Chapter Ten
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Alessia
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"You have absolutely no right to keep me a prisoner here," I say the instant I slip into the limo and face them.
How do they get more handsome every time I look at them?
"You can drop me off at home, thank you very much." Now I have to find another way to steal the pearls. Damn them.
And clearly, they'd showered and changed into their tuxedos elsewhere—probably their offices.
"You're not a prisoner, Alessia. You just belong to us."
"I'm not a painting you can just buy like that," I say.
"You're right, you're priceless. Not enough money in the world for you," Jasper says, but he's not grinning at me in amusement like he normally does.
I roll my eyes.
"What is going on?" I ask.
"We're going to have dinner with some acquaintances of ours. And his mansion happens to be in the mountains."
"But why? Why are you taking me? Surely, you're not short of dates. Women must throw themselves at your feet on a daily basis—probably every hour."
"Yes, but for this occasion, we needed to take our most prized pet."
"Your what?" I ask in shock.
"Our pet," Layton repeats as he drags me onto his lap. Garrison opens a velvet box, and a diamond-studded necklace—something like a choker—glitters in the dim lighting of the limo.
I open my mouth to speak, but Layton cups the back of my head and brings my lips to his.
"Open your mouth," he says. I didn't mean to obey him, but my breath leaves my lips on a staggered gasp, and he takes the opportunity to kiss me deeply, possessively.
I feel the coldness of the jewelry go around my neck as Jasper clasps the collar-like piece on me.
The pressure on my throat is so utterly sensational, provocative, and lascivious that I melt into Layton's mouth while Jasper leaves a red mark with his teeth on my bare shoulder, and Garrison...
Dear God, Garrison slips his hands under my dress. He hooks his fingers into the waistband of my panties. Layton lifts me up so he can peel them off my body.
I shudder against Layton as they each dip their fingers into my copious wetness and suck my essence off their fingers.
The soft growls that rumble low from their chests at the taste of me throw me off balance.
I have no idea how we changed from the limo to a four-wheel drive before we were guided into a mansion hidden deep in the mountains.
I did all that with my panties in their pockets. The only thing I noticed was how they passed the flimsy undergarment between them, taking turns to warm their pockets.
What even is happening to me right now?
I can't concentrate on anything. I don't remember the names of the men and women I've been introduced to.
Again, I only notice that after one look at the collar around my neck, everyone steps back and bows to me.
I'm taken back to my old life, but it's nothing to do with that time. The collar I'm wearing bears the insignia of CWW Industries. A dragon. On the collar, it's a diamond-studded dragon breathing red rubies for its fire.
The people I'm introduced to see me as the possession of Layton, Garrison, and Jasper.
From the whispers around me, I'm their first and only public display.
When everything becomes so much clearer, my gaze collides with theirs.
They see me put the pieces together, and their eyes darken possessively, just as their hands on my body do as well.
A thrill runs through me, and I don't know how to regulate it.
They don't know who I really am.
Until I see the man.
Cold dread washes over me. I go ice-cold and stagger backward, trying to escape the brilliantly lit dining hall of the mansion.
The host and hostess start to introduce us.
Oh God. This can't be happening. I have to get away. But I can't move, not with Layton, Garrison, and Jasper surrounding me, blocking my way, forcing me to face the man I ran away from.
Arthur Norvik. The man I ran away from because I didn't want to marry him—because if I did, my country, Skarlen, would belong to him.
"Allow me to introduce you to Prince Arthur Norvik," the host says, and it's then that he recognizes me.
Two years ago, I was very much a blonde. My grandmother insisted my dark hair—which I inherited from my mother, whom she didn't like either—was too loud, too stark for the future queen of Skarlen.
No one knew I had dark, almost black hair. Since my first public appearance in Skarlen, my hair had been dyed a shade of blonde.
Yes, I'm a whole-ass princess. That's my big secret. Only Clover ever knew that about me. And Arthur Norvik was the man I was supposed to marry.
I didn't love him. He was terrible, and if I married him, he would become king of Skarlen one day. So I ran away from home to avoid marrying him. Now I'm facing him.
But that's not all. The men I stupidly, stupidly fell in love with brought me here to a dinner where he was going to be. Why?
"You knew," I whisper so softly no one hears me.
"Well, this is most awkward," Arthur begins. And here we go. "But I'm afraid your pet, gentlemen, is wanted for treason in my country. I demand custody of her immediately."
Treason because I didn't want to marry him. And my grandmother, who loves Arthur, endorsed it fully.
He reaches out to grab me, then stops midway at the sound of Layton's voice.
"Touch her, and I'll make you eat your hand."
Arthur pulls back, fear widening his eyes.
"I'm sorry... I apologize, but this woman—"
"Is our future bride. She belongs to us, which means she's under our protection, for now and always."
"Do we need to spell that out in a different manner for you, Your Highness?" Jasper says, but he's mocking the man, and Arthur knows it.
"Consider this your opportunity to correct a mistake," Garrison adds. "Remove the charge, or we will remove your ability to enforce it. Understood."
The host—for the life of me, I can't remember his name—cuts Arthur off, warning him that he doesn't want to go against the three billionaires. They would eat him and his whole country and then spit them out.
Arthur is clearly a friend of the man. He hesitates, then nods.
"As you wish," he says. Then turns to me with a hard, hateful look. I guess I deserved that. Me running away made him look weak and he’d become the butt of a lot of jokes.
He opens his mouth: "Prin—"
"No," Jasper says, and he shuts his mouth awkwardly before he turns to leave.
"Please take me home," I say, this time a little louder so they hear me. I don't have a choice; they're my ride home, for goodness’ sake.