Predator

15.

The couple exchanged no words once Neela allowed Ryan in the room, once Ryan was able to finally absorb the pain his mate felt. He didn't care that his energy was slowly being drained, it was all worth it.

Now that they were in this position, Ryan realized that Neela's eyes were really pretty. Her eyes were lightly colored. However, half of her eye would be one shade, the other half would be a completely different color. It was a small difference, but Ryan could notice.

Ryan couldn't bring himself to say anything to Neela, he still saw the hurt and mistrust directed towards him. But, she loved him. Even though Neela couldn't bring herself o say it out loud, she loved him. Ryan, on the other hand, would profess his love to Neela on the highest roof to tell the world how he felt.

Without thinking twice about it, Ryan leaned in, his nose brushed only slightly pass Neela's. He laid his forehead against hers, they could both tell where this situation was going to go. As almost if it was planned, came Neela's hitched breathing, along with an accelerated heartbeat.

Ryan loved that he could practically see the blood rush from her veins, all the up to the apples of her cheeks. He kept his eyes on her pinkish lips, while Neela tried to look elsewhere. The couple never pulled away from this position, despite Neela feeling like her heart could've exploded at any second.

He was the one who closed the distance between himself and his mate. While his lips softly landed on Neela's, he brought his hand up to let it caress her darkened cheek, his other hand rested on her waist. For Ryan, time completely stopped, nothing could get to either of them, not even Egin. For

He could still taste Neela's blood on his tongue, he felt euphoric. He never wanted someone's blood as much as he wanted hers, they could be together forever, in that case. While he tasted Neela's lips, he could taste her blood as if he was drinking from her again and again. It made his body shake, it made him feel so good.

Neela's head was going a million miles a second during that kiss. How could you kiss the man who's abused you? The man who has almost killed you, even drank your blood? Was what Neela's conscience was screaming at her. To Ryan's dismay, she listened to her head and pulled away first. She brought her own hand up to trace her bottom lip, the place Ryan's lips had just engulfed with his own.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Neela's feet carried her out of the bathroom and back into her new bedroom.

~~

Neela just couldn't believe the hurt and betrayal she felt in her heart, she was confused with everything. Why they moved was explained by Ethan, she knew the whole story of Egin and the history he has, especially the history with Damien.

She just didn't know why someone would report them to Egin, let alone who did it. No one knew the full story of Ryan and Neela. No one, except the people they live with, knew of Ryan's redemption. It wasn't fair that this happened! Neela tried to convince Ethan to let her go, so she could tell the truth about Ryan and the relationship they had.

~~

"It's been two days, angel," Ryan groaned against the bedroom door. It was still novel for Neela to wake up to sunlight and not an everlasting twilight, "we're both getting sick again. I can feel it," it took everything in Ryan to not break down the door. Neela's blood still made him sensitive to everything around him, he was essentially going through withdrawals.

His body, once he had a simple taste of Neela's blood, was hooked. He would crave it for days. He would have the constant feeling of being thirsty and no matter how many blood bags he drank from, nothing was quenching it. Now that Neela is at prime mating age, it was really different, he had the actual symptoms of withdrawal. He had the cold sweats, shivering, vomiting, constant exhaustion. He just needed contact with Neela, he knew he wouldn't hurt her like that with a clear mind. Despite the withdrawals, his mind was perfectly clear.

Neela opened the door with a heavy groan and plopped face first back onto her pillow. Ryan let himself in and just about laid on Neela, he wrapped his whole upper body on hers. "Does your arm feel okay? How about your face and stomach?"

"Everything feels fine," Neela sighed then shivered once Ryan slightly lifted her shirt to draw deigns on her skin.

"I'm sorry," he choked out his apology. The couple both knew that he was sincere, "you know that-that's not me. You know it's never me doing it. After that time I'm gonna train even harder, do you wanna know why? It's because I saw it, I saw it all."

Damien was walking up to Neela's bedroom to serve her breakfast, but froze once he saw the couple hugging each other. "I don't want to be a monster in your eyes anymore, I hate that look you get in your eyes that shows fear and pain. I have you counting on me because you're my family."

It hurt Damien to see how much of Rin was in Neela. Just an innocent soul who didn't deserve the life she lived, too forgiving, too good for the whole world to break her down like it has. It pained Damien even more to see how much of himself was in Ryan. A boy who had to grow up too quickly, someone who didn't deserve all the bottled-up anger and frustration.

And Damien could admit, he wasn't the best father in the beginning of it all and that was his own fault for not being there. Rin was a great mother who had a tragic end that Damien still doesn't know how it had happened. And for that, for not protecting Rin properly, for always hurting her when they were children, Damien shall never love the same way again.

He didn't want that for Ryan.