"Enter," the haughty male voice called out.
She turned the doorknob and stepped into the room. "Mr. Redly, you wanted to see me?" she asked.
The slightly balding, pudgy man nodded and pointed to the chair in front of his desk. After she sat down, he continued to flip through his papers. "Eleanor, I'm going to be honest and make this quick. We're going to have you stay home for tonight's meeting."
She blinked. "Excuse me?" she asked. The presentation at tonight's fundraiser was to go over the project she was responsible for. They were hoping to raise enough money to continue her research. So far, she had funded it herself, but if they wanted to continue it further, she was going to need help. "But sir," she protested. "This is my project. I'm the one doing the presentation. I have to be there."
His beady eyes narrowed. "We have asked Megan to do the presentation." Ellie's mouth dropped. "You must be joking. She's an intern!"
"It will be good experience for her," her boss countered.
"She knows nothing about the project. A lot of sick children will benefit from this research. Megan won't be able to answer any questions about the formulas or components."
"Megan emanates the type of image that this hospital wants to maintain," Redly replied.
Ellie's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean image?"
Redly sighed and gave her a deprecating look. "Eleanor, even you have to admit that you look sloppy. Maybe if you lost some weight, though being an elephant shifter, I'm not sure that's possible." He shrugged.
Ellie couldn't believe he was trying to talk to her about weight loss; he could stand to lose more weight than her. "You're telling me that, because you think I need to lose weight, I'm not going be able to do the presentation on the project I've been working on for the past six years?"
"It's not that you need to lose weight exactly. We, the Board of Directors and I, don't feel as though you put forward a polished image."
Ellie's insides were shaking. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she was going to burst into tears. She'd never been so humiliated and angry in her life. She was used to being treated shoddily, but this was the first time someone had treated her differently at work. Usually, the insults were small things she'd learned to deal with throughout her life, like men never holding the door open for her, the horrible sidelong judgmental glances she received at restaurants when she ordered dessert, or the hateful and snide remarks she couldn't help but overhear from other women she passed on the street.
Gathering her strength around her she stood. "I quit." She swallowed repeatedly to keep from crying.
His eyes widened in surprise. "You can't do that."
"Oh yes I can, and I'm taking my research with me."
His face mottled red with anger as he stood. "You can't take that research; we own it!"
She shook her head, taking a step back from his anger. "No, you don't. All of the experiments, all the equipment, all of the time spent working on it was done in my own personal lab. True, I do work here, but the project was done on my own time. I own every single patent. If you continue with tonight's presentation without my support I'll... I'll... I'll sue!"
Well, her gram would sue; she'd faint at the idea of going to a lawyer.
"You can't do this!" he screamed.
"Watch me," she challenged. She quickly opened the door and walked out. Luckily, since most of her research and work had been done in her own home, there wasn't much to pack at the hospital. She hung her hospital coat with badge in her locker, grabbed her purse, and walked out through the main entrance's sliding glass doors. She would miss her patients but she knew her time at the hospital was over.
She managed to hold it together until she got to her car, and in the confines of her own bubble, she broke down. Most of her tears were of impotent frustration. No matter what she did, how much good she thought she was doing, it all came back to how she looked.
That was why she'd stopped dating. She had given up the dream of ever having a family of her own. Helping other people's children eased the pain in her heart. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes. It might take her longer to complete her project, especially doing it on her own, but she would continue her research.
She was about to start the car when her phone rang. Glancing down, she smiled and answered the phone. "Hey Kari. Why on earth are you calling me first thing in the morning?" she asked.
"Hey Ellie. I sort of have a job for you."
Ellie smiled at the use of the nickname, only her close friends and her gram called her Ellie. "I'm not a personal assistant, Kari."
"No, it is nothing like that. I do not know if you are aware, but I am now in Noctem Falls."
