Page 75 of His Ruthless Match (Below #3)

JARED

T he Crimson Dominion was a cesspool of chaos and violence, and tonight, it mirrored the storm raging inside me.

The narrow streets twisted like veins, shadows flickering in the torchlight as if they were mocking me.

The stench of smoke, blood, and rot clung to the air.

My boots struck the uneven cobblestones in sharp, deliberate steps, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

I wasn’t here to navigate carefully or play the game of subtleties.

I was here to end this—one body at a time, if I had to.

The ache in my chest was sharp and unrelenting.

Being away from Eva felt like someone had slammed a blade into my ribs and twisted, refusing to pull it free.

Every nerve screamed for me to turn back, to find her, to make sure she was safe.

But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. The only way to protect her was to end this threat for good, and if that meant burning the entire Crimson Dominion to the fucking ground, so be it.

I moved through the streets, my daggers strapped to my sides, my every step fueled with rage, grief, and a longing that gnawed at my sanity.

The first target, a low-level informant loitering near a weapons vendor, was too easy.

He didn’t see me coming until it was too late.

I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

I pulled one of the flyers offering a reward for Eva’s capture, dead or alive, from my back pocket and shoved it in his smug face. “Who put the hit on her?” I growled, my voice a low, dangerous rumble.

“I… I don’t know?—”

The lie was obvious, and my dagger was in my hand before he could finish the sentence.

One sharp slice across his throat silenced him forever.

He crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath him, and I moved on without a second glance.

If he didn’t want to share the information I needed, he was nothing but dead weight.

The next lead took me deeper into the underbelly of the Crimson Dominion.

The air in the filthy tavern was thick with the acrid smell of cheap liquor and the dull roar of whispered conversations.

As soon as I walked in, every patron’s gaze snapped to me.

Death followed me tonight, and no one wanted to be its next victim.

Or perhaps it was my blood-soaked shirt that had them on edge.

Either way, they were right to fucking cower.

I zeroed in on a wiry man with a twitchy gaze sitting at the bar.

He saw me and bolted, but I was faster. I crossed the room in two strides, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him back across the bar.

Bottles smashed to the ground, their contents spilling in shimmering puddles, and stools clattered as patrons scrambled to get out of my way.

“Talk,” I snarled, pressing my dagger against his throat. “Who put the hit out for the human woman?”

“I don’t know anything,” he stammered, his voice high-pitched and frantic.

“Wrong answer.” Teeth bared, I pressed the blade harder.

“Wait, wait,” he cried, his hands flailing. “I swear, I don’t know who ordered it, but I’ve heard whispers… someone working with Izo.”

That name stopped me cold, and the fire inside me flared brighter. Izo. The memories of his betrayal to The Shadow and the chaos he thrived on were burned into my mind. If Izo was involved, truly involved, this was far worse than I’d thought.

The rage overtook me before I could stop it.

I plunged my dagger into the man’s chest, silencing his panicked breaths.

As I yanked the blade free, his body slid limply to the ground.

Around me, the tavern was silent except for the creak of shifting floorboards as the remaining patrons scattered, not wanting to be caught in the wake of my wrath.

I stood there for a moment, my breathing ragged as the weight of Izo’s name settled in my chest. If Izo was behind this, I would fucking destroy him.

When I stepped out into the alley, my hands were slick with blood, and my clothes were stained with crimson streaks.

I was running on fumes, but the pain was nothing compared to the hollow ache inside me.

Each step felt heavier, each breath sharper, as if my lungs were fighting against my own ribcage.

I leaned against the cold, damp wall of the alley and closed my eyes briefly. Eva’s face flashed through my mind. It grounded me, pulled me back from the edge of losing myself completely. But it also hurt like hell.

“I’ll protect you, Eva,” I whispered into the darkness, my voice raw. “Even if it kills me.”

The words were a promise, one I would keep no matter what it cost me.

I didn’t trust myself to be near her—I couldn’t risk letting my feelings cloud my judgment again—but I sure as hell didn’t trust anyone else to handle this.

No one else could get to the bottom of this the way I could.

No one else could make them pay like I would.

