Chapter Fifty-Five

Summary

• The chapter opens with a heated exchange between the protagonist and Xaden, where she confronts him about his knowledge of her awareness regarding certain secrets.
• Xaden accuses the protagonist of not asking the pertinent questions and keeping a wall between them; he has been waiting for her to trust him enough to ask what she wants to know.
• The protagonist is angry that Xaden has withheld information, especially secrets regarding her family and deals made with her mother that affected both their lives.
• Xaden admits to hiding the truth about his scars, which were a result of the protagonist's mother's actions, but he argues that she never directly asked about them.
• The protagonist reflects on whether she has truly forgiven Xaden for keeping her in the dark and challenges him on not being fully transparent with her.
• Xaden justifies his secrecy, suggesting that the protagonist might blame herself for the scars on his back and other events, but clarifies that the scars were not her fault.
• A discussion follows about trust and honesty within their relationship. Xaden urges the protagonist to demand the truth and not be afraid of the answers.
• The protagonist points out that they are repeating a fight from five months ago, concerning the same underlying issues of trust and openness.
• Xaden uses an analogy involving a battle-ax in an armoire to illustrate how the protagonist should approach uncovering the truth and trusting in his intentions.
• The conversation turns into a dramatic demonstration when Xaden magically summons a knife to the protagonist's chin, but she quickly takes control, reinforcing his point about trust.
• The protagonist confesses that her reluctance to confront Xaden about the deal with her mother is rooted in her love for him and the fear that his feelings might not be genuine.
• As they are about to delve deeper into their trust issues, they are interrupted by a knock on the door, which turns out to be Brennan with news of an approaching wyvern horde.
• The chapter ends with the protagonist grappling with their personal issues while needing to prepare for the imminent threat posed by the wyvern.