My heart stopped. I let out a gasp, barely clapping my hand to my mouth in time. I drew hastily back, further into the recesses of the stone. I could still hear their voices clearly, perhaps because their words were so brutal that they simply tore through the other sounds.
‘You told Ashton it was an accident.’
Victor sniggered audibly. ‘I tell Ashton a lot of things that are only half true. After all, we have to assume he’s passing them on.’
‘So you made her do it? On purpose?’
Take out your phone and record them. It was the only thought in my head. But I knew I was too far away for my phone to pick up their voices properly, and I could barely bring myself to move a muscle. I leant timidly forwards, just in time to see Victor shrug. ‘I just wanted her gone. She chose the… simplest way to comply with that request. And what happened?Absolutely nothing. No idea why everyone’s getting their knickers in such a twist. How would they ever prove it?’
‘You know we’ve had some pretty close calls in the past. Which is why we all agreed not to attract that kind of attention.’
‘Agreed?’ Victor got to his feet with a snort. ‘Nobody asked me. It’s orders from above. But they’re not the ones who have to sit around twiddling their thumbs in this shithole of a university, surrounded by a load of slack-jawed idiots.’ He jerked his thumb contemptuously towards Paulina, who was standing between them wide-eyed.
Jack followed the gesture, surveying his companion. ‘I don’t know, mate. If they find out?—’
‘They won’t,’ Victor interrupted impatiently. ‘It’s only you and me here.’
‘And me.’ Paulina smiled uncertainly. Her fingers were curled into the hem of her thick velvet jacket, her eyes on Jack’s face. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t just leave. Why she was looking at Jack as if he was the only place in the world where she belonged.
‘That’s right, sweetheart.’ Victor stroked her head. It could have seemed affectionate, but for some reason it looked like he was petting a dog. ‘And that’s the problem.’ He took a step towards Jack, who looked up. ‘Come on. I know you want to. How long has it been since you took as much as you wanted? We’ve been leashed for far too long. It’s against our nature. Just think about how powerful we are–what’s the use of all that power if you never get to enjoy it?’
‘Ashton…’ Jack began hesitantly.
Victor threw back his head and groaned. ‘Ashton isn’t here. Neither are Norah or Blake–which means there’s nobody to tell him.’ I flinched inwardly at the sound of his name, but I still couldn’t move or string together a coherent thought from the jumble of information. ‘I’m sick of Ash acting like some fucking prince, bossing us around like his own personal court.’
‘I mean, he sort of is, isn’t he? A prince.’
‘Well right now he isn’t here at all. So. What’s it going to be?’
Jack’s eyes darted between the mute, almost absent-seeming Paulina and his friend. He ran his hand several times through his cropped hair, as if trying to organise the thoughts underneath his skull.
Victor took a step back, raising his hands. ‘Or are you scared? You think maybe you’re too out of practice?’
‘I can see what you’re trying to do. I’m a psychology student, remember?’ Jack rolled his eyes, but even so, he sat up a little straighter.
Victor had noticed it too: he was smirking triumphantly. ‘So, is it working?’
‘Unfortunately, yes.’ Jack sighed deeply, stubbing out his cigarette on the stone edge, where he simply left it. ‘Fine. Paulina, my love–come here.’ He drew her closer by the wrists, pulling her in between his legs.
Immediately she clasped his hips, beaming at him. ‘Hi.’
Jack smiled, but even at this distance I could see the watchful look in his eyes. He brushed the hair back from her forehead, then cupped her face in both hands, looking steadily into her eyes. ‘You like me, don’t you?’
She nodded hastily, a little too eagerly. ‘Of course.’
‘Then just think about how much, okay?’ He leant in until the tip of his nose grazed hers. ‘Will you do that for me?’
‘Of course,’ she breathed, closing her eyes.
I tensed, ready to come out of the shadows if he grabbed hold of her. But he didn’t. At least, not really. He merely circledhis thumbs gently over her cheeks before lowering his hands– to her throat.
And there they stood, motionless, both with eyes closed. After a few seconds Paulina’s body appeared to soften. She shifted closer to Jack, wrapped both arms around his hips and sighed gently. He smiled without opening his eyes. Victor was slowly stepping back, arms folded, a broad grin on his face that felt more menacing to me than anything else about the situation. I didn’t understand what was happening, and I wasn’t sure if I should do something–and if so, what. Jack’s hands were still resting on her throat, but there was nothing rough about the way he was touching her, and meanwhile Paulina kept clutching ever more determinedly at his hips. It didn’t look like he was hurting her. Far from it. In the flat light of the lamp, I could see her face growing more peaceful and relaxed with every passing second. She sighed again, longer this time, deeper.
Jack blinked and rested his forehead against hers. ‘God,’ he murmured, languidly, almost dazedly, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. ‘I’d forgotten how good that feels.’ His voice seemed to vibrate with satisfaction, a pulse that spread into his body. Although the colour had risen to his face, he seemed to be quivering. I felt sick, my fingers boring into the stone in front of me.
‘Do it now,’ Victor ordered softly.
Jack hesitated a final time, then once again he took Paulina’s face in his hands. He rested the tip of his nose against hers, then put his mouth very close to her ear.
