by Nana Malone
London Royal
Nana Malone
Contents
Upcoming Books
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Also from Nana Malone
Nana Malone Reading List
About Nana Malone
Upcoming Books
London Soul
Royal Playboy
Playboy’s Heart
Big Ben
The Benefactor
For Her Benefit
Prologue
Present…
Lex...
I didn’t care what I had to do; I would protect the woman I loved with my dying breath.
Nothing was going to change. I'd promised her that.
I’d told her I’d love her forever, which was true. I would love her forever. I’d told her I would protect her.
But that was a lie.
Now that my mother's cousin had been assassinated, I was a prince. An official prince of Nomea. No longer exiled. No longer banished from a home I'd never known. Now the woman I loved would be subject to the court of public opinion.
Just like before.
And whether or not I liked it, people would have opinions, and they’d post about them. In the press, on social media, and to anyone who would listen. That was what had happened the last time my family was in the public eye.
Well, they were entitled to their opinions. If need be, I'd step aside to shield her from as much scrutiny as possible. I would step away from the birthright I'd never asked for. For her, I'd give up anything. For her, I'd give up everything.
She looked up from the conversation she was having next to one of my favorite pieces of her artwork at the gallery opening. The smile she gave me was brilliant.
She'd done it. She’d opened her own bloody gallery simply known as Nartey. She was going to feature some of her work, but mostly works of up-and-coming artists. I couldn't have been more proud of her. She grinned at me, the white of her teeth a perfect contrast to her gleaming brown skin.
God, I loved her.
Even as she chatted animatedly with the woman she was speaking to, she snuck peeks at me. I could tell she wanted to run up to me. She wanted to hold me. Just like I wanted to hold her. I'd planned this surprise for months.
But I had more than one reason for being there. I needed to let her know that everything was about to change.
When she was finally finished, Abena Nartey Chase made no bones about running up and leaping into my arms. The white dress she wore with the thigh high slits helped her achieve her goal.
I didn't give a shit that we were making a scene. She was my wife, and I planted a kiss on her so deep we made the stuffed shirts blush.
When she pulled back, she looped her arms around my neck. "Hello, handsome. I didn't think you'd be here."
"Did you really think you were going to have a gallery opening and I wasn't going to attend?"
"No, but I knew how complicated things in the Winston Isles were."
I nodded slowly. "Were. I'm home."
"Well, welcome home. In that case, the celebration is going to be different than I originally planned."
I lifted a brow. "Oh, yeah? Just what did you have planned?"
"Well, originally, I was going to take the other artists out to a simple dinner, toast with champagne, and pay the bill. Or rather, you were going to foot the bill."
I sighed. "Remember, my money is your money."
"Yeah, you know how I don't like that."
I rolled my eyes. It was an old argument, but I left that fight alone for now. "So, what's the change of plan?"
She leaned forward, close to my ear. "Well now, there's definitely going to be a deep throat blow job happening."
I pulled back and clutched a hand to my chest as if I was shocked. "Jesus Christ, who's the lucky guy?" She giggled, and I twirled her around. "I love you."
"I love you too, Alexi.” When we stopped moving, a frown settled in her expression as she studied my face. "What's the matter?"
I forced my face into an impassive expression. "What do you mean?"
"Stop it. I know when something is wrong. What's the matter? Is Xander okay?"
I knew my brother Xander had rushed to his wife Hermione’s side as soon as he'd gotten the news. Neither one of us wanted our wives hearing about this situation before we had the chance to tell them about it ourselves. "Yeah, he's fine. He's with Hermione Aysem."
She frowned. "He couldn't be bothered to come to my opening?"
I laughed and shook my head, wondering about their odd brother-and-sister-like relationship. It never bothered me.
Lies.
Okay fine, Xander’s feelings for her had bothered me in the beginning. But that had been resolved long ago. I knew my brother was madly in love with his wife, though he and Abbie still fought like cats and dogs most of the time. "Listen babes—"
Her brow lifted. "Babes? You only say that when you have some bad news to tell me."
"Yeah. Listen, um, can we speak somewhere privately?"
I couldn't help but let my gaze skitter to a man near the door. He was long and lean like me. And looked more than ready for a fight to break out.
Matthias Weller had been more than happy to come home to England with his fiancée. He was on loan from Blake Security temporarily until Xander and I could get our own security team in place. I knew under his impeccable suit he was covered in tattoos.
I didn't know him well, but we'd gotten to chat a little bit on the flight over. My cousin, Sebastian Winston, King of the Winston Isles, had insisted we have the best security with us until we could sort out other measures. Abbie was no fool though, and her gaze followed mine in Matthias’s direction. "Why does that look like security at the door, sweetheart?"
