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“Yeah?” I call out, cringing when I hear the waver in my voice.

“Selene,” a witch says on the other side of the door, “there’s an officer at the front door who’s asking for you.”

I take a deep breath, a queasy wave of dread unsettling my stomach.

Goddess, it’s time to face the fallout of what just happened.

* * *

I stand inside my room, Nero at my side, while Officer Howahkan and his partner, Officer Mwangi, take in the smoldering remains of my notebooks.

Officer Howahkan is the first to speak. “Are those your…?”

“Yeah,” I say hoarsely.

It’s quiet for several seconds.

He lets out a heavy sigh. “You burned your journals?” He asks it like he’s not truly surprised, just disappointed. “You realize how this looks.”

Yeah, it looks like I’m fucking guilty.

“Ididn’t burn them,” I snap.

The officer’s face remains impassive. “Who did?”

“Memnon.”

I see a flicker of recognition from Officer Mwangi. “Memnon—is that the same man who broke into this bedroom a few weeks ago?” she asks.

I nod.

“And he was here again?”

Another nod.

“How did he get in?” she asks. Because according to official records, last time this happened, he broke in through a window.

“I don’t know—with magic, I suspect. He was in my room when I got here.”

“And he’s the one who burned your books?” Officer Mwangi asks.

“Yes,” I say softly.

“Why would he do that?”

I hug my arms. “To be cruel.”

“And why would he want to be cruel?” Officer Mwangi asks. I can’t tell if she’s concerned or skeptical.

“Memnon is under the delusion that I betrayed him, and he wants revenge.”

Officer Howahkan pulls out a notepad and a pen and jots something down.

“Do you have his number? Or his address?” he asks, his dark eyes penetrating. “Some way for us to contact him and follow up on this?”

My throat tightens. “No.”

Officer Howahkan presses his lips together. “Do you have a last name at least?”