Lin Wan frowned slightly, taking a small step forward. "Safer? What do you mean?"
Jarek looked toward the heavy ironwood doors, as if checking to ensure the spatial barrier was fully active, before looking back at her. He let out a low, heavy breath, his broad shoulders dropping just a fraction beneath his heavy steel chest plate.
"I have watched you for the past week, little female," Jarek said softly, his amber eyes locked onto hers. "I have stood outside these doors every single day. I have heard the way you shout at him. I have seen the way you refuse his gifts, his gold, and his gowns. Every single soul on this mountain treats the new king like a god, crawling in the dirt just to breathe the air he leaves behind. But you look at him as if he is nothing but a monster."
