Chapter Seventeen

Violet arrives at the Samara outpost and discovers Xaden fighting another rider, Jarrett, for a weekend pass. After an intense physical and emotional reunion in the underground fighting chamber, they struggle with their unresolved trust issues and conflicting desires for each other.

Violet lands at Samara, a remote, heavily fortified outpost in the Esben Mountains near the Poromiel border. Tairn warns her of a nearby venin drift as she enters the fortress. She locates Xaden's quarters on the third floor, finding his room empty except for his personal belongings. Following their bond connection, she descends to the sublevel where she discovers Xaden engaged in an unsanctioned fistfight with Lieutenant Jarrett over a weekend pass—a brutal tradition at the outpost where fighters compete for leave. Violet watches, entranced and conflicted by her attraction to him despite their unresolved issues. Xaden wins the fight decisively after she mentally urges him to stop playing with his opponent. After the other riders leave, they share an intense kiss in the chamber, but Xaden pulls back, refusing to use sex as a tool to rebuild her trust. He declares he wants her love and commitment, not just her body, marking a shift in his approach to winning her back. They move to his quarters where Violet bathes and they share a meal. Xaden reveals that the rebellion has been smuggling daggers made from a special alloy that powers the wards—the only weapons capable of killing venin. The alloy must be imbued with a rider's power and requires a luminary and dragon fire to smelt. He refuses to discuss classified details and redirects to training her shields before she falls asleep.