Snow (7 page)

“My Snow,” he said when he lifted his head, his eyes wide and dark with passion. They lay upon the bed, and he covered her with his body, rising on his hands to gaze down at her. A look of uncertainty crossed his face. “I have never done this before,” he said. “I want to please you.”

“I have never done this before either,” Snow White said with a shaky laugh. “And you do please me.”

He smiled and it was as if the sun had come out from behind a cloud. “Then we shall learn together,” he said softly.

With his hands and his mouth, he worshipped her body, learning from her sighs and gasps of pleasure what pleased her best. She let her own hands roam over the smooth, warm skin of his back, his muscled buttocks. The hot, hard flesh between his legs. Finally, he positioned himself atop her once more and pressed himself gently against her entrance, shuddering with strain as he held himself still. There was a brief moment of pain. Snow White lifted her hips beneath him, taking him deeper, and he groaned, his head dropping to her neck. He flexed his hips and thrust, and then came the exquisite realisation that his flesh was inside her. He began to move, and she moved with him, their breath rasping as sweat-slicked skin moved against skin.

Snow White’s pleasure rolled over her in waves, and she shuddered beneath him, crying out his name. At the same time, Kaliko threw back his head, uttering a deep moan. He collapsed on top of her, his chest heaving.

“My Snow,” he murmured against her neck.

She brushed his damp curls away from his forehead. He raised his head to gaze into her eyes, smiling.

Snow White smiled back.

“I love you,” he said softly, his fingers tracing the shape of her mouth.

“I love you,” she replied, and there was still wonder in her voice at that truth.

Someone pounded at the door.

“My princess? Are you in there?”

Ander’s voice, taut with strain.

Snow White cast a wild look at Kaliko as he rolled off her.

“Ander?”

“My princess. You must come outside at once. There is trouble. Gault…” Ander’s voice broke.

She scrambled from the bed. “One moment,” she called breathlessly, taking her dress from Kaliko and pulling it over her head. He did up her buttons before pulling on his own clothes. They looked at each other uncertainly before Snow White smiled and leaned down to kiss him. She took his hand in hers and opened the door. Ander stared at them blankly for a moment. Hiram and Kaffion stood behind him, and Hiram uttered a crow of delight which he quickly stifled behind his hand. Kaliko blushed.

“What’s wrong?” Snow White asked, her stomach dropping as she took in Ander’s grey face.

“Gault needs you,” he said. There were tears in his eyes. “Your… There is trouble with the prince, my lady.”

There certainly was, thought Snow White bitterly. She followed Ander outside to the garden. Her other dwarves stood near the door, their faces grim.

Charming stood in her garden, his colour high, a livid bruise mottling one cheekbone. To one side of him stood the huntsman Rui Alvarez. Before him, with his hands bound behind his back, was Gault. His hair had come free of its customary braid and hung about his face in disheveled curls. He lifted his head, and Snow White gave a shocked cry. The left side of his face was swollen and discoloured, his eye closed tight. His mouth too was swollen and bloody, but it was the look in his other eye that made her shiver. He looked a hairsbreadth away from madness.

“What is the meaning of this?” She was pleased to note that her voice did not shake.

“I thought you might tell me,” said Charming silkily. “Have you set your minions to spy upon me now, my lady?”

She had once wondered if he would be friend or enemy. As Snow White looked into Charming’s eyes, she knew the answer to that question.

“What are you talking about? Release Gault immediately!”

“Your little friend has been sticking his nose into matters that do not concern him. He has been following me and, frankly, my lady, I resent the intrusion.”

“There has clearly been a misunderstanding,” Snow White began. Rui Alvarez sniggered, and she glared at him before continuing. “Whatever you may have imagined has occurred it cannot have been necessary to beat him so brutally!”

“He attacked me,” Charming spat. “I was simply defending myself.”

“Gault?” she asked gently.

“It’s as he says,” he replied tonelessly. Beside her, Ander made a sound of protest and stepped forward. Meris took hold of his arm, shaking his head.

Charming’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Gault. “You see. The creature admits it. To attack a prince of the blood… I could have had him killed out of hand. It was only out of respect for you that I stayed my hand.”