Ellie pulled the phone away from her ear and double-checked to make sure that she was talking to Kari. She put the phone next to her ear again. "This is Kari right? Kari Delaney, the one who swore that all the evils of the world crawled out from the depths of Noctem Falls? That Kari?"
Her friend laughed. "Yes, it is I. Avery and I came here, and we both found our mates. It looks like we are here to stay."
Ellie smiled wide. "That's wonderful news! Congratulations!" She was so happy for her friend. If there was one person that understood her lonely single life, it was Kari. "So if it's not being a personal assistant, how can I help you?"
"Noctem Falls recently took in a pack of refugee wolves. I am not sure how abreast you are on current events, but in some places it is not safe to be out on your own anymore. Since there were a high number of murders around the town where the wolves lived, they moved everyone to Noctem Falls for safety. It is the pack's children that are not feeling well."
Ellie frowned. "Kari, shifter children don't get sick, ever."
"I know. Trust me, we all know, but that does not change the fact that they are exhibiting symptoms."
"What are the symptoms?"
"We do not have much to go on. Dr. St. John says he cannot determine if they have a fever. He says shifter children run warm, but far as we can tell, they are having trouble sleeping. They are also complaining of being achy, have had weeping fits, and out-of-character aggressive tantrums."
Ellie shook her head. "That could be the terrible twos or teething."
"Dr. St. John said something along those lines, but two of the three children are over the age of five and are not prone to tantrums. Is there any way I could talk you into coming here to take a look?"
Ellie felt her throat constricting. "You want me to come to those itty-bitty tiny caves?" Ellie was already starting to feel sick.
Kari laughed. "It is not like that at all. In fact, everything is really open. They have huge ceilings that must be twenty to twenty-five feet high; there are no little cramped caves here, just big open rooms, I swear."
"I may have to bring some equipment." Ellie chewed on her lower lip.
"I could send warriors to help you pack."
"Warriors?"
"My mate, Declan, is a unit warrior here. I am pretty sure they will volunteer to help."
Ellie hesitated. "I have to bring my gram."
"Of course, she is also welcome."
She took a deep breath. "I'll do it," she confirmed before she could change her mind.
"Wonderful! Chicago is the closest portal, is it not?" Kari asked.
"Yes, I think there is a portal just outside the city. Could you meet with Dr. St. John and email me a list of the available equipment and symptoms? That way I can just bring whatever else is needed from my own lab."
"I will have him do that right away. We actually just recently started bringing in a lot of heavy equipment to set up an infirmary."
"Why do vampires need an infirmary?" Ellie asked.
"You know, it has been that type of week. Let us just say that after a few close calls and a lab fire, we suddenly found ourselves needing a lot of medical care."
Ellie was dying to hear about what happened. "You have to tell me everything when I get there."
"I promise, it is one hell of a story."
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"I'll wait on the doctor's email and start packing some of the essentials. When do you need us?" Ellie asked.
Kari was quiet for a moment. "I really think you should get here as soon as you can."
Ellie caught the very thin thread of concern and urgency in her friend's voice. "We'll be at the portal tomorrow at eleven a.m."
"Perfect!" Kari exclaimed. "I cannot wait to see you again."
"Me too." Ellie ended the call and stared at her phone. What on earth had she just gotten herself into?
*****
Ellie pulled into the driveway, turned off the car, and looked up at the modest two-story brownstone wondering how she was going to explain all of this to her grandmother. After the death of her parents, her grandparents became her world. When they lost her grandfather, she and her gram became inseparable; Ellie didn't know what she would do without her rock steady support.
Climbing out of the car, she trudged her way up to the front steps. When she opened the door, she smiled. The scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the mouth-watering aroma of the special blend of savory spices her grandmother used in her famous beef stew. She made her way to the kitchen. "Hey Gram."
The tall woman turned to her. There were many days she had wished she had inherited her grandmother's height. Instead, she took after her mother, which meant she was shorter and rounder.
Her grandmother wore her graying hair piled up on her head in a messy yet stylish bun. She was elegant in a way Ellie could only dream of.
