Page 18 of Tempest

“Of course you can,” Cash said, smiling softly. “What was I thinking?”

Pops squeezed his biceps. “That you’ll miss me?”

A lump formed in Cash’s throat, and he nodded. “It won’t be the same here without you.”

“Different can be good.” He peered at Cash in a way that made him think he was trying to tell him something. Considering the unsubtle way he’d reacted to the bird, he could guess the kind ofdifferentPops was referring to.

It wasn’t going to happen.

“I prefer for things to stay the same,” Cash reminded him.

It had actually become a bit of a problem for him when he was a cub.

The therapist Nan had found for him back then had let him know it was completely normal after what he had experienced with his parents. Their volatile moods and constant arguing leading up to his abandonment would make anyone fearful of change.

Even as an adult, it had persisted. He liked knowing exactly where he stood in the world, how his days would go, and what to expect in any given situation, but all of that was getting turned upside down. He had a strange shifter staying in his house. HisPops was leaving, and he would be restricted from some of his Enforcer duties while he played babysitter.

Things were going to be very different for the foreseeable future, and it made him question—and not for the first time since Liam’s office—why he had volunteered. Why had he stepped forward and made an offer that would turn his world upside down? Why was he helpless against those big, dark eyes?

He knew the answer though.

It had been…difficultfor him to stand there and watch as his alpha asked Ore the same questions over and over again, trying to see if he could catch him in a lie. For the protection of the pack, they had to do it. They had to be sure he wasn’t dangerous.

But as the interrogation had gone on and on, it had become more and more obvious that Ore really couldn’t remember anything about his life. Worse yet, the longer it went on, the more upset Ore had gotten, even though he’d tried to hide it.

It hadn’t mattered though. Cash’s panther could scent it on the air, and it had driven his instincts haywire. The drive to protect the little bird warred with his need to do what was best for his pack.

So when Liam had been about to tell Ore he’d be staying in the magically sealable room in the basement, Cash had lost his head for a second and offered up his own place, unable to stand the idea of the young man with such sad eyes being forced to stay locked up, even if the room was quite comfortable. It wasn’t like it was a cement jail cell, but he had a feeling it would be especially difficult for a bird to be forced to stay in a basement. Unable to spread his wings, unable to see the sky.

And now, everything was changing.

“I will miss you,” Cash said softly as Pops carefully lowered himself into his car.

“And I you, son.” Pops grinned up at him.

“Let me know when you get to Martha’s.”

“I will. Be a good host and listen to your cat,” Pops said with arched eyebrows and a tap to his chest.

Cash frowned at him. “I always listen to my cat.”

He just didn’t always do what his panther wanted.

Pops gave him an exasperated look but didn’t respond, simply shut the door to the car and started down the driveway. Cash watched him go, the feeling of disorientation growing at Pops’s parting words. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his cat’s instincts, but he refused to be ruled by them. His panther had one speed: go. It didn’t matter if it was about protecting his family, scentmarking the pack cubs, or running full tilt through the woods.

And it would be the same with Ore if he wasn’t careful. Already, the tug to return to the bird’s side was growing inside him. Instead, he scrubbed at his face and turned to the silent figure on his front porch.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

Finlay nodded as he faced him, thumbs tucked into the pockets of his jeans. “Take your time. I don’t have anywhere to be.”

Cash appreciated that the vamp had pretended not to overhear his conversation, keeping his attention on the yard and not him and his grandfather. He appreciated even more that he’d been willing to come and hang out while Cash did one final patrol before his duties were relegated to somebody else.

His hackles rose once more at the thought. He knew Liam hadn’t done it as a punishment, but it was still infuriating to have his responsibilities limited, even for a short time. Logically, he understood the reasoning. It simply wasn’t doable for him to continue his daily patrolling and border checks while also keeping a close eye on their guest, but he didn’t have to like it.

And he was going to miss it.

There were other aspects of being an Enforcer, obviously, but the nightly patrols were his favorite. He walked—or sometimes ran as his panther—through the wooded areas that made up a large portion of their territory. No matter which route he took, he always ended at Silver Oak Lake so he could spend a few minutes there before heading back home. Other than his and Pops’s house, it was his favorite place.

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