Between the Marshal & the Vampire(22)

Hell, maybe the two of us can buy our own airship and captain it together.

It was a ridiculous fantasy. He knew nothing of flying. Then again, neither did Mariel, and yet she'd fantasized about it. Maybe a dream didn't need to be grounded in any sort of reality. Maybe it just needed to make you excited. In which case, he possessed a mighty nice dream about a dark-haired woman in blue gingham.

They rode through the night, until Clay sensed that daylight was but an hour away. Vellum had already begun turning his head this way and that, searching for a place that would provide suitable cover for Clay and Mariel. Surrounding them were Joshua trees, though, and eventually Vellum made for a small copse of them.

"Best we can do," he said apologetically to Mariel.

"I can drape a blanket," Clay spoke up as he dismounted, "provide us plenty of shade."

"I was counting on your ingenuity, Marshal, thank you."

Vellum's compliment, like previous ones he'd given Clay, made him uneasy, though he couldn't say why. Part of it was because the vampire's polite manner flew in the face of what Clay had always believed of the creatures. The other part, well…wasn't worth looking into.

In minutes Clay had set up their camp, facing north so they'd get the most shade. Vellum didn't drag his sleeping box near. Clay guessed that the tar inside prevented any sunlight from piercing the cracks.

Once the bedrolls had been laid out and Mariel and he were in position, Clay asked Vellum as he kneeled beside them with the ropes, "You really feel you need to keep us tied up?"

"Just this last time, Marshal," Vellum replied with a polite smile.

"Why? What's going to change?"

Vellum didn't reply as he wound the rope around Clay's ankles. He'd let him keep his boots this time, which was something.

Clay wished he could read the other male, but Vellum was as revealing as a rain puddle. You only saw yourself reflected back when you looked into his dark eyes.

"Lie back, Marshal," Vellum said quietly once he'd finished tying Clay's ankles. He placed a hand flat on Clay's chest and gently exerted pressure.

Clay resisted, just to test his strength, just to understand how the vampire had killed the entirety of Beaufort's gang. The vampire's gaze flicked up to his when Clay refused to lie back. One corner of Vellum's mouth ticked upwards as he pressed his hand down with increased force.

His palm was warm through Clay's shirt. That was Mariel's blood. Soon, it would be his own blood heating Vellum's skin. Vellum pressed harder and Clay's abdomen clenched as he tried to resist. He was in prime condition and he was strong from long days on the horse and fighting with criminals.

But he stood no chance against Vellum's superior strength. The vampire pushed him down to the ground easily. Yet once he had Clay flat, Vellum didn't take his hand away. Instead, he slid it downwards, just a few innocent inches.

Just far enough to make Clay aware of his cock leaping to life. He sucked in his breath, but Vellum merely continued watching him, his hand held still in the middle of Clay's torso. His thumb moved, brushing over a ridge of muscle.

"Satisfied?" Vellum asked.

Clay shoved his hands up, wrists pressed together. "Just tie me."

"My pleasure, Marshal."

And Clay got the uncomfortable feeling that it was the vampire's pleasure to wind the rope around his wrists and cinch them tight. Like the eyes of a hawk's, Vellum's never left his, until Clay had to turn his head and face Mariel instead.

Mariel, whose cheeks were flushed for some reason.

"Okay?" Clay asked her, concerned that she might be coming down with a fever.

She shook her head quickly. "More than fine." She shifted her legs restlessly. She seemed to be breathing faster than normal, but maybe she was just nervous at being tied up again.

Or, she's excited to have Vellum's hands on her. You saw how she reacted.

Clay didn't think he'd ever forget, in point of fact.

He gritted his teeth and stared up at the blanket stretched overhead as Vellum leaned over him, his black duster enclosing Clay in shadow. The vampire didn't tie Mariel. Vellum only cupped her cheek and bent down to kiss her tenderly.

"Sleep well, Mariel. You also, Marshal."

Vellum rose gracefully and paused to run his gaze over them like a man admiring his most prized horses.

"Mariel will assist you if you need to relieve yourself, Marshal. And there's food in the packs if you need to eat before I awaken."

"You trust her," Clay stated, glaring at him.

"I'll soon trust you, too, Marshal." Then, to Clay's annoyance, the vampire winked at him.

~~~~~

Thankfully, Clay didn't need Mariel's assistance in emptying his bladder. Once she assisted him in standing, he was able to hop with as much dignity as he could away from camp to do the deed. Behind him, he heard her rummaging through the packs, giving him his privacy.

The sun was nearing the horizon. It felt strange not to attempt to escape, but the reality was that they wouldn't get far. Vellum had no choice but to chase them down no matter how long it took him. Feeding off rabbits and coyotes likely wouldn't sustain the vampire, and maybe their blood just plain tasted bad compared to a human's.

Clay shook off the thought to focus on something else. What could Vellum's business be on the dark Scar Tooth Mountain? Mariel was wrong about the mountain being uninhabited. As far as Clay knew, the place was the abode of bandits and pirates on the run. He couldn't see how either group meant enough to Vellum to risk crossing Mountain Sky Territory where his kind faced death if caught by regular folk.