“I have nowhere to go, Vor. Would you really force me to leave?”
Vor closed his eyes a few seconds before pinning Snow with his gaze. “A few nights are probably fine, but much more, I don’t know. While we’re typically left alone, that doesn’t mean he might not show his face when we least expect it. I fear for your safety if you remain here.”
“I fear for my safety if I leave here,” Snow replied.
Vor sighed. “As do I. I don’t know which is more dangerous. At least here, I’d be there for some semblance of protection.”
Snow smiled. “Do you agree?”
Vor frowned as if he didn’t understand.
“That I sleep in your bed and your bed alone each night. As mates do.”
Vor chuckled under his breath. “Yes. As mates do.”
“You’ll hold me tight, in your arms, and love me as I deserve?” Snow asked.
“I can’t think of anything I wish to do more,” Vor whispered before capturing his lips.
Chapter Six
After Vor gently coated all Snow’s wounds with the salve, he fished out an old, clean pair of hose from a chest at the foot of the bed.
“These should lend some protection,” Vor said before pulling one of the legs over Snow’s foot.
Once they were on, Vor helped Snow stand. The hose were entirely too large. Vor cursed under his breath before he knelt at Snow’s feet, eyeing their conundrum. He pulled a knife from a sheath nearby, and Snow tensed.
“Hold your peace,” Vor murmured before cutting each leg of the hose at Snow’s thighs.
He tossed the waistband of the hose into the fire, and it caught aflame, curling as it burned. The leftover legs drooped down to the floor, puddling around Snow’s feet.
“This won’t work,” Snow said.
“Just wait,” Vor said before digging into the chest again.
He came out with an old belt and an even older sword belt. He cut both leather straps to fit around Snow’s upper thighs before cutting new holes for the buckle to fasten into. Vor secured the new smaller belts around Snow’s thighs and tugged the hose back up and under the strips of leather.
“They’re not too tight, are they?”
“No,” Snow said, looking down at his makeshift leg protection. They were actually quite interesting. Almost sexy. The tight feel of the belts around his thighs was erotic—and only seemed to make his nudity above them all the more obvious.
“Good,” Vor said, lifting his gaze to meet Snow’s. “This should help protect your wounds for the night, hopefully.”
With Snow’s legs managed, Vor pulled a white shirt from the chest. “You can wear this until we can figure something else out. It should wear like a nightshirt on you.”
Vor pulled the shirt over Snow’s head and down. Snow ran a hand over the cloth, surprised at how soft and fine it was.
“Is this yours?”
Vor nodded. “Yes… Though it no longer fits me and my many muscles.” He grinned. “It looks infinitely better on you.”
My many muscles.Snow stared into Vor’s face, again thunderstruck at how large the alpha was. Snow had never seen any man as big. He gazed down at the shirt and estimated the difference fourteen years of hard labor had caused, though it wasn’t easy to determine. Snow fingered the fine threads again.
“Was this what you were wearing when you were captured?”
Vor cringed. He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out and pushed a few of Snow’s tight curls away from his cheek and tucked them behind an ear. “Ready for supper?”
Snow’s stomach answered for him.
