Between the Marshal & the Vampire(43)

She laced her fingers with his and held his hand the entire night.

They made love again when they returned to their room. It was just as good, just as breathtaking. Mariel indulged herself by riding atop Clay, savoring the expressions that rippled across his face as she took her pleasure on him. Yet as she rocked and moaned, she found herself thinking of the first time she'd been above Clay like this, out in the desert. Her bare skin felt even more naked for missing cool fingers along her shoulders. Her thoughts drifted to Vellum, wondering how he was faring, or if he missed them.

When she forced the thoughts away and refocused, she found Clay looking at her, a sad half-smile on his handsome face.

The next morning, as Mariel drifted in the netherworld between wakefulness and sleep, she heard him mutter, "He had too much of a head start. It would be madness."

She was instantly awake. "We know where he's heading, though," she blurted. "If we ride hard enough we can catch him. He'll be conserving his strength and spending twelve hours a day in the crate."

Clay rolled over to face her. His hair was mussed adorably, and his cheeks held only the faintest hint of the beard that had built up during their journey. He was terribly handsome and would be a prize for any woman, which made Mariel hate herself that she still wanted more.

"This is idiocy even to consider it," he muttered. "We have a life here, Mariel. We can build a future here."

"We have part of a life," she pointed out gently. "I know you've felt the lack, too. We've been trying to fill it with entertainment, lavish dinners…" She touched his arm. "I've caught you looking for him and reaching for him in bed."

He flushed, but didn't deny it. "Say we did let this madness rule us and we went after him. There's no guarantee he'll even want our company. He's on a mission. Men like that are difficult. And hell, he's not even a man."

She cupped Clay's cheek. "He needs us. You didn't see what I saw on his face after you two fought." Her heart ached at the secret memory. "He'd been angry, yes, but he was also devastated. I've never seen someone show so much loss, as though his entire reason for living had just been set on fire. He'd thought that was the end of us, that he'd pushed you too far. Clay, whether you're ready to accept it or not, he loves us. Desperately."

He closed his eyes. She understood this was difficult for him. Clay had quit the Marshals to be with her. He had nursed a dream of them living together here in Everton. Yet when he opened his eyes again, his whiskey brown orbs held tentative hope.

"I suppose if we go after him it'll be like being a Marshal again," he ventured. "Only you'll be my faithful deputy instead of some bearded, foul-smelling man."

She grinned. "You're only saying that to get me into a pair of trousers."

He wagged his brows. "Did it work?"

She hit him with a pillow. Laughing, he caught it and threw it off the bed. He reached for her.

"If we do this, will you still love me?" he whispered.

She kissed him and said against his lips, "I'll love you more."

~~~~~

Two days later found them en route to Scar Tooth Mountain. Everton Fort was nothing but a memory behind them, Willowtown another lifetime.

Mariel shifted in her saddle, still marveling over how much more comfortable it was to ride a horse when you weren't hampered by a skirt.

"You love them, admit it," Clay called over from his horse.

She tilted her chin up. "These trousers may or may not be more comfortable. You'll never know."

"I know I appreciate the view," he drawled.

She grinned back.

They didn't know how far ahead Vellum was, but they were confident they would catch up to him. Mariel couldn't wait for that moment, and to see the look on Vellum's face when he realized they'd given up everything to be with him. Whether he remained partly alien to them or his human side came through even more, Mariel knew that she and Clay would find happiness with him regardless. The three of them were meant to be together, no matter what the rest of the world believed.

Not that I've ever cared about other peoples' opinions, she thought with a wry smile.

They rode hard, aware that they needed to make up a considerable distance. However, Mariel was confident it wouldn't take too long on account of Vellum needing to remain in his box from sunrise to sunset. Her hopes soared when Clay easily found the drag marks that the box left in the ground.

"Not too long now," he promised Mariel with a wink.

She could hardly contain her excitement.





10


Clay studied the ground and then he gauged the position of the sun. He wagered it would be another two hours at most before they caught up to the vampire. Maybe sooner, if they picked up their pace.

And then he'll be back in her life.

Clay gave Mariel an encouraging smile as he mounted up again. Her expression brightened with excitement as she read the truth of their nearness on his face. She was so eager to see Vellum again…

Clay had never been a man to lack for confidence. Even as a youth, he'd been competent at everything he'd attempted—becoming an excellent rider and a skilled marksman—and girls had been drawn to that, as well as to the looks he'd done nothing to earn. His mama had made sure he didn't grow too cocky and he was grateful for that. He felt, as a grown man, that he possessed a fair idea of himself. He knew what he was good at, and he knew he possessed more strengths than most.