Page 27 of His Ruthless Match

I stopped and glanced over my shoulder, scanning the street behind me. Empty. A few cars passed, their headlights painting long streaks of light that faded as quickly as they came.

“Get a grip, Eva,” I muttered, trying to shake off the unease.

But it didn’t go away.

As I walked, the feeling grew stronger. I quickened my pace and glanced back again. This time, a shadow shifted.

There was someone there.

My stomach flipped, and I froze. Was it a trick of the light? A phantom born from my exhaustion?

The figure moved.

It was real.

My heart hammered. I yanked out my phone, my thumb hovering over the call button. 911. The thought flared bright and fast in my mind, but something about the figure made me hesitate. They weren’t stumbling like a drunk or approaching like a lost tourist. Their movements were deliberate, predatory.

I took a step back, then another, before I turned and bolted.

The sound of footsteps followed, matching my pace.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

A surge of adrenaline propelled me forward. I ducked around a corner, my legs burning, my breath coming in ragged bursts. I pressed myself against the wall, fumbling with my phone.

“Come on, come on,” I hissed, scrolling to Jareth’s name.

He picked up after the first ring. “Eva?”

“I need you,” I gasped. “Someone’s following me?—”

I barely got the words out before a sharppopcracked the air, and Jareth materialized in front of me, his expression wild and frantic.

“What happened?” he demanded.

I was doubled over, trying to catch my breath. “Someone… was following me. I ran… I lost them, but…”

Jareth scanned the area, his stance rigid. His eyes blazed with something between anger and worry. “You shouldn’t be out here alone this late.”

I scowled at him. “Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Where the hell were you? Aren’t you supposed to materialize when I’m in danger?”

The muscles in his jaw ticked. “I didn’t think you’d be out on the streets this late. You didn’t tell me.”

“Tell you?” I hissed. “What am I, a prisoner? You’ve been a pain in my ass since this whole thing started, and theone timeI actually need you, you’re nowhere to be found!”

Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly restraining himself. “I assumed you were participating in some extracurriculars.”

“Excuse me?”

“You didn’t text me to say you were about to walk home,” he continued, ignoring my outrage. “When your heart rate spiked, I thought you might have been…otherwise engaged. In the romantic sense.”

I opened my mouth to retort, not sure whether to be mortified or offended, but he stepped closer, his gaze flicking to the bracelet on my wrist. He took my hand and rolled the bracelet over, his fingers brushing my skin.

“There’s a hidden button here,” he said, pointing to a barely visible indentation. “Press and hold it for three seconds, and I’ll know you’re in imminent danger.”

I yanked my hand back. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

Grimacing, he ran a hand through his hair. “I didn’t think you’d actuallyneedit. That’s on me,” he admitted, his tone uncharacteristically sincere. “But it won’t happen again.”