Chapter 16 #3
Vor glanced down at where they were both locked and smiled. “I agree.” He ran a palm over Shen’s lower abdomen, where the head of his cock pressed outward. The glans was near visible as it poked out. Snow lowered to his knees and caressed the head, causing both men to moan in unison again.
A memory came to Snow, one from the naughty book he’d read. “Perhaps we should order a box of condoms from Francia.”
“Condoms?” Shen asked, his gaze languid as he appeared to fight sleep.
“A fictional story I read claimed dominant alphas can get anyone pregnant—even alphas. Whether in heat or not,” Snow replied. “They could also trigger heats in betas and alphas after some time together.”
Shen stared between them. “You lie.”
“It was a work of fiction. I’m not sure if that’s a part of the actual myth or not,” Snow said. “The author might’ve added a twist of his own for all I know. It might not hurt to research the myth.”
“Even if we researched it, it’s still more myth than reality at this point,” Vor said. “Just because one part of it may have been proven to be accurate, that doesn’t mean it’s all correct.”
“But we should assume it might be,” Shen said, eyes widening. “Before we end up with a surprise none of us expected or know how to handle.”
“You don’t have a womb,” Snow said, rubbing Shen’s belly and Vor’s cock in one swipe of his palm. “How could he even get you pregnant if you don’t have that?”
Shen relaxed a little. “I suppose not—but we shouldn’t assume, either.”
“What? You don’t want to be big, fat, and full of Vor’s sons?” Snow asked Shen. “I can’t wait for him to breed me.” He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to the head of Vor’s cock through Shen’s stomach.
“I’ll leave the baby making to the omegas of the world,” Shen said, lifting a brow.
Yet Snow didn’t miss the way Shen ran his palm over his belly as if imagining a life growing there. Snow covered Shen’s hand with his own. The alpha’s gaze flicked to his, and Snow was almost sure he saw a sense of longing there.
“Even if it were possible, I couldn’t have a baby with Vor,” Shen said. “We’re not mates.”
Snow threaded his fingers through Shen’s again. “You are special to me.”
Shen’s eyes shone brightly. “As you are to me, my prince.” His gaze moved to Vor’s. “As you both are.”
Vor placed his hand over Snow’s atop Shen’s. “I won’t lie and call it love, but I care for you, Shen. I have almost since the first day you arrived.”
“That was seven years ago,” Shen said.
“It was simply play at first. No ties, no bonds.” Vor turned to eye Snow a moment before looking back to Shen. “The longer I know you and the closer we became, you’re more than just a friend, Shen.”
“I feel the same about you,” Shen said.
His smile turned radiant when he looked at Snow.
“You are the embodiment of love, Snow White. Every heart you touch… you fill it with such profound tenderness that it has to find other places to flow,” Shen said.
“Or it might burst. My feelings for Vor grew after you arrived. Even more after you welcomed me into your bed and shared that intimacy with me.” He looked at Vor.
“Your openness with me has been a beautiful thing. I thank you for it.”
“We thank you for sharing it with us, too,” Snow said.
Vor captured a kiss from Snow. When he pulled away, he turned to Shen. “I enjoy you being with us. And I hope we spend many more moments like this together.”
“I hope as well,” Shen replied, grinning broadly.
Vor winced just before his knot deflated. He carefully slid from Shen’s body, leaving behind a wide, gaping hole.
“I could fit my whole hand in there,” Snow said, surprised with how wide Shen remained.
“Save that for another afternoon,” Shen said before lowering his legs and breathing a sigh of relief.
“My hand? Inside you?” Snow asked, wide-eyed.
“Oh, yes,” Shen said. “Fisting can be quite stimulating.”
Vor lifted a fist, and Shen wagged a finger side to side. “Not that fist.” Shen paused, eyeing Vor’s massive hand. “Not without plenty of practice and stretching. Add that to your consent list.”
