Page 57 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

EVA

M y grip on Genevieve’s arm tightened as we walked into the hotel lobby.

Even her gait was off—too stiff, too mechanical.

It was like guiding a marionette. My heart pounded in my chest as we passed the front desk.

The clerk glanced up briefly before returning to her screen, utterly uninterested in the spectacle of three people moving like ghosts.

She must’ve not noticed the blood and torn fabric of Jareth’s shirt. Good. One less thing to try and explain.

Jareth was on Genevieve’s other side, his hand firm on her shoulder.

His body was coiled like a spring about to snap, and his sharp gaze flickered to every shadow, every hallway, as though expecting something to leap out at us.

He’d always been alert, but this was different.

This was sharper, more dangerous, like a predator on high alert.

When we stepped into the elevator, the soft hum of the machinery was the only sound. Genevieve stared straight ahead, unblinking, her face as blank as a mannequin’s. It sent shivers down my spine.

“Genevieve,” I said, leaning closer, my voice soft but urgent. “Do you know where you are? Do you know who we are?”

Nothing. Her fingers twitched faintly, but she didn’t even blink.

“This is crazy,” I whispered, my throat tightening as I looked at Jareth. “She’s completely out of it. Like… like she’s not even here.”

His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened with something that looked almost like anger. “We’ll figure it out. Just keep her moving.”

The elevator dinged, and we stepped into the quiet hallway. The carpet muffled our footsteps as we approached Genevieve’s suite, but when we got to the door, I froze. The guards were still gone.

I exchanged a glance with Jareth, my chest tightening. “Where the hell are they?”

Jareth didn’t answer. He pushed open the door, his hand steady on Genevieve’s back as he guided her inside. The suite was dimly lit, the glow from the city filtering through the heavy curtains. Everything looked untouched, as though no one had been here in hours.

“Get her some water,” Jareth said as he led Genevieve to the couch.

My hands trembled as I grabbed a small bottle of water out of the minibar and twisted off the cap. I sat beside her and handed the bottle to her.

“Drink,” I urged gently. Genevieve raised the bottle to her lips, but she only took a small sip. She was sluggish and detached, like a puppet obeying a distant master.

Jareth watched her like a hawk. The tension in his shoulders was visible, and I knew he hated not knowing what was wrong or how to fix it immediately.

The silence stretched on, oppressive and suffocating, as I sat there gripping my hands together. Finally, Genevieve blinked. Her eyes focused for the first time, and she looked around the room, confusion flickering across her face.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

Relief surged through me, and I exhaled sharply. “Genevieve, thank God. Do you remember anything about the club?”

Her brows knitted together as she frowned, her gaze dropping to the water bottle in her hands. “What are you talking about? I don’t… I don’t remember being at a club.” She looked down at her half-naked body, covered in Jareth’s jacket. “Where the hell are my clothes?”

My stomach twisted. I glanced at Jareth, who was now standing straighter, his eyes locked on Genevieve like he was trying to read her mind.

“You were dancing on a table,” I said gently, keeping my voice as steady as I could. “In your underwear. You really don’t remember?”

Genevieve shook her head, her confusion deepening. “No. I was here. I was sitting right fucking here on the couch! I don’t understand.”

Jareth stepped closer. “You don’t remember leaving the hotel at all?”

“No,” Genevieve said, her voice rising with panic. “What’s going on?”

I put my hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring squeeze even though fear had my heart pounding. “I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out.”

The sound of footsteps in the hallway snapped us all to attention. Jareth’s entire body tensed, his hand moving subtly toward his side. The door swung open, and the two guards stepped in, their faces blank and calm.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Jareth growled, his voice low and dangerous.

The blankness melted from their faces, and the guards exchanged a confused glance. “We’ve been here,” one of them said, his tone measured. “We haven’t left our post.”

I stared at them, my blood running cold. “You weren’t here when we arrived,” I said, my voice trembling. “The door was wide open.”

The guards looked at each other again, their brows furrowing. “That’s not possible,” the second guard said firmly. “We’ve been here all night.”

Jareth’s jaw tightened, and he stepped closer, his presence radiating a threat that made the guards visibly flinch. “Are you fucking calling me a liar?” he asked, his voice cold enough to make the air feel sharper.

