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A small portion of his restlessness vanished. Then he noticed the absence of a fifth presence, and that restlessness slammed back into him with double intensity.

Evan walked past the couch and back towards the bedroom. But other than a few birds flying in through the gaping hole inthe room, there was no red-clad figure with long hair standing with his arms folded across his chest.

A frown crawled up his face. “Where is he?”

“I’m right here,” Aaron appeared, peeking over Evan’s shoulder. “Is anyone else supposed to be here?”

Evan considered telling Aaron about Xen, but then he would have to tell him why a demon would fight another demon to help an exorcist. Then he would have to reveal his blood bond, and Evan was not ready to deal with the consequences that would follow.

Aaron prodded. “What’s wrong?”

“The girl was possessed by a demon.”

“Anotherone?” Aaron glanced at Evan and paused. “Wait, why is there blood on your face? Were you injured?”

“Yeah, I—” Evan touched his temple, but other than almost dried blood and grime, he couldn’t find any gashes. Quickly, he checked his shoulder through the tear in his clothes, but as expected, there was only slightly reddened skin.

He hadn’t had time to heal his injuries. Was it…? Evan quirked a brow, then dismissed the thought.

No way. Why would that demon heal not one, but two humans? Demons never raised a finger if it did not benefit or amuse them in any way. The only reason Xen was helping Evan right now was because he needed his help to find that relic. This miraculous healing must be the aftereffect of absorbing that demon’s demonic energy.

Spiritual energy could be transformed into demonic inside a demon’s body. Similarly, demonic energy could be made pure by the overwhelming amount of spiritual energy in a core. Maybe the demon’s energy flowing through the girl and Evan was used to heal their wounds that the demon had inflicted.

Perhaps.

“What happened in here?” Aaron looked at what was remaining of the room, then quirked a brow. “Didyoudo this?”

“I...well, you could say that.”

It was donebysomeoneforEvan, so it was the same thing.

“You know we’ll have to pay for this, right?” Aaron side-eyed his friend.

But Evan was just reassured that he had made it out alive from yet another exorcism while successfully completing it. His body, which usually went into a temporary coma after every exorcism, was still standing, very much awake, even though he’d just dealt with a freaking demon. Pay or no pay, this was a huge accomplishment in his life with zero certificates on the wall.

Evan spun around with a shrug. “Who cares? I saved someone’s life.”

Aaron blinked at his back, then chuckled, shaking his head. He knew for a fact that tomorrow, after waking up and finding his fridge empty, Evan would curse himself for not taking any payment.

The two reentered the living room just as Mrs. Simone disappeared behind a door. The girl sat slumped against the couch with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Dust and grime were smudged across her face, her cheeks sunken. She looked barely over fifteen, but she’d already faced a horror that would leave grown men wetting their pants.

Having a sister himself, Evan felt an intense urge to console her, even though he wasn’t the best at it. So, he threw a glance at Aaron, who gave theI got itnod.

Aaron sat down beside the girl who peeked at him from the corner of her hazy eyes. “Hey,”

Silence.

“What’s your name?”

The girl lowered her head. “Aliza…”

“You’re one brave young woman, Aliza,” Aaron sighed dramatically. “If it was me in there, I would have pissed myself.”

Evan rolled his eyes as his friend echoed his thought.

Aliza blinked, then stuffed her face in the shawl. A little giggle burst out, and the two men simultaneously sighed in relief.

Mrs. Simone reentered the living room, cradling an envelope in her hand. She walked to Evan, smiling, eyes still bloodshot as she took his hands. In the daylight, with her daughter now safe, the color had returned to the woman’s face, and her smile wasn’t terrifying anymore.