Chapter 50
Cyrus eyed the chickens walking around him. They were clearly staring back, while they clucked and pecked at the people who were still stuck as stone statues. He felt vaguely worried that they hadn’t been turned back yet.
Shaking his head, he took a calming breath before tugging his phone from around his neck. Opening it, he quickly called his mother, mainly as she tended to always answer, while his father was more of a call back type of person.
Vivian Grimm picked up on the first ring, and he wasn’t shocked in the least that she skipped all pleasantries.
“Cyrus Bartholomew Grimm, you better explain what in the hell is going on, leaving nothing out, because I damn well deserve to know why I’ve gone from expecting to plan your wedding, to being hounded by your father’s relatives because you have quit your job and run off with my soon to be son-in-law to Goddess knows where! ?”
“Is the line secure?”
“You know it is!”
Cyrus took another deep breath. “Eight months ago, I walked into Killian’s office and…I saw a skull—”
His mother gasped. “That…oh no… Killian wasn’t supposed to survive being kidnapped, was he?”
He licked his lips, his stomach twisting with the knowledge. “No.”
“Oh, baby…I’m so sorry. The choice you made, I’m sure it wasn’t easy. I wish—Cyrus, why didn’t you tell us?! I know we’ve had our disagreements, but…”
“I…I don’t know. I just thought the less who knew, the safer we’d be.”
That and, despite knowing they seemed to hate the other Fates, he hadn’t been sure he could trust them with the information.
“I can’t fault that logic. Where are you two? Is that why you both quit and ran? Did someone find out? Was it your great uncle?! Did he come after you?!”
He frowned at how panicked, or rather, fearful, she sounded. “No? No one’s found out.”
“I…good.” His mother took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Where are you?”
Cyrus let out a hesitant chuckle. “Well, I can’t tell you the exact location, and to explain why, I need to tell you the rest of what happened.”
“Okay…?”
“So my changing Killian's fate sort of ended with Ender Imorus being dragged into things.”
“Is that why you were asking about the Cryptid-Human War and the Great Gorgon Massacre?”
“So…about that… Ender was sort of trapped on the ships with us in space, and with the anniversary nearing, he kind of lost it.”
She gasped. “Was anyone hurt?”
“No, no one was hurt. But…we, well, more Killian, managed to calm him down.”
“It makes sense. Gorgons share a good number of instincts with snakes. His voice would likely be a great weakness to him.”
“Yeah, well, after that the two of us…sort of…” Cyrus trailed off with a grimace.
Oh, did he really have to say this out loud, and to his mother of all people?!
“Sort of…?”
“Comforted the man.”
“‘Comforted,’” she repeated dryly.
“Yeah…comforted.”
“Cyrus Bartholomew Grimm, that man is more than three times your age!”
“I know, okay!”
“Why would you—No, why exactly are you even telling me this?!”
“Well, you see—”
His mother gasped, once again cutting him off as she blurted, “Oh, by the Goddess, tell me what I’m thinking you’re trying to say is true!”
Cyrus rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mother, Ender is pregnant.”
He winced, pulling the phone away from his ear as his mother let out an ear piercing squeal.
“FINALLY! Oh, there is so much to be done! So much to buy! We’ll need car seats, toys, and of course, some redecorating is a must, maybe a few rooms, and then—”
“Mom,” he tried to cut in, but she just kept going. “MOTHER!” Cyrus barked.
“What?!” She let out an irritated huff. “You made me lose my train of thought, not to mention the list I was making in my head!”
“You can make your list after I give you the rest of the news.”
“Fine!” she groaned. “Tell away, but be quick! There’s so much to do!”
“As I’m sure you’ve realized already, we quit because we found out Ender was pregnant, but with not one, but two babies.”
“TWINS?!” his mother squealed way too happily.
“Fraternal twins—” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “—with two different fathers.”
“Oh…OH!” She let out a soft giggle. “Oh my, I have just learned things I didn’t necessarily want to know, but no matter. Where are you? Your father and I can come help you three get set up, and get ready for the babies!”
Yeah, she was not going to like this part. “I can’t tell you.”
“WHAT?!”
“Mom, it’s too dangerous. Ender is a wanted criminal. By the threads, us coming here was a risk, and we took all the precautions we could. You two coming could lead—”
“Your father’s family right to him,” she sighed.
“I’m sorry, I know you want to help.”
“I understand. And you’re right, it’s too dangerous right now. Especially since they are definitely watching.”
“Then there is the added issue of them possibly finding out about what I did to save Killian. Not that it would be a bigger issue than us literally hiding out with a criminal organization.”
