Page 106 of His Ruthless Match

“Clear,” Jareth confirmed, his voice carrying through the open door. “Come in.”

Genevieve hesitated at the threshold before stepping inside. I closed the door behind us and put a hand on her shoulder.

“This is just temporary,” I said gently. “You’ll be okay here.”

She nodded, her shoulders slumping as if a weight had been lifted. She sank onto the edge of the bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The exhaustion etched into her features was undeniable, and my chest tightened at the sight.

Jareth walked to the window, peering through the curtains to survey the street below. “The guards are in place. No one’s getting in or out without us knowing.”

Genevieve let out a shaky breath. “Thank you. Both of you. I don’t know what I’d do if…” She trailed off, her voice breaking.

“Don’t think about that,” I said firmly. “You’re safe now. Focus on resting, okay?”

She nodded again, her eyes glassy. I stayed while she settled into bed, pulling the blankets around herself like a shield.

In the hallway, I exhaled slowly. “This isn’t sustainable,” I said quietly. “She can’t keep hopping from one hotel to another.”

Jareth nodded, his expression grim. “We’ll figure it out. But right now, she’s too spooked to stay in one place for long.”

“She’s spiraling,” I murmured, my voice barely audible. “And if we don’t get to the bottom of this soon, I don’t know how much more she can take.”

Jareth’s gaze softened slightly as he slung his arm around my shoulder. “We’ll figure this out, Delgado. One step at a time.”

I looked up at him, finding unexpected comfort in his presence. “We have to,” I said simply, my voice resolute.

The drive back was silent. I stared out the window, my mind racing. Normal life felt like a distant memory, something just out of reach.

Jareth’s voice broke through my thoughts. “We’ll get her through this. Both of you.”

“Thanks,” I said softly, the word carrying more weight than it usually did.

30

JARETH

Istood barefoot in Eva’s kitchen, staring down at the skillet in front of me. The steak was sizzling in the pan, but my mind was miles away. Specifically, back in her bed. My lips twitched upward at the memory, and before I could stop it, a soft, disbelieving laugh slipped out.

She was my fated mate.

The realization had hit me sometime between our first kiss and the moment I’d completely fallen apart inside her. It wasn’t only her taste or how her body fit so perfectly against mine. It was the way she owned my thoughts now, the way some primal instinct inside me had awakened and whispered:her. Forever.

My cougar had known, and if I hadn’t been in denial, I would have recognized it, too.

“You’re burning that,” Grelth’s grating voice interrupted, jerking me back to the present. He was hunched over one of the barstools, a steaming mug of something tar-black and foul-smelling cradled in his hands. His beady eyes gleamed with amusement.

I scowled as I flipped the steak with more force than was necessary. “It’s not burnt. It’s seared.”

Grelth snorted, showing off sharp teeth as he took a sip of his drink. “Seared, burnt… what’s the difference? Either way, you’re distracted, and it’s rather amusing.”

I didn’t argue because he wasn’t wrong. I’d thought cooking might clear my head, but my mind kept circling back to Eva. Her laugh, her touch, the way she’d whispered my name…

“You’re awfully quiet,” Grelth continued. “Usually, I can’t get you to shut up. What’s got you so preoccupied?”

“I’m not distracted,” I muttered. “Just busy.”

“Busy thinking about your little human, I bet.” Grelth’s grin widened, his tone smug. “The one you haven’t stopped staring at like she hung the stars.”

I froze for a fraction of a second before focusing hard on the steak. “She’s notmyhuman. Not like that.”