“It's likely you two have never felt it, but let me tell you, it’s violating in so many ways. Being fully aware, feeling everything…knowing he’s in there…” Ender paused briefly, but when he continued, his breathing seemed to speed up along with his words. “Once someone’s inside…after a few days…they don’t even…have to be touching you to control you anymore… I’m not actually sure—” The man swallowed. “—how long it tookthough… It wasn’t easy to keep track of time… I woke and slept when he wanted me to. I don’t know how many hours that was, or even the times of day it happened. My only real reprieve was sleeping… As it turns out, you can’t dream when someone is controlling you.
“The nicest way to describe what happened was that I was a doll he played house with. I was never a person to him. I was something he wanted, so he took me after destroying everything I cared about, and then he…uh…he tried to replace?—”
Cyrus’ chest clenched painfully when Ender’s words choked off as the Gorgon seemed to lose his breath. The man was in fact swiftly moving into hyperventilation territory, tears once again flooding his eyes.
Slowly brushing one of the droplets away when it broke free, Cyrus rasped, “I’m sorry. Don’t cry. You don’t have to say any more, Ender. I’m so sorry.”
Killian pressed his face against the man’s shoulder. “I can’t say it’s okay, but I can say we’re here, and he is not. You aren’t alone.”
“I’m sorry,” Cyrus found himself uselessly saying again. But then, what else could one say when being related to a monster who had caused so much pain. A monster who his family had hidden and…
Was the bastard still alive somewhere, just living his life? Had he even been punished?!
Not alone?Well, that he couldn’t deny. Though not necessarily because they were there. But they were mightywarm, and he was starting to get spoiled by them because of that. Still, Ender had his babies. His hand slowly ran protectively over his bump.
When his gaze flicked up to Cyrus, he found that the Fate’s eyes were red-rimmed and glossy. The man looked upset, like he was about to cry.
Ah, I have further ruined Cyrus’ understanding of his family, haven’t I?
He pinched the Fate’s nose. “Like I told you before, don’t apologize for something you didn’t do.”
He let go when the man didn’t even bat his hand away, and instead just apologized again. “I’m still sorry for what my family did. Based on what happened, and what is going on now at the Bureau, they are not who I thought they were…and for being so naïve, I am sorry.”
“You’re young, it comes with the territory.” Ender sniffed as his tears dried up. “Tell me, who in your extensive family have you really interacted with?”
“I can answer that, at least from the age of fourteen and on,” Killian mused. “Besides some of the various Grimms who work in the Bureau, we’ve mainly had contact with those near our own age. Probably the only older relative he’s had heavy contact with outside that is Etholus. Though, personally, I have only met him like five times.”
“Is that so?”
“He’s correct. Aside from those at work, and when I was working under one of my cousins from the older generations, the only person I’ve had extensive contact with is my Uncle Etholus, and even then, it was just a handful of times. My parents mostly kept me away from the others, and it seems there was a good reason for that.”
The question was…what reasons did Cyrus’ parents have, aside from the obvious?
As a yawn forced its way out, he decided now was not the time to uncover anything. “Let’s sleep…I’m tired.”
Killian silently sat at the island in the kitchen, watching Ender make lemonade with an old-fashioned manual lemon squisher.
Ender’s kitchen was a decent size. With wooden exposed beam ceilings and beige walls, the upper and lower cabinets were a mix of light-green and wood, while the countertops were wooden, along with the large kitchen island and padded stools. The cushions on the stools were green and white plaid.
There was a pot rack under the upper cabinets on the right wall. And the wall across from the stove, with the double swinging doors, had a dish display shelf with mostly chicken themed dishes to the left, and a knickknack one to the right.
Along with what most would expect to find in a kitchen, a sink and dishwasher and what not, there were five large ovens and stove tops that matched the cabinets, three single-door white fridges, and two large white freezers.
The appliances looked old-fashioned, but were obviously just modeled that way with updated technology.
They were alone in the rather large kitchen, while everyone else who lived there, which Killian had quickly realized was a horde, was elsewhere or still sleeping, as was Zenny. The only ones he actually knew the location of were Cyrus and Soren, who had gone out to buy clothes.
It was a bit past 9am, and the Gorgon had been exceedingly quiet since waking up…not to mention, a bit awkward, seeming to not want to meet his eyes, or Cyrus’, for that matter.
Killian hesitated for a moment longer, before slowly saying, “Ender, it’s okay.” He cleared his throat. “I get it.”
The man’s hands stopped what they were doing, and Ender was quiet for a few seconds. Sitting the gadget and lemon down, the snake slowly turned around to look at him, his expression blank. “No, no, you don’t.”
Killian smiled. “True, I don’t know what it’s like to have my mind raped. But I do know what it’s like when people who you are supposed to be able to trust fuck with your head. The villains in my life just happen to be related to me, and seriously mentally unsound in various other ways.” He let out a bitter chuckle. “When my father was trying to decide who he was going to forcefully marry me off to, he at one point was considering picking my eldest half-brother, who happened to have just lost his—I’m actually not sure what number spouse they were… I don’t even know what their name was. I tended to not bother with them unless they tried to approach me themselves. My brothers’ partners were all pretty brainwashed, so…”
The Gorgon wrinkled his nose. “And they wonder why y’all have fertility issues.”
“Yeah, the inbreeding definitely didn’t help matters, that’s for sure. But…that fucked up shit aside, they did try to manipulate me, as they have most of the Siren population that sticks with them. They tried to keep me away from my mother, who they believed was the main source of my rebellion. But they failed. I’d sneak in to see her almost every day, anytime I could. Even when I was younger and more obedient, I found her too fascinating and beautiful to stay away.
