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Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Xaden blearily opened his eyes, his disorientation increasing as he was met with more darkness. He quickly blinked to clear the dust from his eyes. Before he could properly take in his surroundings, he noticed a throbbing pain on his right thigh. He tried to sit up to investigate, but was met by hard stone pinning him down. As his eyes adjusted, he realized a portion of what looked like a stone pillar was pinning his leg and part of his lower torso to the ground.

With a grunt, he tried to push it off of him, to no avail. He enlisted his shadows to help him push, but he was exceptionally stuck. Xaden aimlessly cast his hands around the floor, trying to find something to try to pry the stone off of him, when he suddenly felt a soft palm and slim fingers coated in dust to the left of him. His eyes widened, and he stopped breathing, his body going impossibly still. He could recognize that soft skin anywhere. His heart furiously beat against his chest like a caged bird as the events of the day hit him like a wyvern in the sky.

Xaden and Violet had taken on the mission to investigate a long forgotten temple of Malek within the Cliffs of Dralor to look for information on the Irids. They had reason to believe an old scribe had hidden scrolls of a “mysterious dragon” in a chamber under the temple. However, when they arrived, they quickly encountered a deadly trap. The last thing he remembered was a rigged explosive going off and him enveloping Violet in his arms before everything went black.

Xaden felt his entire body trembling as he struggled to reach further to her wrist and try to feel her pulse.

Fear.

World-ending, earth-shattering fear he had never felt before in his entire life crushed his chest like a 100 stone pillars. He forced his hand to stop trembling, closed his eyes, and held his breath as he pressed two desperate fingers to her wrist.

After a terrible, horrible moment, he let out a pathetic groan of relief as he felt a weak heartbeat pulsing slowly under her wrist.

“Thank Malek,” he whispered under a shaky breath. He felt again one more time just to be sure he wasn’t imagining things. He clutched her small hand in his, letting him regain his bearings for a moment. He had absolutely no time to think of what could’ve been.

“Violet,” Xaden croaked out, his throat still coated in dust.

No response.

“Violet!” He tried again, this time a bit louder after clearing his throat and shaking her wrist.

Again no answer.

Xaden closed his eyes, and tried to calm his breathing down. There was no way he would be able to get them both out of here alive if he could not stay calm. Even though his heart was still beating furiously in his chest, he counted to 50 aloud and as slow as he could. Around 27, his heart lurched as he heard a soft, pained whimper.

*
“Violet?!” Xaden said, as he heard her start to stir.

“Xaden?” Violet whispered after a moment, her voice not quite coming back to her yet. Violet heard a tremendous sigh of relief. Her eyes were still shut, but his firm and familiar grip on her wrist told her she was safe.

“Easy… you’re okay. I’m right here,” Xaden said in a soft voice. “Can you open your eyes for me?”

Even though there was very little light where they were trapped, Xaden’s eyes had had time to adjust and acclimate to the darkness, with a little help from lesser magic.

Violet’s head felt so incredibly foggy. She felt like she was underwater, the only tether tying her back to the surface being his touch. She decided to hold on to that as tight as she could.

“D-don’t let go,” She managed to whisper out through her disorientation and confusion.

“I won’t. I promise.”

Something had to be very wrong. Xaden was speaking far too softly for her liking. That thought spurred her mind into a little more activity, and she realized she had to open her eyes, no matter how glued shut they felt.

However, she wasn’t sure if she had even managed that, seeing as she was met with more darkness.

“Where am I?” She whispered after a few moments of letting her eyes adjust. Through her brain fog, she started to distantly recognize pain. A lot of it.

“Do you remember what happened?” Xaden asked kindly. Violet’s breathing quickened a bit. She did not remember. She racked her brain but she just felt like she was trapped in a maze and kept hitting dead end after dead end. She tried to shake her head no but her neck was so incredibly stiff.

“No,” She whispered, hoping whatever noise she made sounded like no to him. She felt his grip on her wrist tighten a moment before loosening again. But that grip felt so incredibly far away for some reason.

“That’s alright, I’m sure it will come back to you,” Xaden said in a hoarse and deep voice, like he had just woken up. At that, a small panic entered Violet.

“Are-are you okay? Are you hurt?” She said in a hurry. She turned her head slowly to the sound of his voice, her neck barely obeying her. At that, she found Xaden staring at her with intense worry and concern in his eyes. But the first thing she noticed was how beautiful he was, like always. Dust coated his face and clothes, and he had a cut near his hairline whose blood had now dried down to his eyebrow. But still, so so beautiful. She also noticed he lit a small orb of light near their faces with lesser magic, so that they could somewhat see each other’s features. He answered with a strangled chuckle.

“I’m okay Violence. But my leg is pinned down by a stone beam so I can’t get up,” He answered. Almost sensing her next question he added, “It doesn’t hurt, it’s mostly numb now anyway.”

She gave him a weak nod, but she felt like she could actually breathe for a moment, even with all the dust polluting her lungs. “Good,” she breathed out. “What happened?”

“Do you remember the temple of Malek we went to investigate near the Cliffs of Dralor?” Xaden asked. He didn’t wait for her answer so as to make her not feel bad for not remembering. He would have to shove his deep, deep concern for that somewhere else. “My guess is the venin planted that tip about the Irids to lure us into a trap. Then the temple collapsed above us. I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

Violet didn’t want to admit that a lot of what he just said sounded like a bit of jumbled nonsense. She really must’ve hit her head. She blinked hard a couple times to try to clear a bit of the brain fog.

Xaden must’ve seen the confusion in her eyes. His grip on her wrist tightened, concern and deep fear etched into every feature of his face.

“Violet, can you concentrate for me?” He asked, bringing her wandering attention back to him. Her eyes found his and she gave him a nod. “I need you to try to sit up, and see if you’re hurt.”

Right. Sitting up. Violet couldn’t believe she was so disoriented she didn’t think to do that first.

Slowly, she moved the hand Xaden wasn’t holding to support her to sit up. She felt water under her, and made a mental note to try to figure out if they could follow the source to find a way out of here later. She tensed her abdomen to sit up, and at that, a bliding, soaring pain ran through her like an electric shock of her own lightning. She strangled a gasp, the corners of her vision going dark and ears ringing violently. She quickly fell back down to the floor, gasping for air. After a couple moments the ringing in her ear subsided before Xaden’s voice came into focus.

“Violet! Talk to me, what is it? Violet!” Xaden said, in a clear panic.

“It's- it’s alright,” She said between gasps. The pain was now roaring throughout her blood like hot lava in her veins. She had never in her life felt pain like this before. She couldn’t even tell where it was coming from, only that it was there. A lot of it.

“-let, Violet! I need you to focus for me love.” Xaden said. Violet’s attention slowly snapped back into place. Xaden was trying very hard to calm himself, but fear threatened to take over and make him want to tear his hair out. Violet was not hearing him, and he was lying there helpless while she was lying just a couple inches away, gasping in pain.

“Mmhmm,” Violet responded, trying to calm the lava in her veins

“I need you to reach down and feel where you are hurt,”

“O-kay,” She bit out. She messily cast her free hand around the plane of her stomach, until she hit a metal rod.
A cold, dusty, metal rod, protruding out of the right side of her stomach.
With a sick feeling, she suddenly realized that she was not lying in water.

It was a pool of her own blood.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

“-and then Bodhi was sick for two weeks after smoking that stupid plant,” Xaden finished, the fond memory bringing him back to another time. 

