CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

After discovering her signet is lightning—which she used to kill Jack Barlowe during the wing battle—Violet struggles with guilt and the realization that her power is inherently destructive. Xaden confronts her with the hard truth that her ability is necessary for protecting the kingdom, while she grapples with becoming the very weapon she feared. That night, Xaden visits her room, and their tension culminates in a kiss.

Violet lands in the flight field after the battle, traumatized by killing Jack Barlowe. She learns from Tairn that Liam survived his wound and that Andarna exhausted herself helping in the fight. As Fourth Wing celebrates their victory, Violet is wracked with guilt and nausea. Dain attempts to comfort her, suggesting she doesn't have to use her lightning power again, but Xaden arrives and rejects this coddling, pushing her to accept that her signet is a weapon necessary for defending the kingdom and saving lives. Rhiannon escorts Violet back to the citadel, commenting on how fast Tairn moved to save Liam—a moment Violet cannot fully explain due to Tairn's warning about keeping dragon secrets. Later, alone in her room throwing daggers at a target, Violet spirals over the destructive nature of her power and how it reveals her true nature. Xaden visits her, and after Violet expresses her anguish about becoming a killer and how her signet contradicts her hope of being like her healer brother Brennan, Xaden tells her she has agency in how she uses her power. He offers himself as an outlet for her anger and frustration, and Violet kisses him instead.