“I do.”
Her head snaps up.
“You’re joking.”
“I am not.”
Shock flashes across her face.
“Only the strongest Vrakken manifest wings,” I explain. “People know I have them. They just rarely see them.”
“Why hide them?”
“At court, everyone knows what I am. But I do not display them unless I choose to.”
“And you prefer people to underestimate you.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes search mine.
“Will you show me?”
Dangerous question. She is not asking for power. She is asking for trust.
I release the suppression spell slowly. Magic unfurls along my spine first, tight and coiled, then spreads outward in a smooth, controlled expansion.
Black wings emerge behind me, vast and shadowed, edged faintly in silver where firelight catches them. They fill the room.
Amelia inhales sharply.
“They’re…” She steps closer without realizing it. “Beautiful.”
I don’t remember the last time anyone used that word. She reaches out slowly.
“May I?”
I nod once. Her fingers brush the lower edge first. I do not expect the sensation. It is… sensitive. My wings react instinctively, shifting slightly, adjusting around her touch.
She stills.
“They feel,” she whispers, “like silk and heat.”
I almost laugh.
“They are not decorative.”
“I didn’t think they were.”
She moves her hand higher, more confident now.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
“For what?”
“For trusting me.”
I nod and she smiles.