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Everyone who came through the portal immediately received a magical band.

It was protocol for these sorts of instances or guests in North America who didn’t have time to apply for the correct visas and passes to visit.

It came off the moment they were checked out and verified—basically got their paperwork in order.

It limited the magic a witch or warlock could do. It tracked vampires that they only drank from bagged blood. It adjusted with a shifter in case they changed forms.

Basically, it was a miracle of security, especially with the location devices in them. There had only been a handful of reported times that people had managed to get around them and the amount of magic to break them… It was astounding.

And really no reason to unless you were a serious threat and criminal.

“The president said they’re going to group up cases and warlocks on site will open the portal to get them through once critical cases reach them,” the lead military guy informed me. “Can you handle that?”

I nodded. It would make our lives harder than having a steady stream, but keeping portals open like the warlocks were doing took insane power.

It was better to do it that way. “They need to keep them smaller. We only have so many trauma teams and bays. No more than seven patients at a time or we could start losing more than we save.”

“Translators are here, Ms. Reed!” someone called over.

“Good, get them to spread out and ask for more,” I hollered back. The earthquake hit in a part of Asia that was a melting pot of cultures… And languages. So we had at least four major languages we were going to be juggling that we knew of.

Hopefully, someone in their party or family knew some English to help.

Families of hospital staff started arriving. Some had cross-training to at least help in these situations and volunteered on these rare occasions. Others would coordinate the food and take care of workers to make sure they didn’t all collapse while saving lives.

I was on my feet for hours and hours. It was nonstop, and I only paused to have some water and part of a sandwich because one of my team demanded it.

“You won’t have to jump in,” Alan told me quietly when he found me just after dark. “We’ve got it all in hand and it will be a trickle of really bad cases after tonight.”

“Good, good,” I sighed, scrubbing my hand over the back of my neck. He was one of the few who knew I was actually a doctor and a talented trauma surgeon as well.

Well, maybe not so much anymore given I never actually performed surgery and hid my credentials. Now and again, he snuck me into a closed surgery to certify me and keep my credentials fresh, but I was far from at my peak.

“The new hire is impressive,” he told me. He nodded when I glanced at him. “Clark was all over the shifters and checking them. Kept a cool head and—impressive. He needs to give a lecture about his specialty and forcing shifts.”

“He did what?” I whispered, not able to hide my horror.

“He’s got a way—it’s not like what we fought to have people stop doing,” Alan assured me. “It was—he’s got a talent for it. It was way less intrusive for the kid than the surgery and rehab he would have had to go through. It was astounding, Ellie.”

“I trust you, but I’m having a hard time picturing it,” I admitted. Mostly because normally forcing a shifter to change forms was more traumatic and painful than their first shift. It was a power most Alphas had that was supposed to be punishment.

“Exactly, so if he’s on staff now and going to be doing this, all the attendings need to be read in,” Alan muttered.

“I’m fucking pissed that his hospital was hiding this as something new that only he invented instead of the truth.

They didn’t want the flak of him doing something we all think outdated and cruel instead of showing it can be done right. ”

“We’re shocked a board of directors made a wrong call and just focuses on money?” I asked him, not hiding my hate for greedy people in the slightest.

“No.” He shot me a smirk. “I look forward to the day you kick the board to the curb. You’ll have our full support.

” He sighed when I snorted. “Those who really matter. Let us kick the rest into line, Ellie. You don’t always have to do it all.

” He reached out and pet my hair. “You really don’t, child. ”

“Thanks, Alan.”

Two hours later, I witnessed Dr. Clark on a gurney performing lifesaving measures as the team raced by.

Which meant he wasn’t out by the portal to control the flow. Shit.

The head military had been switched out and saw me coming. “Your doctor gave orders to hold all shifters here until he checks them unless they’re unconscious and critical. That patient—the portal was too much pressure on the wounds and they started to crash.”

“Good, good, thank you,” I accepted before moving on to my next fire to put out… Which was the President of North America asking for too big of a favor. “I’m sorry, Mr. President, but what you’re asking is too much and—”

“I know, Ms. Reed, but—I’m working on the legalities of writing an executive order to wave the same amount of the hospital’s taxes.

It might be over a few years—I don’t know.

” He sighed when I didn’t say anything. “Ellie, please. This isn’t for politics.

The earthquake’s center was right in the heart of that massive vampire coven there.

“Their blood supply is gone and they don’t have enough to cover.

The vamps actually did everything to jump in and help first responders.

For once, we did something right and saved a lot of people.

They need help to recover. A vamp is president of North America this time.

I can’t ignore that. We shouldn’t ignore that. ”

I tried to work on the calculations in my head.

“It’s not only about the money, sir. That would exhaust too much of our supply and others need it.

I want the word of the President of Asia that she will personally show up to some blood drives to help us replenish.

Get it in writing that they will have people donate unpaid. We’ve done enough to deserve that.”

“You have. Done. Yes, I will work that in the deal.”

“Okay, then I’ll agree to half that amount for now and we can reassess.”

He was silent for a moment. “Tell me that’s not all you have.”

“No, but you’re asking for basically everything on hand, sir.

I’d only have the emergency reserves left.

I know people think we have pipes of purified blood with our additives running around Atlanta, but we don’t actually.

And we need more pushing for donations. I hope every president uses this situation to repeat that because we never refilled our reserves after the last catastrophe. ”

“None of us knew that,” he worried.

“Then you have a problem with people not getting reports on your desk,” I bit out.

