Daemen led me outside. The open-air courtyard attached to the banquet hall was frigid, but my cheeks were so hot I barely felt cold.
Daemen stood with his back to me in the center of the courtyard beneath the decorative archway. Fairy lights sparkled in the darkness, illuminating his pale hair like a halo. He looked like an angel.
I didn't know what to say or do. Daemen had asked me to come outside with him, but what for? He almost seemed frazzled, which was out of character for him. I wondered if I'd said something wrong during dinner, or done something bothersome.
"Daemen?" I asked hesitantly.
He didn't turn around, which worried me. "There's something I have to tell you, Miguel. A couple things, actually."
My stomach twisted. Shit. That never meant anything good. My anxiety ramped up. I was suddenly worried that Daemen would say this game was too difficult or annoying, and that he didn't want to do it anymore. I'd be alone for the wedding, but worse than that, he'd be gone from my life.
And I wasn't ready for that.
I swallowed the nervous lump in my throat. "You can tell me anything," I said, sounding more confident than I felt.
Daemen glanced over his shoulder with a smile. Was it just me or did he look apprehensive, too? What could the most calm, collected man I knew possibly be nervous about?
"No more putting it off, I suppose," Daemen mused to himself. He strode up to me and put his hands on my shoulders. "You're not a screamer, are you, Miguel?"
"Huh?"
Daemen tilted his head. "No, I don't think you are. Anyway, try not to draw too much attention to us in the next few moments, okay?"
I had no idea what he was talking about. "Okay."
Daemen closed his eyes.
And then something very weird happened.
My eyes played a whole lot of tricks on me. It must've been the lights in the evening darkness, or maybe someone spiked my drink at dinner. Either way, whatever I saw with my eyes couldn't be trusted.
Because Daemen had just grown wings. And horns. And a tail.
I blinked, then blinked again when they didn't disappear the first time. I rubbed my eyes to no avail.
"How... did you put on that costume while I was watching you?" I asked, baffled.
Daemen grinned. His teeth looked sharper than usual. "It's not a costume."
I looked around, trying to find the source of this trickery. Did this wedding venue double as a movie set or something?
"You won't find anything, Miguel. This is real."
"But... you grew wings."
"Want to touch them?" He winked. "Maybe then you'll believe it."
In a gesture that was both natural yet strange, Daemen moved his wing towards me. It was like a bat's wing, smooth and powerful. The mottled dark red leather felt oddly nice to the touch. At the tips of his wings were sharp black claws like eagle talons.
"How is this possible?" I asked, thinking up plausible explanations. "Wait, I got it. These are really intricate animatronics."
Daemen sounded amused. "That's a good guess. One problem, though. These wings are coming out of my back."
I didn't believe him until I checked it myself. They were attached to him.
"How?" I sputtered.
He waved a hand. "Oh, you know. Magic, humans not being able to comprehend certain supernatural phenomena, that sort of thing."
