Page 352 - Fourth Wing

reveal what’s underneath, I was afraid. What if underneath the brittle bones

and frail ligaments, there was just more weakness? Only this time, I
wouldn’t be able to blame my body.”

“You’ve never been weak to me, Vi—” Dain starts, but I shake my head.

“Don’t you get it?” I interrupt. “It doesn’t matter what you think—it only
matters what I think. And you were right. But the Riders Quadrant stripped

away the fear and even the anger about being thrown into this quadrant, and

it revealed who I really am. At my core, Dain, I’m a rider. Tairn knew it.
Andarna knew it. It’s why they chose me. And until you can stop looking

for ways to keep me in a glass cage, we aren’t going to get past this, no

matter how many years of friendship we have between us.”
He glances over my shoulder. “And what? Riorson gets a free pass for his

control issues? Because last time I checked, Liam was moved into our
squad specifically to shadow you.”

It’s an excellent point. “Liam is around because even the strongest rider

can’t watch their back from more than thirty unbonded cadets gunning for
them. And if I die, Xaden dies. What’s your excuse?”

Dain tenses like a statue, only the muscle in his jaw ticking before he
eventually leans forward and whispers, “Look, you don’t know everything

there is to know about Xaden, Vi. I have a higher security clearance due to

my signet, and you need to be careful. Xaden has secrets, reasons to never
forgive your mother, and I don’t want him to use you to get his revenge.”

My hackles rise. There’s a sliver of truth in what he’s saying, but I don’t

have time to focus on the confusion that is Xaden right now. One screwed-
up relationship at a time.

I narrow my gaze as Dain shuffles his feet again, a kernel of a suspicion

growing in my chest. “Wait, did you keep begging me to leave Basgiath
because you didn’t think I could survive here—or because you were trying

to get me away from Xaden?”
I shake my head before he can answer. “You know what? It’s irrelevant.”