I cleared my throat. "Listen, something has happened."
She stepped back. "Let me get my things."
I stopped her though. "No, you don't need to hurry off. It's your opening. You need to enjoy it. But Matthias is going to be with us for a while, as is his fiancée."
She frowned. "That guy has a fiancée? He looks just as likely to eat someone as he does to date them."
I glanced over at him. He did have that I am a fucking badass look on his face. "Yeah okay, fair enough. But listen, we don't need to talk about this now. Enjoy the opening. I'll talk to you after."
She shook her head. "No. You tell me what’s going on now."
I sighed and then tugged her through the main gallery room and into one of the offices. She crossed her arms over her chest, having no idea that all it did was push up her tits and make my brain take a non-escapable detour.
Focus man.
I dragged my gaze back to hers.
"Sweetheart, if you wanted to get some..."
"Ah, I wish that's why we were in here, but it's not.” I cleared my throat. “My mother's cousin, the King of Nomea, has been assassinated."
Her jaw unhinged. "Fuck."
I nodded slowly. "We don't know who
did it. We don't know why. But that means I need you covered in case there's any kind of retaliation."
"So that guy out there is supposed to cover me?"
I nodded slowly. "Yes, him and his fiancée."
"What's going on, Alexi?"
"I don't know. I honestly don't. All I know is, right now, you are mine to protect. And I would do that with my life."
"So, this makes you a prince now?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, since he had no children and he wasn't married, that means my mother is, by default, Queen of Nomea. But he's got followers who, no doubt, will retaliate if they think that my mother's people had anything to do with it."
"Jesus."
"Yeah, I know. But listen, I don't want you to worry about anything. We're going to get a team. You will be protected."
She squeezed my hand. "Alexi, I'm so sorry."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I know this isn't what you wanted."
"Look, I will step down today if it means my title puts you in danger. Besides, I'm only the spare."
"I know how this works. You might be the spare, but you've only ever wanted your freedom. And now, you're going to be under all the scrutiny in the world."
"We are."
"I know. And I could take it. I just—I know you didn't want this."
I shrugged. "Look, when you met me, there were all kinds of things I didn't want. There were things I didn't even know I did want. One of them was you. So, as long as I have you, I don't care what happens. As long as you're safe, I’ll count my lucky stars."
"You and me against the world?"
I pulled her close and tucked my arms around her. "Yup, you and me against the world."
What I wasn't going to remind her of was just what I was willing to do and what I was capable of if it meant keeping her safe. She was mine. Forever. And if anyone threatened that, they'd end up the same way the last guy had.
1
Lex…
Five Years Earlier…
"To my prince of a brother, while it may not yet be your twenty-fifth birthday, we’re going to celebrate all bloody year. You are a little prince amongst men, and I couldn't have a better brother."
I laughed at Xander even as I raised my glass. "Thank you for the toast, Xan. Except, I'm not a prince."
He chuckled then. "Oh, we both are. Just, you know, we don't actually have the country or the crowns to go with it, but I lay claim to it all the time. Particularly with the fairer sex."
I rolled my eyes as our friends guffawed around us. We were at yet another nameless club. The latest hotspot. For us, the booze flowed freely, and the women came easily. I loved my brother and my mates, but lately when we went out, I wondered exactly what the purpose was. Maybe I’d enjoyed more than was my fair share of the parties and I was bored stiff.
All around us, there were girls. Tall ones, short ones, beautiful ones. Everyone was stunning in their own way. Most were wearing next to nothing and offering to blow us for access to the VIP area. They knew who we were, and we preferred not to know who they were.
If you're so bored, why do you keep coming out?
That was a good question. The number of nights that I'd been tempted to just beg off and stay home was plenty. But still, the truth of it was that it was better to be with people than alone in my own box. That wasn't ideal. So, I went out.
All around me, my friends were drinking and having a good time. At one point, Jasper crash-landed on my lap. "Come on, give us a kiss, birthday boy.”
The scent of alcohol oozed out of his pores, and I shoved his face away. "No. God, how much have you had, mate?"
Jasper chuckled, splashing whatever clear liquid that was in his glass onto his hand. "Why are you asking such questions? We were pre-gaming for your birthday party."
"Jas, it's not my birthday yet. I've got over a month left."
"Yeah, mate, I know. But luckily your brother is a party connoisseur, like myself, and believes that we should party at least three months in advance. Which I can get behind."
"Of course, you can. You realize we basically do this every weekend anyway, right?"
He grinned at me sloppily. "Did you have a point, mate?"
I shook my head. "No. No point. Having fun?"
