#Xaden went real anti hero here

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

"She said the heart that beat for you—or within you—would do the wrong thing for the right reason, reach for unspeakable power, and turn dark."

"Within her or for her?" Brennan asks.

"Isn't it the same thing?" Mira challenges. "Violet's at risk of turning, and with power like hers—"

"Stop," Xaden says, and my head snaps in his direction. "It's not Violet. It's me. My heart beats for her," he tells Mira without so much as flinching. "I reached for unspeakable power. I turned. I'm the dark wielder she warned your father about, not Violet. Stop treating her like she's a liability. I'm already the problem."