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said. Hey, guys, knock it the hell off! I need you to put those in
straight!
Mikey chuckled. Thanks, Logan.
See you.
He dialed the Three s Company number from the card in his
informational packet. Three s Company. This is Evan. What s up?
This is Evan. What s up? Really? Mikey asked, amusement
flickering. Where is Collin?
Who is this?
Mikey did roll his eyes then. It s Mikey. Collin s Mikey.
Oh! Sorry. I didn t recognize the voice. Anyway, Collin has gone
home for the day.
Mikey s heart skipped a beat. He okay? He glanced at his
calendar. He could take his laptop home and work from home.
Shifting sickness from what I can tell. He might need to go see a
specialist for some nausea medicine. It can develop into some hellish
vertigo, Evan lectured.
Is that your professional opinion, Dr. Evan? Mikey drawled.
The guy hadn t even been a shifter for a year and here he was telling
Mikey the ins and outs of it all.
Evan chuckled. I got a little research happy. Hope that he doesn t
try ginger ale. Anything with a vertebrae is going to have a nasty gag
response. Oddly enough, invertebrate shifters are able to take
humanlike remedies for things like nausea, headaches, etc. during the
transitional period.
Thrice Bitten 85
Dear God, do you know everything? he asked, a headache
forming between his eyes.
Almost, Evan said, sounding serious. Though Brandon debates
the validity of that statement almost daily. Anyway, I think you
should drop by the pharmacy over on ninth and pick up some herbal
for our man. Good luck.
Thanks, Evan.
He was out of his chair before he even heard the click on the other
end of the phone. Grabbing his computer bag and the stack of
paperwork he was working on, he forwarded messages on his cell
phone from his office phone and headed toward the door.
Hey, Mr. Thorton, Darrel greeted, ducking under the low ceiling
partition from the lobby. We ve got some great stuff to show you on
that school project.
He nodded, smiling in what hoped was a reassuring fashion.
That s great, Darrel. But I m going to have to take a rain check on
seeing your project until tomorrow. My mate isn t feeling well, and
I ve got to run home. The big kid s expression fell. Shit. But don t
worry. I will absolutely give you some feedback first thing. When is
your first class?
Eleven.
Lucky dog got to sleep in. Can you be here at ten fifteen? I will
get you all squared away then.
Darrel recovered, a smile replacing his scowl. Okay. Hope your
mate feels better.
Me, too, kid.
After a drop by his secretary s desk, he was free.
* * * *
Collin was dreaming about Mikey s rumbling voice and soft touch
when he heard his bedroom door open, dragging him out of the world
86 Jana Downs
of pleasant floating sensations and into harsh reality. He. Felt. Like.
Ass.
Go away, he murmured, hiding his face in his coconut-scented
memory foam pillow.
I come bearing gifts of apology and supplication on account of
causing this, a familiar voice said. Rustling plastic told him that
Mikey had brought bags of something.
Collin huffed. I hate you. Go away. He couldn t work, couldn t
function, and he could place the blame squarely on Mikey s broad,
gorgeous shoulders. He groaned. God, you suck.
I can definitely be convinced to do a little sucking now and
then, Mikey rumbled. Come on and sit up, babe. I have some feel-
goods for you.
No. Yeah. Collin admitted that he was a big baby when he was
sick. You have killed me.
No, I haven t. Just feels that way. Come on, baby. Sit up. I have
medicine.
The thought of relief finally made him stir. Jude and Collin
didn t have to go through this shit. He pried his eyes open and forced
himself up into a sitting position. Mikey sat on the edge of his bed,
and Collin became intensely aware that Mikey had never been in his
house before. It made him self-conscious of his bedclothes scattered
along the room and the empty water glasses on his nightstand.
Mikey s OCD was probably having a fit.
According to the pharmacist, only one in one hundred people
have this reaction, Mikey said, his voice full of apology.
Oh is that all? He groaned. Sarcasm made his head hurt worse.
Mikey dug in the white pharmacy bag he d brought in and fished
out a brown glass bottle with a syringe on top.
Lucky me, Collin murmured for the second time today. What s
that?
Thrice Bitten 87
Mikey unscrewed the lip, depressing the bulb on top to draw up
some liquid. A transitioning agent with a stomach soother. I was
warned that it tastes like ass. Forewarning.
His stomach rebelled at the thought. I can t. I ve been puking for
hours. I really can t. His eyes flicked to the side bed where his trash
can had been filled with the contents of his stomach a half hour ago.
Did you bag up my trash?
I cleaned up a bit.
Of course you did. Thank you. That was the polite thing to say
even if it annoyed the hell out of him. I can t handle it. My
stomach.
If you can choke it down, it will help, I promise. Mikey
smoothed his hand down the side of Collin s face, a wealth of love
and understanding in his deep blue eyes.
He opened his mouth to reply, but the scent of his mate took his
breath away. A warmth infused his chest. Mine& I knew that already,
dumbass. He opened his mouth and accepted the medicine, gagging
on the taste but thankfully getting it down. His stomach immediately
settled, and the warmth spread outward, radiating from his center. As
he started to sweat, he kicked off his covers, peeling off his shirt with
Mikey s help.
Better? A little bit? Mikey asked, fluffing up his pillows. The
man really did watch over him. It was a really nice change from the
other asshats he d dated.
Better. Am I running a fever? Maybe his bite gave me an
infection.
Looks that way. If you don t turn in the next little bit, we re
taking you to the ER for a check. I want to make sure everything is
going as expected. I don t have enough experience with human
turnings to be a good judge. Everything I ve heard says you re being
Joe normal, but I worry, Mikey rambled. He was not liking Collin
being sick. It was obvious in his hovering.
88 Jana Downs
Okay. He was too tired to argue. He should ve listened to
Mikey and stayed home today in case he shifted. Anyone ever die
trying to become a shifter?
It was a legitimate question. The shifter virus wasn t as widely
studied because of its taboo nature. Everyone had always known
shifters were about, but it wasn t until the late sixties and early
seventies that they started having awareness campaigns and rallies for
public support. The eighties saw the rise in what became known as the
Great Shifter Panic where bigotry was essentially state supported
almost across the board. Reeducation in the nineties and early two
thousands really had brought them into the current age. However, the
political atmosphere was still too hot for most large financial
institutions to endorse further research. At least that was what he d
learned in his humanities class.
Not that I know of, Mikey said. Don t worry, babe. I know it s
scary at first, but everything will be all right. He was like a force of
nature. Whatever he said would happen would inevitably happen.
Collin had the utmost confidence in him.
Okay. He laid back down, relaxing into the comfortable
embrace of his mattress. His was as comfortable as Mikey s big bed.
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