Violet let out a little chuckle, which was quickly met with a pained hiss and her screwing her eyes shut. Violet and Xaden had been exchanging stories for the past hour. They talked about everything, from childhood stories to mythical ones. Xaden had entirely no idea how Violet was still awake and talking, but part of him knew it was for him. 

“How are you doing Violence?” Xaden said quickly, concern evident in his features. He still gripped her hand tightly. 

“I’m tired,” She whispered honestly. Her voice hadn’t been above a whisper for sometime now. But the exchanging of stories helped her stay a bit more focused. 

“I know my love. Just a little while longer. They should be close now,” Xaden said, stroking her hand with his thumb. Violet stayed quiet. 

Xaden glanced over at her, finding her eyebrows bunched together in pain, sweat coated her face and arms. Her body was racked with tremors, and she was so incredibly pale. 

Xaden would give the entire world to switch places with her right now. He would give absolutely anything. He despised himself for not being able to save her right this second. 

Suddenly, he noticed that her eyes had slipped shut. 

“Violence, open your eyes,” Xaden said sternly. 

No response. 

“Violet!” He shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. Her eyes fluttered. 

“Xaden.” She whispered after a moment. “I love you. So much.” She squeezed his hand with as much force as she could muster. 

“I love you too. You are going to be fine ,” Xaden pleaded, tears welling in his eyes. She was going to be fine. She had to be fine. 

“Jusslet me say what I need to say.” 

Xaden wanted to shout and scream at her for even thinking like that, but instead he stayed silent.

“I love you. More than you will ever know. And I need you to tell Mira-,” 

“No.” Xaden interrupted. He couldn’t do this. 

“Xaden-,”

“No. I am NOT losing you. You are going to be okay. You have to be,” He shouted, his voice cracking as tears slipped down his face. Violet turned to face him again, whimpering at the pain and effort it took to do so. The desperation he couldn’t hide anymore flooded his face. His entire body was taut, his lips and eyebrows so tense. She wanted to reach out and smooth those lines on his face so badly. 

“I wish I could touch you,” She whispered. At that, more tears escaped his eyes. 

“Soon Violet. Soon I promise,” 

At that, she gave him a weak nod. Violet’s eyelids were so incredibly heavy. She didn’t feel much pain anymore, more like she was swimming in syrup. Her body was screaming but slowly, like it wasn’t registering right. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. 

“Tell me about the first time you saw me,” Xaden said, a half smirk under his concerned eyes. 

“I thought you were beautiful,” Violet said, no hesitation. Xaden let out a small chuckle. 

“Did you?” he asked, brushing her knuckles. “I looked like hell that day.”

“You still do,” Violet teased, her voice barely a whisper, but the ghost of a smile tugged at her lips. It made his heart squeeze.

Xaden exhaled through his nose, a soft laugh that trembled with the effort of staying calm. “Was that before or after you darted behind that wall like I was some monster?”

“I was hiding,” she murmured, her eyes fluttering closed. “But you found me.”

There was silence for a few heartbeats. Hers weak and faltering, his thundering and terrified. He looked up at the low stone ceiling they were stuck under. Xaden thought back to that day as well. She looked terrified, but brave. Too entirely brave and beautiful. 

“I’ll always find you,” Xaden replied, turning back to face her. And then his heart stopped entirely. Something was different. 

“Violet?” He said in a small voice. Her hand was no longer gripping his. It was entirely limp. Her eyes were closed, pale lips parted, and a cold sweat on her flushed skin.

No response. 

“Violet. Please.” He whispered, eyes growing huge. 

He gripped her wrist, staying so incredibly still to concentrate on her pulse. He genuinely didn’t know if he was imagining a weak pulse or not. The tears started flowing. 

“Violet!” He shouted, her name echoing off the walls like a taunt. “Violet, wake up!” 

Nothing. 

“Violet. Violet! Stay with me!” He screamed, his voice cracking. He grabbed her wrist and pulled, shook, scratched while screaming her name over and over. 

But she lay there, eyes closed, and he couldn’t even tell if she was breathing. 

This was it. This was hell. Xaden sobbed her name over and over as he shook her arm. 

“Violet, stay with me! Please!” He begged. “Please! Don’t leave me!” He repeated like a chant. He didn’t remember life without her, and never wanted to again. 

He stared at his home, and it was in ruins.

Suddenly, the rocks above them shifted with a tremendous amount of power.

Chapter Text

Violet heard a deep, sensual, familiar voice, but it was like she was listening through glass. He sounded distressed, and she didn’t know exactly why. He was talking to someone named Violet, asking her to come back to him. 

No, begging. Pleading to her. 

But on the other side of the glass, the dark beckoned to her like a mother’s embrace. 

No, it was her mother. 

With her arms open wide, a gentle smile she had never seen in her life gracing her mother’s face. But something wasn’t right. 

Her mother was dead. 

And this place, between the glass with the warm, familiar voice and the strange, smiling mother was not right. 

Come my darling. 

You are safe here. 

I will take all the pain away.  

Pain. 

Such pain scorched through Violet like a thousand bolts of lightning. 

Suddenly, her mother’s arms didn’t look so scary. 

*

Xaden squinted his eyes, his hand coming up to shade his face instinctively. The sun shone glaringly bright on his face. 

“A little more!” He heard a familiar voice call. His entire chest let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in as he immediately recognized Garrick’s voice. The stone above his head moved, sending rocks and dust flying at him. 

They had come for them. 

Xaden’s voice was hoarse but he shouted “We're over here! Help her!”

The blue sky was a disturbingly beautiful sight to Xaden. He didn’t realize how long they had been in the dark. Suddenly, Garrick’s face popped into view. 

“Damn, you look like shit,” He started. He jumped off of his dragon into a stable part of the rubble. “Where’s-,” 

Garrick stopped in his tracks when he saw Violet. His face went pale, eyes popping out of his head. He then glanced at Xaden, tears still streaming down his face. 

“Garrick is she breathing?” He said, frantically. Garrick stayed still, eyes still fixed on the rod protruding out of her stomach. 

“IS SHE BREATHING?!” He shouted, his voice breaking, and Garrick jumped into action. Xaden heard other voices, but he didn’t care. 

Garrick had to climb down a couple pieces of rubble before he reached them. He very carefully approached her. 

Another man being so close to her while she was so vulnerable made him want to jump out of his skin. But he waited, as Garrick put his ear above her mouth.

“I- I think so,” Garrick finally answered, after the most agonizing five seconds of Xaden’s entire life. “But it’s not good. I don’t even know if we can move her. We need to get her to Brennan. ”

“Please tell me he’s here,” Xaden pleaded. The pained look that Garrick gave him was all he needed to know. Then, a shrill voice interrupted him. 

“Oh my gods, Violet!” Rhiannon cried, and she jumped down to them, along with Sawyer and Ridoc. Ridoc covered his mouth with his hand. 

“She’s breathing. We need to get them out of here and back to Brennan now,” Garrick commanded. If the situation was different, Xaden might even have been proud of him. 

“How-how do we move her?” Rhi said, still staring at Violet with big eyes. 

“Keep the rod in. It’s the only thing that has stopped her from bleeding out at this point,” Xaden said, voice trembling. He had a lot of time, too much time, to think about how he was going to get her out. He was going to have to beat Garrick’s ass later for the look of utter pity he was giving him. “Tell me you brought a damn stretcher.” 

Ridoc nodded, still at a loss for words. 

