I Belong To My Three Forbidden Masters

Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Lysander’s pov

Gideon’s heavy hand circled around my waist, pulling me tight against his side and making me jump out of my skin. "Shit!"

"Relax," he muttered under his breath, his grip tightening painfully against the thin red satin.

"Or people are going to start assuming I’m escorting a kidnap victim around the ballroom."

I tried and failed miserably to relax my posture as we wove through the crowded room.

We were slowly circling the lavishly decorated ballroom while I frantically calculated escape routes in my head.

Gideon had dragged me to this high-society gala despite my furious objections, threatening to expose me to Darius if I refused.

He didn’t give a damn that my throat was still raw and aching from the horrors of the holding cell yesterday.

What was far worse was the full-length evening gown he had forced me to keep on after the disastrous livestream back at the house.

The gown was gorgeous, crafted from blood-red satin with delicate lace trimming the plunging V-neckline.

Its blazing crimson color drew every pair of eyes in the hall straight to me, making me squirm under the unwanted attention.

I had caught a glimpse of myself in a floor-length mirror before we left the estate.

With my styled blonde wig, the soft makeup enhancing my androgynous features, and the sparkling diamond earrings, I looked like a breathtaking woman.

The stylist had deliberately emphasized my plush lips with glossy red lipstick, my eyes framed by black mascara.

Gideon had initially wanted me to wear three-inch stilettos, but I’d nearly broken my ankle just trying to walk across the bedroom.

Instead, I was wearing sleek, black designer kitten heels that kept me somewhat stable on the polished marble floor.

If it weren’t for the fact that Gideon was using this outfit as a leash, I might have actually appreciated how striking I looked.

That didn’t mean I enjoyed being ogled by dozens of elite strangers whispering behind their champagne glasses.

Their heavy, predatory gazes kept dropping to the low neckline of my dress, sending cold shivers down my spine.

Gideon either didn’t notice their stares or derived a sick, twisted pleasure from watching me squirm under their eyes.

A hard, painful pinch landed squarely on my ass, making me gasp out loud in shock. "Act natural," he warned. "Try smiling."

"Fuck you, Gideon. I never should have trusted a single word out of your mouth," I hissed under my breath.

I should have let him call my mother yesterday; at least then I wouldn’t be standing in the middle of a ballroom wearing a dress.

He patted my rear casually, offering a smooth, fake smile to a nearby couple passing by us.

"If Darius forces me to attend these boring networking events, then you’re coming along to entertain me," he purred into my ear.

"My old man thought he was slick by demanding I show up tonight. I could smell the arranged-marriage trap from a mile away."

Darius wanted Gideon to settle down with a socialite heiress?

Part of me wished he would. With any luck, a demanding wife would keep Gideon so occupied he’d finally forget I existed.

"While it would be hilarious to play along and seduce some poor oil heiress, I’m not interested," Gideon whispered darkly.

"You’re the only one I take pleasure in breaking, Lysander."

"Don’t flatter yourself," I muttered, my stomach turning at the predatory hunger glinting in his dark eyes. "I’m going to hurl if you keep looking at me like that."

Gideon let out a quiet, amused laugh. "Hate it all you want, little brother. You’ll submit either way because you’re terrified of Elena finding out."

"Darius would give her his full backing to throw you out on the street once he learns how you ’manipulated’ me into your bed."

My eyes widened in absolute shock at the monstrous lie. "You bastard!" I spat in a harsh whisper.

"I won’t stop until both of you pay for infiltrating my family," he smiled sharply, guiding me past a grand chandelier.

"Keep me happy long enough and who knows? I might consider being merciful."

"You keep talking like my mother killed your mom when she had nothing to do with it!" I shot back, my knuckles white against my clutch.

"Watch your mouth, Lysander. We’re in polite company," Gideon chided lightly, nodding charmingly to a passing senator.

"I know perfectly well you didn’t kill her," he added, his tone turning ice-cold and vicious as his grip bruised my hip.

"But I can’t stand watching a fake bitch like Elena step into my mother’s shoes, nor can I tolerate leeching parasites getting lucky."

"People like you don’t belong in my family’s estate. I’m just putting you back in the gutter where you belong."

I shut my mouth tight, realizing the utter futility of trying to reason with a sociopath.