Snow White wanted to claw his eyes out. Instead she forced herself to say, “I thank you for your forbearance, my lord. You may trust that I will deal with this transgression appropriately.”

“You misunderstand me, my dear,” said Charming softly. “It was out of respect that I didn’t kill him at once. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to kill him now.”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” said Snow White icily and was pleased to see Charming’s eyes widen with surprise. “Gault belongs to me, and any punishment that is due him will be decided by me.”

“The cat has claws,” murmured Rui. He looked delighted.

“I am to be your husband in a few weeks. All your little men will belong to me, then.”

“Indeed? But you are not my husband yet, sir. And thus I must insist that you hand Gault to me and let me come to the truth of this matter.”

“The truth?” sneered Charming. “When has a dwarf ever had truck with the truth?” He looked towards Rui and something he saw in the huntsman’s face made him school his own expression into one of rueful dismay. He ran his hands through his hair. “Forgive me. I don’t know what came over me. To speak to you thus… I am not usually so churlish.” He offered her a charming smile, but no one had ever looked less charming to Snow White’s eyes. He gave a deprecating shrug. “You can understand why? To be attacked thus, and by a servant, no less.”

“I understand,” said Snow White stiffly.

Charming took her hand, and she forced herself not to shudder at his touch. He pressed a kiss against her fingers. “Say you forgive me,” he whispered.

“Of course, my lord. And you will allow me to punish Gault as I see fit?”

His mouth thinned. “Of course, my dear. I trust that you will deal with him as he deserves.”

“You have my word on it.”

He gave her another tight smile and nodded at Rui who took a knife from the belt at his waist and cut the bonds about Gault’s wrists. Gault’s hands fell to his sides. Both Charming and the huntsman offered her a bow as they left the garden.

Ander ran to Gault’s side, taking him in his arms, but Gault shrugged him off wildly. “Leave me alone. Don’t touch me!”

“Gault?” said Ander, his voice breaking.

“Leave me alone,” Gault repeated in a low furious voice. Weaving from side to side, he made his way past Snow White and the other dwarves into the palace.

Ander dropped his face into his hands, his shoulders shaking.

“Ander?” Snow White said gently.

He lifted his head, his expression ravaged.

“Go to him,” she urged softly.

He set his shoulders, ducking his head in a taut nod.

Kaliko placed his warm fingers in Snow White’s cold hand. “Come inside, Snow,” he said.

“How can I marry that?”

Kaliko squeezed her hand. “You can’t. You won’t.”

“There is a contract…another three years until I can rule in my own right. If I repudiate Charming, I only set myself in Anais’s hands until then. And her hands are guided by Rui Alvarez. None of them wish me well.”

“You have us. You have me. They will not touch you!” Kaliko drew her closer and kissed her.

Hiram cleared his throat, and they broke apart. “Happy as I am to see that you two have finally realised what has been obvious to the rest of us for some time…”

Kaliko scowled, and Snow White blushed.

Kaffion cuffed Hiram about the ear. “Show some respect, little man.”

“I am the very picture of respect,” said Hiram pertly. His expression sobered. “We have much to discuss. Charming has showed his hand. He might think he has papered over the cracks, but once he realises just what he has revealed here today, who knows what action he may take? And Alvarez…that one is pure poison, for all his sweet looks.”

Snow White shivered. She let Kaliko lead her inside, her other dwarves trailing behind, their faces grim.

It was hours later, as they sat about the remains of a barely touched supper, that Ander finally reappeared. They had been quiet for some time. Even Hiram’s natural ebullience had been quelled by the events of the day. His face drawn and pale, Ander sank into a chair by the fire with a weary sigh, meeting Snow White’s anxious query with dark haunted eyes.

“He’s asleep. I slipped something into the wine…”

“Did he tell you what happened?” asked Shyla.

Ander’s lips drew into a tight thin line, his hands clenching on the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white. He gave a terse nod.

Snow White knelt beside him, prising one hand free to clasp it between her own. “Will you share it with us? I need…we all need to know.”