“Good. Xaden snapped. “Then get it down here. Now.”

Ridoc sprang into action, fumbling with the straps of the stretcher as Sawyer helped him lower it from the ledge. Rhiannon dropped to her knees beside Violet, brushing a blood-matted curl away from her forehead with shaking fingers.

“She’s ice-cold,” she whispered.

“She’s lost too much blood,” Xaden replied, his voice hoarse. At that, they glanced at the pool of blood surrounding her body, now drying. 

“We need to get you out of here too buddy. How bad is the leg?” Garrick asked, but it sounded very distant to Xaden. His eyes were only on Violet, making sure her small chest was still rising and falling, no matter how subtly. 

“Hey!” Garrick said, grabbing Xaden’s collar. Xaden would’ve punched him square in the nose if only he was fucking upright. “The only way you can help her is if you’re not under a stone pillar. You need to get yourself together here.” 

Xaden gave him icy, cold, ‘ I’m going to murder you’ eyes, but he knew he was right. “Then get this fucking thing off of me,” He hissed. Garrick rolled his eyes. 

“Aye aye Captain.” 

After a couple minutes, Garrick had the stone pillar tied to Sgaeyl, who gently lifted it off of him. At least as gently as an enormous dragon could. He couldn’t help the shout of pain as it finally, finally lifted off of him. 

His leg was dangerously numb, and no doubt a shade of blue, but he scrambled up, his leg being of no use. The world tilted around him as a wave of dizziness hit him. 

“Easy man, you gotta slow down,” Garrick said, putting a hand on his shoulder as he scrambled to Violet.

“Get your fucking hand off of me. Now.” He hissed, and then put his ear to Violet’s chest. He needed to hear for himself. 

“Yeah, that's the last time I'm saving your ass,” Garrick mumbled as he walked away, helping the others get the stretchers ready. “Big greedy asshole is going to need one too.” 

“I’m fine,” Xaden said sternly. He kept his head on her chest as he felt the shallow rise and fall. He put his hand on her cheek. Rhi was right, she was ice cold. Xaden's hand trembled slightly as it cupped Violet’s face, the warmth from his palm leaching into her skin with no return. Her breathing was shallow. Too shallow. Each breath seemed like a question, a gamble. He swallowed hard, jaw clenched so tightly it ached.

“You’re not leaving me,” he whispered, more to himself than to her. “Not like this. Not now.” The words echoed uselessly in the broken silence around them, barely audible over the wind and chaos of the others preparing the dragons. 

Her eyelids fluttered. Just once. It could have been a muscle spasm. A nerve misfiring. But to him, it was hope.

“Hey, hey, I see you,” he said quickly, leaning closer. “I see you, Violet. Come back to me.”

He gritted his teeth, pressing his forehead to hers. The cold of her skin shocked him once more.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, his breath hitching. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve protected you. I should’ve been faster. Stronger. Smarter. I should’ve-,” He cut himself off, swallowing the burn in his throat. The tears fell down his cheeks again. 

He brushed his thumb gently across her cheek, not sure if she could feel it. Not sure if he could feel it anymore. His whole body was buzzing, blood still rushing back into his numb leg, but the pain there meant nothing compared to the scream inside him.

A shadow passed overhead as Sgaeyl circled low, waiting. He didn’t even glance up.

“Come back to me,” he begged. “Please. Come back.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

“Keep that damn leg elevated,” 

“Don’t tell me what to do,” 

“Gods, you’re insufferable today,” 

“It’s been eight days, Brennan.” 

Violet heard familiar voices circling above her head, but they sounded so incredibly far away. She felt like she was swimming to the surface, the voices becoming closer and closer.

“Brennan! Did you see that?” A deep, familiar voice said urgently. 

“No. Just like I didn’t see it the last 15 times.” 

The familiar voice groaned. “She fluttered her eyes.” 

The voices grew louder. Familiar. Grounding.

It felt like floating. Drifting. Violet was somewhere in between, hovering in a space that didn’t feel quite real. She wasn’t sure if she was dreaming or remembering or existing at all. Her body felt impossibly heavy, like she was made of stone and shadows, but her mind was light, untethered, like a thread being pulled slowly back into her skin.

A dull, aching hum echoed through her, like someone had pressed on every bruise she’d ever had at once. Her limbs didn’t belong to her. She couldn’t feel them, not properly. The cold was still there, lingering at the edges of her senses, but it was no longer gripping her lungs. When she tried to move, nothing happened.

She tried again.

This time, her fingers twitched.

And the world, fractured and distant, began to reel her back in.

Light swamped her senses, and she heard a large commotion across from her. She could barely open her eyes to slits, but a familiar, beautiful face flooded her field of vision. 

“Give her some space,” Another voice said. The beautiful face swam in and out of focus, his lips moving but the sound not quite registering yet. 

“-let. Violet? Can you hear me?” The voice said, his voice so soft like a lullaby. He reached up to stroke her cheek. “You’re alright my love. You’re safe. Can you open your eyes for me?”  

Violet tried to open her eyes, but the light in the room was too much for her. 

“Close the blinds. And turn off the light,” The beautiful man commanded. Violet wondered if he had just read her mind. 

*

“That’s it. Good,” Xaden said as Violet’s beautiful eyes fluttered open. He could get on his knees at that very second as he finally saw her blue green eyes once more. He was so insanely terrified that he would never see them again just moments ago. 

Eight days. 

For eight days, she lay there, heart beating weakly and breathing so shallow that sometimes he tricked himself into thinking she wasn’t breathing at all. 

But she was.

She was fighting, so hard. 

Brennan had worked on her for days before she was able to get to a stable point. She still wasn’t even fully healed, as Brennan didn’t want to overwhelm her body or his powers. 

Brennan claimed that she wasn’t waking up because her mind needed time to catch up to her body. So Xaden sat by her, stupid leg elevated, every minute of every day. 

He didn’t care that he was neglecting his duties, or his leadership role. He needed her to be okay. He needed her. 

“You’re alright,” Xaden said gently. Suddenly, her eyes screwed shut, and a pained whimper escaped her lips. Xaden immediately went into alarm mode. 

“Brennan! What is it? What’s wrong?” He said hurriedly. Brennan went to the other side of Violet’s bed, since there was no way in hell he was going to get Xaden to move. 

“Hey Vi, you’re okay,” Brennan said calmly, hovering his hands over her abdomen. “Deep breaths, like we used to do with dad, remember?” 

Violet’s eyes shifted to Brennan, and she complied, breathing shallowly in and out. She tried to say something, but it didn’t work the first time. 

“What was that Vi?”

“Ouch,” She whispered. 

Xaden paused for a moment, and then the panic he’d barely been holding back surged to the surface.

“Where?” he asked, his voice tight, controlled only by sheer force of will. He took her hand in his, pressing it gently between his palms. “Where does it hurt, Violet?”

Her brows furrowed, the effort to speak clearly taking everything she had. “Side. Right.”

Brennan glanced up at Xaden. “She could be bleeding internally. We need to check now.”

“I’m not moving,” Xaden said flatly, one arm still cradling her shoulders. His other hand moved to gently brush her damp hair from her forehead. “I’ve got her. Just tell me what to do.”

Brennan didn’t argue. He pressed his hands gently but firmly along Violet’s side, watching closely for any reaction. Brennan’s eyes narrowed, and he moved fast but gentle, carefully lifting the edge of the blanket and pressing two fingers just below her ribs. Violet flinched with a breathy gasp. Xaden winced at the sight. Her abdomen was horribly bruised around the bandage. 

