By the time they reached their destination, she was nodding off from a combination of heat and having something in her stomach. She felt like she could sleep for a week. When this was over, if it was ever over… that's exactly what she would do.

The vehicle stopped and they ushered her into a wide brick building. She still clutched the blanket tightly around her.

They guided her past a bank of desks where other officers were typing, talking, or shuffling paperwork. Finally they reached their destination, a small room with a table and a couple of chairs, and they left her there. A few minutes later a female officer entered with a cup of some delicious sugary hot drink, which Claire drank down in almost one swallow.

"What is this?" Claire asked the dark-haired woman, Officer Mallory.

Officer Mallory's face screwed into an expression of annoyed disbelief. "Hot chocolate."

"It's good."

She snorted. "What? You've never had hot chocolate before?"

Claire shook her head.

The door opened again and the man from the diner entered. He gave her a long look. "Hello Claire. I'm Dr. Hitchinson. Contrary to what you may believe, I am here to help you."

She said nothing, looking away. She didn't like this man. Through her muted water magick, she sensed he was bad.

He sat down at the table across from Officer Mallory and they proceeded to discuss her as though she didn't exist. Claire calmly sipped her hot chocolate and amused herself by thinking of all the different ways she could shock them had her magick been available to her.

Claire had been eight when her mother had died. That's when Rue had taken her as his hand maiden in order to protect her. Every day since Rue had tweaked her magick—snipping here, grafting there. He'd given her abilities far beyond the earth magick she'd been born with. She was powerful and she wanted so much to show Officer Mallory and Dr. Hitchinson just how powerful she was.

Dr. Hitchinson tented his fingers on the table in front of him. "I was exiting the Livingston Theater on Dearborn and Randolph after a show. She ran into the crowd shouting about demons chasing her. I brought her to a restaurant and called the police. In the diner she expressed her belief once again that she was running from demons and that she was newly arrived in this dimension. That's when she bolted and that man in the diner gave chase. I suspect he was her boyfriend or husband."

Blood surged through Claire's veins at the notion. "He is not my boyfriend or husband!"

Officer Mallory acknowledged her existence. "Then who is he? He managed to evade our officers, Claire. If you want to press charges against him, you'll have to give us his name."

She snapped her mouth shut, unable to explain Tevan's true identity. They already believed she was crazy, ignorant humans. If she babbled any more about demons, it would be worse for her. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I refuse to reveal his identity."