After a brutal day, Violet initiates intimacy with Xaden. He resists, then yields, and their passion triggers uncontrolled manifestations: her lightning flashes outside and ignites the curtains, while his shadows shield them and accidentally shatter her throwing target. They agree to keep whatever this is private, “only within these walls.”

In the quiet that follows, Violet notices precise scars on Xaden’s back. He admits he made a deal assuming personal responsibility for the loyalty of 107 rebellion-marked minors; if any betray Navarre, his life is forfeit. He stays the night, warns her not to fall for him, and reveals he suspected she could wield lightning since their first kiss.

At dawn, Xaden is gone but leaves violets. Professor Carr arrives, sees the wreckage, removes Violet from Archives duty over fire risk, and flies her and Tairn to a high, barren mountaintop to train. Carr lectures on power and balance, references killing Jeremiah as a security necessity against inntinnsics, and cautions that Violet and Xaden together could become an intolerable threat unless their loyalties are clear. Violet affirms her allegiance to Navarre.

Grounding through Tairn, Violet reaches for lightning. A surge of telepathic desire from Xaden helps trigger the power; she overheats but successfully calls a distant strike. She repeats the process, then attempts aiming on her own. Multiple strikes follow, but her accuracy is poor and the effort exhausts her, underscoring the need for control.