“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, doyou 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. Theydidsomething. 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 thelake. 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…
