Rogues and Royalty Ch. 03

It wasn't hard to find the pool. It was, after all, where he'd stopped by during his recon. Where he'd met Ryen. Now that he was going to see Ryen again, Jason found that his heart was beating a whole lot faster than he liked. He'd never known anyone who made him feel like this. He had to stop this before it got too far. One look at Ryen though, and his resolve all but diminished.

His lean body was stretched out beside the pool and he was wearing nothing but a white tank top and white shorts. White seemed to be his favourite colour. Despite his pale skin, he still looked dazzling. Apparently Sidhe did not get sunburned. Steel your nerves, Jason. You didn't come here to play hooker.

"Nice of you to finally show up. Some bodyguard you are," Ryen huffed without sitting up.

Despite himself, Jason felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

"You missed me?"

Ryen was quiet for a moment then he said, "Yeah. Yeah I guess I did."

Jason's heart beat faster. He had no reply to that honest answer. What would he have said anyway? He'd missed Ryen too.

"How'd you find me?" Ryen continued, sitting up. Jason was lost in that deep blue of his eyes that seemed to be different every time he looked at them. And then he noticed that there was something different about him. He looked. . .younger somehow. Jesus! He'd cut his hair!

Jason gaped at Ryen shamelessly. The ponytail had made him seem more like royalty. This one gave him a rakish air. Jason longed to run his fingera through that hair. Oh bloody hell. Focus, Jason!

"You cut your hair," he finally stated.

"Yeah. You like?"

"You're beautiful," Jason said, surprised to hear the words come from his mouth.

Ryen merely flashed him a grin and repeated, "How'd you find me?"

"Kovan told me," Jason admitted, shrugging.

"You've been hanging around with Kovan?"

Jason had to laugh. "No. I just ran into him."

"Just ran into him?" Ryen asked, the disbelief evident in his voice.

"Yeah. I sort of, well, I shot him," Jason explained.

Ryen stared at him, mouth open. "Why the hell did you shoot him?"

"I was trying to shoot someone else," Jason said uncomfortably.

Ryen dissolved in a fit of laughter, then fell back in the ground.

"Jesus," he wheezed, "Where the hell did I find you?"

Uh oh, here it goes, Jason thought. The moment when he realises that he doesn't know me at all, and that the circumstances under which we met were more than suspicious. The moment when he finally starts asking me questions he should've asked when we first met. Was he also a walking lie detector? Were all Sidhe walking lie detectors? Because it hadn't been in the flash drive. But come to think of it, there had been nothing useful on that flash drive. He was going to kill Illa when he got back. If he got back.

"Hey, uh, my phone's not getting any reception. Any idea why?" He asked when Ryen had calmed down.

Ryen gave him an odd look. "Yeah. It's blocked. Why? You wanna contact someone?"

Jason took a chance and answered honestly. Or as honestly as he could without revealing too much. "I've got some unfinished business I'd like someone to help me take of." He was belatedly aware of how suspiciously cryptic that sounded.

"Uh huh. Give me a straight answer, Jason. And don't tell me you want someone to feed your cat."

"It's sort of personal," Jason insisted.

Ryen gave him a once over, then sighed and handed over his own phone.

"Use that. It's the only phone that'll get reception here."

"How come?" Jason asked curiously.

"I broke the enchantment around it," Ryen said simply.

"You can do that?" Jason was awed.

"Yeah, hurry up, will you?" Ryen sounded irritated and Jason decided that it was because he didn't like that Jason was being secretive. He couldn't help it. He wanted to call a Eva and ask her to pick up Danny. Eva was Danny's aunt. And she was a Mage. Yeah, Danny was half Mage and half something else, thanks to Jason. Jason didn't like to think about that part.

He dialed Eva's number and prayed she wasn't in the middle of a ritual or something. She wouldn't recognize the number. He hoped to God she picked it anyway. Ryen watched him with narrowed eyes.

"DuVonn here," came her clipped tones over the phone. Relief washed through Jason.

"Eva? It's Jason," he said, keeping his eyes locked on Ryen's.

"Jason? Seriously? Wow, I was wondering when you'd call. You probably need my help, again. Go ahead and ask so I can refuse. By the way, is this your new number?"

It occurred to Jason that Ryen could probably hear the whole conversation. It didn't matter, those eyes were burning into him with a searing intensity.