“Still tender,” Brennan muttered. “But not as bad as before. Pain’s a good sign, it means her body’s waking up. Nerves firing again. She’s still healing.”

Xaden exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for hours. He leaned in, brushing his lips across Violet’s knuckles. “You scared the hell out of me,” he whispered. Brennan left the room to grab gods know what. 

She tried to smile, lips barely curving. “You always… worry.”

“Damn right I do.” His voice cracked. “Eight days, Vi. Eight.”

She blinked slowly, eyes glassy but sharp. “Was it bad?”

He huffed a laugh, raw and broken. Then, without helping it, tears started silently rolling down his face once more. He had never cried this much in his damn life. 

“Oh, Xaden,” Violet whispered. She slowly extended her hand, wincing a little, and softly brushed the tears from his face. 

“I almost lost you,” He whispered, voice breaking. 

“You didn’t. I’m right here,” She said, soothing the lines on his face and tracing over the dark circles under his eyes with her thumb. She lightly patted the space in the bed next to her. Xaden crawled in ever so gently, careful not to jostle her wounds. 

This.  This was all he had been wanting for days. He lifted her head and torso gently and positioned them so she was laying on his chest, her head in the crook of her neck. Xaden felt a very tight knot in his chest finally start to uncoil. He let out a deep breath. He looked down to Violet, who had a small, beautiful smile gracing her lips as she nestled into him. 

“I love you. So much,” Xaden said. He could collapse at how good it felt to say that after being so scared he would never be able to tell her again. 

“I love you too,” She mumbled, eyes fluttering closed again. Only this time, Xaden was so thankful she was able to get some rest. “Xaden?” 

“Yes my love,” 

“Stay?” 

“Always.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

“Shit,” Violet thought, as she leaned on the wall of the room. She didn’t mean to make noise, but a pain in her side made her whimper as a wave of dizziness hit so hard she couldn’t stand upright. She quickly, as expected, heard a commotion as Xaden leapt out of bed, hair a mess and eyes barely open. 

“Violet what are you doing?” He said sternly as he made his way over with long strides. He quickly enveloped her shoulders in his arms to steady her, taking the weight off of her feet. He knew better to pick her up after she gave him the don’t you dare eyes. 

“I had to pee. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” She said, but her stupid wound made her almost gasp the words out as she grasped at her side. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?” He said, concern evident in his features as he studied her up and down. Violet took her hand from her side, and it came back bloody. 

“Dammit Violet, you tore your stitches,” Xaden said softly as he held her so gently, like she was going to break. “You need to get back to bed, I’ll get Brennan.” 

“Xaden,” Violet said sternly as she stopped him from guiding her back to bed. “I am going to pee myself if I don’t get to a toilet.” 

At that, he gave her a concerned smile as he looked at her gown blooming red with blood.

“Alright, c’mon,” He said, and gathered her into his arms without waiting for a protest. She let out a little gasp, which made Xaden’s brows furrow. She shouldn’t still be in this much pain after all the mending Brenden did. “Violet what does the pain feel like?” He asked as he walked her over the bathroom. 

“It-burns,” She said, trying to keep her breathing even. The pain got much worse after her stitches tore, and was gradually increasing. She would feel worse for being such a burden to Xaden if the pain wasn’t at the forefront of her mind. “I’m sorry.”

Xaden just looked at her, puzzled, before his mouth set in a thin line. He helped her use the bathroom, so incredibly gently, and then scooped her up in his arms again before he broke his silence. 

Xaden held her close, one arm beneath her knees, the other around her back, as if cradling something sacred, something breakable. His jaw was clenched, but his eyes were soft, burning with worry and something deeper.

“Don’t you ever apologize,” he said quietly, his voice low and fierce in that way that made her heart ache. “Not to me. Not for this.”

She blinked up at him, tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t quite know if it was from his words or the pain. 

“You’re not a burden, Violet. You’re the strongest person I know, and I’m not helping you because I have to. I’m helping you because I love you. And I’ll carry you a thousand more times if that’s what it takes.”

He looked down at her, brushing a strand of sweat-damp hair from her forehead.

“You’re allowed to hurt. You’re allowed to need me. I want you to need me.” His voice cracked just slightly. “So don’t say sorry. Just… let me be here with you.”

Violet just looked into his onyx eyes, and then threw her arms around him, pain be damned, and nestled in his chest. “Alright,” She whispered. 

Xaden placed her in the bed as carefully as he could, her brows furrowed in pain. He reached the back of his knuckles to her forehead. 

“I think you’re hot,” He said, grimacing. 

“Thank you,” She said, smirking. At that, Xaden gave her a little chuckle. 

“I’m going to get Brennan. I’ll be right back.” He said, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Put pressure on that,” 

Xaden gestured to her wound, slowly still blossoming with blood. She gave him a weak nod. 

As soon as he was gone, the room felt colder.

Violet stared up at the ceiling, her hand pressed shakily to her side, fingers already slick with warmth. The pain was deep and pulsing now, but all she could do was breathe. Shallow, steady, like her father always taught her.

The door creaked open again, and Xaden returned with Brennan right behind him, the latter already rolling up his sleeves, healer's kit in hand. His hair was tousled on his head, like he had just rolled out of bed. It was the middle of the night. Xaden strode over to her side, and took her hand in his.

“Alright, Vi,” Brennan said briskly with a husky morning voice, although his voice was still gentle. “How are you holding up?”

“She tore the stitches,” Xaden said through gritted teeth, his fist clenching and unclenching at his sides. He looked like he was holding himself back from punching a wall. “And I think she may be running a fever.” 

At that, Brennan’s brows furrowed. He let out a frustrated hum as he felt her forehead. Violet was in pain, but her eyelids were also incredibly heavy. They dropped a bit.

“I’m sorry but you can’t sleep yet Vi. I have to check your wound. I’m worried you may have an infection.” Brennan said softly, his fingers moving with practiced efficiency as he peeled back the bloodied bandage.

Violet let out a sharp hiss, her fingers tightening in Xaden’s hand. The pain flared white-hot, radiating through her side like fire. Xaden was kneeling beside her again, one hand braced against the bed, the other gripping hers like an anchor.

“Shit,” Brennan muttered under his breath. “The edges are inflamed. It’s a sign of infection.”

Xaden's jaw ticked. “Then fix it.”

“I’m going to try, but I need time. And concentration.” Brennan said, lips pursed in a tight line. He looked a little too worried for Xaden’s comfort. “My mending is exactly that, it mends what’s broken. I can’t control infections. I’m afraid Vi’s gonna have to fight that on her own.” 

Anger ripped through Xaden once more. Anger at Brennan, at the Venin, anger at himself. 

“Is that why-it burns?” Violet said, her words broken up by gasps from the pain. Brennan had that godsforsaken look of frustration on his face again. 

“Yes, it’s a symptom. But I don’t know why this is presenting now,” Brennan answered. His brows furrowed in concentration again as he prodded at her wound a couple times, Violet hissing in pain. 

“Easy there,” Xaden told Brennan threateningly. He didn’t pay him any attention. “Can’t you give her something for the pain?”

Violet’s eyes were fluttering again, their voices becoming jumbled in her mind as they went back and forth. And her head, gods, it was throbbing. She screwed her eyes shut. 

“-let? What is it?” Brennan said as calmly as he could. Xaden whipped his head to her, interrupting his conversation, or argument, with Brennan. 

