Between the Marshal & the Vampire

by Tricia Owens

  Clay licked his dry lips. "Yeah. I'm ready, vampire."

  Vellum, still smirking, glanced at Mariel. "You might want to draw a little closer."

  "I don't need her to hold my hand," Clay gritted out.

  "Your hand? Not at all." The look on Vellum's face made Clay want to punch him.

  He gritted his teeth, hands curled into fists and resting on his thighs, as Vellum lightly placed one hand on the top of Clay's head and one on his jaw, beneath his chin.

  "Tilt to the side, please."

  So uncomfortable he could shout, Clay moved his head toward his shoulder, baring his neck.

  "That's it. Thank you."

  Clay felt excruciatingly vulnerable, and not just because Vellum was a vampire. But he held his tongue and stared stonily into the fire as the vampire shifted to his knees and leaned in close. Clay waited for the puff of a breath against his neck as a warning, but he didn't receive any. One moment Vellum was hovering, making him uncomfortable, the next his lips were on Clay's neck.

  It was startling and Clay couldn't sit still for it, leaning away from the intimate male touch. But Vellum didn't torture him for long. He sank his fangs in.

  If the lips on his neck were shocking, the pain of the vampire's bite was even more so. Mariel had been enduring this?

  "You son of a…nnnh." Clay's curse trailed off and was swallowed by a moan he absolutely had not intended to release. But something was happening both to his body and to his brain, something that made him feel warm and relaxed and yet firmed up his cock like a pretty lady had just palmed it.

  He was enraptured by a pulling sensation at his neck where Vellum was still attached to him. It would have been unnerving if it hadn't been so erotic. For some reason Clay's mind equated the pulling of his blood with pulling on his cock, as though Vellum's lips were sealed tight around his shaft and were attempting to suck his orgasm out of him. Clay groaned at the visual of Vellum's dark head bent over his groin. His own head fell back on his shoulders as lust weakened him. Vellum went with him, one arm sliding behind Clay's shoulders to brace him while the other settled lightly on his chest, atop his right nipple.

  Stop touching me, Clay thought at him, but the words had no chance of making it to his lips because his lips had parted so he could gasp for breath. Somewhere along the way his eyes had fallen shut, which made the sensations rolling through his body all the more intense. He suppressed a groan when the vampire began to slowly, methodically, unbutton the front of his shirt. Once his skin was bared to the night, a hand that was too large to belong to a woman and yet not as calloused as most men's in the Territory slid beneath Clay's shirt and found his nipple with warm fingertips.

  No man had ever touched him like that before. When Vellum twisted his nipple with a sexual deliberateness that was too disturbing to think on, Clay's cock jumped with sudden desperation.

  Clay had shared many a bed over the years, and not even the most skilled prostitute had been able to bring him to such instant, aching arousal. The fact that this was a vampire—a male one—making him feel this way only strengthened the queer cocktail of lust and frustration that pumped through Clay's heart. He wanted to come, but could he bear to do so because of Vellum?

  As though sensing Clay's inner turmoil and aroused by it, Vellum made a male purr of satisfaction against Clay's skin where the vampire continued to feed. He had Clay right where he wanted him.

  "S-Stop," Clay managed to choke out as his lashes fluttered with the effort of opening his eyes.

  The sucking on his throat eased long enough for Vellum to growl, "Mariel, help the Marshal."

  The sucking resumed more forcefully, like the vampire's hand around his cock had become demanding, insisting that Clay dance for him. Clay danced. He arched back, his entire body thrumming with the need to come, whether it was by Vellum's hand or—

  "Clay?" he heard.

  Relief swamped him. He reached out blindly and found the sweet softness of Mariel right beside him. He didn't think, he only acted, rolling over to pin her to the ground. He felt Vellum following him over, braced on hands and knees over Clay's back so his mouth could remain attached to the side of Clay's throat.

  He didn't care about the vampire. He had found Mariel.

