2. Cash

Cash's knees hit the grass next to the eagle, but his hand hovered above all that exposed skin.

He was hesitant to touch him, some instinct telling him that it was going to be a life-changing experience. There was a tugging in his gut, driving him to snatch up the tiny man and take him somewhere safe so Cash could protect him until he was better.

Except his instincts didn't control him. Cash listened to them, but he made decisions. He weighed options and went with what was most logical and best for his pack. Neither his panther nor his most base impulses were in charge of him.

And yet…

Growling at his own ridiculousness, he shrugged off the notion of some stranger disturbing his well-ordered life and laid a hand on his shoulder.

A small zap of electricity sparked where they touched, shooting up Cash's arm.

He jerked back and stared at his own hand, feeling betrayed. What the fuck was that?

Ignoring the fact that it was humid as hell, he told himself it was just static electricity and refocused on the young man. He looked like he was maybe in his mid-twenties, a good ten to twelve years younger than Cash.

Not that that mattered. Nothing about the eagle was his business. He just needed to get him out of their territory and get back to Jorge's. It didn't matter how desperate he'd looked when he'd begged for Cash's help.

Clenching his jaw, he gave the small man a rough shake, his head moving with the force of it, but there was no reaction or sign of him coming to.

Cash leaned forward and tilted his head to listen, frowning at the odd rhythm of the eagle's heartbeat. The burning scent was overwhelming so close, worrying him even more than his off-beat pulse.

He sat up straight and stared at the man's face. His cheekbones were sharp and flushed with exertion… or maybe fever. He had dark, thin brows, long lashes, and a cute little rounded chin that made Cash think it was probably adorable when the man tried to look serious.

He swallowed roughly. This man wasn't his responsibility. The safety of the pack was all he should be worried about, and some strange shifter with an unknown illness posed a potential threat.

Cursing himself, he slipped his hands underneath the man's body, his weight barely more than a feather as he lifted him and started jogging back toward his truck. He couldn't leave him. He just… couldn't.

He kept having to remind himself to watch where he was going, even though he could probably traverse the forest around their town with a blindfold and not get lost. But that didn't mean he needed to spend the entire trip back to the main road staring at the unconscious man.

That just seemed creepy.

When he reached his vehicle, he carefully opened the passenger door and set him inside. The guy just flopped over, sprawling across the bench seat since he couldn't support himself. Cash hurried around the hood and carefully climbed in on the driver's side, lifting the eagle's head so he could rest it on his thigh.

He knew it was inappropriate, but he couldn't stop himself from running his fingers through that messy black hair. It was so soft, like downy feathers. He wondered if the eagle was as soft in his shifted form and if he'd let Cash touch him one day.

He frowned at the road as he headed back into town. That was a weird thought. Why was he thinking about that? They were just going to make sure the guy would be all right, and then he'd be going on his way. He wouldn't be staying, so Cash wouldn't be touching him in any way.

Grabbing his phone, he called his alpha, preparing himself for Liam's displeasure.

"Did you find them?" he answered after only a single ring. Cash heard Fern in the background say something about the intruder moving farther into their territory and grimaced.

"I found them," Cash confirmed, eyes darting down before he could stop himself from running over the smooth olive skin that would be haunting his dreams. "It's an eagle shifter."

"What does he want?"

"I don't know. He passed out. And… he doesn't smell right."

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, sounding concerned. Fern demanded he put the phone on speaker so she could hear too.

Cash licked his lips, dragging his gaze back to the road. "There's something off in his scent and heartbeat. I'm not sure if he's sick or injured in some way."

"Where are you right now? I'll come to you."

"I'm bringing him to Pops," Cash said, bracing himself for Liam's reaction.

The lion didn't say anything for a long moment. Even Fern was silent, waiting for their alpha to rip him a new one for not following protocol. Finally, he said slowly, "You're bringing him to your grandfather's house?"

"Yes, sir," Cash said, hoping the extra sign of respect would help remind Liam that Cash wasn't usually such a dumbass. "He needs a healer."

"He needs to get out of our territory," Liam said, voice still carefully level, but even over the phone, Cash could feel the edge of alpha coming through. The only real indication that he wasn't happy with Cash, and it was enough to upset his panther.