“Head. Everything. Hurts.” She mumbled, barely coherent. 

Brennan immediately reached into his satchel, his hands moving fast now, no longer clinical. Urgent. “She’s spiking,” he muttered. “The fever’s climbing too fast.”

“Then bring it down,” Xaden snapped, his voice trembling with restrained panic.

“I’m working on it,” Brennan said, mixing a few ingredients into a small vial. “Go get me a rag soaked in cool water.” 

Xaden strided off, coming back a couple moments later. He gently placed it on her forehead, her brows furrowing at the cold. 

Xaden knelt beside her again, cupping her cheeks. “Viiolet, stay with me, alright? Open your eyes.”

Her lids fluttered, just barely. “Too loud,” she whispered.

“I know,” he murmured, kissing her forehead, wincing at the heat. “But I need you to drink this for me.”

Brennan handed him the vial, and Xaden carefully tilted it toward her mouth, cradling her head with his other hand. “Just a sip, That’s it.”

She swallowed the medication, grimacing at the taste. Then, a second later, she was unconscious. Her face was still tense from the pain. Xaden took his thumb and stroked her cheek. Then, his eyes hardened as he spun to face Brennan. Anger simmered in his eyes, in the way his hands shook as he hovered over Violet’s trembling form, powerless to take her pain away. 

“You need to fix this. Now.” He said, voice hard as steel. Brennan just regarded him with sympathy, which just made him even more angry. “Don’t fucking look at me like that. Fix. Her.” 

He edged closer to Brennan’s, now a couple threatening inches away from his face. 

“I will try my best. She’s my fucking sister for gods sake. But you need to get yourself together Xaden,” He put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You being like this doesn’t help anyone. Especially not Violet.”

“Go for a walk while I change her wound dressing,” Brennan continued, opening the door for him. 

“I don’t need a fucking walk.”

“I’m not asking,” Brennan said sternly. 

Xaden looked from him to Violet’s sleeping frame a couple times, and reluctantly stomped outside.

Chapter Text

Garrick inched across the parapet, cursing every god in existence. He spotted Xadens sulking form in the middle, and hoped that he would use his shadows to catch him if he fell. Maybe. 

Xaden’s shadows coiled out and furled up around himself like a guarding presence, as it usually did when he was emotional. 

“I’m not catching your ass if you fall,” Xaden called out, not even turning to look at him.

Nevermind. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Garrick quipped back. 

Garrick inched towards him until he reached a healthy distance, and then sat down by him, hands gripping the parapet tightly. 

“If you want to brood don’t you think you could stand to do it closer to the damn ground?” Garrick said as he peered over the edge. Xaden shot him an icy look. 

“Why are you here?” 

“Because I like to play with my life,” Garrick responded. Xaden’s jaw ticked. The wind whipped their hair around their faces as they sat for a while, overlooking the deadly drop and listening to the whistle of the wind. Xaden’s shadows still furled and unfurled around him as he pensively watched the scenery. 

“How is she?” Garrick said after a while, breaking the silence. The jarring sound of his voice made him want to cringe. At that, Xaden looked down at his lap, a single tear falling. Garrick struggled to control his face. He had never seen Xaden cry before.  

Xaden’s head dipped lower, elbows braced on his knees, as if he could fold himself small enough to disappear into the dark. His voice, when it came, was a raw whisper. “She woke up this morning.”

Garrick blinked. “She what?” Garrick studied Xaden’s form again. He wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. “What’s wrong then?” 

“She’s still in bad shape, has an infection. I’ve never felt so…” Xaden’s voice trailed off for a moment, Garrick supposed he was also surprised at the sudden sharing of feelings. 

“Powerless.” He finished. 

Garrick let the word hang in the air for a moment, carried off by the wind. He exhaled slowly, shifting his weight as his boots scraped against the stone.

“You need to trust that she’s going to pull through,” he said finally, voice low, “She’s strong.” 

Xaden didn’t move, didn’t respond. Just stared ahead, jaw clenched, shadows curling tighter like they were holding him together.

Garrick hesitated, then added, “You did everything you could.”

“I should’ve done more,” Xaden muttered. His hands flexed once over his knees. “Faster.

Smarter. Something. Anything.”

“You’re not a god, Xaden.”

“No,” he said, eyes like steel. “But I should be better.”

The silence that followed was thick, but not empty. Garrick let it stretch, let it breathe. He wasn’t going to reach over, wasn’t going to pat him on the back or say some hollow comfort. 

“I wish to Malek that I could switch places with her,” He continued. Garrick had suddenly had it. 

“And what good would that do?!” He exclaimed. Xaden squinted his eyes. After a moment, he finally turned his head, just slightly, the movement deliberate. His eyes met Garrick’s, stormy and unreadable.

“She wouldn’t be the one in that bed,” Xaden said, voice flat but taut with the weight of it. “She wouldn’t be hurting.”

“She also wouldn’t have fought like hell to survive,” Garrick shot back. “Don’t insult her like that.”

Xaden’s eyes narrowed, the muscle in his jaw twitching. Garrick didn’t back down.

“You think she’d want you wasting time up here, wishing for things you can’t change? She’s not dead, Xaden. She’s alive. And she needs you.”

“I know,” Xaden said quietly, almost too quiet to hear.

“Then act like it.”

The wind whipped around them again, carrying the sharp scent of smoke and stone. Xaden looked away, back toward the horizon, but something in his posture shifted, barely. Shoulders still squared, but not so rigid. Shadows still coiled, but not so frantic.

Garrick let out a slow breath. “And maybe stop trying to kill us up here and go be with her.”

Xaden nodded once, almost imperceptibly. Then, finally, he stood. The shadows fell into line behind him.

He didn’t thank Garrick.

He didn’t need to. 

Suddenly, Xaden’s eyes went unfocused as they usually did when he was speaking to his dragon. He practically felt his heartbeat quicken as Xaden’s eyebrows bunched in concern. 

“What is it?” Garrick asked. Xaden started striding, almost sprinting, down the parapet. 

“Something’s wrong with Tairn,” He called behind him as Garrick followed. Which meant… 

When they reached the stable ground again, Xaden looked back at Garrick, such raw desperation and fear in his eyes. But he didn’t have to say a word. 

“I’ll go to the dragons. You go to Violet,” 

Xaden gave him a desperate nod, his thanks evident in his features. And then, he took off in the direction of the medical wing. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Violet heard the doors burst open, however they sounded so far away. She could only think of the burning in the very cells of her body. 

“ Silver one, can you hear me? ”

“ There’s something very wrong.”

“Silver one!” 

“Violet Sorrengail!” 

“Violet!” 

Her body was not her own. No, it was owned by someone else. Something else made of fire and ash and pain. She heard the familiar voice yelling in her mind, and a different pain, one very distant from hers but hers nonetheless, owned by an ancient and powerful force. Tairn . 

*

“Xaden!” Brennan screamed, as he restrained Violet’s hands. But Xaden couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Violet was seizing, her back arched in a sickly position. Nausea raised in Xaden’s throat. 

“Xaden!” 

His eyes were huge, but he couldn’t stop staring at her wound, red and black veins spidering from it. Smoke and shadows curled around it. Shadows that were not his .

And there Violet lay, gasping in pain as her body was not her own. The roaring in his ears grew louder. 

