Chapter 79

Violet navigates a tense encounter with Xaden's mother Talia while Xaden remains in their room. When Violet learns that Talia has other children with her current husband, Xaden's emotional walls harden as he grapples with abandonment and the freedom that comes from bartering away his feelings. The triumvirate will attend dinner that evening, raising the stakes for their mission.

Violet intercepts Talia at the bedroom door, politely deflecting her attempts to see Xaden while accepting food and acknowledging the letters she sent. Alone with Xaden on the veranda, Violet finds him withdrawn and struggling with the revelation that his mother abandoned him as a child—she left on his tenth birthday after baking him chocolate cake. Xaden admits he's aware of his emotional numbness and explains the addictive quality of that numbness, comparing it to skating on frozen water rather than swimming through pain. When Sgaeyl roars in distress over her inability to use her power without magic, Xaden tries to comfort her, and the dragons take flight. Talia rushes out to check on two young boys—Simeon and Gaius—revealing she has built a new family since Xaden's birth. This discovery hardens Xaden further; he realizes his mother didn't just remarry but created an entirely new life without him. Despite Violet's pleas for him not to barter away his emotions, Xaden agrees to attend dinner and goes to wash up, his defenses fully rebuilt. Violet, alarmed by his detachment and learning the triumvirate will attend dinner that night, confides in Mira. Together they present Talia with a vial of dried arinmint tea—a gift from Brennan that Violet hopes will ease tensions.