Rogues and Royalty

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*****

"Dad?"

Jason looked up sharply from cleaning his guns. He hadn't heard Danny's footsteps. He slid the guns under the bed and looked up just as his seven year old son came in.

"Ugh! Smells musty," Danny said, wrinkling his nose.

Jason laughed and patted the bed.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Well, yeah," Danny started slowly. Then he walked over to the bed and plopped down beside Jason.

"Smells even worse here," he complained as Jason put an arm around him.

"That's how men smell, Danny," Jason said, laughing again.

"Ugh! Then I hope I never grow up. How come only girls get to smell nice?"

"Guys get to smell nice too."

"How come you don't smell nice?"

Jason punched his son's shoulder lightly and then began tickling him. Danny squealed and finally managed to escape his father's grasp as he rolled away to the other side of the bed.

"Alright," Jason said when he was done laughing, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I wanna sleep over at Kevin's tonight," Danny blurted.

Jason sighed. It was bound to happen. What normal kid wouldn't want to sleep over at his friend's house occasionally? He knew it was just his paranoia but the thought of Danny at some strange house with some strange people gave him the chills. Not to mention what always happened whenever Danny slept in strange places. Something Danny himself seemed to prefer forgetting. Not that he wanted to remind him. Sheesh, sometimes he'd like to forget too. Perfect, he thought, that's what you get for killing people for a living.

"Come on, Dan. We talked about this. You know I don't like you staying out."

"I know. But it's just one night and it's his sister's birthday party."

"His sister?" Nuh-uh. No way was Danny going to that house if some hot-blooded teenager was going to be partying all night long.

"Yeah, his sister, dad. She's really cool. You'd like her."

"How old is she?"

"She's going to college next year."

That settled it. No sleepover for Danny. But the look on Danny's face was too hopeful. Sometimes it was weird to look at him and see his own eyes staring back at him. Those gray eyes. And right now they were wide and pleading.

"Danny..."

"Come on, dad. Just one night. Please. I'll be a good boy the entire week and I'll do my homework and behave and..."

"Look, Dan, it's not that I don't want you to have fun but..."

Danny leapt up and fastened his hand around his father's mouth and threw his other arm around him.

"Dad!"

Jason sighed. He loved his son to bits. That was probably going to be the death of him.

"Fine but..."

"Yes!"

Danny rolled away from him and started bouncing on the bed.

"But you pick up the phone when I call you and you don't go anywhere else, no matter what. I'll pick you up tomorrow."

"Yay. You're awesome, dad."

Danny stopped bouncing long enough to flop down on the bed and stick his tongue out, panting.

"Yeah," Jason began but froze. He turned around and glared at Danny.

"What day is it?"

"Uh-oh."

"Daniel Hawke!"

Danny burrowed under the sheets and muttered an apology. Jason sighed. It wasn't the kid's fault. It wasn't like he'd remembered to take Danny to school while he was beating the shit out of the man in the morning. He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up. Cleaning the rest of his guns would have to wait.

"Come on, let's go."

Danny groaned but slid out of the bed obediently. He didn't want to ruin his chances of the sleepover.

While Danny showered and got dressed, Jason armed himself. Knives in his boots, guns at his hip holsters. He wasn't packing heavy, he was just taking Danny to school after all.

When they were done, while Jason brushed Danny's hair, Danny asked, "So I'll come home after school?"

"Hmm?" Jason asked distractedly.

"The sleepover. I'll come home first?"

"Uh. No. I think you should go home with Kevin."

"Alright. Thanks, dad. I really mean it."

"Right. Let's go."

At school, Jason walked with him to the principal's office to explain why he was late. It mostly consisted of them nodding while she berated both of them. Then Jason hugged Danny and watched him walk away. He smiled to himself. That kid was his life.

"Your son?"

Jason felt the smile freeze on his face but kept it in place just in case Danny turned around. He did and Jason waved to him. When he was out of sight, he spun around and glared at the man who'd spoken.

He was tall, broad shouldered, black, and had the the signature tattoo of Illa's men - a snake that slithered down the side of his neck.

"Take your eyes off him. I ever see you so much as look in his general direction and I will rip your throat out," Jason growled.

The man stepped back and raised his hands in a gesture of pacification. When he spoke his voice was apologetic.

"Easy, man. I'm sorry. Illa has the information you need."