“Added,” Vor murmured, lowering his hand.
Snow lay down beside Shen and snuggled close. “Hwa might be sad he missed all our fun.”
“He may be my best friend, but there are things I prefer doing without him,” Shen said before pressing a gentle kiss to Snow’s brow. “I’d feeling a bit selfish when it comes to sharing the two of you with Hwa and Owan, if I’m being honest.”
“I’ve noticed the two of them have been spending a lot more time together as of late,” Snow said.
“As have I,” Shen said. “Hwa spoke of leaving to rejoin his adventures in the near future. From the sounds of it, Owan might be his preferred travel partner now.”
“I’ve always wanted to go on a journey and see the world,” Snow said. “I’m so jealous of what the two of you experienced.”
“What’s stopping you from taking a journey?” Vor asked Snow as he rested his back against the side of the bed.
“Before you, it was being an unmated omega.” Snow tried to keep his excitement down, hoping he wasn’t misunderstanding Vor’s intentions. “Now? I suppose it will depend on my mate and his fondness for travel.”
“I just learned that I died for a couple of days and somehow returned to the land of the living. If that’s not a sign that I should experience as much as I possibly can before I die again, I don’t know what else is.
” Vor smiled broadly. “I would be honored to accompany my mate on a grand world tour.”
“Great,” Shen said. “You’re all going to leave me.”
“We’ll need you with us, of course,” Vor said, taking one of Shen’s hands and linking their fingers. “Who else could show us Bharat better than you?” He scoffed. “You’ve seen much more of the world than either of us have, so I’m sure I can speak for Snow when I humbly beg you to come with us.”
“Yes, Shen,” Snow said, his heart fuller than he could’ve ever imagined it. “You simply must come.”
Shen looked between them a few times. “I suppose I would make an excellent tour guide.” He grinned, his white teeth gleaming against his bronzed skin. “I would love to see more of Ifriqiya, too, if either of you might be interested?”
“Oh, yes,” Snow said. “My birth papa has ancestors from North Ifriqiya.”
Shen pulled on one of Snow’s ringlets and released it, allowing it to bounce. “I’m not surprised.”
“I’d love to see where my bloodline has traveled from,” Snow said. “Count me in for a tour of Ifriqiya.” Snow turned to their dominant. “Have you interest there?”
“I have interest in whatever you are interested in,” Vor replied. “As long as we’re together, I will be at peace.”
Snow rose onto his knees and leaned closer, giving his mate a kiss.
“My only concern is your father,” Shen said. “Will he allow you to travel so far from home?”
“I’ll soon be a mated omega,” Snow replied, sliding his arm through Vor’s. “There’s not too much he can say to stop us, can he?”
“He’s the king,” Shen said, rolling his eyes.
“If he has concerns, I’ll tell him it would be smart for me to have knowledge of the world before I sat upon the throne.”
“Sat upon the throne?” Both Shen and Vor asked, wide-eyed.
Vor eyed him closely. “You’re an omega.”
“Yes, but Kleeve-Burgh has had several omega kings in our expansive history. We’re one of the rare kingdoms that doesn’t always pass the crown to the eldest alpha relative, not that we have one if we did.
I was an only child and all of my cousins in Francia are omegas, as well.
It was either make me the heir or choose my uncle who wed into the family and isn’t a blood relative.
And no one likes my uncle very much.” Snow smiled at Vor. “You’ll be the next Prince Consort.”
Vor’s mouth dropped open.
Snow’s smile faded. “Does that trouble you? An omega head of state?”
“Naaaay,” Vor said, his shock fading as he frowned heavily at Snow. “More my concern with someone as unworthy as I being mated to the future king.”
Snow’s smile return.
“I have no doubt that you will be a wise and benevolent king,” Vor added.
“Maybe not at first, as there will be much for you to learn and grow into, but you’ll get there eventually.
