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“I am. I know how it sounds, but yes, it is true.”
“Wow, just…wow.” She turned back toward the direction they were heading in. “I’m sorry, that must be weird.”
“Meh, it is what it is. I can’t change it, and if nothing else it’s a great icebreaker.” He patted her hand, looping his arm through hers. “Now where are you staying at?”
“A hotel called The Chalice. Do you know it?”
A slow grin spread over his lips. “Oh yes, I know it well.”
CHAPTER2
As Adam walkedher through the doors of The Chalice Hotel, Ella noted that the atmosphere instantly shifted. The staff behind the counter stared at them, she was certain they were judging her…or him. She glanced over at Adam, who strode in like he owned the place. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his salt and pepper hair accentuated his demanding demeanor, he was gorgeous and a hundred times out of her league.
The minute the thought passed through her mind, he looked down at her, offering her a heated look that made her blush. Why would he look at her like that? Her stomach fluttered, which was to be expected when a dapper man looks at you like he wants to rip your clothes off. Then her vision went black, which was not at all expected. The last thing she heard was Adam calling her name.
Darkness engulfed her, dragging her down deeper and deeper. A voice echoed in her head.Let me out. Let me go.Ella tried to block it out, but then the screams started. She hated the screaming. Any time she passed out, it would start. Everyone assured her that the noise was all in her head, but that didn’t make it any easier to handle. It felt like an eternity of pain and sorrow. But the voice…the voice was new.
Her friends had suggested the screaming might be her subconscious crying out over her failing health. Which she’d agreed did sound entirely possible. But the things she hadn’t told them was the damage done to her body after she’d woken up from the darkness. The black spots that formed on her skin that even the doctors couldn’t explain. Everything about her illness was a mystery.
The cries went on and on until a soft, unfamiliar voice called out to her. “Ella? Ella, can you open your eyes?”
Ella blinked and slowly looked up to see a blonde woman dressed in a red cocktail dress hovering over her. “Who are you? What are you doing here? Where am I?”
“I’m Doctor Grace Chapman, Mr. Primis asked me to take a look at you after you fainted in the lobby.”
“Mr. Primis?”
The woman chuckled. “Adam, the man you were with.”
“Right. Adam.” She repeated. “Oh, God, did I make a fool of myself?”
Grace shook her head. “No, you simply fainted, but he caught you before you could hit the floor. Can you tell me how long you’ve been experiencing these episodes?”
“About a year, ever since I first got sick. They used to happen once a month or so, but now they are coming more frequently.” Ella shrugged as she sat up. “My doctors say it’s just a progression of my illness.”
“And there’s been no diagnosis?” Grace arched a brow when Ella shook her head. “But you’ve been given a time frame?”
She nodded. “Yeah, they say they’ve never seen anything like it before. My body is just deteriorating at a rapid rate.”
“That’s odd, since you look perfectly healthy.”
Ella laughed. “Makeup can hide a lot. So do pants and long-sleeved shirts.”
“May I take a look at you?” Grace asked in a cautious sounding voice.
She nodded and sat quietly as Grace looked over almost every inch of her body. The doctor’s light fingertips gently brushed against one of the black spots.
“Does this hurt?” she asked cautiously.
“Um, I wouldn’t say they hurt, they’re just.” Ella shrugged. “They like deadened. Like I can’t really feel anything there, but the skin around it is very tender. I usually get a few of them after I’ve fainted, my doctors can’t explain it.”
Grace furrowed her brow. “They’re hard.”
“Yeah,” Ella gave an unenthusiastic chuckle and knocked her knuckles against the black spot. “Seems solid as a rock, but I can still move.”
“Adam said you were only here for a few weeks.” Ella nodded again. “If you need anything while you’re here, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll help in whatever way I can.” Grace paused and patted the back of Ella’s hand. “There’s always an answer to a mystery, we just have to search hard enough for the answers.”
“I hope so, if not for me, for the next person who gets this awful curse.”