Demons never waste time, do they? Jason spun the man around and pushed him away from the general direction of the school building.

"Let's walk."

"Listen, I'm not going to be here for long. I just want to deliver it to you."

The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a flash drive.

"Everything's on here," he explained.

Jason took the flash drive from him and slipped it into his own jacket.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. He said to tell you to watch your back."

Jason nodded knowingly. "Yeah, tell him to watch his."

He walked away from the man without another word and headed for his car. Hopefully this was the last time he'd have to see that tattoo again. When all this was over, he never wanted to hear Illa's name again. Hell, he never wanted to hear the word demon again. He subconsciously fingered the flash drive in his pocket. Here we go, he thought bitterly.

***

"Illa, I swear to God when this is over I'm going to kill you," Jason muttered to himself.

He was in the Burns mansion and the place was as large as a castle, complete with stables and a swimming pool. Christ, anyone with this sort of money needed killing just for having it. Jason was sure he wouldn't be able to cover the property in one day. It was impossible. The thing seemed to stretch for miles.

He'd gone straight home to look at the flash drive and then come here for a quick recon. According to the flash drive, once the Sidhe queen arrived, it would be impossible to get in - the security would be that tight.

Now here he was, standing by the swimming pool and wondering what the fuck he'd gotten into. Information, his ass. That was just a file full of blurry pictures and uncertain facts. The unreliability of the intel itself should have been warning enough. Christ, he didn't even have the blueprints of any of the buildings on the property. He was a dead man walking. He should have backed out the second he'd heard his target. What had he been thinking? The Sidhe queen for fuck's sake! He stared into the pool, willing it to conjure up an image of what the fuck he was supposed to do.

He sighed as he looked at his watch. He had only a few hours tops and then the place would be sealed tight until she left. He wanted his soul back, damn it!

He felt a presence behind him suddenly and froze. His hands instinctively went for his guns but he stilled them in time. Great. Caught like a fucking amateur. Damn, he was getting rusty in his retirement.

"I don't suppose you're from the party," came a drawl from behind him.

He turned around slowly. And stared into the bluest eyes he had ever seen. The man in front of him was tall. Probably taller than he was. His ivory skin was flawless and his white hair was tied back in a ponytail. White hair. Fuck. He was not just any Sidhe, he was Sidhe royalty.

Goddamn, he's beautiful, Jason thought then shoved the thought away. He wasn't supposed to be thinking like that. What the hell was wrong with him? How the hell had the guy sneaked up on him?

He's a Sidhe, you fool, his brain screamed at him. Damn, damn. He struggled to come up with a reason why he was standing beside the swimming pool. He certainly couldn't say "I'm just getting a feel of the place so I can come back later and kill your queen."

Ryen watched the conflicting emotions across Jason's face with amusement. He didn't recognise the man but he was certainly striking. His gray eyes were undoubtedly his best feature. They reminded Ryen of a stormy night. Dangerous and unpredictable. He had a mop of dark curls on his head and two stray locks hung across his forehead. Ryen wanted to feel the texture of those curls. Oh hell, he was going to feel the texture of those curls, but he'd prefer to not do it on a corpse. He wasn't into necrophilia.

"No, I'm not," was the only answer Jason could come up with. Fuck. The Sidhe was distracting.

"Care to elaborate?" Ryen asked, narrowing his eyes.

Hell no, Jason didn't want to elaborate. He wanted to turn around and run. However, he didn't want his first encounter with a Sidhe to end up with him dead.

Pull yourself together, he commanded his brain. Then he took a deep breath and went for gold.

"I'm with the security,"

The look on Ryen's face didn't waver

"Private or employed?"

"Private."

"Who hired you?"

"You did. You're about to, anyway."

Jason couldn't believe he'd said that. Think about Danny before you get yourself killed, he chided himself.

Ryen smiled. He liked the guy. He was feisty.

"You must be in a really bad situation to offer your services here."

"Not as bad as yours," Jason said, then mentally kicked himself. Think Danny, man.

Ryen smirked. He had to hand it to the guy though, he had balls. But he needed to know...

"How'd you get on the property?"

"Like I said, you have a bad situation."

Ryen let his smile widen. The guy was easy to like. Add that to the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous.

"And you think you can fix that?" He asked, closing the distance between both of them.

Yup, he could certainly fix that...

