“Fine…” Cyrus sighed. “Then, I think it’s time Seri writes down and gives a full account of what happened, what he knows, what he heard, the names and more.”
“No.”
Cyrus frowned. “What do you mean, no?”
“We have enough, and more is coming in daily. I can’t ask him to do that, when he shouldn’t need to.”
“Seri lived with Preston for almost six years, he?—”
“He didn’tLIVEwith him, Cyrus,” Severo snapped. “Nothing Seri did there involved living. He did what he had to do to survive. And after being imprisoned and tortured for years, he somehow still found the strength to escape on his own.”
Cyrus’ eyes narrowed. “Look, Severo, I get that he is someone you are protecting, but we need this information.”
“Don’t you get it?! Seri isn’t just ‘someone’ I’m protecting. I don’t know if he was ever just ‘someone’. He was a man who I knew was a victim being wronged by the law…and then it got worse because I was the one wronging him. And now…”
“And now what, Severo?” Cyrus growled, before gasping, “For fuck's sake, are you two…”
“Language,” he growled. “Skya is here, remember?!”
The little girl glanced over at her name. He smiled and ruffled her curls. She smiled back, right before shoving one of the mini cookies in her mouth. He frowned, worried she was about to choke, but relaxed when she began to chew happily.
He snorted and met Cyrus’ gaze. “Don’t get so sanctimonious, boss. As someone who is doing the yoohoo with one of his subordinates, I really don’t really see how you have the gall to sound so indignant and offended.”
The Fate growled again. “You really never stop.”
“And I won’t. Not if you are going to keep being a hypocritical a—butt about it. Either way, surely, we have enough.”
“We don’t. We are close, but not there yet. I suppose we don’t need him to tell us everything—he can skip things. He just needs to tell us the names and the people he saw. That’s all we need.”
“What we need is to just do our job and take Preston down.”
“More is always better, especially with someone this powerful.”
“I don’t care!”
Seri stoodthere leaning against the door listening. He’d come thinking he needed to stop being a coward and go to the damn meeting…but ended up stalled here after hearing what they were talking about.
Seri forced himself to straighten away from the door. He needed…to think. Because the truth was, he’d been more of a coward than he thought. He’d been avoiding even thinking about a witness—or victim—statement, or whatever it was called. And not because he couldn’t remember the names and faces. His mind wouldn’t let him forget any of that. Seri was afraid that if he sat down and said it all aloud, or wrote it all down, he’d find himself dragged back there. That it would make it so much more real. Which was ridiculous. He had the trauma response, and a living, breathing baby to prove it was all real.
Yet…he could put so much of it aside by just not thinking about it. He sighed and headed back to his lab.
“There are a few things I want to talk about. For one, Seri’s financials,” Severo pressed. “He deserves compensation for all that he lost. For the years of torture Preston put him through. Because, what happens after he is free of all this? What then? He has nothing. He literally has a child without a dollar to his name. How is that even fair?
“The other issue being how Seri so easily disappeared. Preston’s money obviously had something to do with it. But a person just doesn’t…go missing, and have no one say anything. Killian’s peons didn’t find anything when they first looked, but they hadn't even found Preston’s connection to all this. Killian, however, might if he looks.”
“When the time comes, the best option would be for him to sue Preston, and take him for all he is worth. As for the other…let me get Killian in on the call.” Cyrus said before looking off screen. Severo heard typing.
A few seconds later, the hologram split, now showing two people—Killian and Cyrus. Apparently, the man had been there in Cyrus’ house already.
Killian looked as he always did—hauntingly beautiful. Long wavy hair, that he knew went down to the man’s waist, was pulled up into a messy ponytail. The strands were a natural ombre, dark teal on top that faded to a purplish gray, before finally ending in white near the bottom.
While you couldn’t tell on the holograph, the colors did shimmer under some lights. Skin pale and pearlescent, the Siren had a heart shaped face, with a sharp jaw and rounded chin. Killian’s bottom lip was plush, he also had a prominent cupid's bow, a slightly upturned nose, and last but not least, large, startling, glowing blue eyes. Like Seri, the man didn’t have any facial hair, but that was a common thing for water-based Cryptids. At least, it was for Nymphs and Sirens.
“BAH!” Skya giggled, reaching in earnest towards Killian.
“What isthat…” Killian gasped in horror.
Severo glared. “You did not just call my precious gummy bear a ‘that’!”