“It would be issue enough… Listen to me, Cyrus, Killian needs to stay far away from any other Fate from now on, do you understand me?” she said, her voice clipped and deadly serious.
“I mean…that was the plan?” He frowned. “But why does it feel like you know more about the situation than I do?”
“I can’t explain what I know. Something stops me from telling you. They did something. But do whatever it takes to stay away from any of your father’s blood relatives. I’ll inform your dad about what’s happened, and deal with things here…” She hesitated before sternly saying, “Don’t come back.”
“Mother!?”
“For now, that is. Or…forever. You obviously can’t come to family parties anymore. Though, I suppose, it’s just another reason I can use to avoid them.”
“Don’t avoid them because of me.”
Though he knew well enough that his mother avoiding her in-laws had nothing to do with him. He didn’t know what happened to make his mother, or even his father, dislike them, and he’d never gotten an explanation when he had asked. Whatever it was had happened long before he’d been born.
“I’ll see who I want, when I want to. Send pictures when they are born, and find a way for us to send things, and to ultimately visit. Between Killian and that crazy new man of yours, you should be able to figure out a way for us to come without putting you all in danger.”
“Mother, he’s not—” Cyrus cut off with a groan when she hung up before he could finish.
Letting his phone collapse back into a cube, he hung it around his neck again, and plopped down onto the ground with a sigh, his gaze drifting as his mind did.
Over two hundred years old, and he still was never fully prepared when he had to tell his parents something he didn’t necessarily want to. But then, they weren’t close…
Cyrus wasn’t sure they ever had been… He told them things growing up. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter, as who else would he have told? Talking to Severo’s parents just meant his parents would know a few hours later…
It had always felt like they were keeping him at arm’s length…like Cyrus was about to do something to disappoint them, so they were pushing him away before it happened. And he supposed he had in the end, with most of his choices.
Not that he’d been any better. Cyrus had made up his mind pretty early about what he wanted in life, and he’d known from the beginning they wouldn’t agree.
So as soon as he could, he stopped telling them things.
Cyrus had stopped sharing his life with them, aside from his relationship with Killian and his friendship with Severo.
But then, it became even less when all three of them were involved with the one thing his parents seemed to hate the most… the Bureau.
What a great choice that was. It had gone so well for him, he thought sarcastically.
Maybe that was his problem, he stubbornly decided things on his own.
It hadn’t even been that long since the aftermath of his choices had hit him in the face, yet his mind kept going to one of his first big fuck-ups.
“Killian, please, I was just trying—"
The Siren spun around in the water, and as their eyes met, Cyrus’ words caught in his throat, his stomach dropping instantly.
The glaring blue eyes staring back at him were filled with a look of betrayal, but also as if he were a stranger who couldn’t be trusted.
The wordless stare and the hurt he saw was enough for it to feel as if something inside him was breaking.
At fourteen, Cyrus had been so sure he was doing the right thing by telling his parents that Killian was living in the lake. In his mind, he’d thought that if he told them, that Killian could then just come live with them and…
It had been their first fight… Or rather, his first time hurting the Siren, because Killian had felt he’d betrayed him, and Cyrus supposed he had.
The confrontation had happened after his parents had talked to Killian.
He wasn’t sure what they had said to the teen, and he never found out, but what he did know was that when he had first told his parents about Killian, there had been such…
disappointment in their eyes. Which he really hadn’t understood at the time.
But back then, he hadn’t understood much about his parents’ thoughts.
Cyrus had never been a rule breaker. It was something his parents had always hated about him.
The only reason he hadn’t told them straight away about Killian being on their property was because he’d been awestruck, and…
worried that if he had, he’d never see the other teen again.
But when he found out that Killian was living there and not just sneaking in… he thought…
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? He always thought he knew best. The reality was that he didn’t, and the choices he made hurt others. It needed to stop. He needed to.
Cyrus flopped back onto the ground with another groan, and tried to see the lines, but just as with every other time recently, while they appeared, they led to nowhere.
He should have told his mother about that. But he supposed it wouldn’t have mattered if he had. He let out a bitter chuckle. “It likely would have just made her happy.”
Cyrus rubbed his face. His father…he needed to talk to his father. He was probably the only one who would know at least something about what was happening.
However, there was no point trying now. The only person the man answered incoming calls from, as far as Cyrus knew, was the person who had just hung up on him.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part, that his father didn’t ignore him on purpose…
Either way, Orion was likely talking to his mother now, since he hadn’t been with her.