Whoa! Don't go there, Jason, he warned himself, taking an involuntary step back.

"What makes you think I'm not just going to kill you right now?"

Good question. Great question actually. Jason clamped his mouth on the wild answer that flew to his mouth. Him, Sidhe prince. You, fool.

Ryen reached him and wound his fingers in his hair painfully.

"You intrigue me," he whispered in Jason's ear, sending shivers down his spine.

Jason put his hands on Ryen's chest, intending to push him away. But then Ryen lowered his lips to his and his brain packed up and left.

The feeling was exquisite. He moaned when Ryen bit down slightly on his lower lip and ran his tongue over the spot.

His knees buckled and the only thing keeping him standing was Ryen's hands which had moved to his waist.

Ryen kissed him hard, practically tongue fucking him and driving him crazy.

Jason moved his hands up to throw them around Ryen's neck and pull him closer to deepen the kiss. When their tongues met, he moaned. He felt his cock harden in his pants. Hell, what was the Sidhe doing to him?

Ryen felt the exact moment Jason's resistance disappeared and moved his lips down to muzzle his neck. He bit down hard enough to leave a mark and then sucked it. He heard Jason's sharp intake of breath and smiled. Maybe his mother's visit wouldn't be so bad after all.

He slipped his hands under Jason's shirt and suddenly got shoved back. Well now.

Jason felt Ryen's hands slip under his shirt and reacted instinctively. He pushed him away. The space between them gave his brain time to cancel its vacation and come back. It wasn't against Ryen. He reacted like that to anyone whose hands got within inches of his back. The scar only hurt physically sometimes but it was still a painful reminder of the past.

Ryen ran his fingers through his hair. The guy drove him crazy. They were in broad daylight for Christ's sake. And mother was on her way. Damn it. He didn't even know the guy's name.

"Call me Ryen," he said, extending his hand.

Jason knew that. He grasped the hand and said, "Jason." The Sidhe's grip was firm. For a second, Jason didn't want to let go, then he mentally assaulted himself and let go quickly, provoking a raised eyebrow and a smirk from Ryen.

"Yo lover boy!"

Ryen and Jason turned at the same time and Jason examined the newcomer, trying to match his face with any of the blurred pictures in the files.

"Kove. She's here isn't she?"

All three men looked miserable suddenly and felt a spark of anticipation.

"She's here," Kovan confirmed then added, laughing, "And pissed."

"You've talked to her?"

"Hell no. I'm not suicidal. I'm not showing my face unless you're with me."

"I could say the same damn thing."

Kovan grinned and then turned to Jason, automatically extending a hand.

"Kovan," he said simply.

"Jason," Jason repeated.

Kovan and Ryen had the same white hair but Kovan's was cut short in a buzzcut. His eyes were hazel where Ryen's were blue. He was also definitely more powerfully built than Ryen. The T-shirt he wore was stretched across his chest and did nothing to hide his well defined muscles. They were both roughly the same height.

Kovan shook Jason's hands and then turned to Ryen, the question clearly on his face.

"He's my bodyguard," Ryen said, grinning.

Kovan turned to re-examine Jason and smirked.

"Gotta admire your taste, Rye," he said drily.

Ryen shrugged and turned to Jason.

"You know what's going on here don't you?"

Jason shrugged. "I'm up for it."

"Yeah no kidding," Ryen drawled, and smiled when Jason blushed.

Kovan didn't miss the exchange but he said nothing about it.

"Well then, may mother's wrath not fall on you."

"Right back at you," Ryen said.

Think Danny, Jason told himself. He deserves a better life.

The three men looked to the main house, then steeled their nerves and started walking.

***

"She's going to make you shave your head," Kovan told Ryen in a melancholy tone.

Ryen ran his fingers through his hair. His mother was definitely going to make him shave his head. Christ. His hands moved to the tattoo on the neck. He didn't even remember what had made him get it. It was a series of Sidhe runes. And it was all jet black. It stood out against his skin. There was no way his mother wouldn't notice it. Not unless he wore high collared shirts for the rest of her stay. Ugh! And things had been going so well.

Ryen walked with Jason and Kovan. The inside of the main house was even more beautiful than the outside. There were more rooms than he could count. Not that they were giving him a tour or anything. Both men were too engrossed in their own worries. So engrossed that they didn't even hear the man who cleared his throat behind them.

