“What you’re experiencing now is grief,” Jax says. “No. I wouldn’t—” “Not for the person. For the feeling of having someone to hate. You had a burning core keeping you going, and the first thing you feel when it goes out is cold.” I nod, wondering how they could have known about the creeks of dry ice my veins had become since I began processing the news. “But that fire was killing you, Scales. Its absence opens up potential. It’s a hole that you can fill with anything in the world now. Choose wisely.”
