Chapter 5 Shep
SHEP
IWASN’T A man who made decisions lightly. Doing so led to mistakes, which led to regret, and I wasn’t a fan of either.
It was why I was so good at being the powerbroker for the Kings, why I was made for being in the public eye in the first place. Cool, calm, and collected. That was me. Always had been.
So where in God’s name had my brain gone in the last twenty minutes for me to make such a catastrophic mistake?
I didn’t have time to think about that while I was hauling ass back to the sanctuary, where members of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic had already begun to play.
Theo better have gotten his ass where he needed to be, or all hell was going to break loose.
I couldn’t say whether it would be his brother or me who got to him first if he fucked around, but as I entered the vestibule, I caught his mother’s eye from across the room, and she acknowledged me with a smile and a nod.
Thank fuck. Theo had made it, and now everything would go off without a hitch.
Hopefully.
I blew out a heavy breath, adrenaline still pumping through my veins as I made my way down the aisle to where Lucien and Kai sat in the fifth row.
Lucien arched a brow as I slid in beside him. “You good?”
“Fine. Why?”
He glanced down at the blood-flecked handkerchief I still held, and I cursed under my breath and shoved my hand in my pocket.
“He’ll be here. That’s what matters,” I said.
“But he drew blood first?” When I didn’t respond, Lucien let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “He’s a wild one. Glad you sorted him out.”
Shit, I had never been more thankful for my poker face than I was right then. Sorted him out. More like fucked his brains out and sent him on his way, which just so happened to be front and center in a church with the ceremony being broadcast around the world.
No big deal.
The music changed then, and soon after came the priest who’d be officiating, followed by Prince Jean…and Theo. Prince Theo.
I swallowed back my mortified groan as I stared at the perfect fit of Theo’s tailored suit and remembered the exact way those pants had looked pulled down under that tight ass of his—
Fuck.
“Uh, you okay over there?” Lucien frowned at me. “You sound like you’re choking.”
I cleared my throat and shook my head. “It’s a little warm in here, don’t you think?”
“No. You sure you’re feeling all right?”
I cracked my neck from side to side and turned back to face the front, where the two royal brothers now stood, and felt my breath catch.
God, I felt like I was going to hyperventilate.
“Seriously, man—”
“Leave it alone, Lucien,” I snapped, and immediately regretted it. But the more he talked, the worse I felt, and the last thing I needed was to pass out at the royal wedding.
Luckily for me, that was when the music started up, and as everyone turned to look for Katerina—the bride—I found myself locking my eyes on Theo.
Somewhere between our interlude and this moment, he’d brushed his hair back from his face, and as his eyes scanned the pews and found me, they glittered with teasing delight.
I knew I should turn away, focus on the beautiful bride walking up the aisle, but, not daring to relinquish my stare on the troublemaker standing at the altar, I kept my focus centered.
At least, that was what I told myself.
It had nothing to do with the fact that Theo’s cheeks were deliciously flushed, his suit lapels were ever so slightly creased, and those taunting lips curved into a smirk, reminding me what a royal pain in my ass he was.
Great, now I was busy remembering his suggestion.
“…maybe you need the serious fucked out of you next time.”
“Maybe something is going around?” Lucien said, and I finally tore my eyes away from the altar and focused on the bride.
“What’s that?”
“You’re not feeling well. Theo looks a little flushed too.”
I spun to face Lucien, whose eyes were twinkling.
“You think he’s coming down with something? Did he say anything when you found him?”
Other than begging me to fuck him? “No. I’m sure he’s fine. I told you, it’s warm in here.”
“Hmm.” Lucien nodded as we all faced forward and Katerina finally reached her groom. “Maybe. If not, I’m sure you’ll take care of him.”
And that was the problem. I’d been sent to take care of Theo and had just plain taken him instead. So much for being the good soldier King expected me to be.
The priest moved to stand in front of the couple, and as the music faded out and everyone finally took their seats, the ceremony began.
“THAT WAS THE best wedding I’ve ever been to,” Kai said as we all filed into Villa Monaco later that night.
The mansion sat on a cliff overlooking the crystal-blue Mediterranean below and was owned by all of the Libertine Kings for our many trips to the South of France—and for Theo to escape to when palace life got to be a little too much.
But he wasn’t here tonight, thank fuck. It’d been all I could do to avoid him during the hours-long reception, though given our titles, we were obligated to take photos for the press.
The fact that he’d restrained himself from doing something stupid like grabbing my ass was shocking, but I didn’t linger in his presence for long. No need to tempt the beast.
“The best, huh?” I said to Kai. “I thought you said it was your first.”
“First and best. What’s gonna beat a royal wedding?”
