"Just hand the girl and let's get done with the business," Arjan said with impatience.
Rion's eyes snapped to him in an instant. The shift was subtle, but I sensed how he turned serious, his gaze full of authority.
"You don't get to command me, Arjan." His tone was soft, measured, but it carried the faintest ripple of warning, like the growl of a wolf right before the lunge.
Arjan flinched. Barely. But I saw it.
And made me flinch too, not because of his reaction, but because it reminded me of what a villain Rion was. Arjan was no weakling, I was sure. I'd already marked him as dangerous: tall, scarred, a man who bore himself like one accustomed to cruelty.
A rogue, yes, but one who carried himself with the weight of power and intelligence. Yet even he shrank beneath Rion's gaze.