“Xaden!” Pain bloomed in his cheek as Brennan stomped over and slapped him across his face. “Get it together! I need your help.” At that, Xaden’s face changed. His eyes set in anger and determination. Xaden blinked once, hard, the sting of Brennan’s slap anchoring him back to the moment. He dropped to his knees beside Violet, the stone floor biting into his skin, but he welcomed the pain.

“She’s burning from the inside out,” Brennan muttered, voice tight with panic as he pressed both hands over the wound, the glow of his magic flickering like a candle in a storm. “It’s not just poison, it’s magic. Old magic.”

Xaden reached for her, but her body jolted again, a cry tearing from her throat. 

At that, Tairn roared in his head, the sound a clash of thunder and fury.

“She isn’t tethered. She is breaking. You must call to her ” the dragon’s voice snarled with fury and pain.

“I don’t know how!” Xaden hissed aloud.

Brennan shot him a confused look, but didn’t question it.

“Call her back. Anchor her,” Tairn said again, lower this time. His voice was filled with pain. “ Before she’s lost.”

Xaden clenched his fists. “Violet,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. But it came out jagged. Desperate. “Violet, look at me. Come back to me.”

Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused, white-blue lightning flickering in her irises.

“I’m right here,” he said, bending closer, lowering his voice to a whisper only she could hear. “You’re not alone. You don’t belong to whatever this is. You belong to you. You belong to me.” 

“Come back to me Violet,” He pleaded in a broken voice. He ignored the tears trailing down his face. “Please,” 

Suddenly, she became still. Too still. 

Xaden heard a cry in his head, but feminine. Sgaeyl. 

“Violet?” Brennan whispered. A question. 

“Violet!” Brennan shouted, the word trembling from his lips like a prayer on the edge of breaking.

She didn’t move.

Xaden’s heart collapsed in on itself, the world narrowing to the unbearable stillness of her body. Her chest didn’t rise. Her fingers lay limp. The lightning in her eyes had vanished.

“No,” he breathed, voice shattering. “No, no, no, no—”

He gathered her in his arms, heedless of the smoke still curling from her wound, of the blackened veins crawling up her neck. “Don’t you fucking dare leave me,” he growled into her hair. 

A scream exploded in his mind, Sgaeyl, raw and rageful. A dragon’s grief.

Then silence.

The kind of silence that only comes before something sacred. 

Xaden pressed his ear to her chest. Nothing. Not a single beat. Her skin was cooling.

“No,” he choked. He laid her flat on the stone, hands trembling as they hovered over her sternum. “No, you are not doing this, Violet.”

“Xaden,” Brennan started, but Xaden’s glare snapped toward him, blazing.

“Get me something to support her neck. Now.”

Without waiting, Xaden laced his fingers and began compressions, fast and brutal. Her chest dipped beneath the force of it, but she didn’t stir.

“Come on, Violet. Breathe,” he snarled through clenched teeth, counting under his breath. Thirty compressions.

He tilted her head back, sealing his mouth over hers.

One breath. Two.

Back to compressions. He could feel the crack of a rib give beneath his palms, but he didn’t stop. “You’ve survived worse. You’ve climbed mountains no one thought you could. Don’t you fucking die now.”

“Xaden-” Brennan knelt beside him, eyes wide, but he didn’t finish the sentence.

Lightning crackled again, faint at first, beneath her skin. Her fingers twitched.

Xaden froze. “Violet?”

She didn’t answer.

Another set.

Thirty compressions.

Two breaths.

“Come back to me,” he whispered. His voice was breaking now, completely shattered. “Come back. Please.” 

"Don't you dare leave me." 

*

Violet registered a distant pain. Pressure. A sensation on her lips and chest. But she was burning. Burning like a star. Like a star that was going to explode. Collide with a thousand stars in the cold vacuum of space, left to never be seen again.

Her very veins were aflame, the fire not hers, something foreign coursing through her bloodstream, ancient and insidious, battling for attention and control.

She wanted to scream, but her throat wouldn’t move. She was paralyzed in light and heat and suffocating silence.

Let go , the foreign thing whispered, silk and rot. Your body is no longer yours. You are ash.

“No!” she screamed, but it echoed hollowly in the void.

A pulse. From far away. A drumbeat. A memory.

Hands. Holding her. Anchoring her.

A voice, hoarse and shaking and screaming. “Come back to me, Violet.”

That voice cracked through the black.

Xaden.

And another, fierce and familiar and furious.

Sgaeyl.

The pain spiked. She saw flashes: Tairn roaring, shadows writhing, Sgaeyl’s wings spread wide in the space between worlds. Her own body, limp on a cold table. Xaden’s hands pounding her chest.

She had a body. She remembered it now.

But the poison wanted it.

“You don’t get to win,” she hissed through clenched teeth, though her lips hadn’t moved.

“This is mine.”

Something in her core snapped free.

A flood of power surged outward, lightning, fire, and will. Her will. It surged against the poison, met it head-on, and consumed it. Not burned it away, wielded it. Tamed it like the wild magic it was.

Then came the pain again, her real pain, sharp, blinding, physical. A gasp tore from her lungs.

She arched upward, her chest heaving. She tasted air, sweet, smoky, real.

*

A violent jolt. Her back arched. Lightning exploded from her chest, throwing Xaden back a couple feet. Her eyes shot open, glowing with stormlight, her body wracked with a single, gasping breath.

A heartbeat. Faint. Fluttering like wings. Hers.

Xaden stilled.

A spark, tiny, golden, and pulsing, lit behind her collarbone. It grew, shimmering through her veins, eating away the black rot with quiet fury. Lightning flickered beneath her skin, jagged and pure, and when her eyes snapped open again, they glowed brighter than before, stormlight and starlight fused into one.

“Violet!” he scrambled forward, cupping her face in his hands, brushing the hair from her lips. She was breathing. Rapid, shallow, but breathing. Her eyes flicked to his, dazed and wet with tears. 

“I-,” She whispered, her eyes pleading and desperate.

“Shhhh, you’re alright. Don’t try to talk,” He pleaded, his expression still so scared as he counted her heartbeats and made sure it wasn't a figment of his imagination. 

“I’m not-,” She whispered, the end of the sentence trailing off between her gasps. 

“What is it Violet?” Brennan whispered, his face dazed eyes wide. 

“I’m not- me,” She finally bit out, before her eyes slipped closed. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Xaden awoke to a light and weak pulling on his chest. 

“Xaden?” Violet whispered, her voice groggy and hoarse. Xaden’s eyes flew open, the previous events hitting him hard. He quickly looked down to the one sleeping form he was enveloping, and saw tired and glassed over but sharp blue-green eyes looking up at him. 

“Violet! What is it? What hurts?” Xaden said hurriedly, his voice deep from sleep. Xaden’s heart started beating thunderously in his chest. Violet watched as his eyes darted around her face and then body, checking for signs of pain or sweating, signs of infection. 

Violet’s body was still not quite catching up to her mind. But she felt safer and calmer than she had in ages. 

“Hey, hey it’s okay, I’m okay,” Violet said, shushing him gently. She raised a hand to his face, wincing a little from the pain in her ribs. She stroked his cheek and the hard line of his jawline. “Calm down, it’s alright.” 

After Xaden gave her a once over, even checking her wound, for what she wasn’t sure, he then enveloped her further in his arms, squeezing as light as he could without jostling her once- broken rib now freshly mended by Brennan, and sore. 

Violet’s head lay against the thundering heartbeat of his chest. 

“Are you…still you?” He whispered, checking her eyes and neck. 