  He crushed his mouth to hers and growled when she melted beneath the onslaught, her lips parting with a moan. Her tongue met his and teased it into her mouth where Clay laid siege, thrusting inside. His hands found their way beneath her skirts and knickers where she was hot and damp already. At the first tender touch to her nether lips she cried out into his mouth. He groaned in return and swept his fingers expertly against her, gathering her nectar and using it to explore her folds more thoroughly. She shivered and shook beneath his touch, helpless beneath his onslaught. Her reactions enflamed his already burning blood. He needed to control her and prove that he was the better man for her.

  As he yanked off his belt and fumbled to open his trousers, he felt Vellum press against his side from hip to shoulder. The vampire's ardor was as evident as Clay's, burning like a brand into Clay's left buttock. But Clay couldn't find it in him to care as he finally freed his own rock hard cock from its confinement and moved up between Mariel's parted thighs.

  He knew he should go slowly. Under different circumstances it wouldn't have been an issue. But her fingernails clawed at his ribcage and when one of her legs locked tight around the back of his thigh, pulling him in, he threw all niceties to the wind. She needed him and she damn well was going to get him.

  He notched his tip against her swollen opening and surged in, driving a cry from her lips. She was so sweet and hot around him that he nearly lost control the moment he bottomed out. Clay gritted his teeth and held back, wanting her to experience all the pleasure that he was capable of giving her. With Vellum's tongue lapping at his throat, maddening Clay, he rolled his hips against Mariel and began plunging his stiff cock deep inside her.

  She was a wildcat beneath him, all claws and fangs, biting passionately into the side of his throat opposite of where Vellum had been sucking on him. With her leg locked around his thigh she clutched him deep and wouldn't allow him to withdraw very far. Clay had never been with a more passionate woman. He loved it. He couldn’t get enough of her. He freed her plump breasts from her blouse and molded the soft globes in his big hands, marveling at their softness.

  "Clay," Mariel moaned. It was sweet music that told him he was doing everything right.

  "Tell me, darlin'," he panted back. "Tell me how you feel."

  "So good." Her head rolled on the ground. "So good inside me…"

  He bent down to suckle on a rosy nipple. Her squeal of pleasure made his buttocks clench up tight and he slammed into her, unable to control himself. She cried out so he did it again. Then once more, driving himself as deep into her as he could. Then he slowed his pace, making her feel every thick inch of him as it glided in and out of her wet, clenching heat.

  "Clay…" she moaned.

  Focused on her, Clay gasped, startled, as Vellum's tongue curled around his ear lobe from behind. "Make her see Heaven, Marshal." The whisper sent shivers across Clay's skin.

  He knew he should hate having the vampire touching him, but Clay's body buzzed with desire and it seemed any touch, even a male's, could make sparks dance behind his eyelids. Driven by sensation, goaded by Vellum's words, Clay filled her again and again, pounding the breath from her. She took every inch of him as though she were made for him.

  Minutes later he felt her tense. He winced as her nails dug into his shoulders. Then he experienced the joy of feeling and hearing her shatter into a million pieces because of him.

  She held back nothing, letting him watch her come undone. Her helpless twitching and high-pitched whimpers were too much to withstand. He was done for, too. With a groan, Clay withdrew from her and mere seconds later he spilled his hot seed over her thigh and the desert floor.

  "Mariel," he gasped as he dropped his forehead to her collarbones. Her fingers comb
ed through his hair. The heat and weight of Vellum lifted from Clay's back, although the vampire dragged his palm down Clay's spine as he departed, probably just to show he had the right.

  "You understand now, Marshal?" Vellum asked. Had there been a hint of smugness in the question Clay might have reared up and threw a punch. But the other male's voice held only genuine hope.

  "I understand," he said with a sigh. He probably should have felt embarrassed for how aroused he'd become because of Vellum's bloodsucking, but after what he'd just shared with Mariel? Pretty damn difficult to feel bad about any of that. "I had no idea." He raised his head and smiled down at Mariel's blissed-out expression. He caressed her cheek. "Is it always like that?"

  "To varying degrees," Vellum answered. "I can control how affected you are, depending on whether I'd like some…participation."

  Participation. Clay interpreted that to mean that sometimes the vampire liked to play with his food. That was disturbing in many ways, so Clay chose not to think about it.

