I shrugged. “He’s doing good. His stuff just arrived from Canada yesterday, but other than his clothes, he hasn’t had the energy to tackle it yet. He’s taken over my closet as his office, and now all my clothes are piled in a corner, which reminds me—Misha!” I caught him just as he was leaving the room. “Do we still have all the old furniture downstairs from when you redid your room?”
“How much you want to pay me for them if we do?”
I looked around for something to throw at him, but there was nothing convenient at hand. “It’s not yours. It’s the family’s. Did it get donated or do we still have it?”
“Well, if I’m not getting anything out of the deal…” Misha paused and quit teasing, probably seeing how irritated I was getting. “Seriously, though, I don’t have the faintest. That was seven years ago, bro. Who knows. It could be anywhere.”
Had it really been seven years ago? How did time seem to pass faster the older I got?
“I didn’t mean how he is settling in,” River interrupted, obviously not done with what he had to say. “I meant, how is he doing this morning?”
I frowned. “He was still sleeping last time I saw him. He’s even more of a night bear than I am. Why?”
River twisted his lips to the side and shrugged, his eyes slanting suspiciously sideways. “He just seemed a bit out of sorts yesterday. Like maybe he was coming down with something.”
“He did? Are you sure he wasn’t just tired?” I paused to consider it. Had he seemed off? I hadn’t noticed. And Tanner was my mate. Wouldn’t I have noticed if he was coming down with something? And where would he have picked it up? He’d barely left the house since that day I’d gotten shot in the butt. His new client had hit him with an urgent job, and he’d been working almost non-stop since then. I was grateful, because it distracted him from me being out on the streets, but I also resented it, because it distracted him from getting into my bed.
I was proud to say I was a more effective distraction than work, and dare I say, more enjoyable.
“Did he say anything to you about not feeling well?” I tried to sound casual but I was starting to worry now.
River, however, seemed satisfied and was already slipping away. “I’m sure he’s fine. I just wanted to check.”
He was out the door before I could press him further.
Tanner didn’t like it if I interrupted his flow, but maybe he hadn’t started work yet… I checked my watch. It was later than I’d thought. Well, I could either interrupt him and reassure myself or sit around for the next five hours doing diddly-squat except worry about him. That wasn’t a difficult decision. I could take my feisty squirrel’s wrath any day.
9
Tanner
Why did my head hurt so bad? The migraine throbbed behind my eyes, even though I was curled up in a pile of Ivan’s clothes in the corner of his closet. It had started two days ago, and each day was getting worse.
I’d worked longer and harder than this before. Sure, my back had ached a little from being hunched over the computer for hours and hours, but I hadn’t ever had an issue with the laptop screen messing with my eyes and head before.
Now, every time I glanced at even the little red power button, it was like a lightsaber through the skull.
I’d tried shifting, which normally helped me through any and all issues, but with my acute night vision, it had just made the headache worse. I needed comfort, though, so I’d crawled out to grab a giant armful of Ivan’s dirty clothes and spent entirely too long nudging it into a nest around me. It was the only thing that seemed to help at all. His scent was better than any medicine.
I desperately wanted to message Ivan and ask him to come hold me, but I didn’t want him to think I was a clingy omega who couldn’t take care of himself. And what if he wasn’t at home? What, did I expect him to come running home because I had a headache?
The closet door suddenly opened and glaring light filled the space. I hissed in pain and buried my face in the clothes. “Shut it, shut it,” I whispered in pain.
The door closed quickly and my body eased as my alpha’s scent washed over me. “Are you sick?” Ivan sounded worried. “You smell a little strange.”
I knew better than to shake my head. It would just cause waves of pain. And his eyes probably hadn’t adjusted to the dark yet. “Just a headache.”
Ivan’s hands found my body and he patted me gently, building a mental image of where I lay, then curled up behind me. “This doesn’t look like just a headache,” he said softly.
His strong fingers began to gently massage my head.
I sighed. “That helps,” I said, my voice a little stronger.
“How long have you been having headaches like this?”
“It started two days ago,” I said. “But it wasn’t until today that I couldn’t work.” I was able to take deep breaths now. I hadn’t realized I couldn’t before.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re busy.”
“I’m never too busy for you, Facts.”
Already, the headache seemed more manageable. “Are you magic?” The words slurred out of my mouth.
“It’s not magical to choose to make time for my mate.”
I pressed his hand flat against my head. “I mean your touch. I had a migraine before you came in. Now it’s just a headache. If you lie here with me for an hour, will it go away completely?”
“Should we test it?” he asked.
I hummed. “Don’t you have to work?”
“Not if you’re feeling sick.”
“I don’t want to keep you behind just because I’m being a baby,” I said. “I’ll survive. I promise.”
“I don’t think you’re being a baby,” Ivan replied. “I’ve had a migraine before. Once. It was enough. It felt like someone shot me in the head and then left the bullet there.”
“How do you know what that feels like?” I asked, alarmed.
“Shh. I don’t. It’s just an expression. Or an imagination. I promise, I’ve never gotten shot in the head. I wouldn’t be able to keep up with your brains if I had.”
“Keep it that way,” I grumbled, turning to face his chest and bury my nose against his skin. I wondered if this was what getting chloroformed felt like. My whole body was relaxing, allowing my headache to just melt away.
“Keeping up with your brains, or not getting shot?”
“Both,” I said.
“I’ll do my best. But in return, you need to tell me when you feel sick, okay? I had to find out from River this morning.”
“River? I haven’t even seen him today.”
“He said he talked to you yesterday and you were out of it. He was worried about you.”
“River’s sweet.” I sighed.
Ivan snorted. “That may be the first time I’ve ever heard River and sweet in the same sentence. And you might be the only person who could get away with saying it.”
“He is sweet, though.” I was so tired. Probably from fighting the migraine all afternoon, because I’d slept like a baby last night.