He grinned and slapped me on the chest several times. "Yup. Having a blast. I'm going to go find a very pretty blonde and have her sit on my lap instead of me sitting on yours. You're not as pretty, sorry."
Bullshit. I was fucking pretty. "No offense taken."
He tried to climb up on his own, but eventually, I had to shove him up off of me. My brother leaned over the back of the couch I was sitting on. "Are you having fun, baby brother?"
"Yeah, are you?” I tried not to slide my gaze to his drink. But it was difficult.
You don't have to take care of him anymore.
It's not like it would help. But Xander was different now, no longer trying to numb his pain with pills and booze. A year ago, I had been chasing after him, worrying about him, trying to get the booze out of his hands and keep the drugs out of his nose.
But he'd gotten a handle on things. He’d stopped with the drugs and seriously pulled back on the alcohol. I didn't even think he liked the drugs. They’d just been something to do, and then eventually they’d become something he needed to function. But when I’d managed to get a camera back into his hands, he’d quit.
The drinking now was more of the social variety. But still, the memory of that time, trying to keep him from killing himself, was stamped fresh on my frontal lobe, and I couldn't shake it.
He caught my gaze then lifted his glass toward me. "Just the one. It's your birthday. You get to celebrate."
I shook my head. "Nah, mate. I'm just not in a celebratory mood yet. Got a lot on my mind."
He nodded. "Dear old dad?"
"Ah, it's like you’ve met him. He's a right downer, isn't he?"
"Yeah. That's his job, being a total arse. But try and enjoy this. Birthdays come only once a year."
"This coming from the bloke who insists I celebrate all year? Who celebrates their birthday like that?"
"We do. We're the Chase brothers, and we can do whatever the fuck we want. So if you want to celebrate your birthday all goddamn year, we can. After all, we are royalty, aren't we?"
I snorted. "Forgotten princes of a forgotten land."
He clinked his glass with mine, "Uh, don't forget exiled and forgotten princes. Ahh, imagine what it would be like if our dear old ancestors hadn’t been ousted. How different do you think shit would be?"
I laughed. "Not much different. Except there would probably be more people telling us what to do."
He wrinkled his nose then. "Ugh! Never mind all that then. As you know, I can't stand to be told what to do. I like my freedom."
We clinked glasses again. "Me too, brother, me too."
Sure, I liked money. I liked making it. I just didn’t want to make it for the old man. Nor did I want to get into royal politics. Unlike others in my family, I wasn't obsessed with getting our crown back.
Let other men fight for the crown. I didn't want it. Hell, I wasn't even the oldest brother. The crown, or the lack thereof, was of no consequence to me. No, I needed something else to fill the hole in my chest. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I needed some air, some space, something. I pushed out of my seat and tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Mate, I think I'm done."
My brother frowned. "What? We just got here. It's only been a few hours."
I laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm done. Tell Nick for me, would you?"
He studied me. "Something's up with you Lex. You're not talking to me."
"Nah, I'm good."
He went serious then, and I knew he could sense it. I was off. He and I had always been thick as thieves. We weren't twins, but that sense of when the other was in trouble, we both felt it. That's what happened when you shared the darkness. You knew when the other one was going under.
"
I'll come with you."
I shook my head. "Nah, stay. Have fun."
Xander chuckled and then shrugged. "You know, fun for me is waking up at five thirty in the morning and chasing the sunlight. This is not conducive to that."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't you have classes starting soon?"
He nodded. "I have to teach a bunch of runts how to do what I do. But chances are, none of them will be extraordinary, or at most, there will only be one."
"Ah, you’re such a cynic."
"No, I’m a realist."
"I hear you. Look, let me find Nick. I'll say goodbye and then I’m just going to head home."
He gave me a nod. "Fine. Call me in the morning, yeah? I'll pick you up and we'll go for a run."
I grinned at him. "You're going to let me kick your ass again?"
"You never kick my ass." He gave me his trademark smirk.
"Oh, yes, I do."
"In that case, you're on. I should probably stop drinking then."
"You realize I can still kick your ass hungover, right?"
The raised brow and the self-important smirk told me Xander was okay. We clasped palms and gave each other a half hug, and then I wound my way to the VIP section to look for Nick. I headed through the back hallway toward the patio where they let everyone smoke without actually having to leave the club. There was no one on the patio, but when I turned, something caught my gaze. Suddenly, the hairs at the back of my neck stood at attention and I frowned. What the hell?
Someone was out there. I narrowed my gaze. And then I felt it, the shadow behind me, and I whirled on the balls of my feet, hands up, ready to defend or attack.
Unfortunately, when I moved, whoever was behind me moved too, so I only caught a brief glimpse before the attack happened.