I pushed off the wall, my focus sharpening. Izo’s name was burned into my brain now, a target I wouldn’t miss. If he thought he could threaten Eva, if he thought he could come after what was mine, he was about to learn what a big fucking mistake he’d made.

The alley was eerily quiet as I moved forward, my blades still dripping with blood.

Each step took me deeper into the Dominion, the shadows closing in around me like a shroud.

I didn’t care. Let them come. Let them all come.

I would carve my way through every last one of them if that’s what it took to keep her safe.

With a final glance at the alley behind me, I sheathed my daggers and disappeared into the darkness. My mind was already calculating my next move, every thought focused on one goal: taking down Izo and ending this threat once and for all.

For Eva.

After the rampage in the Crimson Dominion, I stumbled into my cottage like a ghost. My muscles ached, my clothes were stiff with dried blood, and the stench of death clung to me like a second skin.

I didn’t bother looking in the mirror. I knew I looked just as fucking bad as I felt.

The only thing that kept me moving was the thought of a shower and maybe some food to stop the gnawing ache in my stomach.

The hot water scalded my skin, but I didn’t care.

I let the water cascade over me, rinsing away the blood and grime, but it did nothing for the ache inside me.

I scrubbed at my skin until it was raw, my mind replaying every moment of the past twenty-four hours like a movie I couldn’t pause.

Eva’s face kept flashing before me—her wide eyes, her trembling voice.

I cursed under my breath, slamming my hand against the shower wall. This wasn’t helping. None of it was.

After throwing on clean clothes and choking down a sandwich I barely tasted, I grabbed my phone and dialed the only person who might help me make sense of the chaos in my head. Cain.

The phone rang twice before he picked up, his familiar, gruff voice coming through the line. “Jareth fucking Lanza. To what do I owe the honor?”

I let out a breath, running a hand through my damp hair. “I’ve done something stupid, Cain. Really fucking stupid.”

He chuckled. “Oh, this should be good. Lay it on me.”

“I’ve fallen in love,” I admitted, the words bitter and raw on my tongue. “With a human.”

Cain laughed so hard I thought he might choke. “You? In love? With a human ? Holy shit, I never thought I’d see the day. Who is she? Some sweet little baker? A hot librarian?”

“It’s worse,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. “She’s my fated mate.”

He cackled. “Oh, this just keeps getting better. Fated mate? And human? Jareth, you never fail to impress me with the fucking insanity you find yourself in.”

I gritted my teeth, waiting for him to get it all out of his system. “There’s more.”

“Of course there is,” he said, his tone dripping with amusement. “Go on.”

“She’s The Shadow’s sister.”

Cain went silent for a moment before bursting into laughter again, his voice wheezing through the receiver. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Classic Jareth. Sticking your dick where it doesn’t belong.”

“Cain,” I growled, my patience wearing thin. “I need your help.”

“All right, all right,” he said, still chuckling. “What’s the situation?”

I explained everything. How Eva was an attorney representing a client who had been magically manipulated.

How she’d become a target because of it, and how I’d been tasked with protecting her.

I told him about the ambush, the attack at the black market, and the revelation that someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.

I also came clean about me killing every informant I could get my hands on, eventually yielding a strong lead.

By the time I was done, my voice was tight with frustration and barely restrained anger.

“There’s someone at the center of this,” I said, pacing the room.

“Someone orchestrating all of it. I need your help to infiltrate the rebel factions connected to the Crimson Dominion. If we can dig deep enough, we might be able to figure out who’s behind it.

I have my suspicions and have been given information pointing to someone specifically, but I need proof. ”

Cain let out a low whistle. “You really know how to get yourself into some shit, don’t you?”

“Cain—”

“I’m in. I don’t have anything better to do right now, and this sounds fun. But I’ve got to say, you’ve got some serious anger issues to work out based on your little killing spree.”

I huffed a breath. “Those fuckers deserved it.”

“Sure they did,” Cain said, his tone light. “But I’ve never seen you this unhinged before. Don’t go burning yourself out before we even start, all right?”

“Just meet me in the Crimson Dominion. We’ll start there.”