Page 31 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

Eva met my eyes, her expression thoughtful. She seemed to be processing everything, her sharp intellect kicking in.

I led us toward a back hallway, where two towering guards stood at attention. One of them—a hulking vampire with a scar slashing across his jaw—straightened as we approached. His crimson gaze flickered to me, then to Eva, assessing us with a practiced air of indifference.

“Private meeting,” the vampire growled, his voice deep and gravelly. “You need to turn around.”

“Unless you want to explain to House Orvash why you’re standing in my way, I suggest you step aside. I’m their representative, and things may get messy. I’m assuming you’d rather stay out of it.”

The vampire hesitated, his eyes flicking to Eva again. She kept her face blank as she held his gaze, but I could feel the subtle tension in her body. Her pulse was quickening, and I found myself standing a little taller to shield her from anything that might happen.

Finally, the vampire grumbled and motioned for us to pass.

The room beyond was cramped but luxurious—shelves lined with artifacts of questionable origin, a desk piled high with papers and trinkets, and a few figures seated casually, waiting.

Grayson Marks, the smuggler, lounged in a chair.

His wiry frame was swallowed in a suit that screamed money, arrogance, and opportunism.

Two brutes and a vampire, clearly a hired gun, flanked him.

“Well, well,” Grayson drawled when he saw us, his voice smooth and laced with disdain. “The Shadow’s lackey. To what do I owe the honor of this unexpected visit?”

I took another step forward, my presence overwhelming in the dim room. “Artifacts, Marks. You’re moving goods that don’t belong to you.”

Grayson’s grin never faltered. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I didn’t waste time. Eva had already stepped slightly to the side, her eyes scanning the cluttered desk. She took a ledger from the table, her brow furrowing as she started flipping through it. I let her look, assuming she might find damning evidence of corruption Grayson couldn’t deny.

Eva paused. She’d found something. A pattern. I could see it in the way her lips pressed together, the tightening of her jaw as she absorbed the information.

Grayson’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Who the hell is she? And what the fuck is she doing reading my ledger?”

I didn’t hesitate. “She’s my lovely assistant, and I’d suggest you don’t speak that way toward her, or I’ll rip your fucking throat out. Got it?”

Grayson’s lips curled in amusement. “And what exactly is your role in all this, sweetheart?” he asked, his tone dripping with mockery. “Are you really Jareth’s little secretary? Or are you just here for decoration?”

Eva clenched her jaw, and before I could step in, she fired back. “I’m the one who’s going to tighten the noose around your neck if you don’t start cooperating.”

Grayson’s grin faltered slightly. “Big words for someone hiding behind The Shadow’s pet.”

“I’m not hiding,” Eva said, stepping forward with more conviction than I’d ever seen from her.

“But maybe you should be. You’re nothing but a two-bit thief who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

You think any of this”—she waved her hand around the room—“makes you untouchable? I’ve seen better poker faces from drunk frat boys. ”

Grayson’s expression darkened, his eyes flickering with annoyance. He didn’t like being mocked. The atmosphere in the room shifted, the tension rising with every passing second.

I moved even closer to Eva. If this motherfucker so much as twitched in her direction, I’d tear his heart out with my claws.

“Careful,” Grayson warned, his voice dropping low. “You’re playing a dangerous game, little girl.”

I gently placed my hand on Eva’s shoulder. My voice was a low growl. A warning. “Enough, Delgado.”

Eva shrugged my hand away and stepped closer to Grayson, pointing her finger in his face. “You padded the accounts. And you tried to launder it through a front you don’t even fully control. Sloppy. And desperate. That mistake could get you killed if the wrong people noticed.”

Grayson’s bravado wavered, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. The last thing he wanted was to piss off The Shadow’s representative.

I stepped closer to him and squared my shoulders.

“You have two choices,” I said, my voice cold as ice.

“Return everything you stole from House Orvash and leave The Below forever. Or…” I let the words hang in the air like a death sentence.

“…I can kill you right here on the spot. Those are your two options.”

Grayson’s lip curled into a sneer. “You think House Orvash will let me go quietly? If I go down, so do they. They’ve been involved in much shadier shit than I have. What’s wrong with me skimming a little fat off the top? They’ll never even notice their stuff is gone.”

I gave a small shake of my head. “You think far too much of yourself, asshole. House Orvash has already noticed, and they’ve made their stance clear.

They want you gone. So, change of plans.

I was going to try and be the peacemaker, the guy who sweeps in and fixes everything right as rain.

But House Orvash gave me the authority to kill you on the spot. ”

Before I’d even finished speaking, Grayson jumped up and bolted toward the door. He barreled into Eva, knocking her to the ground.

The instinct to protect her flared. I was at her side in a split second and helping her to her feet.

Shifting into my cougar form, I sprang into action, my claws tearing through the air.

Within moments, I was on him, sinking my teeth into his jugular, my anger and frustration flooding through me with every pull of my fangs.

Sure, it was probably overkill. I could’ve ended the bastard’s life with less bloodshed, but the job was done. Grayson’s body went limp as his life force drained from him. When I shifted back to my human form, I felt no satisfaction, just a grim sense of closure.