“No, sir,” the first guard said quickly, his face pale. “But we didn’t leave. I swear.”

A chill ran down my spine as I turned back to Genevieve. She was staring at the floor now, her hands trembling slightly. Whatever had happened tonight—whatever was still happening—it wasn’t over.

“Something’s not right,” I said quietly, my voice shaking as I looked at Jareth. “This doesn’t make any sense. Did anything show up on Vivian’s fancy tech?”

He shook his head as he pulled out his phone. “Nope. Nothing. No new entities inside the ward.”

He turned to the guards, his voice sharp and commanding. “Stay at your post this time. If you so much as blink, I’ll know.”

The guards nodded quickly, retreating back into the hallway. Jareth closed the door firmly, his hand lingering on the handle before turning back to us.

“We’re staying here tonight,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I don’t trust this place, and I sure as hell don’t trust them.”

I nodded, my throat tight as I looked at Genevieve. Her wide, scared eyes met mine, and I forced a smile, though it felt like a lie. “We’ll figure this out,” I said softly, squeezing her hand.

But even as I said the words, doubt gnawed at the edges of my mind. Because whatever this was, it felt like it was already too late.

The room felt like it was shrinking, the walls pressing in with the weight of everything left unsaid.

Genevieve said goodnight and went off to bed, cradling the water bottle like it was the only thing anchoring her to reality.

Her confusion and fear seemed to bleed into the air, making it hard to think straight.

I couldn’t stop glancing at Jareth. He was leaning against the wall, deceptively calm. But I knew better. He was already strategizing.

I swallowed hard, guilt swelling in my chest like a rising tide. “I should’ve done something sooner,” I murmured, my voice cracking. “I knew something was wrong, and I just… I let it go on. I let her?—”

“Stop.” Jareth stepped closer and put his hands on my shoulders. “This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known it would get this bad. And without any real leads, there wasn’t anything you could do.”

I looked up at him, my vision blurring with unshed tears. “But I did know something was horribly wrong. Something well beyond my understanding or ability to fix. I just didn’t want to admit it.”

“What matters now is what we do next. And I want to help. If you’ll let me.”

There was something in his voice, an unshakable certainty that made it hard to breathe. “Help how?”

“I’m going to get a safehouse set up here in New York,” he said, his tone steady and matter-of-fact.

“One that’s affiliated with your brother.

We’ll move Genevieve there and bring in some of The Shadow’s guards to watch over her.

These human guards are useless against magic. She needs proper protection.”

The relief was so sudden and overwhelming that it made me dizzy. I hadn’t realized how heavy the weight of keeping Genevieve safe had been until Jareth offered to carry it with me.

“You’d do that?” I asked softly, barely trusting my voice.

“Of course,” he said simply, like it wasn’t even a question. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone. And she shouldn’t stay here, not with everything going on.”

I exhaled shakily, my shoulders relaxing for the first time all night. “Thank you. Really. I thought… I thought I was going to have to bring her to my apartment or something. I couldn’t just leave her here, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips, his hand lingering on my shoulder. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll handle the logistics. You focus on Genevieve.”

I nodded, my relief short-lived as another question clawed its way to the forefront of my mind.

“Jareth,” I began hesitantly, searching his face. “The vampires tonight. You said they were there for me. Why?”

His expression hardened instantly, his jaw tightening as if he were debating whether or not to answer. Finally, he sighed. “There’s a bounty on your head.”

The words hung in the air between us, cold and suffocating. My heart skipped a beat. “What?”

“In The Below. Someone’s offering a reward, big enough to make vampires risk going after you in the middle of a human club.”

The floor felt like it was tilting beneath me. “Why?” I asked, my voice trembling. “Who would do that?”

Jareth shook his head, his jaw clenching tighter. “We don’t know yet. But I’m going to find out.”

My thoughts were a blur of fear and disbelief. A bounty. On me. Magical beings were actively hunting me. It felt like I’d been thrust into a nightmare, one where every shadow was a threat, and every stranger was an enemy.

“How long have you known?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

“Your brother told me a few nights ago,” Jareth admitted, his tone apologetic. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you. But after tonight, I couldn’t keep it from you.”

My breath hitched as I tried to process the magnitude of what he was saying. “So, what now?” I asked, forcing the words out through the lump in my throat.