” He caressed the side of Snow’s face. “You vowed to free us from the wizard’s clutches, and you managed that when I thought it next to impossible.
Running a sovereign nation? Child’s play for someone as magnificent as you. ”
Snow cuddled closer to Vor, thankful his mate would be so supportive of him in his new role to come. “I’ll, of course, need a steadfast, strong leader at my side to help me with difficult decisions.”
“I am no leader,” Vor was quick to say.
“You are,” Snow said. “Even Klaus said you were a natural leader, and he’d been wrong about you.”
“Let me guess—after he thought I’d perished, right? No one speaks ill of the dead.”
“Don’t do that.” Shen rose and laid his head on Snow’s leg, getting comfortable again. “What Klaus said was actually quite heartfelt. And he wasn’t wrong, either. You might not have considered yourself a leader, but everyone in that cottage knew you were. Everyone, including Klaus.”
Vor grew quite as Snow watched for his reaction. Snow sensed Vor was again questioning himself.
“You’ve paid for your crime and shown remorse.
You’re not that same young man who committed that offense, either,” Snow said.
“If anything, your experience will give you empathy and insight in matters I might not have. You can see the humanity in someone who has made a tragic mistake, and I find that invaluable for me as a leader of our country.”
“First he needs to see the humanity in himself—and perhaps allow himself some grace,” Shen said, eyeing Vor.
Vor forced a smile. “I will try.”
“That’s enough for now,” Snow said. He leaned in closer. “How soon can we be mated and plan our adventure?”
Vor hedged. “Actually, I do have a concern I must mention.”
Snow stiffened. “Nooo.”
“Your father wants us mated quickly—because there’s a chance you could be with child now. Should we wait to see if you’re pregnant before planning our journey?”
Snow scoffed. “As if being pregnant impedes me from travel.”
“We might journey to remote places without adequate medical care,” Shen said. “Vor has a point in being concerned.”
“Then we employ a midhusband to travel with us if I am,” Snow said. “And perhaps a nurse. Once the baby is born, we can add in a manny to our entourage.”
“Entourage?” Vor asked. “I thought it would only be the three of us?”
“There’s no way my father would agree without me taking my own King’s Guard. And then a cook, of course, to feed us and the men. I’d guess we’d be at least a dozen. No more than two.”
“Two dozen?” Shen asked, chuckling. “This isn’t a simple adventure; it’s a royal tour.”
“Is there something wrong with that?”
Shen snickered. “I’m accustomed to walking, traveling by camel, or horseback. I’ve never been a part of a prince’s pampered parade. Shall we travel by royal coach?”
“We’d have to if I’m pregnant, now wouldn’t we? Even if I’m not pregnant now, there will be other heats to come, so we might as well travel by coach from the start as any month I might wind up with child.”
“And how are we to cross the sea with coaches, horses, and two dozen men?” Vor asked. “You wish to go to Ifriqiya. We’d need to get across a vast sea.”
“Purchase passage on the largest ship we can find?” Snow replied, shrugging. “Perhaps send the royal ship to meet us at the crossing to have them ferry us over.”
Shen shook his head and eyed Vor.
“Honestly, if this is the way he wishes to travel, so be it,” Vor said. “I’ve spent the last fourteen years imprisoned and nearly died before I found freedom. If my beautiful mate wants to travel in style, I won’t judge him for it. I’ll simply be grateful to be at his side.”
Shen sat up and eyed Vor and then Snow. “He’s right.
I’m sorry I chuckled. I’m just not accustomed to traveling in that way.
It was simply Hwa and I walking from town to town, singing for our supper, and relying on the kindness of strangers on a rainy night when we couldn’t sleep under the stars.
” He eyed Snow. “Will we have grand tents as large as a palace with furniture and carpets to cover the sandy terrain in Ifriqiya?”
“Perhaps not palace-sized,” Snow said. “But how about cottage-sized?”
Shen smiled. “I think that might be large enough.”