Without Reservations

Chayton Winston.”
    “Hi, Chay. How are you?”
    Keaton heaved again. Nothing came up. Poor baby.
    Chay stroked his back. “Not good, Doc. I think my mate’s been poisoned.”
    “The nice young man your father and John introduced us to? What are his symptoms?”
    “He’s vomiting. He says his vision is blurred and he seems like he’s wheezing to me.”
    “Did you give him blood?” Rustling sounded in the background.
    “I did and he couldn’t keep it down.”
    “Hmmm…” There was a slam and the start of a car engine. “I’m on my way over. Try giving him more blood. I’ll be there in a minute.”
    “Thanks, Doc.” Hanging up the phone, Chay set it on the vanity.
    “Bit?”
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    “Uh?” Keaton wheezed.
    “Fuck, baby. Hold on. We’re going to try more blood.”
    “It isn’t going to work.”
    “Why not? If we can get it down you, it might.”
    Bit started coughing.
    Hoping to get more air into his lungs and eliminate the wheezing, Chay hefted him upright. He was burning up. “Fuck.” Chay ran into the living room where he’d left his medical bag. He brought it back and sat behind Keaton. “Hang on, babe. It’s gonna work.”
    “It’s not gonna work. I’m not human.” He dry heaved again.
    Taking out a scalpel, Chay cut his hand. He stuck it in front of Keaton’s face. “Here, hurry before it heals.”
    Bit shook his head, but did as he was told, sucking the blood from Chay’s hand. Shivering, he leaned back against Chay. He stopped sucking. “Damn, it’s cold in here.”
    Chay shook his hand in front of his mate’s mouth. “Suck.”
    “The cut is already closed,” Bit whispered. “It healed.”
    Pulling his hand back, Chay rubbed Keaton’s arms, trying to warm him.
    Keaton rested against him for several minutes before the doorbell rang.
    “Gotta get up, babe. I have to let the doc in. You be okay for a minute?”
    Nodding, Keaton leaned forward.
    As Chay opened the front door, he heard Keaton vomiting again.
    Damn, damn, damn. Grabbing his arm, Chay shut the door and dragged Dr. Baker to the bathroom. “Hurry, doc. The blood I just gave him came right back up.”
    “I was afraid of this. I didn’t know if it would work or not, Chay.
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    Without Reservations
    blood will do anything. He’s already a wolf and he already has the unique healing abilities that the rest of us do.”
    Chay sighed. “Yeah, that was Keaton’s theory too.” And goddamn it, it made sense. What now?
    Keaton lay on the floor, one arm across his chest the other flung to the side, unconscious.
    The air left Chay’s lungs as he raced forward. “Oh God no.” He grabbed Keaton and hauled him into his lap. Everything seemed to slow down. He barely registered Doc Baker rushing forward. He felt for Keaton’s pulse. It was weak, but there. Chay had to do something. This was suddenly way more serious than just letting the poison wear off. It was killing Bit.
    Tears streaked down Chay’s face as he cradled Bit to him. He racked his brain. What antidotes did he have? Was there anything that would counteract poison instantly? What the fuck kind of poison was it? Did he have time to get Bit to the emergency room?
    “Chay, we are going to try getting your blood into him intravenously.”
    “Huh?”
    “I have a line used for person-to-person transfusions.”
    Doc Baker dug through his bag. He pulled out some tubing with needles attached at the ends. “I’m not sure it will work, but we don’t have anything to lose.” He snagged Chay’s arm and tied it off with an elastic band he got from his bag. “Fist.”
    Chay complied and Doc stuck him.
    “Stand up, get above him, so gravity can do its work.” Doc stuck Keaton with the other needle.
    Chay reluctantly extracted himself from Keaton and stood, realizing what the doc was thinking. He untied the elastic from his arm and stared down at his mate. Was Keaton breathing better? It had only been about thirty seconds and it appeared to be working.
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    Doc found his stethoscope and listened to Keaton’s chest. He smiled up at Chay and nodded.
    The lump in Chay’s stomach slowly dissolved. It was going to work.

    Û

    He brushed the sweaty blond curls off Bit’s forehead and stared. His eyes caressed those fine features, the round little angelic face, the arched brows, the