“Because I have repeatedly been making that a headline of anything from ASH for months. Our reserves are only half of what I want in case of a real attack, and you personally asked me to expand. I work miracles, but I can’t actually change water to blood. ”

“Okay, I hear you. I will—we’ll have a blood drive to help—I’ll handle it, Ellie. I promise.”

Good because I’d help put this man into the office he now had and I had felt a bit like a dropped tool after that. I’d meant to make a stink earlier, but… I had a rather large hospital to run.

It took up most of my day.

Still, I was down on myself for not doing it sooner and now Asia needed all of our blood on hand. Fuck.

So the last thing I needed was Tommy grabbing me and dragging me into the stairwell. My exhaustion and shock were the only things that kept me from reacting sooner.

I broke his hold on me and couldn’t hide my shock. “Dr. Fitz, you better never do—”

“Is the new guy who you’re fucking, Ellie?” he hissed as he backed me against the wall. He moved his hand next to my head and leaned in. “Is he?”

“What?” I gasped, searching his eyes and flinching at the anger there. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Tommy really pissed off. “Who?”

“ Clark ,” he bit out. “Are you fucking Clark?”

I couldn’t get my mouth to work and that pissed him off even more and he leaned in.

I shoved him off of me, actually stronger than him since I was a vampire and he was a warlock.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve, Tommy. You fuck half the hospital and have the balls to get in my face about anyone? Seriously?”

He flinched, but the anger stayed. “Yeah, well, they don’t get in your face—”

“I’ve never touched Dr. Clark, so I have no idea what is going on here, but it’s so over the fucking line that—”

“I don’t know that I believe you,” he snapped but lost some of his anger as he probably heard how bad that was.

I ground my jaw and couldn’t hide my anger.

“You’ve seriously become too much drama for good sex every other week, Tommy.

Walk away and don’t find me again until you have a fucking apology on your lips for all of this or I’m done.

I can chalk a lot up to today, but—you’re so far over the fucking line I’m disgusted. ”

He stood there and simply stared me down like it was some sort of challenge of who left first like that meant losing the argument. How petty and childish. It was right then I decided to end things with him even if I wasn’t going to at that moment.

I walked away and went back to handling the blood situation. Details were worked out, and then I had to request more supplies be flown in which were going to cost more than I wanted to pay.

Fuck it. I was adding that to the bill as well. The government could more than afford it if they were paying for this by waving some of the hospital’s taxes over the next few years.

It was time to start delivering to the military to transport through the portal, so I headed there and oversaw it going through the same trauma portal… And found a very nervous Dr. Clark pacing behind me. He looked like a pup ready to be spanked.

So he’d clearly done something and that was what had set Tommy off.

Great.

“Walk with me, Dr. Clark,” I instructed when I saw there was a lull. I gave the same instructions he had earlier and when he’d needed to take breaks. He nodded and trudged along with me, glancing around when he saw we weren’t going inside.

No, there were always too many ears inside.

Plus, I needed the night breeze right then to keep me awake. I was exhausted. Others had sat down in between rushes or surgeries. I had maybe sat for five minutes the whole fucking day.

And I included peeing in that.

“Talk,” I ordered when we were far enough away and alone.

“First of all, I’m very, very sorry,” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean to start the trouble I did.” He waited until I reacted.

But I was pretty sure he didn’t like me crossing my arms over my chest and raising an eyebrow at him. Yeah, he better fucking spill already.

He let out a slow, shaky breath. “Yes, I smelled a man on you when I saw you in the elevator. Whatever. Of course you’re active. You’re a beautiful woman who many would want. It’s not my business. I just didn’t know who I smelled until today.”

“That’s none of your business,” I hissed.

“No, it’s not, but when I realized it was Dr. Fitz and he was very blatantly flirting with a nurse after surgery—”

I snorted. “Just one?” I mentally winced that I was too tired to watch my mouth.

His eyes flashed shock. “I asked to speak to him alone and asked him if he was stupid being so obvious and daring to cheat on you.” He bobbed his head when I sighed. “I’m sorry. Clearly—”

“ Clearly , it wasn’t your place, and you shouldn’t stick your nose in my private life.” I growled when he simply stared at me as if needing me to confirm whatever Tommy had told him. “Who I’m fuck buddies with doesn’t concern you, Dr. Clark. As you said, I’m a grown woman with needs and—”

“I never thought you would put up with that shit,” he whispered, sounding almost disappointed.

“ Excuse me? ” I seethed, itching to slap this little shit which surprised me.

“I’ve been here like two seconds and I already know his reputation. Why would you ever be involved with such a cad?” He looked me up and down and shook his head. “I just couldn’t picture it and it’s shocking.”

I ran my tongue over my teeth and tried to calm my anger, reminding myself that both of us were running on fumes and too much adrenaline from the day.

“Dr. Fitz and I both know what we are and have an understanding. You’re not involved in any way.

So, if you’re done judging, I have a hospital to run, Dr. Clark. ” I turned on my heel and left.

His next words almost froze me in place.

“You deserve more respect and to be treated better than that even if it’s casual.

Others would treat you better and give you what you need.

Gladly. Desperately . Don’t take scraps from an asshole when he’s not worthy to walk the ground under you, much less be in your bed. ”

I spun around, but he was already walking the other way and I could see the anger in his aura. Hell, his head was so hot that I thought steam might actually come out of his ears.

What the hell did Tommy say in response to piss Clark off so bad?