Page 122 of His Ruthless Match
Old blood. Metal. Something rotting.
His mouth lowered toward my neck.
I twisted, shoving at him with every ounce of strength I had, but it barely moved him.
“Don’t,” I gasped.
His lips brushed my skin.
Cold.
I felt the edge of a fang graze my throat, just a tease, like he wanted to savor the fear first.
I was going to die.
Then Jareth hit him like a fucking freight train.
The impact sounded like a car crash. One second, I was pinned beneath a monster, the next, that monster was flyingthrough the air and slamming into the pavement with a crack that made my ears ring.
Stone fractured under the force.
The vampire screamed and writhed as Jareth lunged, but he didn’t go down easily. He was smarter than his cronies, more desperate. He rolled fast, claws slicing through the air, catching Jareth across the ribs.
Blood arced through the air.
Jareth snarled, eyes glowing. A low growl reverberated in the air like thunder as he circled the vampire.
They clashed.
Snarling. Slashing. Blood-slick limbs crashing against brick walls and concrete. The vampire ducked, dodged, and rolled, but Jareth matched every move with brutal precision, claws dragging furrows down the creature’s back, teeth snapping just short of his throat.
And then the vampire turned and ran at me again.
“No!” I screamed, scrambling back.
Jareth pounced again, slamming the creature into the ground just feet from where I lay. This time, he didn’t let go. One clawed paw crushed the vampire’s chest, the other pinned his shoulder down. I could see the vampire’s fangs snapping, snarling, his mouth flecked with blood. He bucked violently, nearly throwing Jareth off.
But Jareth held.
He leaned in, face-to-face
with the thing, a low, vicious growl emanating from him as his claws dug in deeper.
Flesh tore.
The vampire shrieked and thrashed again, but he wasn’t getting up.
Not this time.
I blinked, and Jareth was human again. Bleeding. Furious.
And in total control.
He pulled a flask out of his jacket pocket and twisted the cap off. Liquid sloshed inside. It smelled like kerosene.
Jareth poured it over the vampire’s chest.
The creature awoke and shrieked, smoke rising as the liquid hissed against his skin. He thrashed until Jareth struck a match and dropped it without a word.