"I know," Cash said quickly. "It just… It felt wrong to just leave him outside the warding while he's sick and unable to fend for himself."

Liam sighed heavily, but Cash knew he would agree with him. Liam was wary of outsiders, just like all of them, but he wasn't heartless.Far from it.

Compared to their old alpha, Liam was a damn pushover.

"I'll meet you at Pops's," Liam said and hung up.

Cash's panther stirred restlessly in his chest, unhappy with upsetting their alpha but also thrilled at the nearness of the eagle. Ignoring what that could mean, Cash turned south on a road half a mile outside of Silver Oak.

He and Pops lived in an A-frame cabin a little way away from the rest of the pack. His grandfather had built it for his nan when they were first mated, keeping it updated over the decades. There was a small outbuilding Pops used to see patients from the pack, but otherwise, it was just them and the trees. When Cash had moved in with them when he was eight, it had become the only real home he'd ever had.

He knew Pops would be there, even though it was the middle of the day, because it was right in the middle of his favorite soap opera. Pops never missed it, not since he'd retired a few years ago. He'd owned a veterinary clinic in the next town over for decades, his grandmother running the reception desk and keeping the schedule—and his grandfather—on task.

After Nan passed away, Pops had said it wasn't the same anymore and had sold the business to a human, deciding to retire. He couldn't fully stop working though. Pops was the only healer they had in the pack, which Cash knew was just one of many concerns on Liam's plate.

While a lot of the pack liked keeping their size small, it was proving… problematic. The median age of their pack members was rising; not enough young people were coming to the area to help replenish those aging and retiring like his Pops. Too many members were avidly against opening their pack to non-cat shifters or even just actively trying to encourage new cats to move to the area.

If they didn't though, within a couple of generations, there wouldn't be a pack left to protect from outsiders.

Their A-frame came into view, the top peak visible over the tops of the trees nearby. Turning onto their driveway, he rumbled up the rutted path and parked next to Pops's older sedan.

When he turned the truck off, the eagle stirred, turning his head into Cash's thigh and rubbing his face against his jeans, making a faint, confused sound.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Cash asked quietly, running his fingers through that soft hair again.

The eagle made another noise, smashing his face harder into Cash. His panther rumbled happily at the scenting, even though it was obviously accidental.

"Can you tell me your name or what happened to you?"

He didn't say anything, and his body went lax against Cash's a moment later. Sighing, he carefully slipped out of his truck and moved around to the other side to grab the bird. He was walking up onto the porch when the front door opened, and Pops stared at him, his bushy gray eyebrows raised in question.

"Now, who's this?"

"I don't know." He looked down at the eagle, his grip tightening a fraction as a protective instinct flared inside him, but he stomped it out. "He flew through the warding along the western edge of the territory. When I found him…"

Cash hesitated. Should he tell anyone the little bird had asked for help? Would that make a difference once he was awake and able to move?

Probably not.

He wasn't a part of their pack. He wasn't their responsibility.

And yet…

His panther growled at the very idea of sending the eagle on his way without helping him.

"He just said he needed help, and then he passed out."

"Well, bring him in, bring him in." Pops stepped back and pointed with his cane toward the living room. "Lay him on the couch."

Cash maneuvered himself and the unconscious man through the door and past his grandfather, but then he headed toward the kitchen instead. "The couch is too low for you to examine him, Pops."

He huffed behind him but didn't argue, limping as quickly as he could toward their small rectangle kitchen table and clearing the few things sitting on it. Cash laid the man down, surprised at how little of the bird's legs hung over the edge.

He really was a tiny thing, and it just made Cash want to protect him even more. He lingered, not wanting to stop touching that smooth skin or leave him undefended. Goddess, what was this man doing to him?

"Go and grab my bag, son."

He did, hurrying into his grandfather's bedroom and grabbing his medical bag. Pops had just started examining the eagle when there was a knock at the door. It opened before he could do more than turn to look, Liam coming through first but Fern right behind him. Their alpha towered over her at six foot five to her five foot. Her sweet, freckled face was set in a serious expression as she zeroed in on Pops and the bird and hurried forward, pulling her long, wavy hair up into a messy bun as she moved.

