Predator

14.

Neela finally began to come back to reality. Her vision was still hazy, so it was hard to decipher who was sitting on her bed. "Dad?" Neela asked. She wasn't referring to Damien, either. The silhouette looked so much like Andrew. The short hair, how he slouched, how the shape of his face was.

Neela sighed once she realized it was Damien, "I'm here," he stroked her hair and she tried to look away. She knew what happened, "what's wrong?"

"It all hurts," she moaned while still trying to move away, "he hurt me again." Even though her wrist was casted, pain still burned throughout the entirety of her arm. Her face and stomach still even hurt. "I didn't do anything bad to him," Neela threw her left arm up in the air in defeat.

"He was just angry, that's not an excuse, I know." Damien was going to continue but Neela cut him off, "I don't wanna be here anymore. What did I do to deserve this?" She sobbed her frustrations out to Damien, something she couldn't ever do with Andrew.

"I'm so sorry," Damien could just feel the pain and suffering in his daughters voice. He hated it. All of his children were happy except the daughter he always wanted, the child of his that's supposed to be the most successful! "I never would've let you came if I knew it would have broken you this much."

~~

Neela eventually cried herself back to sleep, which let Damien be relieved of his job to watch over her.

In the morning, Neela woke up alone. She could hear loud talking from outside, they were all speaking a language she couldn't understand. Neela eventually pulled herself up, emitting a few groans, and looked outside at the totally different scenery.

There were actually houses next to her, no more dense forest, no more wall around the whole estate. The stone houses seemed to be right on top of each other, that's how close they were. "Hey, kid," Landon welcomed himself in Neela's room. "You feeling okay?"

With sad eyes, Neela shook her head. "All of it hurts. I don't want to see him anymore," she showed him all of the places she felt pain, allowing bruises to be on full display. "Do you want me to take your pain?" She shrugged, telling Landon to do whatever it was he wanted.

With no hesitation, Landon grabbed onto Neela's shoulders and stared deeply into his sisters eyes. Slowly, his veins begun to protrude from his arms and turn black as his heart and brain absorbed all the pain she had endured.

"Ang-" Ryan softly called put as he carefully stepped into Neela's new bedroom, "now what are you doing to her?" Ryan knew what he was doing, yes. However, Ryan wanted to know why it was Landon healing Neela. It should've been Ryan healing Neela.

"Please make him leave," Neela begged Landon, who paused his healing once he heard Ryan's voice. "Ryan," Landon begun, "we'll all talk later, but for now.." The elder brother trailed off his words. "I wasn't able to see her since we left, that's about two days!" Ryan held up two of his fingers like a child, "I need to have contact with my mate, she does too. Just look at how pale she looks," Ryan made a motion for Landon to look at Neela's face.

Neela did have a sickly look on her face, but Landon couldn't discern if what Ryan said was true or if it was so because of Neela having an empty stomach.

"Please let me be alone," Neela was now begging Ryan to which a hurt look on his face formed. "Neela please, I'm so-"

"I don't wanna hear that anymore!" Neela shook Landon's hands off her shoulders. The brothers could see tears beginning to form in Neela's eyes, "you hurt me, then I forgive you, and it happens again! That always happens! I hate it here!"

"Please don't say that," Ryan whispered as he had to brace himself on the door frame to keep himself steady. It hurt so much to be insulted like that by his own mate. "Let me be alone," the first tears escaped from Neela's eyes.

Neela got up off the bed, despite the pain she felt in her arm and legs. Even though Landon told Ryan to not follow, he still did anyway. She went to one of the bathrooms and locked herself inside. Ryan begun knocking like a mad man.

"Neela, please, let me in. You know I never like hurting you, you know it's not me hurting you!" Neela kept her position on the floor in front of the door, "just listen to me, please!" Ryan reared his head against the door as he tried to stop himself from crying.

"I'm tired of you breaking promises." Neela whispered, which Ryan heard.

~~

It had been hours since Neela woke up and the couple was still talking to each other through the bathroom door. At first, they just went back and forth, venting to each other about the painful situation they were both in. But now, they're just talking normally, even though Neela didn't fully trust it yet.

"You know, the words being exchanged through this door can only go so far," Ryan began, "it would be easier if I could touch you, and hug you..maybe I could even kiss you."

Neela was beginning to have a sick feeling since she left the bedroom, she just didn't want to admit it. "Why did it happen?" Neela asked after splashing her face in cold water.

"A letter came from the leaders, our lords essentially. Someone reported what I've done to you to them. They want us all to go there for a meeting in the next month. If they find me in the wrong, which they would, I'd be damned to hell and never able to see you again."

Now that she was there, Ryan couldn't imagine a life without Neela in it—a happy life at least. The thought of Neela going through life without Ryan, hurting all time time killed him. He'd pray for her to find love, but yet he wouldn't because all the love she needed would be with Ryan.