(BLUE'S POV)
Blake shifted back to his human form with a series of cracks and pops that would have been gruesome to witness if I hadn't seen it a thousand times before. He pulled clothes from the bag he had been carrying in his jaws—simple traveling clothes, warm and practical—and dressed quickly.
"How do you want to handle this?" he asked, his voice rough from the shift.
"Directly."
I turned to face the tree line, my senses pinpointing each of the six presences hiding in the shadows. They were clustered together, close enough to support each other, far enough to flee if necessary.
They were completely scared now.
Good.
I let my voice rise, carrying through the cold mountain air with the weight of a call.
"You can come out now."
Complete silence. The wind howled. The stars watched. The six presences didn't move.
