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Xen’s eyes narrowed again.

Evan stood dumbfounded for only a split second before he turned and started shoving Aaron towards the front door. “I’ll call you later. Get out.”

Aaron was physically big and mentally a bit slow in such situations, so he didn’t budge as Evan tried his best to drag him out.

“But I just got here,” Aaron complained, clasping Evan’s shoulder and turning him towards Xen. “And you forgot to mention you had a guest over. How could you leave a guest alone at home and wander about?”

“You—” Even suddenly clasped his mouth shut, eyes fixated on Xen.

When he’d barged in, Evan was overflowing with panic, seeing the two people he would rather not have in the same room conversing lazily in his house. He was so distracted that he’dmissed the aesthetic transformation standing before his eyes, and oh, God…

Xen’s usual long hair was trimmed short, shorter even than Evan’s. That one streak of blood-red standing out against the soft raven strands.

Gone was his fluttering robe, replaced by a neatly pressed button-up of the same deep crimson, the fabric stretched taut across his broad chest and shoulders as if the robe had simply shapeshifted into a new form over his body. And without the robe, there was no hiding the long, powerful lines of his legs, shown off shamelessly by black dress pants that clung in all the right places.

He was beautiful. All six feet six inches of glorious, mouth-watering beauty.

Evan’s pulse fluttered, heat crawling up his neck.

Who is this guy? Why does he look so…presentable?

Xen looked more than just presentable. He looked human, yet untouchable. Gorgeous face, killer eyes. Where was he learning all this from? First, his speaking style changed from eighteenth-century pastor to twenty-first-century rude businessman. Only a blazer was missing now, and he’d complete therich, arrogant CEOlook, which also happened to be Evan’s taste in men—

What? No! Absolutely not.

“So?” Aaron prompted, nudging Evan out of his reverie. “Won’t you introduce us?”

Evan blinked away from an expressionless Xen and cleared his throat before turning to Aaron. “I heard you chatting with him just now.”

“And?”

“…Were you chatting with him without even asking who he is?”

“Well, he doesn’t speak much, so I didn’t force the conversation.”

He just carried the conversation by himself.

Evan cleared his throat louder, avoiding glancing directly at Xen. “This uh…is Aaron, my manager slash driver—”

“—slash friend,” Aaron chimed in.

“And Aaron, this is…” Evan trailed off. “This is…”

The demon I unleashed? A pain in my ass? A blood-sucking demon peasant?

“Xen,” came a rumble, disrupting Evan’s chain of thoughts. As his gaze flickered up, a pair of dark pools locked on him. “Acquaintance of Mercy Blackwood.”

Upon hearing that name, color drained from Evan’s face and Aaron’s smile faltered.

“Oh…Mrs. Blackwood’s acquaintance?” Aaron glanced at Evan and misinterpreted his shock for discomfort. He mentally slapped himself.

He wasn’t as slow-witted when it came to Evan. He knew Evan didn’t like talking about his mother, perhaps out of the fear of unraveling old wounds.

Aaron chuckled away the awkwardness and extended a hand towards Xen, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Xen. Is it okay if I call you that? I hope it is.”

Xen stared at the extended hand like it was laced with venomous spikes before muttering, “I don’t like being touched.”

“Oh,” Aaron—who was used to seeing Evan in the same mood—didn’t mind one bit and curled his extended fingers into a thumbs-up. “I’ll keep that in mind.”