Eva stood frozen, her eyes and mouth wide with shock.

I turned to face the remaining vampires who seemed to be with Grayson’s artifact smuggling business.

“House Orvash wants their fucking artifacts back. All these packages need to be rerouted to them immediately, and maybe you’ll keep your lives.

If not…” I cracked my knuckles, letting the implication hang heavy in the air. “I’m happy to shift again.”

They scrambled, mumbling apologies as they gathered the stolen goods.

I glanced over at Eva, who looked at me with a mix of awe and something else in her eyes. “Shall we?” I asked, offering her my arm.

We stepped around Grayson’s body and the massive pool of blood, leaving the room in silence.

“That place…” Eva said softly, her voice distant as she searched for the right words. “It was one part corporate boardroom, one part feeding frenzy.”

I was still pissed with her, but I wouldn’t let it show here. That could wait until we were alone. “Welcome to The Below, Delgado. Don’t let it bite you.”

The drive back to Eva’s apartment was a quiet, simmering storm.

I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles ached, my jaw locked as I replayed the events of the night in my head.

She had run her godsdamn mouth and could have gotten herself killed if I hadn’t had such a good handle on the situation, and if we’d been with someone more dangerous than Grayson was.

Why couldn’t she just listen and follow instructions?

She sat rigidly in the passenger seat, arms crossed, staring out the window. The tension between us was suffocating, like a thunderstorm waiting to break. But I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t trust myself not to say something that would escalate things.

When I parked the car, I got out and opened her door. She stepped out, her lips pressed into a tight line, and stalked toward the elevator. By the time we stepped into the apartment, the dam was ready to burst.

I slammed the door shut behind us and immediately started pacing, the rhythm of my boots against the floor cutting through the tense silence. My entire body buzzed with frustration and adrenaline. She stood by the kitchen island, glaring daggers at me.

“Do you have any idea,” I snapped, stopping to face her, “how close you came to getting yourself in trouble tonight with that beautiful fucking mouth of yours?”

“I wasn’t the one picking a fight with a room full of vampires.”

“I can handle vampires, Delgado. You can barely handle a dirty look from one of them.”

Her eyes flashed, and she stepped toward me, jabbing a finger into my chest. “I didn’t ask to be dragged into your underworld mafia nonsense! You insisted on taking me with you.”

“Because I can’t trust you to stay out of trouble without me.”

The words hit their mark, and her eyes narrowed, her defiance blazing. “I don’t need you. I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life.”

“Really?” I took a step closer, towering over her. “Because from where I’m standing, all I see is someone who doesn’t know what kind of monsters she’s up against.”

She tilted her chin and met my gaze without a hint of fear. “You don’t get to decide what I can handle. And you sure as hell don’t get to act like you’re some kind of saint for keeping me alive.”

The anger between us was electric, crackling in the charged silence.

I closed the distance between us without even realizing it.

“You have no idea how dangerous the world is. You act like you’re untouchable, but you’re not.

And one of these days, you’re going to push too far, and I won’t be able to save you in time. ”

Her breath hitched, but her gaze didn’t waver.

“You drive me insane, you know that?” I continued as I gripped her arms to hold her in place. “I’ve never met someone so infuriating, so godsdamn?—”

I cut myself off, my gaze flicking to her lips. She caught the shift in my attention, her breath quickening as her cheeks flushed.

“So what, Jareth?” she asked. “What am I?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. “You’re everything I can’t have,” I muttered, my voice low and rough.

Her pulse raced beneath my fingers, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Her lips parted slightly, and her head tilted just enough to drive me to the brink.

My grip on her arms tightened as I leaned closer, the scent of her skin—warm and faintly floral—was intoxicating.

Every muscle in my body screamed for release.

I could almost taste her, my lips hovering just close enough to send sparks shooting through me. But then, like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head, reality crashed down. I let go of her as if she’d burned me.

“This isn’t happening,” I said, my voice rough as I curled my hands into fists.

She stared at me, her chest heaving, emotions warring in her eyes. “You’re exactly right,” she snapped, gesturing between us. “This isn’t happening. You’re a cat shifter from The Below, and I’m—well, I’m not from that world. And?—”

I let out a low growl. “Yes, Eva. You’ve made it perfectly clear that you’re fucking better than me in every imaginable way.

I had a moment of weakness because you prance around here in your tight-ass jeans and this dress and—” I stopped myself, gritting my teeth as the memory of earlier resurfaced.

“And rubbing one off in the tub when you know damn well I’m wearing my bracelet. This is your fault.”

Her jaw dropped, and she flushed. She looked like she was about to fire back, but I didn’t give her the chance. I stormed out of the room, the frustration boiling over.

“Coward,” she muttered as I disappeared down the hall.

Leaning against the wall in the guest bedroom, I dragged a hand through my hair and cursed under my breath. My heart was still pounding, my body still on edge from the almost-kiss, the tension, and the fucking mess I’d made of things.

What the hell was wrong with me? Nothing could happen between us. She was my assignment, my responsibility. The Shadow trusted me to keep her safe. I couldn’t let my feelings—whatever the hell they were—get in the way of that.

But damn it, she made it so fucking hard.