Page 123

“Big Bro, tell us some interesting stories from your decade-long experience as an exorcist,” she said, rubbing his shoulders with incredible strength for a petite, pink-haired teenager.

“Stories?”

Nick nodded excitedly, glasses jiggling. Wren and Rumi looked mildly intrigued. Celie sipped on her hot chocolate, unconsciously leaning closer to listen. Aaron sat beside Evan and turned to face him with a small smile.

Evan’s stomach churned under so many expectant stares. He opened and closed his mouth several times. Then cleared his throat. “Well…I, uh—they’re not reallystories. And definitely nothing pleasant to hear—”

Elysia squeezed his shoulder. “Is everyone in the Blackwood family gifted?”

“Uh…not exactly.”

“So only a few chosen people get the powers?” Nick pushed his glasses up his nose. “Is it random? Or do the elders get premonitions in their dreams?”

Evan’s head spun. “No. That’s a little…” He cleared his throat again. “There are nochosen ones. Every firstborn of a new generation inherits the…gifts.”

A wave ofohs andwows filled the room, followed by a flurry of questions about Evan’s life as an exorcist, about the “gift” of the Blackwoods… and his near-death experiences.

Unwittingly, Evan’s gaze drifted to the red-clad figure leaning against the living room doorway. When Xen caught his eyes, he flashed a smirk.

Internally scowling at his smug face, Evan turned back to the lot around him. He was thinking about how to respond when Aaron prompted, “Why don’t you tell them about Greene Mansion?”

Evan’s eyes snapped to him.

If he had any lingering doubts about Aaron’s mind being influenced or not, it was confirmed now.

Because that was something the real Aaron would’veneversaid in front of so many people. If it was the real Aaron—or at least the uninfluenced one—he would’ve diverted the attention of the crowd towards something else to save Evan. Rather than bringing up the most dangerous case Evan had ever undertaken.

After a brief pause, Evan found his equilibrium. “That’s nothing interesting.”

“What happened in the Greene Mansion?” Nick probed curiously. Everyone leaned closer over the coffee table, staring at Evan.

Unease gripped Evan’s voice box before he reluctantly poked the red-suited giant through their telepathic connection.

Can I tell them? I won’t mention you explicitly or reveal too much information, so…

Xen had once threatened Evan that if he ever talked about him to anyone, he’d end that person’s life. Those words were engraved so deep that he still feared he might act on them.

With a lingering glance at Evan, Xen turned and walked out of the front door, his voice ringing softly in Evan’s head.

Go on.

Evan’s shoulders sagged in relief as the front door closed. He would’ve been embarrassed to talk about it in front of Xen anyway.

“Well?” Wren exhausted his one-word limit just to snap Evan back to the present.

With a deep inhale, Evan started reciting the most horrifying incident of his life like a bedtime horror story. “A few weeks ago, I was asked to investigate Greene Mansion, which was supposedly cursed,” he said, and the group leaned even closer. “The mansion wasn’t, in fact, cursed. But there was…there was something inside that was.”

“What was it?” Elysia asked.

Evan paused. “A mirror.”

“Why was it cursed? Was it dangerous?”

“It wasn’t dangerous,” Evan replied almost reflexively, then blinked at his own words. Was he talking about the mirror? “There was a…soul inside the mirror that was cursed.”

“Was it a ghost? A demon?” Nick asked.

Cold sweat trickled down Evan’s nape, fingers twitching for a cigarette. “Just an ordinary soul.”