Chapter Five

Chapter Five

A Long Day and an Even Longer Night

RILEY

For the entire ride to the police station, Riley tried hard to concentrate on the road and ignore the witch locked in the back of the van.

Mila Bennet was trouble. She didn’t particularly look like a bloodthirsty murderer, but he was sure she was trouble just as much as he was sure Mandrake roots weren’t allowed to be harvested before the spring equinox.

And yet, as he glanced at the witch in the rearview mirror, there was something strangely alluring about her. He couldn’t help but remember how her pale skin had glistened as he’d scooped her out of the tub. Or how soft and warm her body had felt against his. He had seen so much of her, too much. And those green eyes were the color of a forest in the middle of summer, inviting and mysterious. Or, equally accurately, they had the same mortal hue of sweet poison.

Right, let’s remember why they were here tonight. Riley shook his head, trying to dispel any thoughts of admiration for the witch. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by her.

The Chief Inquisitor tore his eyes from the back of the van and glanced at the clock on his dashboard before refocusing on the road. Twenty to midnight, and they were close to arriving at their destination. But the night wouldn’t be over for much longer. He still had two suspects in custody, a gym full of 200-odd humans to be interrogated and then disremembered, and a sure-to-be-pissed-off judge to drag out of bed on Christmas Eve. Talk about a total portal straight into holidays hell.

As they pulled into the station, Riley gave orders to his officers before getting out of the van and making his way to the back. He opened the door and helped Mila out, keeping a careful eye on her as they made their way inside.

Stunned or not, she’d already tried to use her magic on him once.

It was a busy night for Salem MPD, and Riley had to navigate through a crowded room full of officers and suspects to reach his office.

But before going in and calling the judge, he had to drop off Mila to be processed. He passed her on to one of the juridical clerks with explicit instructions to be careful and not let the witch out of their sight.

He ignored the glares Mila Bennet was sending his way and, happy to be rid of her, he went into his office.

With a sigh, he picked up the phone and called Judge Templeton.

Her Honor picked up on the fourth ring, already sounding displeased. “Chief King, the last person I wanted to hear from on Christmas Eve. How can I be of service?”

Riley explained the situation and then gave his professional opinion about the case. “Your Honor, I believe an expedited hearing might be best, and I request authorization for a spatio-temporal service squad to deal with the humans still at the school and make sure everyone gets to bed before dawn none the wiser to anything out of the ordinary having happened the night before.”

“You mean besides the attempted murder of an elementary school drama teacher,” the judge clarified.

“I meant nothing magical—”

“I know what you meant, Chief King. I’ll get dressed and teleport to the tribunal in half an hour. Have the suspects ready for interrogation.”

He sensed she was ready to hang up on him, so he prompted. “Do I have authorization for the spatio-temporal service squad?”

“Yes, of course. And, Chief?”

“Yes?”

“Please do things by the book, otherwise the Intermixing Department is going to be on our backs forever, and I’d rather not deal with them on Christmas Day. Have I made myself clear?”

“Crystal, Your Honor.”

Riley hung up the phone and sighed once again. He hated dealing with unaware humans, especially during the holidays. But it was his duty as Chief Inquisitor to ensure that justice was served and humanity protected from truths too big for them to handle. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples, trying to ease the headache he could feel coming on.

Coffee. He needed a strong black one. This was going to be a long night. But first, he’d better get the spatio-temporal team on the case.

He got up from his chair and made his way to the squad room, where he briefed his officers on the situation and sent them to the school to get the job started.

Riley checked his watch next. Judge Templeton would be here soon, but he still had time for a cup of coffee. A nasty voice in his head mocked him that he was procrastinating to avoid a certain witch. He shoved the thought aside. Riley was coming from a long day and was about to have an even longer night. Coffee was a necessity, not a diversion.

As he made his way to the break room, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off with him.

You’re just tired, he told himself.

The coffee from the machine was warm and bitter, exactly what he needed.

He took a few sips and let the caffeine work its magic—even if not literal magic. As he leaned against the counter, his eyes drifted to the clock on the wall. No more time to waste.

With a sigh, Riley drained the last of the coffee and crunched the paper cup in his hand before throwing it into the metal bin in the corner. Time to go back to Mila Bennet and drag her and her sister in front of the judge.