Always there.
Always waiting.
"No cars," Victor said, voice carrying. "Too loud. Too obvious."
A ripple of agreement moved through the group. One by one, people straightened in their chairs or leaned forward, some crossing their arms while others exchanged glances.
Bone, fur, and scale surged like surf through camp as Snow Team and Ivan's people shifted to their beast forms. Wings unfurled. Hooves cracked concrete. Shadows deepened. Muscles tensed and reshaped into creatures designed for distance and destruction.
Damien crouched in front of Felicity and glanced back over his shoulder. "Up."
She climbed onto his back easily, settling between his shoulders as if she'd always belonged there. He rose smoothly, tail flicking once in satisfaction. The top half of his body was human, but his lower half was snake, his scales glinting in the light.
From her vantage point, she could see everything: her people.
Her responsibility.