“What? Xaden are you alright?” Violet whispered in confusion. She didn’t remember anything after Xaden helped her use the bathroom that one night that seemed like a decade ago. 

“I-,” Xaden started, and then when he was satisfied with whatever he was searching for, he finally met her eyes. “It- it doesn’t matter. Are you in pain?” He asked earnestly. 

“A little,” She answered honestly. “What happened?” She interjected before he could go all mother hen on her. 

“You don’t remember?” Xaden said, concern etched so deeply into his features Violet felt that she could never smooth them out. 

“Remember what?”

“You- you were gone Violet. Your heart stopped beating,” He whispered, his breath catching on his words. 

Violet blinked slowly, as if trying to absorb the words. “I- I don’t remember,” 

Xaden’s jaw clenched. “You died, Violet. I was holding you and you,” He looked away, briefly. His voice was low and raw, like it hurt to speak. “You stopped breathing. You were cold.”

Her hand stilled on his cheek.

“I thought I lost you.”

Violet stared at him, the corners of her lips twitching downward in something between shock and sorrow. “But… I’m here.”

“Yes,” he said, cupping her face gently again, his thumb tracing the hollow dark circle beneath her eye. “You came back. And you burned the poison out of you. You… fought it.”

She looked down at her hands. They felt different. Not wrong, but buzzing. Like static had been etched beneath her skin. “Poison?” 

“I remember… pain,” she said slowly, voice barely audible. “And something… trying to take me.” It came back to her slowly, that scratching within her soul. An ancient force booming through her bones. 

Xaden nodded. “You said you weren’t you. I don’t know if that was the poison talking. But you, gods, Violet, you fought it.” Xaden’s voice broke. 

“I don’t remember,” she lied, panic flickering across her face. She leaned her head back onto his chest, as if the weight of what he said was too much for her to carry. She didn’t have the energy to think back to that horrible moment where her body wasn’t hers. 

Xaden held her tighter, his arms folding around her as if he could shield her from whatever still lingered inside. He didn’t question her memory. Didn’t push. But she felt the way his heartbeat stuttered beneath her cheek.

Violet’s mind was racing.

Because she did remember.

Not everything, fragments, mostly. Voices that didn’t belong to her. A darkness that spoke in riddles. Let go, it had said. You are ash.
But it hadn’t just spoken. It had offered.

Power. Freedom. Control.

It whispered like it knew her. Like it had been her.

And when she took back her body, when she forced herself to breathe again, something had answered. A part of her had shifted, settled.

And not all of it had gone quiet.

“Just rest now Violet. You’re safe,” Xaden whispered. 

She almost believed him. 

For a while, there was only silence between them, his fingers brushing through her hair, her breathing slow but even. He looked at the walls of the dark room, the events of the past couple days dragging down his back. Suddenly, tears flew down his cheeks. His chest shook with restraint. 

“I lost you Violet. I lost you,” He repeated again and again. He brought a hand over his face.

“Shhhh,” Violet whispered, gently wiping his tears away. “I’m right here. I’m right here.” 

“No. You don’t understand. You were gone,” Xaden repeated. "You were gone."

Violet’s heart ached at the sight of him breaking. Xaden, who rarely even let his voice shake, now unraveling at the seams. His broad shoulders curled in, like he was trying to fold in on himself, trying to hide the sobs that wracked his chest.

“I felt it,” he whispered, his voice cracked and ruined. “I felt the bond... go silent. Like someone had taken an axe to my soul.”

Violet stroked his cheek again, her hand trembling now too. “But I’m back. I came back.”

He let out a strangled breath. “What if you hadn’t?” His gaze finally met hers, raw and desperate. 

 I can’t,” His voice cracked again. “I can’t survive losing you, Violet.”

She pressed her forehead to his. “Then don’t.”

“What?”

“Don’t survive me. Fight with me. Like you always have.”

Xaden didn’t answer for a long moment. Violet reached up and wiped his tears. 

For a long moment, they just breathed, tethered by silence, pain, and love. The world outside the room could’ve ended and neither would have noticed. Xaden’s eyes searched hers, as if trying to memorize every detail, every flicker of life she’d almost lost. He brushed his thumb along her cheek, his hand trembling slightly. Violet’s fingers curled around his wrist, grounding him, her touch gentle but certain. They didn’t need to say it. The fear. The devastation. The gratitude. It was all there, living in the space between their heartbeats.

“Xaden, I need you to do something for me.” 

“Anything.” 

“Take me to see Tairn. Please,” She said, her eyes pleading. “I felt his pain. I need to make sure he’s okay,” 

Xaden wanted to argue and force her to stay forever like this with him, but he understood the bond between the rider and their dragon far too well. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest a little?”

“I’ve rested enough.” 

Xaden reluctantly nodded after a moment. Violet reached for the covers with a wince. Gods her whole body was so incredibly sore, she felt like she had run the gauntlet 100 times. 

“Not so fast. Brennan needs to check you first,” 

“Xaden-” 

“No-” He said sternly. Then his voice softened. “No. That poison almost killed you. We need to make sure you're alright before you go anywhere.” 

The desperation and plea behind his eyes made Violet’s stubborn pride diminish a little. She laid back down in bed, defeated. He pet her head. 

“Thank you,” He said, and eased out of the bed, making sure to put pillows where his body was. He even fluffed them. Violet couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her lips. “I’m going to get Brennan. I’ll be back.” 

Violet nodded. She couldn’t help but admit her energy was diminishing fast. She closed her eyes, deciding to rest them for only a moment until Xaden came back with Brennan. 

*

The world slipped away.

The ache in her ribs. The warmth of Xaden’s chest. The safe rhythm of his breath.

All gone.

She stood in the middle of a jagged, frozen wasteland. The ground cracked beneath her bare feet, veins of black lightning running deep through ice that bled red. The sky above was twisted, clouds like torn parchment, the air thick with rot and ruin.

She knew immediately this was not a dream.

It was a memory.

But not hers.

A shadow stepped forward from the fog. Tall. Cloaked in dark armor that breathed like it was alive. Its face was obscured, with faint cracks of red light glowing underneath.

It lifted its face and its eyes burned. 

Burning silver and red veins spidering across its face. Venin.

Violet’s breath caught in her throat. Her body screamed to run, but she couldn’t move. The air itself clung to her.

“You woke me,” the creature said, voice smooth and low, laced with something ancient. Something starved.

“You trapped us?” Violet spat. Her hands sparked with lightning, but the energy fizzled against the pressure of the space.

The Venin tilted its head, almost amused. “I didn’t need to. You were already cracking.”

“Get out of my head.”

“I’m not in your head.” Its gaze sharpened. “I’m in your blood.”

Violet’s stomach turned. The veins in her arms began to glow faintly, blue at first, then a dangerous, pulsing violet.

“You’re lying,” she whispered.

“You think that power came from you? You were dying, Violet. I only showed you what was possible. You reached for it.”

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t-”

“You let me in. And now, I’m part of you.”

The ground beneath her shook. Cracks splintered outward like lightning.

“I only offered. You were the one who opened the door.”

She stepped back. “You poisoned me.”

“I changed you.”

Lightning sparked at her fingertips. Reflexive. Instinctive. She didn’t even mean to summon it. 

The entity purred. “See? You’re already more than you were.”

Violet’s lip curled. “I don’t want your power.”

“You may not have taken it yet, but you’ll come to. When the world demands more of you than your body can give.”

