Page 125 of His Ruthless Match

“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 insome 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.