I Belong To My Three Forbidden Masters

Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Drake’s pov

The rich, mouthwatering scent of the meal diffused through the open air of my kitchen as Vesper stirred the contents of the pan.

A chill, dark-pop playlist streamed softly through his phone speakers, and he was actually humming along to the melody as he cooked like he owned my house.

I watched him from the archway for a second, my chest tight with a lingering frustration that hadn’t settled since Lysander walked out the door with Darius.

I could feel anger stirring deep inside me and it was aided by the sight of Vesper being comfortable in my kitchen.

"Did you seriously have to do this in my kitchen?" I asked, walking over to the oversized sub-zero fridge and pulling out a bottle of cold mineral water.

"Yep," Vesper replied casually, tossing a fresh pinch of chopped herbs into the sizzling pan without looking up at me.

He let the dish simmer on low heat, the quiet popping of the oil filling the sleek, modern space. "By the way, your fridge is completely out of groceries."

"Devastating news. Thanks for letting me know," I replied, my voice dripping with dry sarcasm.

I could tell he didn’t give a damn one way or the other, entirely unbothered by my hostile mood.

I ignored his smug demeanor and grabbed a bottle of aged red wine from the rack, pouring a dark splash into a crystal glass.

The dry, woody notes of the beverage hit my palate, sharp and complex, but it did very little to numb the irritation thrumming beneath my skin.

"I still don’t get why you bother messing around with human food when we don’t even need to eat it," I added, leaning back against the cold quartz island.

It was a simple biological fact. Vampires barely derived any real sustenance or nutrients from consuming human food.

Due to our physiology, our bodies were far better equipped to draw actual energy from pure blood rather than solid meals.

Plus, with all the recent breakthroughs in synthetic supplements and refined plasma options, there was even less reason to chew on mortal dishes.

As the head of medical research, Vesper knew that scientific reality better than anyone alive.

Yet, he constantly insisted on cooking human meals despite how completely inefficient it was for our kind.

There was just something about it that seemed to fascinate him.

Humans spent absurd amounts of time perfecting recipes, tweaking flavors, and balancing textures until a dish was just right.

Vesper always claimed that the tactile process of cooking grounded him, keeping his mind sharp and giving him a strange sense of quiet satisfaction.

He had gotten so good at it over the decades that his creations could easily rival the menu of any high-end Michelin-star restaurant in the city.

If he hadn’t been born a high-ranking noble vampire, he probably would have ended up running a luxury culinary empire instead.

Vesper turned off the gas burner, uncovering the heavy pot to let an immediate cloud of aromatic spices overflow into the room.

Satisfied with his work, he spooned out the steaming jasmine rice he had prepared earlier in the cooker, plating it alongside a rich, Asian-style braised beef.

Wondering why he was still loitering around my kitchen counter instead of taking his food back to his own quarters, I pulled out a barstool across from him.

He sat down on the stool next to the island, pulling a fork from the drawer and digging into his meal with quiet enjoyment.

I stood there staring into my wine glass, my brows pulled down into a tight, dark line as my mind replayed the sight of Lysander leaving with his stepfather.

The kid had looked so fragile, so completely terrified of me, yet he had trusted Darius without hesitation.

It made something dark and toxic twist in my gut, I recognized it as jealousy and still, it did little to curb it.

As if catching onto my mood, Vesper paused his eating and opened the lower door of the fridge again, scanning the shelves.

He reached into the back drawer and pulled out a small, colorful cardboard carton of vanilla milk.

I watched in silent surprise as he popped the straw out from its plastic sleeve, pierced the foil seal, and began casually sipping from the carton.

"I think this is officially the first time I’ve ever seen you touch human junk food," I said, unable to hide the sheer disbelief in my tone.

"I consume human things," Vesper said defensively, swirling the pink carton slightly between his fingers.

"Only at high-society gala dinners where you’re forced to pretend for appearances," I countered, eyeing the ridiculous little carton with distaste, he was simply enjoying it and I hated it with every fiber of my blood.

I wanted to rip it away from him, I thought I was doing good at hiding what I was feeling but a snarl slipped from my lips and his brows quirked with surprise.

He smirked, making a show of sucking the drink again, this time, I held in my snarl. "I assume you bought this for Lysander."

"You could say that," I muttered evasively before I could catch myself.

"I could say that?" Vesper echoed, blinking at me in genuine amusement. "Wait... you bought it for yourself then?"

I shrugged, turning my head away toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the skyline.

"Lysander drank it constantly during school hours. It tastes fine and it smells like him."

The instant regret flashed across my mind the exact millisecond the words slipped past my lips.

A massive, unbearable smirk spread across Vesper’s face as he set the strawberry milk down on the marble counter.

"I see," Vesper drawled softly, his voice thick with playful mockery. "Needed something to take the edge off, Your Highness? Missing your human already?"

"Shut the fuck up," I growled, my voice dropping into a dangerous warning register.

Vesper let out a loud laugh, picking up his fork and resuming his meal like he hadn’t just pushed a button that could get him killed.

I could tell from a mile away that Vesper knew Lysander was becoming dangerously important to me, far more than Julian had ever been.

This little slip of mine had just confirmed all his theories.

"Who would have thought you would end up half in love with a human?" Vesper teased, shaking his head with an amused grin.

"I am not in love with him," I snapped, my eyes flashing a quick, warning crimson in the dim lighting of the kitchen.

"I want to fuck him, and I want to own him. That is strictly because he is my mate and his blood amplifies my standing."

"Riiiiight," Vesper nodded, suppressing a snort as he took another sip of his wine.

"That is definitely why you are standing in your kitchen drinking strawberry milk like a lovesick teenager sniffing their ex’s hoodie."

"Fuck off, Vesper." I snarled viciously.

"Hey, I am all for it," he said, throwing his hands up in a fake show of innocence.

"Just make sure you don’t fall completely head over heels before he even stops flinching when you walk into the room."

"It wouldn’t be a great look for our future King if he gets brought to his knees by a mortal who hates his guts."

I muttered something dark and colorful under my breath, grabbing the empty milk carton from the counter and throwing it forcefully into the trash bin.

I turned on my heel and began walking toward the hallway to escape his relentless probing.

"Make sure you wash the dishes before you get out of my apartment," I called back over my shoulder.

"Of course, Your Majesty," Vesper called out behind me, rolling his eyes as he took another bite of his steak.

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