Eclipse Child |✔|

|51|

Part III

...but now it's her mantra

she is stronger now than she was

and more focused on her needs...

***

The back porch door flew open.

My head snapped up at the sound, alertness coming into me as I took in the sight of the running figure, fleeing from the house.

Eagerness flooded into me as I quickly stood and followed it.

I couldn't tell where we were going. The path that I followed was shredded from the chaos of swinging arms and hurried pace.

It was easy to track him down until he stopped. I paused, tensing as I watched him from the cover of the low hanging trees.

Steam came from his shoulders as the heat of his body rose against the cold air. His heavy breaths came out to fast. A sharp inhale was taken in. Shoulders shook, and for a second, I wondered if it was in the act of crying.

He turned abruptly in my direction, eyes blazing to meet mine. I froze, looking at his face. There was no sign of sorrow as I thought there may be. Nothing to indicate that he was breaking...

"Go away Soraya."

I stepped out of the trees, my cover useless.

"What's wrong?"

Vincent glared down at me, his lips curling into a fierce scowl.

"Nothing. Leave me alone."

I leaned forward, standing upon the tips of my toes to move as close as I could without taking a visible step. He still continued to glare at me, waiting for me to leave.

"Let's fight- get your mind off of whatever it is."

"Soraya- I swear if you don't leave I-,"

He doesn't finish. He takes a step closer, something dark flashing on his face.

It was just a few weeks ago that Vincent had gone through his first shift. I had seen it.

It was awe-inspiring- something I would never forget. Dad looked proud at him. He helped him through it, yelling and encouraging. He and Grandjay both were there. They both congratulated him and looked at him. It had caused a sense of longing in me.

"Let me see you shift! Please!"

He takes another step closer.

Something catches my attention as Vincent stares intensely at me. He had never paid this much attention to me for this long. When we were younger, I would be able to bait him into fighting. But as he got older, the teasing worked less and less. Rarely did he give in anymore.

"Could you at least tell me what it's like?"

He doesn't say a word. He still is staring at me, as if trying to figure something out.

I grow impatient with his silence.

"Why did you come out here?" A sudden thought hits me, "are you training?"

He stiffens as I laugh at the thought.

"I'm training too!"

Vincent growls. The sound unnerved me. It was something he did often to every small thing that bothered him. Something he did now that he had fully integrated into his wolf.