Page 160 of His Ruthless Match

“Subtle. They do realize the masks give them away, right?” Cain asked with a smirk. “Let’s follow.”

We trailed them at a safe distance, slipping through the crowd like shadows. They led us to a hidden entrance near the back of the market—a tunnel carved into the rock, crates and barrels obscuring it. Cain and I exchanged a glance before slipping inside.

The tunnel was dark and narrow, the air damp and stale. We followed the faint sound of voices, the echoes growing louder as we moved deeper. Finally, the passage opened into a large chamber, dimly lit by torches mounted on the walls.

Izo stood in the center of the room.

My blood boiled. He was tall and imposing, his silver hair gleaming in the torchlight, his sharp features twisted into asmug grin. Around him, a group of rebels hung on his every word.

“We’ve wasted enough time on Eva Delgado,” Izo said, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. “She’s no longer a viable pawn. The Shadow has her under lock and key, which means we have to shift focus. We target his control of the Crimson Dominion. Hit his leverage points. Shake his foundation.”

I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body coiled with fury. Cain shot me a warning look, his hand brushing against my arm to remind me to stay calm.

“Once The Shadow’s power is destabilized, the rest will fall into place. No one can stand against us when the pieces are set.”

I’d heard enough. Cain nudged me, and we slipped back the way we came, moving silently through the tunnel.

We found a quiet corner where the shadows were deep and the chaos felt muted. The air still smelled like smoke and blood, reminding me of the trail of bodies I’d left behind earlier, but here, it was almost still. I leaned against the cold stone wall, crossing my arms as I replayed Izo’s words in my head.Eva Delgado is no longer a viable pawn. The rage simmering just beneath my skin flared.

Cain paced in front of me, his boots scuffing the uneven ground. “So, let me get this straight. Izo targeted Eva because she’s The Shadow’s sister. He wanted to use her to weaken The Shadow, disrupt his alliances, and now that plan’s off the table because she’s safe at his estate. Which means he’s focusing on taking down The Shadow’s influence in the Crimson Dominion.”

“Exactly. She wasn’t just collateral damage. She was a fucking chess piece in his game.”

Cain stopped pacing and turned to face me, his green eyes narrowing. “And now he’s shifted his attention. Which is badfor The Shadow, sure, but good for Eva. She’s not their focus anymore.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s safe,” I snapped, pushing off the wall. “Do you honestly think Izo or his people are going to leave her alone? She knows too much as a human. She’s a threat to them now.”

Cain shrugged. “You’re not wrong. But she’s safe with her brother. You can’t lose focus of how you can take down the external threats simply because she’s a threat to Izo in the long run.

I glared at him, my jaw tightening. I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Because he was right, and we both knew it. The thought of Eva in danger, of anything happening to her, made me feel like I was going to come apart at the seams. I’d never felt this way about anyone before, and it scared the hell out of me. But it also gave me a clarity I hadn’t felt in a long time. I knew what I had to do.

“I’m going to end this,” I said finally, my voice low but steady. “Izo, the rebel factions, all of it. I’ll eliminate every fucking one of them with my bare hands.”

Cain’s smirk faded, and for once, his expression turned serious. “So what you’re saying is… you’re all in?”

I nodded. “There’s no other option. We wipe them all out.”

Cain straightened, his grin returning. “Well, lucky for you, I have a plan.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? This ought to be good.”

He nodded. “We know where the rebels are hiding out. The tunnels underneath the black market are a fucking death trap, but they’ve got one major flaw. Ventilation. They need air down there, and that’s where we hit them.”

I frowned, not following. “What are you suggesting?”

Cain’s grin widened, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “Magical fires. We smoke them out.”

“You have that ability? Magical fires?”

Cain shrugged, clearly enjoying my reaction. “I can do many things, Jareth. Someone like me doesn’t simply exist for hundreds of years as a rogue vampire without honing his skills. Besides, you never asked.”

I let out a sharp breath, shaking my head. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

“I like to keep things interesting,” Cain said with a wink. “But yeah, I can set fires that’ll burn slow and fill those tunnels with smoke. Once they come scrambling out, we pick them off.”

It was a solid plan, and I couldn’t deny the satisfaction I felt at the thought of ambushing Izo and his people. But we couldn’t do it alone.

“We’re going to need more manpower,” I said. “I’ll see if I can get The Shadow to back us. This is his territory they’re threatening. He has a vested interest in taking them down.”