Predator

41.

(Sorry if this chapter isn't up to par with previous ones. It has been a confusing, stressful, painful, yet happy week)

The day of the funeral came, the whole family met at the Soptic estate. Everyone. No one was missing. Egin even arrived, which surprised everyone. No one yet knew the big present that Damien had left for him.

The services held were the average services; a human priest blessed the family and Damien, despite the whole family being demons, and the humans of the family claiming to be agnostic.

Ryan's hand was stroking Neela's leg, he was crying. It was hard to be strong, especially after what Neela told him when she awoke. Neela was crying as well, she felt useless at that point in time. She was in mourning, which she doesn't properly know how to do, she was in pain, she didn't know how to help demons through emotions, there was nothing she could have done.

The priest spoke after having a group prayer, "would anyone like to come up to speak of Damien?" Egin immediately stood, his cloak flapping with the wind. He was welcomed up by the priest and nodded his head at Damien's boys and Neela, while the rest of the family only gave him glares.

"I know I am not very welcome here after what I've done to Damien. However, we both agreed water under the bridge to the issue we have had. While meeting for that, he's also made a proposal to me," Egin turned his gaze over to Damien's children, Neela, more specifically. "He's made me promise o take care and guide all of his children once his time ran out."

That news, honestly came to a shock to everyone. Damien didn't forgive people very easily, unless he made them pay painfully. He must've really known that his life was to be cut short. "Is that a bad thing?" Neela leaned toward Ryan, whom had his head down—she still didn't trust Egin too much.

Ryan finally looked toward Neela when he answered, "I don't know, but I will protect you if it turns bad."

~~

Going up to the coffin, the whole family was in awe. Damien looked great, he looked happy, and truly at peace. Nothing really changed on him, though, which made everyone happy.

Damien was dressed in his signature suit, dark hair slicked back. However, his tan skin was slightly more pale, but that couldn't be helped. Death bruises were beginning to become prominent on his hands. "You okay?" Landon came up behind Neela, his hand resting on the small of her back.

She nodded with pursed lips and spoke, "I just wished I could have seen this with my birth father," she smiled at Damien's smile before lying her hand upon Damien's freezing one.

The pain with Andrew was subsiding a lot within Neela. She wasn't in pain from it anymore, Ryan was able to feel it. Despite never getting the closure, never being able to see his body, or headstone, she grew okay with knowing it wasn't going to happen. Her father was Damien. He took care of her, he connected with her. The father she was never able to have.

~~

Neela put herself right to bed once the boys—and Egin— all got back to the house. Landon put on a façade that he was happy with the news while Neela was around. Once he heard the bedroom door shut, however, he was quick to push Egin to the nearest wall. "Tell is the truth, father didn't really give us to you." Don't be fooled, Landon wasn't angry with the news. It was only hard to believe Egin after everything that had happened.

"Everything I've said to you had been true," Egin spoke in a calm voice, he had not one thing to hide from his new family, which only made Landon more upset.

He thrashed the older man against the wall harder, this time, drawing blood from his mouth. "Don't you fucking lie!" Landon seethed.

"Let me show you my memories! Once you see those, you will nose I'm not lying. Even then, if you do not accept me, I will leave from your lives, but I will still do right by you lot!" Despite only really wanting Neela, Egin began taking a liking to the boys as well. He enjoyed the relationship they all had together, how easily they could bounce back from disputes between each other.

Egin showed him everything from the day Damien came to his home early. Granted, he was only allowed to show him from a very uncomfortable position, but still showed him everything. Egin could have broken from Landon's hold very easily, but chose not to, he understood the animosity and distrust. "Do you believe me now?" Egin asked once he was released from the wall.

Landon had himself braced on the kitchen island in shock. Could it have be from joy? Could it have been from actual shock that Damien would actually allow another man to watch over his children? He did not know.

"Please leave," Landon said in a low voice, "come back tomorrow with your family. We can all talk about this then."

Evan and Ethan enjoyed seeing Landon take control of the household, despite the twins being the eldest of the children. In the beginning, the twins weren't always around, so they needed another brother to be the one to be the man of the household.

"I'm truly sorry if this was the news you weren't expecting or wanting," Egin truly felt bad. "I do not want to replace your father. I could never be as great as that man and I mean that." Egin presented his arm to Landon once again, "even you were able to see the shock on my face. I was not expecting him to do it as well." Landon said nothing and only stared forward, past Egin.

Egin sighed at gave Landon a pat on his shoulder before leaving the house.

~~

Everyone was peacefully sleeping in the house. That was until the man that liked his entrances loud, entered. "Every single one of my children! Please come downstairs!"

Neela bolted up in bed after feeling herself swiftly being pulled toward Ryan. "Is it dad?" She groggy girl asked.