  "Are you angry?" Mariel asked after she'd opened her eyes. She smoothed her hands nervously down Clay's sides. "Those other times—"

  "Don't bother me at all. And I can see why you were shy to come out and tell me." Clay kissed the tip of her nose, garnering a smile from her. "I'd keep that tasty secret to myself, too."

  "But now you know." She bit her lip. "It won't be so bad traveling to Everton Fort, will it?"

  He hesitated to reply. The situation was ludicrous. He and Mariel were at the mercy of a vampire who could make them feel incredible amounts of lust, and they didn't seem to mind it very much.

  "We'll be just fine," he assured her.

  Suddenly consciously of his cock hanging out of his trousers and Vellum hovering nearby, Clay shifted backwards up and off of Mariel. He tucked himself away and refastened his belt as he stood. Vellum had backed off but he still watched Clay and Mariel with that hunting intensity of his. It made Clay wonder: could the vampire have sex as humans did? Did he want to?

  A question for later, because now that the vampire's pheromones or whatever it was no longer coursed through his veins, Clay's head was beginning to clear. He had to shake his head. He'd just made love to Mariel while a vampire was drinking the blood from his neck. Good Lord.

  He helped Mariel to her feet and dusted off her skirts, feeling responsible for her mussed state but also proud of it, too. He liked the pretty blush on her cheeks when she thanked him.

  "Just taking care of my lady," Clay said, tipping an imaginary hat, since he'd lost his back at the train.

  She smiled and he couldn't help himself. He caught her hand and pulled her against him. He bent her back beneath a long, lingering kiss. Without Vellum's influence the kiss was softer and less urgent, yet no less satisfying. What he'd intended to be a quick kiss turned into one that dragged on as he found himself unable to end it. Mariel kissed him back the way he'd always hoped a woman would, with as much passion as he gave.

  "Clay," she said, sounding surprised and pleased when he finally ended the kiss. He kept her enclosed in his arms. "You're an amazing kisser."

  "Only when I find a woman worth kissing." He hugged her, more eager than ever to get to Everton and begin a life with her. He hoped the weeks flew by.