A sudden, deafening crash shattered the classical music playing across the ballroom, drawing everyone’s attention toward the upper gallery balcony.

A massive section of the carved stone banister had broken off, crashing down to the lower dance floor along with a struggling man.

He hit the marble with a heavy groan, clutching his ribs as dust settled over the crowd.

Before anyone could react, a blur of motion vaulted over the second-story railing, landing with fluid grace beside the fallen man.

A tall, striking figure in a sharp, tailored black suit planted the hard heel of his dress boot directly against the intruder’s throat.

I froze in shock, staring at the lethal, elegant figure of Vesper standing over the fallen intruder.

He glared down at the man with pure venom, pinning him effortlessly to the floor before he could scramble away.

Gideon let out a low whistle of genuine surprise. "What the hell? How did he jump twenty feet and land without breaking a leg?"

"Don’t talk about him," I whispered anxiously, stepping back. "Unless you want him to put that boot through your neck next."

Gideon scoffed, entirely unimpressed by the display of unnatural power. "Please. He’s all show."

I swallowed hard, trying to shrink into the crowd before his sharp eyes caught sight of me in this red dress.

If Vesper was here, there was a ninety-nine percent chance Drake was in the building as well.

Running into Drake while wearing lipstick and a gown was a nightmare scenario I wasn’t prepared to survive.

Gideon’s hand clamped down hard on my waist, pulling me back to his side. "And where do you think you’re sneaking off to?"

"We should get a drink," I lied desperately, my eyes darting toward the exits. "Or leave."

"Stay put," Gideon commanded, tightening his hold.

The man groaning on the floor sobbed out a frantic apology, but Vesper’s expression remained utterly ruthless.

He pressed the pointed edge of his boot deeper under the man’s jaw, drawing a thin line of dark crimson blood.

"Because of your sister’s standing, I’ll send you to hell mercifully," Vesper hissed low, his sharp, elongated fangs glinting under the crystal chandeliers.

Gideon blinked, a flicker of genuine confusion crossing his face. "Is this some kind of performance art? Those teeth look absurdly realistic."

"Vesper," a calm, terrifyingly familiar voice echoed from the gallery stairs.

In a blink of an eye, another tall, imposing figure materialized at his side with speed that defied human physics.

"That’s enough," Drake said softly, his deep voice sending an immediate wave of intense dread straight through my body.

Vesper offered a sharp, dangerous smile, his fangs still subtly exposed. "He breached the perimeter, Drake. He deserves to bleed out on this floor."

"Undoubtedly," Drake agreed smoothly, adjusting the ruby brooch pinned to the lapel of his immaculate black tuxedo.

The deep red gem matched the rare vampire signet ring gleaming on his finger. "However, he is the heir to the River estate."

"His sister will cause an unnecessary diplomatic mess for the enclave if you drain him in front of humans."

Vesper grimaced, pulling his boot off the man’s throat and delivering a sharp kick to his ribs that sent him tumbling across the tile.

"Get lost," he spat at the crawling intruder. "And tell your whore of a sister to remember her place. She won’t touch the throne even if I throw my crown away."

He turned back to Drake with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "And tell her you’re off-limits too."

"Off-limits?" Drake echoed, his dark brows pulling together slightly. "You speak as though taking the crown would be such a hardship."

"Of course not, Your Highness," Vesper drawled sarcastically.

Abruptly, his mismatched eyes flicked away from Drake, locking directly onto my trembling form standing beside Gideon.

A sharp, amused smirk stretched across Vesper’s lips. "My, my. What do we have here?"

"Drake... isn’t that your little human pet wearing a hot dress?"

I shrank back into Gideon’s shadow, wishing the marble floor beneath my kitten heels would open up and swallow me whole.

Vesper’s gaze swept over my face, taking in the wig, the makeup, and the low neckline of the dress with sharp delight.

Beside him, Drake’s cold grey eyes slowly locked onto mine, his gaze tracking over every inch of my feminine disguise.

For a split second, a flash of pure, terrifying possessiveness burned in Drake’s eyes before his expression returned to a mask of stone.

Vesper glided toward us, his smile cutting like a razor.

"You look stunning, Lysander," he purred smoothly. "When were you planning on introducing us to your new boyfriend?"

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