Snow fought back tears. “I hope you can.”
Lazlo smiled wryly and looked away from Snow, pain in his eyes.
“You just hope the root cellar is still bewitched,” Klaus whispered.
“Idoindeed,” Lazlo replied, grinning. “If we’re not worried about hunting and gathering, we have more free time to enjoy one another.”
Klaus’s brows rose. “I like the way you think.” He clasped one of Lazlo’s hands in his. “It’s one of my favorite things about you.”
Lazlo turned his attention back to Snow, his smile fading. “I’m sorry. That was cruel of us.” Tears gathered in his eyes. He pulled his hand from Klaus’s. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t hide your affection on my account,” Snow whispered. He cleared his throat and smiled. “Knowing you two might get your happily ever after, here of all places, brings a light to the darkness here. I hope it burns bright for the rest of your days.”
“Thank you,” Lazlo murmured. He stepped forward and clutched Snow’s ankle. “He was a great man, and he loved you, Snow. Anyone with half a brain could see the way he looked at you.”
Snow nodded, not sure what to say to that. He fought back a sob, coughing to cover it. The only thing inside his head was screams and denials that Vor was gone.
“Take care,” Lazlo said to him. He turned to Shen. “Take care of him.”
“We will,” Hwa murmured.
Greer, Lazlo, and Klaus turned and walked back towards the cottage. Snow’s father and the King’s Guard urged the horses towards the castle. Snow’s gaze fell on Vor’s body and wouldn’t move until they reached their destination and his mate was taken to be prepared for a funeral.
Later, after Shen and Hwa had bathed him—and Owan had braided his hair—he lay in his big bed with the three alphas, feeling more alone than he could ever remember. He loved these men and knew they’d protect him, but their presence couldn’t fill the void within him.
None tried to.
They simply held him when he cried and offered him a safe space to grieve what could’ve been.
Chapter Fourteen
Two days later, Snow came down to break his fast, dressed in his mourning black. It was the first day he’d had enough strength to get out of bed. But he had to. Later that morning, they would place Vor into the ground beside his papa’s grave.
Snow was numb. He didn’t want to eat, but he forced himself to eat a slice of toast with jam, more to quell the queasiness of his stomach. It was all it could handle. He felt the many stares on him and heard bits of pity-filled whispers, comparing him to his father who’d lost his true love too soon, too. Most of those attached to those whispers had never met Vor alive. They didn’t know that Snow’s loss was far greater than they imagined.
Vor was a giant of a man, inside and out. His heart was the biggest part of him. Sadly it no longer beat. Nor did Snow’s. He was the walking dead. He simply wanted it over so he could crawl into bed and sleep months away, finally awakening when he was no longer in pain. He wanted to tell the kingdom about the beautiful brute who’d saved his life and shown him the love he’d never thought might exist for him.
“Snow, I was thinking,” his father said. “After hearing the story of how Shen, Hwa, and Owan protected you from the wizard—perhaps they should become your Guardsmen. It’s well past time you had your own.”
“They’re not my Guard,” Snow said, barely recognizing his own voice. “They’re my lovers.”
Whispers circled the room, and he saw anger in his father’s face. He didn’t care if his father was angry. At least he felt something.
Snow sure as hell didn’t.
“Snow,”his father warned.
“They put their lives in danger to rescue me. They can remain in my bed for as long as they wish,” Snow replied. “Without them, I might wither and die from the loss of my Vor.”
“You won’t have three lovers sharing your bed without a mate,” his father snapped.
“I’ve lost too much,” Snow spat. “I won’t lose another thing. Accept it, or we’ll leave. I’ll travel the world with them instead.” Snow chuckled, the sound empty. “Sounds better than my plan to stay abed for the rest of my days.”
The king rose.“For now—you can have your playthings. But I won’t allow this to continue long.”
His father stormed off. Snow could care less what anyone thought of him. He needed Owan, Hwa, and Shen. They’d not left his side since losing Vor. He wouldn’t send them away in the moments he needed them most.
“You cared not what I did when the Prince Consort was here,” Snow said to his father’s retreating back.