Her grandmother frowned. "What on earth are you doing home at this hour? Aren't you supposed to be at work?" she asked.
Ellie gave self-deprecating laugh. "I quit," she announced.
Marjoram Johanson's eyes widened. "Oh dear! All right, sit down and tell me all about it." She pulled off her apron, went over to the coffee pot, and started the pot to brew. Above the coffee pot, she opened up the cabinet and pulled down two old mugs. One had a cartoon character of a baby elephant; the other had a cartoon character of a momma elephant. Ellie loved those mugs. Her mother had bought them for the two of them to use during their morning coffee. After she passed away, her grandmother continued using them to keep her memory alive. They were the mugs that Ellie drank out of when she was feeling sad, and they always seemed to make her smile.
Marjoram placed the mugs on the table and raised an arched brow at her. "Well..." she prompted.
"Director Redly advised me that I didn't look thin enough to do the presentation tonight, and because of my weight, I looked sloppy. I was told that I would not impress potential backers to ensure any fundraising."
Marjoram's nostrils flared. "Oh he did, did he?" She went to the refrigerator to keep her hands busy and pulled out the cream, placing it on the table before sitting down.
"That's when you quit?"
Ellie nodded. "And that's when I quit."
A devilish smile crossed Marjoram's lips. "And what did he say when he found out he would be losing all of your research?"
Eleanor gave her an answering smile. "He was still imploding when I walked out. I don't think he or the directors realized that the hospital doesn't own any of the research. They assumed that because I worked there, all of the research belonged to them. But I've been logging, time stamping, and cataloguing all of my results and experiments. I've done them all on my own time, with my own money. They can't claim a smidge of it."
When the coffee pot sounded that it was done, Marjoram rose gracefully, went to get the carafe, and poured them both a cup of coffee. She set the carafe on the stone hot plate in the middle of the table. "So what would you like to do next? I know you love working with children. I'm sure there are other hospitals around the country that would love to get their hands on you."
Ellie winced. It wasn't as easy as that. Because she didn't age like humans, she had to rotate through the hospitals where she worked. There were very few that actually did any good work for children. She'd been to all of them in the past fifty years, and she couldn't go back to them anytime soon. "I may have to work on my own for a while, Gram, maybe work at a small clinic or something. But before we figure that out, I had a phone call from Kari Delaney right after I left the hospital."
"The corporate girl?"
"Yep." Ellie added three packets of sugar and a lot of cream to her coffee. "She's in Noctem Falls now."
Marjoram stirred her coffee. "Is that the same girl you told me hated Noctem Falls with a passion?"
"Yeah, seems she went there because of the recent murders."
Marjoram clucked her tongue. "I told you we should have gone to Lycaonia. It isn't safe any more. I know there haven't been any deaths around here, but why tempt fate?"
"Actually, Kari asked if I could go to Noctem Falls."
"Why on earth would you go to the vampire city?"
"Kari said that some of the children there are sort of sick."
"There aren't any children in Noctem Falls." Her grandmother snorted. "As if those stuck up, dried up, old vampires could do anything other than stab each other in the backs."
Ellie laughed, and Marjoram chuckled. "You know what I mean. It's been a century since a child was born there. I think all of their reproductive organs have shriveled up."
"Gram, your prejudice is showing." Ellie wagged a finger at her grandmother. Marjoram just shrugged. She continued. "Prince Magnus has taken in a wolf pack. Evidently they lived close to where some of the murders took place, so he opened the city to the wolves."
Marjoram blinked. "The prince of the vampires allowed a wolf pack to take refuge in the city of the night? I never thought I'd see that happen."
"The wolf pack is the one with the children. From the symptoms Kari described, they sound sick, but it's probably something they ate."
Ellie sipped her coffee to hide her grin. Before staying home to take care of her, her grandmother had been a top-rated nurse. Marjoram frowned. "What symptoms?"
