Chapter 13
She didn't know how long she had been lying there. Her tears had dried, and her eyes felt swollen and tired, but she didn't want to move. All she could see was the shock in Tom's eyes as the scene replayed itself over and over. She knew she had to move. Julian had said that no one died until the game was over, so she had to get up, for Toms sake. But her body didn't want to move. Both her arms and legs felt like dead weights, rooting her to the place where she killed Tom.
The shadows darkened in the room, and she knew without looking that it was Julian. Slowly, she raised herself up to her knees and turned to look at him. He was leaning against the table, his expression unreadable as he studied her. Jenny stared back at him, grief and anger repressing any fear she may have felt.
"Did you enjoy that?" she said angrily, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Have fun watching that?" her voice was shaking as she trembled all over in rage. She wished she had the stave of life so she could cut him out as viciously as he had made her kill Tom. And she knew she wouldn't regret that one bit.
"Watching you cry has never been particularly enjoyable" he replied soberly, his eyes still studying her.
"Shut up" she cried. She wanted to lunge at him, wished she had the dagger still so she could stab him with it and make him feel the pain that was clawing her inside.
"You're the one who made me cry so you should be happy. Must have been so satisfying for you making me stab Tom wasn't it?" she smirked.
"I didn't make you stab Tom" he replied coldly. "It was your fear that did that. I had nothing to do with it."
Jenny laughed incredulously. "Nothing to do with it huh? Then what do you call this game? Something I dreamt up?"
"I gave you a choice. You're the one who chose to involve everyone else. Don't blame me for your decision."
Jenny knew he was right and accepted the responsibility. It was her fault, all of it was her fault. But she still had time to make it right. She looked at him straight in the eyes as she stood up. "You're right its my fault. And now I've got a game to win so why don't you get lost so I can get on with it."
She shouldn't have said that, she realised too late. She could see the venom rise in his eyes and flinched at its ferocity. Deliberately he began to move towards her, raw energy emanating from his body. Jenny wanted to turn and run but she didn't. Defiance was making her stay where she was. What did it matter what he did to her now anyway? And besides there wasn't really anywhere she could run too.
He was right in front of her now and unwittingly she took a step backwards, her body responding to a fear that her mind wasn't registering. She still hadn't taken her eyes from him, but with every step forward he took, she moved backwards until finally she backed up against a wall. Her stomach lurched as she finally comprehended what she'd done, challenging Julian this early in the game was never a good idea but she had done it anyway. He placed his hands on either side of her, locking her in against the wall. The fury in his eyes was so intense that she couldn't meet his gaze anymore and she lowered her eyes, looking at the floor. How was she going to get out of this one? Well done Thornton, she thought sardonically, good luck figuring this one out.
Julian slowly raised one hand and weaved it through her hair, coiling it around his fingers until he jerked her head up to look at him. Jenny stared at him in surprise, terror coursing through her veins. Julian's touch had always been soft before, seductive in nature, but this was different. There was a brutal savagery in the way he had her cornered, almost like he wanted to hurt her. She had never felt like his prey before as intensely as she did right now. Sensing her alarm he smiled viciously and taking his other hand clasped her wrist, hard enough to bruise, and trapped her arm above her head.
Jenny's breath was coming in hitches now, she couldn't move and couldn't look away. She was stupid, stupid to have taunted him. Amused at her fear he looked at her, eyes lingering on her lips before abruptly lifting her head and kissing her. A hard kiss. His mouth pressed down on hers violently, smothering her, cutting of her air supply. She was completely under his control, unable to resist his demanding mouth. She knew she was returning the kiss and tried vainly to struggle but it was no use, he had her held too tightly. she was going to faint, she knew it. she could feel her knees buckle, and saw the spots dance before her eyes even though they were shut tight.
He let her go as suddenly as he had grabbed her, and Jenny slumped to the floor. Her head was thumping loudly and her chest hurt as she drew in air. When she looked up again, Julian had gone. He had changed from last time. She had felt it the moment he had seen her and Tom together. There was something more brutal about Julian. Perhaps it was because he was just reborn. Ha! Jenny thought distractedly, he's a newborn! But the more she thought about it, the less funny it became. The one thing all children had in common was how to get what they wanted – regardless of how they got it. Don't annoy him again Thornton.