Lucien smirked at me over Kai’s head, and he didn’t have to say what he was thinking. That look said he’d be taking that comment as a challenge for whenever he decided to pop the question. Something I had a feeling was coming sooner than later, but my lips were sealed.
Lucien strolled past me and winked as he followed after Kai. “Did you choose a room for us yet?”
Kai whirled around, excitement sparking in his eyes. “Actually, I thought we could call dibs on the outdoor bed. You know…like last time.”
God, I didn’t want to know what happened out there last time, or any time. If that was where the lovers would be tonight, I’d find a room on the opposite end of the house.
“No complaints from me,” I said. “You two have fun.”
Kai let out a whoop and grabbed Lucien’s hands, tugging him toward the back door. As they disappeared outside, I headed upstairs.
It’d been a long fucking day, and I was grateful the rest of the house was empty, so my time socializing was over. I could put on the Mr. Charming front when I needed to, but damn if it hadn’t drained my battery by the time I hit the bed.
My bags were already in my usual room, but since that had a view of the backyard—and now the lovebirds—I wheeled them down the hall toward a room that faced the front.
I flipped on the light and walked over to the open window where the view of Monaco sparkled in the night.
It was beautiful here, I couldn’t deny that, and while it was usually a quiet place to visit, people were still out in the streets toasting the big day.
The last time they’d had a royal wedding was forty years ago, so this was a special time for everyone here, with even more celebrations taking place over the next few days.
As I scanned the horizon, my eyes caught on the palace, instantly sending my thoughts somewhere they shouldn’t be.
Fucking Theo. I still couldn’t believe he’d provoked me into—
No. I wasn’t going there. It was bad enough that it had happened, and the last thing I needed to do was revisit it when I was about to get into bed.
Best to put it behind me. Far, far behind me. But that was easier said than done when I was in a city that had reminders of him and his family all over it.
Turning away from the window, I grabbed my laptop bag and moved to the recliner in the corner. Kicking out of my shoes, I sat down and powered up my computer. I’d do a quick check-in, make sure there wasn’t anything important waiting for me, then hit the sack.
I punched in my password to open my secure email and, as I waited for it to load, looked down at the teeth marks on my hand. I still couldn’t believe Theo had bitten me.
Hell, what was I thinking? Of course he’d bitten me—the guy was crazy; we all knew that. Ready to fly off the handle at any opportunity, and apparently mid-fuck also.
Christ. Stop. Thinking. About. Him.
I shifted my attention back to the screen, and scanned my emails. Nothing of immediate importance jumped out at me until a message addressed to all my brothers appeared.
Subject line: YOUR PRINCE HAS A SECRET…
I frowned and clicked on the message, knowing it was safe from viruses if it had already been filtered through Alessio’s firewalls. But I was unfamiliar with the sender, which had me a little on edge.
The message opened to show a video attachment titled BOOM, and as I clicked it open, my phone started to vibrate in my pocket.
With my eyes locked on the screen, I fished out my phone.
The video was clear but shaky, the camera positioned to face a nondescript building several stories high.
There were no signs, no hint of where the building was or what it was, and the only sound was distant traffic as the camera zoomed in on the doors across the street.
I flipped my phone over to see King’s name flashing across the screen. As I answered the call and brought it to my ear, movement on the computer caught my eye.
Is that…Theo?
I squinted, trying to get a better look as Theo’s familiar figure stepped out of the building and crossed the road, then said into the phone, “Calling a little late, aren’t you?”
“Did you get it?”
I was about to answer when Theo’s face came into clear view and the building behind him…exploded.
“Motherfucker.” What the—
“You got it,” King said. “What the fuck is it?”
I had no clue. But as my brain tried to play catch-up, I hit replay to watch the video again, thinking I had to be mistaken in what I’d seen, but no.
There Theo was. The Prince of Monaco exiting a building. A building that promptly exploded behind him as he casually fled the scene like a fucking villain.
What the fuck was right.
“Do you know anything about this?” King barked as though I should know every move that Theo made.
“Of course not. Do you know who sent it?”
“No, I fucking don’t.” I could practically hear him grinding his molars as a long, tense silence stretched between us.
“Do you think it’s real?”
“It looks pretty real to me, but I’m going to speak to Alessio. I swear…” King let out an aggravated sigh. “If Theo did this, if he went off on his own, I’ll…”
King didn’t have to say what he was thinking, because I was thinking it too. If Theo had gone and pulled this shit off on his own, I’d kill him myself.
“Leave it with me,” I said, watching the video one more time. “I’ll talk to him.”
“You do that. And Shep?”
“Yeah?”
“If Theo’s involved, you are to report directly back to me. Got it?”
Theo’s taunt of my being King’s lapdog flashed through my head, but before I let it push me into a response I’d regret, I answered, “Got it,” then quickly ended the call.