"No. It's a friend. Listen, Eva, I need your help. . ."

"Aha! Can I say no now or do I have to wait?"

"Eva. . ."

"No, Jason. You only ever call when you need my help. Allow me to say no to you this time."

"Eva, for Christ's sake! This is about Danny."

Silence at the other end. Ryen raised a perfect eyebrow.

"Eva?"

"What about Danny? Did something happen to him?"

"No. I just need you to pick him up," Jason said and rattled off the address for her.

"Pick him up? Why can't you pick him up? Too busy huh?"

"Eva. I can't pick him up. I'm. . . I'm working again." Jason took a deep breath and waited for her to blow a gasket. He didn't have to wait long.

"You selfish bastard. You're working again. You're fucking working again. I'm going to call child services and take that kid away from you. I don't care what you're doing. End it now and come home. Do you have any idea what would happen to him if you don't come home? Do you ever stop to think about anyone but yourself? Jason. . ."

"Eva, will you do it or not?" Jason asked quietly.

"Yeah, I think I will call child services, Jason. What do you think about that? Maybe you'll come get him then?"

"You don't think I would if I fucking could!"

"Don't you dare shout at me!"

They were both quiet then Eva said, almost tentatively, "Jason?"

"Should I call someone else?" He asked coldly.

"Maybe you should," Eva said just as coldly, but she didn't end the call.

"If I don't come back, tell Danny I love him. More than anything in this world. I love him so fucking much," Jason said and then cut the call before she could say anything else. He knew she would come through. She always did. She loved Danny almost as much as if he were her son, if not more. She was just worried about Jason.

He handed Ryen his phone without saying anything. He expected the questions to start any moment. Who's Danny? Who's Eva? What was that about?

"Come here," Ryen said instead, interrupting his train of thoughts.

Jason was surprised, but he supposed it was better than what he'd been expecting.

He walked over to where Ryen was lying and sat down beside him, wondering what Ryen wanted to do. Ryen suddenly grabbed him and wrestled him so that Jason was lying on top of him. Jason tried to escape his grasp but Ryen whispered, " Stay still. I want you to do something."

Jason stopped moving and tried to ignore the feeling of his body pressed against Ryen's. He was already getting hard.

"Alright. Look around. See anyone or anything suspicious?" Ryen whispered in his ear. His hot breath sent shivers down Jason's spine and straight to his groin.

"Fuck," he muttered. Ryen seemed serious though, so he took a deep breath and casually surveyed the area.

The pool itself was empty but there were some people casually loitering around. There was a guy sprawled on the ground who glanced at Ryen from time to time. Human. Guard. There was another one on the stairs of the pool house. He looked tense and uncomfortable. Also human. There were several others around, some human, others not so much. The seven humans though, glanced at Ryen from time to time, like their job was watching him. Huh.

He looked back at Ryen. "You've got seven humans watching you. You don't think I'm good enough?"

Ryen's only answer was a grin. He threw his arms around Jason and pressed a kiss to his mouth, then pulled away. Their eyes locked for a few seconds, then Jason leaned forward and finished the kiss. He pressed his full weight on Ryen, holding in him in place. His tongue probed deeper, practically going down Ryen's throat. He smiled into the kiss when Ryen moaned, then abruptly pulled away. Just like the first time.

He rolled off Ryen and then sat up, refusing to look at Ryen.

"Jason," Ryen said quietly, "Look at me."

He wouldn't. He couldn't. If he did, he might lose himself in those blue eyes and never find himself again. If he did he might forget what he came here to do.

"Jason, last night. . ."

"We were both tired. You needed comfort and. . ."

"Comfort?"

"Yes, Ryen," Jason said, hating himself.

Ryen was silent, then he sat up too.

"Okay. My mother won't approve anyway."

Jason felt oddly disappointed. Really. Was that all Ryen was going to say? That his mother wouldn't approve? Maybe Kovan was right and everyone in the house was too damn scared of her. Wait, Jason, you wanted this, his brain argued. No. He didn't want it. But it had to be. Damn it, it had to be. But the way Ryen had let it go, it sort of hurt. It hurt a lot actually.

Ryen finally broke the silence with "You said seven humans, not seven people. So you're not human."

