She rolls her eyes, shovel-sharp and unimpressed.
Then later, I tell her who I am.
“I am Dagan,” I answer. “Lord of Earth. Warden of the Rooted Marches. Winged Demon of stone and storm.”
She thinks I am mad. Or lying. Or both.
So I drop the glamour.
Let the human disguise fall away in a wash of power.
Wings erupt from my back, obsidian and storm light.
The air distorts. Feathers scrape the winter-damp sky. The rebar hums with my presence and, for one perfect instant, her eyes go wide with recognition, not terror.
Then she faints.
I catch her before she hits the ground.
She fits against my chest more neatly than she should. Soft where I am stone. Warm where I am storm.
Her head lolls against my shoulder, lips parted on a soft exhale.
The power inside me surges, reaching for her.
“Of course,” I murmur. “The first time I find you, and you fall.”
I pull the glamour back into place with effort.
My wings fold into nothingness. Power recedes. Skin settles back into its human mimicry.
I carry her across the muddy lot toward the small metal trailer that reeks of coffee, paper, and stress. The door groans when I shoulder it open, and the cramped space inside is half desk, half filing cabinet, half clutter.
I lay her gently on the narrow bench along one wall and straighten, forcing myself to step back.
She stirs almost immediately.
Figures.
My brothers found viyellas who charge into fires and storms.
Of course mine would be the type to pass out only briefly, then wake ready to argue again.
Her lashes flutter. Dark, thick.
Warm brown eyes blink open.
She squints up at the ceiling first, then at the humming fluorescent lights, then at me.
“Did I…” she croaks, then clears her throat. “Did I imagine that?”
“No.” I keep my voice low. Solid. “You did not.”
Her gaze sharpens. She pushes herself upright slowly, one hand braced on the bench, the other pressing to her temple.
“You were—” She gestures vaguely, fingers miming wings. “And the… eyes. And the… wings. And that whole I am Lord of the Earth thing?”
“All real,” I confirm. “Though I am not Lord of the Earth, not this planet, just Earth as in dirt, stone, foundation.”