"Low-grade fever, achiness, and temper tantrums. They are fussy and can't seem to get to sleep."
"That sounds like what happens when a human child gets ill, but shifters don't get sick."
Ellie nodded in agreement. "You're absolutely right; shifter children never get sick, ever."
"What are you going to do?" Marjoram asked.
"If the children need me, I'll go. With any luck, I'll get there just to identify that they are all going through growth spurts. It's not like I have a job go back to anymore."
"It would be a nice break for you," Marjoram paused. "What about the caves?"
"Kari said there are no caves, that they have large open caverns sometimes twenty to twenty-five feet high. She assured me there were no small spaces."
"Well, that's comforting. When do we leave?"
Ellie felt a wave of relief wash through her. Marjoram chuckled. "You honestly didn't think I was going to let you traipse across the country, to a city of vampires all by yourself, did you? That meeting with your director must've upset you more than you're letting on."
"Thanks Gram. I didn't want to assume you'd go, but I am very glad you are. I told them we would be ready by tomorrow. Their doctor is supposed to be emailing me a list of equipment they have on hand. I'll try to bring whatever else I can to supplement, including medicines, although, I have no idea what to bring to treat shifter children." Ellie chewed on her bottom lip.
"I suggest you stop thinking of them as shifter children Ellie, and start thinking of them as sick children. Treat the symptoms."
Ellie smiled at her grandmother. "When did you get so smart?" she teased.
Marjoram winked. "Someday I'll tell you."
CHAPTER TWO
The next morning, Ellie and her grandmother stood in an open field outside Chicago. It was one of the few portals in the country and could only be opened by the fae. Beside her on the frost covered ground were cases and cases of medicine and equipment. She'd only brought a small suitcase of clothing for herself, as had her grandmother. Just as she checked her p
hone for the time, the air shimmered in front of them, and the portal appeared. A moment later, two tall blond men stepped through.
"Hello ladies, I hope you haven't been waiting long. My name is Etain, and this is Sulis. We've come to escort you to Noctem Falls." He looked down. "Is this all the equipment you brought?" he asked, pointing to the stack. Ellie nodded somewhat tongue-tied. The two golden men were absolutely stunning. Marjoram placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Yes, this is it," Marjoram confirmed.
Sulis began carrying boxes through the portal as Etain stood off to one side maintaining the portal connection. He smiled at her. "Just a few more moments while we get the boxes through to the other side. Once there, other unit warriors will lower your equipment and boxes down to the ledge to be carried into the city and to Level Six. The wolves have an open courtyard that's being used for the sick children."
Ellie shook her head. "I'm confused. From the phone conversation I had with Kari yesterday, I assumed it was just one or two children; you make it sound as if there are more."
Etain frowned, his eyes filling with concern. "Last night, three more children started exhibiting the same symptoms. Dr. St. John is doing the best he can, but he's being stretched a bit thin. Your presence will be most welcome," he assured her.
Ellie looked up at her grandmother; they both shared the same worried expression. The sooner they could get to the city the better. They needed to take a look at these children. When the second fae warrior carried the last box through and disappeared, Etain stepped into the middle of the portal and held out his hand. "Ladies." Smiling, Ellie and her grandmother placed their hands on his and walked through the portal.
One moment they were shivering from the Chicago winter winds, the next practically broiling under the New Mexico sun. When she started to remove her coat, Etain shook his head. "Better keep that on. I'm not saying that it's cold in the city, but it's nowhere near this warm." He led them to the edge of the canyon where another warrior waited for them. His body language was completely different than the other two. He looked completely relaxed, his face smiling until he saw them approach. Then his features took on a tragic expression; he clutched at his chest and swayed. For a moment Ellie was concerned, but then he opened his mouth. "By the gods! Look at these two heavenly creatures. Have we been blessed by Fate that these two gorgeous women will brighten the halls of our dismal city? Who might the two of you be?" he asked smiling at them charmingly.