightshade freaks hadn’t let Aaron go simply because he was an extra neck to chop. They were maintaining the numbers while sending Aaron back to…to do what? Cook snacks for Evan?

Evan rubbed his forehead. “When did this happen?”

“Last night,” Tiago’s face darkened, and for a moment, a pure murderous aura flashed across his features. “When I returned, he was in his room. I heard a loud crash. Went to check, he was gone.”

Someone had kidnapped Robbie from his own room in his own house?Tiago’shouse, which had tight security twenty-four seven?

But something didn’t sound right.

“What was the loud crash?” Evan asked.

“I don’t know. There was nothing amiss in his room, and all the windows were locked from the inside.”

Evan’s brows furrowed. If all windows were shut from the inside, then there was no way someone could have knocked Robbie out and dragged him away. And assuming there was only one door leading to the room, Tiago must have been standing there, so that’s out of the question. How did they kidnap Robbie?

After a moment, a thought occurred to Evan.

“Are you sure Robbie was inside his room?”

Tiago frowned. “That’s where he always is. He barely ever gets out.”

“But you didn’tseehim inside his room before this incident, did you? Did anyone see him? How do you know he was there?”

Tiago fell silent.

The wheels started spinning in Evan’s head.

Maybe Robbie wasn’t inside his room. Maybe he’d already been taken before Tiago came home. And because he was always cramped inside, no one bothered to look for him. Only when the crash alerted Tiago did he think of going to Robbie’s room, and according to him, there was nothing in his room that could have produced that noise.

Considering that, there was one simple conclusion: someone had caused that crashing noise to alert the household of the missing Robbie. Someone…invisible.

Since it seemed to be a paranormal situation, naturally, the first person Tiago would seek help from would be Evan, and the incident of another missing person would find its way to Evan’s ears. Someone was diligently trying to keep Evan’s attention locked on the case, as if urging him to take some action.

But who? Why was Evan being dragged into this mess? In all honesty, he truly only wanted to save Aaron, and now that Aaron was back—somewhat—Evan was beginning to make excuses whyhe must not indulge himself in the matter anymore. He was an exorcist, not an investigator.

But…it was a matter of many lives. Even if the people of Emberlyn were mostly wary of Evan and considered him an omen of bad luck, he couldn’t turn his heart to stone and let those fifteen people die. He wanted to help, even though he lacked a solid reason why.