Predator

25.

Ryan could barely walk up the runway to approach Egin, which actually concerned Egin. He swiftly approached Ryan, his long cloak flapping with the wind as he took long strides. Once in front of Ryan, Egin took hold of his face and examined his almost black eyes and paling russet skin. Egin almost had to take his hands away from Ryan due to the shock that coursed through his dead body from Ryan's fever. "Have you not had contact with the human?" Egin was legitimately concerned about Ryan's well-being.

Ryan couldn't speak, he could only shake his head and hum. With a hand on Ryan's upper arm to keep him standing, Egin turned to Ryan's family in shock with wide eyes, "why has he not had contact with her, Damien? I cannot speak to him like this."

Damien spoke in a quiet voice, "the situation is really weird right now—" Egin cut the man off.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't have contact with her for months without harming her at this point." The emotional distress would be too much for Ryan and his demon to handle. Despite his demon feeling the same way the real Ryan does, his demon would more than likely kill her. "Do you realize the danger you put Neela in?" Ryan groaned at the sound of Neela's name leaving Egin's lips.

"Egin," Damien started, "it's a very weird situation with Neela right now. Please hear me out."

"From my perspective, there is no justification for this man to be deprived of contact with his mate," Damien visibly sighed at Egin's words. "However," Egin's red and black eyes were in deep though, "if you really believe that it is significant, then I will listen to what you must say." Egin took another look at Ryan and then gave his dead arm to Ethan, to which made Ryan waddle closer to his brother. "Take him home, get him out of those uncomfortable clothes and make the condition of his room how he likes," Egin demanded to all of Damien's sons, but they were all hesitant to leave their father behind, "go now, I'll be fine," Damien shrugged them off as Egin began leading the way to his study.

~~

"You've allowed an unstable human to believe they're crazy?" Egin and Damien were one their fourth glass of blood by this time. "Yes," Damien sighed in disappointment in himself. "I just wanted her to be safe. She had no family left that would have wanted her."

Egin was staring at Damien to figure out the true story of Neela, once he finally figured out her origins of going to the Soptic's, he spoke again. "She was kidnapped before, why can't you kidnap her again?"

"She is beginning to believe that none of us are real, that we're just her imagination. She doesn't have the same spark when talking about us anymore."

"Leave," Egin spoke plainly. "I'll bring the human to you tomorrow, she'll know that you are real."

Damien quickly stood up, knocking the chair down that he previously sat in, "Egin no." Egin turned to Damien with a raised eyebrow, "are you refusing the orders of your lord?"

Damien sighed in defeat before shaking his head, "just please don't hurt her. She's innocent in all of this." 

~~

"Now what?" Ryan croaked out as Damien approached his bed. "Please don't be upset." Ryan was about to start laughing but instead his body made him cough, "I couldn't even do anything if I wanted to."

"Egin is going to bring Neela to us." Even though Ryan felt pain surge course through his body, he stayed in the same, limp position he always had been in. "For what?"

"For you. I think it's all over and Egin finds you innocent." Ryan shook his head, "we both know it's not that easy," he cut himself off with a cough, "he's going to use her to give me my energy back and then keep her until it's actually over. That's what happened the first time with mother."

Damien tried to find his words, but could find none. "Neela's awake, I have to talk to her," Ryan turned on his side and tapped into Neela's thoughts. "Don't tell her anything," Damien wanted and slowly walked out of the room to give the two privacy.

~~

"Disgusting humans," Egin spat to himself after hearing how lowly Carmine was speaking of Neela. To Egin, Neela was a lovely girl who should not have been in any dire situation.

Egin slowly approached the sleeping Neela, his large cloak still moving with the wind as he didn't wear mortal clothes. He studied her for a quick moment or two before he snapped himself out of it, "a banshee?" Egin brought his hand to Neela's scarred check and carefully let his fingers go in and out of the ridges in her skin. Egin has never met a banshee, they're pure creatures.

"I bet you've had many dreams of my realm, hmm?" Egin was inspecting Neela's body as he spoke to her, "you will be of great use to your family."

Egin took Neela home during the hours that demons are to rest. "Your daughter is a banshee," Egin spoke after Neela was laid on a bed. "A what?" Every demon knew that banshees existed, they were just rare creatures, there is little to no information on them but with the information that realm had, they were considered very useful creatures in battle.

"I see nothing bad with your son. He's only trying his hardest to control his curse and sometimes mistakes are made. From all of your testimonies, I saw that there is truly a lot of love in this family and I'm happy for you all. I, Egin, 36,978th Lord of realm Inferos, hearby  clears the Soptic family of any crime they had been accused of." Egin puts his right hand out and holds his elbow with his left hand, Damien happily shakes his hand with the same amount of respect.

"Thank you," Damien says with a nod of his head. It will now only be a matter of time before his little family is back to normal. Damien knew that wherever Neela would end up, she would always come back to her room, with him, with Ryan, with his boys.