Another nod. Ander swallowed hard, running his other hand across his face. “Yes. You do.” In a soft voice he began…

Ander found Gault crouching against the far wall of his room, knees drawn up and head buried in his arms. Closing the door behind him, he stood quietly for a moment. Gault lifted his head, and Ander felt pain and grief slice through him along with a burgeoning fury at those who had done this to him. For all his apparent indifference and coldness, there was a fragility to Gault that only Ander ever saw, and the look on his lover’s face now made it apparent that Gault was very close to breaking…if not broken already.

He made himself put his fears and his grief aside and crossed the room to kneel beside Gault. When he extended a hand towards him, Gault flinched.

“Don’t,” he said hoarsely.

Ander let his hand fall to his side.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

There was only silence. Ander didn’t press, although his hands ached with longing to take Gault in his arms and hold him. His heart ached with another kind of pain.

Finally, Gault spoke. “I was watching them.”

As he had been for weeks. It was Gault who first discovered the truth about Charming and Rui Alvarez. What they were to each other. They had grown careless or perhaps they were simply too arrogant to believe that anyone could catch them at their game.

Armed with that knowledge, the dwarves had argued over the best way to inform their princess. In the end it was Kaliko who had said, “She must see for herself.”

“I was on the other side of the wood,” Gault continued. “Kaliko brought Snow and they watched for a time…” Ander took note of Gault’s use of the nickname the dwarves used for their princess, and his heart ached anew. It showed an affection for Snow White that even he hadn’t realised Gault felt. Gault gave his heart to so few.

“After they left…the things those two said, Ander. What they plan to do. They were so arrogantly certain that no one could gainsay them. I just wanted them to know that someone knew what game they were playing. That they weren’t going to get away with it.” He uttered a harsh, despairing laugh. “I proved myself as arrogant as they. Still, the shock on Charming’s face when he caught sight of me… It made it almost worthwhile.”

He swallowed. “I simply stood there and stared at them. Charming’s face went from white to red and back to white again, but Alvarez…his expression never changed. You know I don’t fear much, but I was afraid then, Ander. Afraid of him. I took a step backwards, and he sprang to his feet. I’ve never seen a man move so fast. I took another step back and turned to run and I tripped over a tree root. Then Alvarez was on me. He took me by the shoulders and dragged me out into the clearing.

“Charming hit me. Knocked me senseless for a moment. When I came to, I was on the ground and he was kneeling over me. He hit me again.

“‘Isn’t this a pleasant surprise? I was only thinking of having you beneath me the other night and now here you are. Such a pretty little spy.’

“He kissed me, and that’s when I hit him. It was more luck than anything else, because my head was ringing and I could scarce see out of this eye.” Gault touched his swollen face with one fingertip. Ander wanted to kiss the bruised flesh around his eye. His swollen mouth. He clasped his hands together firmly. “He didn’t like that.” A laugh shivered through him. “He had my arms pinned above my head and he leaned forward and said, ‘When I’m finished with you, you will take my cock in your mouth and thank me for the privilege.’

“He tried…he, he touched me. Tried to make me…but he couldn’t. He didn’t like that either. Alvarez laughed.

“‘What price all your vaunted
charm
now?’

“‘Do you think you can do better?’

“‘With my hands tied behind my back.’”

Gault fell silent.

“He hurt you?” Ander prodded gently.

Gault gave a despairing laugh and dropped his head to his knees once more. When he spoke, his voice was muffled, but Ander could still hear the self-loathing that laced his words.

“Gods no. When he…there was nothing but gentleness in his touch. And pleasure. He made me want him… And I can never forgive him for that.”

Even though Gault sat beside him, Ander could feel him withdrawing until the gap between their bodies might well have been a chasm rather than a hand’s span. He stared down at his clasped hands.

And tried not to weep.

He was weeping now. With a quick look towards the others, Snow White indicated that they should leave. Only Kaliko remained, his hand resting on her shoulder. She kissed the back of Ander’s hand. He gave her a bleak smile.

“It will be all right. Gault
will
be all right,” she said softly. “You love him.”

“Sometimes love isn’t enough, Snow. And there are some hurts that even love can never heal.”

The Queen