"What are we looking at, Terry?"

"I'm not sure," Pops said, frowning. "He's definitely not well, but I'm not sure what's wrong. There's no visible wound or injury."

"Wolfsbane poisoning?" she said, dropping the small duffel she called a purse on a chair and pulling it open. "I've got some antidote in here."

"Maybe. It's usually introduced through a wound though," Pops said, studying the soles of the eagle's feet for some reason. "I suppose it could have been slipped into something he ingested."

Cash's heartbeat thumped heavily in his ears as his eyes found Liam's all on their own, looking for reassurance from his alpha. Liam beckoned him over, and Cash didn't hesitate, only stopping once he was right in front of the lion. They were about the same height, but the power radiating from Liam made him feel small and safe, easing a little of the tension inside him.

"I know what you're going to say," Cash said quietly, averting his gaze and tipping his head to the side to expose his throat out of respect. When Liam didn't respond, he chanced a quick glance and saw the side of Liam's mouth was tipped up in a small smile.

He clasped the side of Cash's neck, using his big palm to scent him and calm him further. "No, you don't. You did the right thing. He might not be our responsibility, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve our help."

Cash nodded slowly, relieved that his alpha wasn't actually upset with him.

"He didn't say anything to you?"

Cash shook his head. "He just… He asked me to help him and then passed out."

Liam nodded, eyes on the table behind Cash. His palm moved against the side of Cash's neck, gently sliding up and down to leave his scent behind. The gesture was common among close shifters, especially family, but it felt different coming from an alpha. Even more so from one Cash respected and trusted.

"We'll do what we can," Liam decided, giving his neck a squeeze and dropping his hand to his side. He shifted his attention to Cash. "If need be, we can help him get to another pack if he's running from something."

Cash's panther snarled at the idea, but he kept himself contained. His panther needed to fucking chill. "Yes, Alpha."

The two of them stood there for a while, watching Pops and Fern work without seeming to make much progress. After nearly an hour, Fern sighed and came over to them. Pieces of her strawberry blonde hair had escaped her bun, but she just swiped at them irritably.

"Something is preventing him from healing," she said, glancing back at the eagle. "Something I've never seen before."

"Okay. What does that mean for him?" Liam asked, crossing his arms over his wide chest.

Cash unconsciously mimicked his stance, watching the witch as she rubbed at her face.

"I don't know. He's definitely been dosed with something," she said, her tone a little frustrated, though not with them. She didn't like not knowing the answers to problems. Her scent was thick with worry too, and that made Cash's apprehension grow. "Whatever it is, it's not wolfsbane because it's not reacting at all to the antidote. Even if it was some strain we hadn't seen before, the generic antidote would have some effect. So it's something else, something that has… invaded his body and is suppressing his healing or stopping it from kicking in somehow."

"Will he wake up?" Liam asked.

Cash's heart jumped into his throat.

Fern shrugged. "We're not sure. If we can figure out something to help his body fight it, it might be enough of a boost that his healing will be able to overcome whatever it is. But we need more answers."

Pops shuffled over behind her. "I can run some tests on his blood here, but a proper lab will be able to tell more."

Liam nodded. "Do what you need to do to try and keep him alive and get him feeling better."

They both nodded and moved back over toward the table, Fern telling Pops she was going to call in some more coven members to come and help. Pops pulled out his phone to call a friend who worked in a lab. Liam clasped his shoulder briefly, and then he headed out the door, telling Cash to update him frequently.

Cash's eyes stayed on the profile of the eagle, his feet unwilling to move from their spot of vigil.

Where could he have come into contact with something neither Fern nor Pops had ever seen before? Something that was preventing his parahuman healing from kicking in and fighting off the infection? He wasn't sure, and he didn't like that.

"Is it contagious?" he asked once Fern and Pops finished their calls.

Fern looked over at him and shook her head. "I doubt it. I think it was done on purpose to hurt him specifically."

Cash's fists clenched at his sides. "To kill him," he clarified.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "To kill him."