Jason reached forward and tapped Ryen, who instantly turned around and gripped his hand hard enough to break bones. Jason bit back the yelp that came to his tongue and settled for a simple "Ouch."

Ryen let him go with a raised eyebrow. He didn't like surprises, even though it came from the hunk behind him. Okay, he didn't mind if it came from the hunk behind him, as long as it came with a warning.

The man behind them dropped to his knees when Ryen turned.

"My prince," he began.

"You may stand," Ryen said in what Jason was beginning to realise was his signature drawl.

The man stood up but avoided making eye contact with Ryen. Uh huh, Jason thought, these people took their royalty way too seriously.

"The queen demands your presence," the man said.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Igor, my prince."

"Yes, we will be with her shortly," Ryen said simply and turned to go.

"My prince, she demands that I escort you now."

"That won't be necessary," Ryen said without turning.

The man's hand shot out and grabbed Ryen's arm. Jason wasn't sure which of them hit first, he or Kovan, but then Jason kicked the man's knees out from under him and Kovan twisted his arm all the way to the back.

"Do not touch him again," Kovan told him in a lethal voice.

"My prince, my apologies," the man gasped.

He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than where he was.

"Accepted," Ryen said, smirking.

"But my prince, she insisted that you come. And now. She is demanding to see you."

Ryen groaned. From the way the man was acting, it sounded like his life depended on his bringing Ryen to her.

"Can't she wait?"

"I'm afraid not, my prince."

Ryen nodded at Kovan and he let the man go, yanking him roughly to his feet.

"Lead the way," Ryen said, masking the sudden fear that washed over him.

***

Jason felt justified the second he saw the Sidhe queen. To say his earlier assessment of her innocence had been faulty was an understatement. She needed killing. As soon as possible.

She was seated in a throne room. Yup, there was a throne room in the house and, wouldn't you know, a throne! She was sprawled casually in the chair, one leg thrown carelessly over one side of the chair.

Ryen and Kovan knelt when they got close to her throne and Jason followed suit. She exuded power. Jason could practically feel it in the air.

"Stand," she drawled.

Damn, she sounded like her son.

They stood up, looks of resignation on their faces.

She swung her leg off the side of the throne and advanced towards them. Jason saw Ryen and Kovan take involuntary steps back. They looked scared out of their minds.

She turned her searing gaze to Jason and said, "Why's he here?"

"He's my bodyguard," Ryen responded quickly, "He goes wherever I go."

"Hmm. I'm sure he does."

Jason made sure his eyes did not meet Josefina's. The Sidhe had mind-controlling abilities. He didn't even want to think about the kind of abilities the Sidhe queen would have.

She returned her gaze as she reached Kovan, jerking his face up so that their eyes met. Kovan didn't flinch once, much to Jason's surprise. She glared at him, then released him and stepped back to examine him. The examination took only seconds but the tension in the room was suffocating Jason. Then she nodded and pronounced, "You look good, Kovan."

Then she turned to her son.

Her face morphed into a sneer as she took in his appearance. She ran her fingers through his hair and down to the tattoo.

Then she backhanded him.

Jason glanced at Kovan. He had his hands balled into fists at his sides. But he wasn't moving.

"You look wasted, Aryend. You look like a fucking joke."

Ryen kept his face down but it was an emotionless mask.

"What is wrong with you? Look at your hair, look at your neck. Look at yourself! I was wondering if I should start looking for another heir. It couldn't be more obvious. You're fucking unworthy to be in the position you are in. You're fucking unworthy. Is this what you've been doing? Dragging my name into the mud? Wasting away here? Maybe it's time for you to end your vacation here. You're coming back with me."

Ryen raised his face then. He opened mouth to speak but she pushed his face violently to the side and stared at the diamond stud in his left ear.

"Do you consider yourself a fucking teenager?" She snarled.

"No, I don't. And that's the point."

He pushed her hand away and stepped back, his face still devoid of emotion.

"You disgust me."

"I know," Ryen said quietly.

Mother and son stared at each other and then she turned and walked back to her throne. When she was seated, she spoke again.

"I have called a meeting of the elders for tomorrow night. I expect you to clean yourself up. Get rid of that tattoo and cut your hair. I don't want to see you wearing jewelry again."

Jason clenched his fists at his side. The hair and the tattoo were beautiful. The diamond was simply stunning. How dare she talk to him like that?