Page 28 of His Ruthless Match

The fire in my chest fizzled slightly at his earnestness. I took a deep breath, my hands still trembling. “It’s fine. Just… don’t forget next time.”

“There won’t be a next time.”

The tension stretched between us, an unspoken battle of wills simmering in the air. Jareth tilted his head slightly, his eyes darting toward the shadows of the city street below. He held up a hand, silently commanding me to stop fidgeting.

“Eva,” he murmured. “Be quiet.”

I opened my mouth to retort but stopped short. His eyes were alert, and every inch of him radiated focus. He cocked his head, his body rigid, and for a moment, I forgot to be annoyed.

“What are you?—”

“Shh.” He held up a finger, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness.

A minute passed, maybe two, then he relaxed. “They’re gone,” he said casually, like he hadn’t just been ready to pounce.

“How do you know?” I asked, skepticism laced in my voice.

He smirked. “Perks of being a shifter. Enhanced hearing, a sixth sense for danger—all that fun stuff. I know you hate animals, but you might want to start appreciating the benefits.”

I bristled at the comment but let it slide. “So, what? You scared them off?”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug. “Or maybe they weren’t following you at all, and you freaked yourself out because you were walking alone at this hour. Youdoknow better, don’t you?”

I glared at him as I pulled my coat tighter around me. “I don’t need a lecture, Jareth.”

“No, what you need is to stop being so stubborn and actually listen when people try to keep you alive.”

I clenched my jaw, biting back the urge to snap at him. He turned on his heel and started walking, clearly expecting me to follow.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Walking you home. If someone’s really after you, they’re not going to stop just because I scared them off momentarily. Let’s go.”

We walked in tense silence. Jareth was constantly glancing over his shoulder, his body language screaming hypervigilance. Meanwhile, I focused on keeping my expression neutral, though my insides were still knotted with unease.

When we arrived, Jareth immediately went into security mode, sweeping through my apartment like a soldier clearing a battlefield. Every closet, every corner, every window.

“Anything else you want to invade while you’re at it?” I asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed.

He ignored me.

When he finally declared the space secure, he said, “You’re good for now. But you need better habits, Eva. Walking alone at night in this city? You might as well wear a neon sign saying, ‘Easy target.’”

I hated that he was right. I hated that he was here. Most of all, I hated that I felt safer with him around.

“Thanks,” I muttered begrudgingly. “You can go now.”

“Yeah, no.” He dropped onto the couch and stretched out. “I’m staying.”

My head snapped toward him. “The hell you are.”

He raised a brow, utterly unfazed. “You don’t get a vote. I’ve been lax. If The Shadow knew about this incident, he’d have my head on a pike.”

I glared. He smirked. The standoff lasted all of five seconds. I strode to the hall closet and grabbed a blanket. “Fine. Here,” I said, tossing him the blanket.

I turned on my heel, refusing to give him the satisfaction of another response. A small smile tugged at my lips despite myself, but I wiped it away before he could see.

A decorative pillow smacked me in the back of the head. I turned around with my mouth hanging open, hardly able to believe that he’d just hit me with my own pillow. Jareth cackled and opened his mouth, but before he could respond, a cracking sound outside the door made us both freeze.