It wasn't a question, and Jason didn't answer it.

"What are you?" Ryen persisted.

Jason ignored him and stood up. "Don't you have a meeting tonight?" He asked instead, changing the subject.

"Yes. I do. Hey, turn around, will you? I promise not to kiss you. Just look at me."

Jason steeled his nerves and turned to look at Ryen. Ryen just smiled at him and stretched a hand out to be helped up. His left hand. Jason wondered how he had not noticed. Prince Ryen was a lefty, in every sense of the word. Jason laughed softly and helped him up.

"What's funny?" Ryen asked, frowning.

"Nothing," Jason said quickly.

"If you say so. By the way, where's Kovan?"

"He said to tell you he's 'fucking busy'," Jason said, laughing again. He almost missed the look that crossed Ryen's face. But even after seeing it, he still couldn't interpret it. It was a mixture of many motions, the most obvious being hurt and fury.

"Ryen?"

"It's okay. Let's go," Ryen said quietly and started walking away.

Jason stared after him. Ryen seemed tired all of a sudden. What had just happened? Was it something he'd said? And what was it with Ryen and his volatile emotions. One second he was happy, and the next he was angry, then tired. Jeez. Was it because he was a Sidhe, or because he was royalty? Or because he was Sidhe royalty?

He made a split second decision and jogged after Ryen. He had to stick with him from now on to avoid suspicion. But he still had no idea how to complete his latest mission. How? How, for Christ's sake, was he supposed to kill the Sidhe queen? He shrugged mentally. He would find a way. He always did.

***

Josefina kept Ryen after dinner after Kovan had inevitably ended his meal prematurely and excused himself with a scowl, also inevitably. Ryen was beginning to wonder whether she invited Kovan to dine with her just to torture herself. Almost every night, they would be seated in that large dining hall. Josefina would sit at one end of the large rectangular table with Kovan and Ryen on either side of her. Kovan and Ryen would be dressed in tuxedos, and Josefina would wear whatever evening gown took her fancy. That night it was a white halter neck gown that showed off her slender neck. Ryen could see how his father could have fallen for her. She was beautiful, after all. Her skin waa pale like Ryen's and her eyes were normally a lighter shade of blue than Ryen's. Ryen wondered how the scene would appear to an outsider. Every single time Kovan crossed paths with Josefina, the animosity was palpable. She glared at him while he ate and he scoffed at every single thing he said. Sometimes she asked him to leave with fake politeness:

"Kovan, are you finished? I'd like to discuss something with Ryen."

Or, like today, Kovan would ask to be excused with similarly fake politeness:

"May I leave now?"

Okay maybe not so polite. Kovan didn't give a shit. Only one thing was consistent: Kovan always defended Ryen no matter what Josefina said. He never defended himself. Never. His only reply was a smirk and a sip of his wine. It vexed Josefina to no end. Yet every single jibe she threw Ryen's way was deflected by Kovan and answered in kind. For example, tonight, she had discussed Ryen's sexuality over dinner.

"I don't understand. Do you sleep with men or women?"

"He sleeps with men and women," Kovan had said simply.

Josefina had given Kovan the look she reserved for him and he had smirked. They were like a professional act. Action/reaction. It was so predictable.

"I asked Ryen," she had said.

"I sleep with men and women," Ryen had echoed.

Josefina had pursed her lips.

"Why? What do you see in a person of your gender? I'm curious."

"It's how I'm wired," Ryen had said by way of explanation. It hadn't been enough.

"How you're wired? What kind of an excuse is that? No one is wired any way, Aryend, we choose to wire ourselves. You chose this path, and I'd truly like to know why."

"I don't have an answer for you, mother."

"I demand an answer, Aryend."

"He doesn't have an answer, my queen," Kovan had said sarcastically.

"Kovan, you will only answer questions that are directed at you, you understand?"

Kovan had said nothing, and that meant he was choosing to pretend not to understand. It was a funny game they played.

"Aryend? I'm waiting."

"I don't have an answer," Ryen had said.

Josefina had pursed her lips, then nodded.

"Alright then. How do you plan to produce an heir?"

Kovan had coughed loudly.

Ryen had ignored her.

"Aryend, how do you plan to produce an heir? Or do you intend to end your father's line?"