  As an afterthought, he turned his head. Vellum stood like a conglomeration of shadows, his pale face the only detail visible. Yet even though Clay could see the other male's face, he couldn't read what he was thinking.

  ~~~~~

  Another night, more miles crossed. This time when they stopped to sleep for the night, Vellum didn't bind Clay in any way.

  "I feel honored," the Marshal muttered as Vellum yawned where he stood beside his crate.

  The vampire grinned at Clay with human teeth. "You should. There aren't many I trust with my life. At this point, there are only two of you."

  Mariel hoped Clay appreciated the magnitude of what Vellum was doing. All Clay had to do was slide the lid aside when the sun was at its zenith and Vellum would die.

  Clay, reclined on one elbow, inclined his head. "As long as you continue keeping your end of the deal, I don't have a problem with you, vampire."

  "Nor do I have any problem with you, Marshal. Quite the contrary."

  Clay didn't respond, though his brow creased.

  "Goodnight," Vellum said and actually waved at them before lowering himself into his crate and sliding the lid over to seal himself into darkness.

  "We could end it all in a couple of hours," Clay said conversationally.

  Mariel stared at him. If Clay tried to kill Vellum would she stop him? The answer came quickly: of course she would. Vellum hadn't harmed either of them, and in fact had done his best to see that they were comfortable during an uncomfortable journey. Even leaving aside the fact that she'd been intimate with Vellum twice, she just plain liked him. He was interesting and he had shown her only kindness. And there were the hints, such as the waving just now, that told her he wasn't fearsome (unless he needed to be, such as with Beaufort's men) and he wasn't alien. He had been forced to become a vampire and showed signs that he disliked the life he now lived. He was lonely. He was much like her.

  "If you hurt him, you're not the man I took you to be, Marshal," she said quietly, without inflection, letting the words stand on their own.

  He rolled onto his back to study her. A lock of light brown hair fell in a curl over one whiskey-brown eye.

  "As long as he doesn't hurt you, he's safe," Clay said.

  "He hasn't hurt me."

  "No. Nor me, either." Clay's smile was boyish and self-deprecating. "In fact, he sort of helped me."

  She couldn't stop her matching smile. "I might know what you mean."

  "You think our feelings are only because of him?"

  Back in Willowtown, she would have deflected the question, or shyly suggested the affirmative. But she was moving on with her life, and she had to move on with her attitude, too.

  "My feelings haven't changed, Clay. I still want you."

  "Thank the Lord for that," he breathed, and rolled up against her.

  She loved the way he kissed her. That spark of deviltry she'd suspected he might possess had indeed been present in his lovemaking. He wasn't all easy and laid back. He could be as intense as Vellum, just in a different way, a more reverent way, perhaps. Mariel got the sense that Clay was always aware of how and where he touched her, and whether she responded positively to it. "Attentive" was a good word to describe him, and he displayed it now in the shade of a blanket, while the sun was turning the sky red and gold as it rose from slumber.

  "You're beautiful," he sighed against her jaw as he trailed soft kisses down to her throat. He kissed her where Vellum had fed from her. "I'm a lucky man, Mariel."

  She combed her fingers through his hair. "Yes, you are, Marshal."

  He grinned and licked her skin. "Always did like a woman who understands how much she's worth."

  "Never did like a charmer, but I'm learning to make an exception," she returned with an impish grin.

  He gazed into her eyes and then molded his lips to hers once again. She curled her arms around his strong shoulders and let him guide her back.

  7

  The next sunset, after Vellum brought dinner back to the camp, Mariel watched the vampire with nearly the same level of concentration that he was apt to use when he fixed on her and Clay. She was worried. Worried that Vellum might become jealous or feel left out. He'd warned her not to form attachments with him, but he'd let slip enough hints to tell her those warnings might have been as much for himself as for her.

  As she joked and exchanged casual and not-so-casual touches with Clay, she kept half an eye on Vellum to see how he handled her and Clay's developing relationship. She was only mildly surprised by what she learned.

  "When you feed today," she said after cleaning herself up and discarding the remains of her meal, "I'd like it to be from me."

  Vellum stood at the edge of the firelight, his duster
pulled around him as though he enjoyed being all but invisible. Nonetheless, Mariel could make out his height and his size and they made her feel small and vulnerable. He could tear her apart with his superior strength, or simply drain her dry. She had to admit the excitement of tempting death increased his appeal for her. He was a dangerous yet seductive animal.

  "Mariel, are you sure?" Clay asked from beside her. He had his boots aimed at the fire, his long legs crossed. The fire turned his hair gold and made his eyes shimmer. "I can handle it again."

  "I'm sure you could, but I'm offering." She dared Vellum to refute her, hoping he read the challenge she was presenting to him. A smirk on his sensual lips said he did, and suddenly she was nervous.

  "And I'm accepting, Mariel." Vellum bowed slightly. "It will be my pleasure."

  And mine.

  He approached the fire and when he was by her side he stood looking down at her. The feeling of vulnerability increased, but it was a pleasant sort. An arousing sort. Without him even touching her, Mariel's heart began to pound and her nipples grew erect.

  "On your hands and knees, please." Vellum's face, completely shadowed, revealed nothing. "Over the Marshal."

  A quick glance at Clay showed he was as surprised as she, but not likely to argue. Wetting her lips in anticipation, Mariel carefully crawled into position over Clay. To straddle him she had to hike up her skirts, revealing her bare calves and her knickers. The position felt wanton and she felt her cheeks heating up, but Clay reached up and rested his hands on her hips, gently squeezing as if to infuse her with courage.

  She tossed her hair over one shoulder and looked back at Vellum. "Now what?"

  "Now we get what we need," he purred and swooped in like a hawk diving for a rabbit.

  She had no time to tense up or question how this would work. Vellum was just suddenly there, wrapped around her back and shoulders, lips searing the side of her throat. Her entire body rocked with a shiver while beneath her, Clay's whiskey-colored eyes darkened to a coffee hue.

  "Going to feel so good in a moment, beautiful lady," Clay whispered huskily.