The Pentagram Child(40)

It was all there as plain as night watching it passing through Vincent’s eyes. The pain and the anger as though he wanted to take the same hurt from his brother just to ease his suffering…a suffering that by me being here was only adding to the weight of them all. Three close siblings who although so very different were also so very similar. If one of them hurt then all of them hurt and it was only now that I was discovering just how much that hurt had cost them.

And now it was time for my brutal truth.

I didn’t need to word my answer to him as he saw it all play out across my face as the realisation came to pass.

“So now you know.”

“Yes…now I know,” I whispered turning away from him, the view and the place where I knew his cave lay waiting, everything that held me hostage in this hopeless situation.

“It was all his choosing, Vincent.” I said letting the agony transform my voice to one of torment.

“But see, that’s where you’re wrong, Keira…this…this type of pain is never anyone’s choosing. You think he wanted to hurt you this way…? By the Gods, Keira even I didn’t understand it but now…”

“And now…?” I snapped, swinging back round to face him again.

“And now I know that he really had no choice at all.” I shook my head and said bitterly,

“But let me guess, it’s not your place to tell me why.”

“It is not my place, no. Just as it also isn’t Dom’s.” I let out a frustrated huff and raised my arms dramatically only to fall back again.

“Right! How perfect! This is my life and the decisions made that affect it I not only don’t have a say in, but I don’t even get to bloody know what the reasons are! You can surely see where I would have a problem with that…right?!”

“I do.” He agreed calmly in spite of my mounting rage.

“As does Dom,” he added when I let out a sigh making my mouth nearly drop open in shock.

“What?!”

“Did you really imagine Dom was finding any of this easy? Did you really think making any of these decisions, decisions that he knew would break you both, came easy to him?” He asked his voice getting hard and I stuttered for a moment,

“Well I…well, no but…”

“And did you really think that bearing the weight of these decisions was going to be easy to live with, knowing it was for the rest of his days?”

“I…no of course not but…”

“No! No they were not. I even admit myself that up until I finally knew why I could not understand the level of love needed in making them but make no mistake Keira, that was exactly what it took.” On hearing this I fell back a step unable to believe his words.

“What…what do you mean?” I asked on a whispered breath. Vincent looked away from me and looked down at the ground as if needing to compose himself before speaking again.

“Answer me something, Keira, you were angry at my brother when hearing why he came back here, were you not?”

“Yes I was because he didn’t come back here for me…he…he came back because of Alex.” I said straightening my back and clenching my fists at my sides.

“See that’s where you’re right but also very, very wrong.” He looked back up and then turned to me again to take in my defensive stance. He shook his head in what looked like frustration and then hit me with the painful truth.

“So you’re angry at that but tell me, how painful would it have been for you to know that Dom knew of you and this Alex but did nothing… simply because he didn’t care.” At this my shoulders slumped and I bit my lip as all that he said hit its mark with deadly accuracy. Thinking this would have indeed been far, far worse. Him knowing about us and doing…nothing, God but that thought alone nearly brought me to my knees!

I had spent so much time being pissed at Draven that I didn’t think for even a minute what him acting this way really meant. How I would have felt if he had done nothing, reacting as if he didn’t care but he hadn’t done that now had he? No, he had acted in the complete opposite. So that could only mean one thing…

“He…he still cares for me?” I said shocked that I could even make the words pass through my lips. Vincent’s lips quirked into a small smile before saying,

“But of course he does. There is not a being alive that would not act that way unless there was love driving their actions.”

“But if he still cares then why doesn’t he just try and get me back…why has it taken this long for him to…?”

“Don’t do that to yourself, sweetheart.” He interrupted quickly.