Ryen had still ignored her. His mother's questions had no answers. What possible answer could be given? I'll get a Mage to work on him so that he can conceive? Or wait, we'll find a willing woman and then have her produce children for us. Wait, that could actually work.

"He'll find a Sidhe girl to carry his children," Kovan had put in.

Ryen had glanced up sharply and looked at Kovan. He still wasn't sure whether his cousin could read minds. He could actually tell when people lied to him, no matter how good they were. It was scary as fuck. It was from his conversations with Kovan that Ryen had learned to say nothing whenever he wanted to lie. And sometimes, he seemed to pick up on Ryen's thoughts.

"Will he, now?" Josefina had drawled.

"I don't want you to sleep with men anymore," she had continued.

Kovan had shaken his head.

Ryen had ignored her.

And suddenly he thought of Jason. He remembered the press of Jason's lips against his and the feeling of their bodies pressed against each other. It had been a week, sure, but he still remembered it. Then he remembered Jason's phone call? Who was Danny? Did they have a kid together? Wmor was Danny his kid with this Eva? Ryen hadn't wanted to broach the subject. He wasn't really sure he wanted to know the answer. Jason had been growing more distant as the days went by. He said less and less. Ryen had even begun wondering whether he had imagined the connection he'd felt that first day. But no. It had felt too real. Too fucking real. Then why was Jason practically running away? And why did it hurt so fucking much every time his advances got rejected? And each time he changed the subject like it didn't matter. But it mattered. God, it mattered. And it wasn't just Jason he felt was drifting away. Kovan too. They talked sometimes, but it wasn't the same. Something was horribly off. And Ryen had no idea what it was. It was like there was this invisible elephant between them, but every time he tried to broach the subject, Kovan brushed it aside, like Jason. He was beginning to feel more and more alone. Christ. Maybe he was turning into his mother. And what was wrong with that?

He shook his head. Just one week of her presence and his life was turning upside down.

Kovan had made a snarky comment and under Josefina's glare, had swiftly excused himself. And now Josefina was leaning forward like she wanted to say something to him.

"We're having another meeting next week," she said.

Ryen sipped his wine. Is this what she wanted to tell him? All they ever did at the meetings was bicker about policies and inter-realm relations. Was that the huge secret?

"Kovan is not welcome."

Ryen narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

"I demand a reason, Josefina," he said, echoing her.

"I don't have a reason for you, Aryend," she drawled, leaning back.

"If he won't be there, then I won't be there either," Ryen stated with finality.

"You will be there, Aryend, because it is your duty."

Ryen stared at her, not bothering to hide the disbelief on his face.

"Think about it, he has no part in the grand scheme of things. He's your cousin, but that's all he is. That's all he will ever be. . ."

"Mother!"

"Be quiet, silly boy. Kovan is a leech. He is unimportant."

"Mother if you think. . ."

"You will attend that meeting without Kovan. That is final. Now get out," Josefina said, ending the conversation and his dinner.

It was okay though. The dinner was done a long time ago, before it even started. He felt sick to his stomach. What were his mother's plans? To alienate Kovan? Really? Or would she go as far as to have him removed from the picture? Ryen shivered as he stood up. Shit. He had to tell Kovan to watch his back. If Kovan would listen. Kovan would probably brush it off with a smirk. Fuck. This was serious.

"Goodnight mother," he told Josefina coldly as he stalked out.

Was this her play? Was this her aim of coming here? To get rid of Kovan? Had she started seeing him as a threat? And why? Did it have something to do with Kovan's withdrawal? Or Jason? Did Jason work for her? Or did Jason work with Kovan?

Christ. There were too many possibilities. Too many fucking ways things could end badly.

Ryen massaged his forehead as he made his way to his room. He needed to think. He wasn't used to feeling like this. Fucking hell. Why did he suddenly have a pounding headache? Ugh! He stopped walking as his vision wavered. Shit. What was in the wine? What was in the fucking wine?

"Josefina!" He called out, using her name in his haze. Could he trust her? Who could he trust? Where the hell was his bodyguard? Where was Mac? And more importantly, where was Kovan?

"Jason! Ja. . ."

Ryen clutched at his throat as he dropped to his knees. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. Spots danced in his vision. Then his hands fell from his throat as he lost consciousness.

He fell face first onto the thick black carpet.