A silence stretched between them, long and strange. She realized shadows were now beneath her feet, moving, forming tendrils that crept closer.

“You don’t belong here,” Violet said firmly, her voice shaking with fury. 

“We are not so different.” It whispered now, stepping forward. “We both burn. We both survive.”

The figure raised its hand, lightning crackling in its palm. 

The world shattered around her, ice exploding, sky tearing open.

Chapter Text

Violet’s eyes flew open, grabbing whatever was closest to her, which in this case was Xaden’s forearm. Her grip was vice-like, nails digging into his skin.

“Hey, you’re alright, you’re alright,” He whispered quickly, moving closer, his other hand cupping the back of her head to steady her. He had heard her whimpering outside the hall and sprinted the rest of the way, Brennan in tow. 

Violet’s eyes darted around the room, barely registering Brennan walking in behind Xaden, eyes furrowed. 

Her breath came in ragged bursts. Eyes wide, wild, unseeing. The room spun, shadows too dark in the corners, air too thick.

Brennan stepped in behind Xaden, eyes narrowing with concern as he scanned her face. “What happened?” he asked, voice low and measured.

“I—” Violet swallowed, but her throat was bone dry. “I saw something. Someone.”

Xaden’s grip tightened slightly. “Was it another vision?” he asked gently. “From the poison?”

Violet didn’t answer right away. Her gaze had locked on her own hands, shaking, pale, still humming faintly with something unnatural. She could still feel the ash beneath her feet. Hear the voice that didn’t belong.

“I don’t think it was just a dream,” she said finally, voice low and haunted. “It felt… real.”

Brennan’s face changed, the lines in his forehead deepening. “What did you see?”

Violet looked up at him slowly.

“A Venin,” she whispered. “It spoke to me.”

The silence that followed was immediate and heavy. Xaden’s jaw clenched. Brennan stepped forward, his healer's calm starting to crack beneath the weight of her words.

And Violet realized, as the fear settled deep into her bones,

Whatever had entered her through that wound… it hadn’t left.

Not completely.

* 

“I don’t understand,” Brennan muttered to himself, gently examining Violet’s still pink wound. Violet’s eyes were tense, trying to keep the pain to herself. Xaden passed back and forth in front of her bed. 

“Your wound doesn’t show any more signs of infection, and is healing nicely.” Brennan started. “We thought you had burned the poison out.”

“I feel fine… for the most part,” Violet said. She watched Xaden pace back and forth, stealing pained glances at her and her wound. 

“This is all too calculated.” Xaden started, anger barely restrained in his voice. “You’re telling me a venin set that trap for us, knew you were going to fall on that metal rod, and poisoned it?” 

Xaden stopped before Brennan, fists clenched. “It doesn’t make sense.” 

Brennan didn’t flinch beneath Xaden’s fury, but he didn’t meet his eyes either. “No, it doesn’t. Unless…it wasn’t a trap for all of us.”

Xaden turned slowly, brows drawn. 

Brennan hesitated, then looked to Violet. “I’m saying maybe it wasn’t random. Maybe it wasn’t meant for any of us, except her.”

Violet’s mouth went dry. “Why me?”

“I don’t know,” Brennan admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, frustration bleeding into his movements. “But Venin magic is older than any of us understand. It’s not just dark, it’s targeted. Purposeful. The way the infection behaved, the power you unleashed, nothing about this is normal.”

Xaden swore under his breath and resumed pacing, this time dragging a hand through his hair. 

“I’m fine,” Violet said again, sharper this time. “It spoke to me, yes. But it didn’t win. I’m still me.”

“That may be true now,” Brennan said carefully, “but we don’t know the long-term effects. You’re connected to it, Violet. Even if the wound is healing… it left something behind.”

Violet’s fists clenched in the blanket. “So what do I do? 

Neither man answered her, sharing glances that made Violet angrier. 

“You know what? I don’t care. I need to see Tairn.” Violet started, and sat up, ripping the blanket off of her. Bad idea. 

A wave of dizziness hit her, hard. She squeezed her eyes. The soreness in her wound screamed at her. 

Xaden was there in an instant, steadying her. 

“Violet, you need to take it easy,” Brennan scolded, putting his hand out instinctively to catch her if she fell. “Your body just went through a lot of trauma. You are not going to be up and walking in a day.” 

Before Violet could say her retort, Xaden interjected. 

“It’s alright. I’ll take her. She won’t be doing any walking as far as I’m concerned.” 

Without warning, Xaden gently scooped her up in his arms. 

“Hey!” Violet complained. 

“You’re not going anywhere as long as it’s not like this,” Xaden said, and strided out the door. Violet wanted to be mad, if the dizziness wasn’t hitting her so hard. Violet didn’t want to see anyone’s gawking faces, so she closed her eyes against Xaden’s chest. 

* 

Xaden gently set Violet down on a raised bed of grass near the flying field, where he had told Sgaeyl and Tairn to meet them. 

Not long after, familiar wingbeats filled the skies and boomed across the horizon. Violet had never been more happy to see Tairn in her life. 

“Tairn!” Violet exclaimed, her voice cracking with relief.

Without thinking, she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled toward his massive forelimb, wrapping her arms around the thick, obsidian-scaled limb as far as they could go. Her body screamed in protest, every nerve reminding her she was not ready to be on her feet, but none of it mattered.

Tairn rumbled in acknowledgement, lowering his great head beside her, the tip of his snout brushing her shoulder in a gesture as close to an embrace as he could offer. 

“I am happy to see you are well,” Tairn said. “ I was worried, I’ll admit,” 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice muffled against his scales. “I didn’t mean to,”

" You nearly crossed the veil. " His tone was low, barely restrained. Violet could feel the tremor in his magic, the same unspoken fear she’d seen in Xaden. 

“Are you alright? Are you in any pain?” Violet asked, checking his eyes for deceit. 

“ I am alright, ” Tairn said. " But If you had gone any farther, I couldn’t have pulled you back." 

She swallowed hard, eyes stinging. “I think... something else almost did.”

Tairn pulled back slightly, angling one massive eye to look down at her. “ You saw it.”

“A Venin. It spoke to me. Violet nodded slowly. “I think it’s still there… somewhere,” She whispered out of Xaden’s earshot. 

Tairn let out a growl so deep it vibrated through the ground. Sgaeyl landed behind him moments later, her talons digging into the earth as she surveyed Violet with narrowed, assessing eyes.

“She’s changed, ” Sgaeyl noted, looking to Xaden. “It laced itself into her power.”

“She tamed it,” Xaden said quietly, stepping up behind Violet and placing a hand on her back to steady her already swaying stance. “She didn’t fall.”

“Not yet,” Sgaeyl replied bluntly.

Tairn’s voice, however, was calm. Measured. “That darkness will test you, Violet. It does not care for strength or loyalty. It thrives in doubt. But it will never own you unless you let it.”

Violet leaned into his words like a lifeline. “I didn’t let it win.”

“No, ” Tairn agreed. “You endured. And you are still here. That is no small thing.”

She took a breath, one that filled her lungs with cool, dragon-scented air and steadied her more than any healer’s hands.

“I’m not afraid of it,” she said.

Xaden’s hand gripped her shoulder a little tighter. “You don’t have to be. Not alone.”

She nodded, and for the first time since waking up, the pounding in her chest slowed.

But deep inside, buried beneath dragon magic and healer’s care, 

The whisper returned.

“Not yet… but soon.