Between the Marshal & the Vampire(51)

Vellum would have been angry, but at least Clay wouldn't have been where he was now, full of questions and dealing with a headstrong woman who was going to trample him with her horse soon.

With a rueful shake of the head, he began to wander the area in search of edible roots and other foodstuffs. He hadn't had much luck by the time the sun set. He hoped Mariel was faring better. He'd heard her fire twice earlier on, then make another two shots, and recently, a single shot. He figured all of that was a good sign. She would likely have emptied the chamber in one go had she missed her target. At least he could claim he'd gathered plenty of wood to heat up their stew, even if said stew would be a carnivorous affair.

Back at the camp, he stoked the fire. He heard Mariel's light step a few minutes later and looked up from whittling a branch to watch her emerge from the darkness, a triumphant grin on her face.

"I'd like you to guess how many crawlups I've got behind my back," she told him as she entered the corona of firelight.

"I'm guessing three," he said as he set the knife aside and settled back on his heels.

She pouted. "How'd you guess that?"

"Heard your shots. Tell me about the last one."

"I got it with one shot!" Proudly, she whipped her arm from behind her back and held up the three small creatures. "This looks like stew tonight, if you ask me."

"I think you're—"

Clay broke off when he heard a sound. He rose to his feet and turned. Shadows moved at the edge of camp. He took a step toward them. "Vellum?"

Familiar dark-hair caught the moonlight, but the vampire was hunched over, his face hidden so Clay couldn’t tell if Vellum was hurt, though that seemed to be the case. Clay ran over and hesitated before touching the other male's shoulder. Was that blood he smelled?

"Vellum, are you—"

Vellum suddenly straightened, only he wasn't the vampire that Clay and Mariel had fallen in love with. This was someone new. Clay had time to open his mouth to shout a warning to Mariel but was given no time to utter a sound. A punch to the head sent him flying through the air and into abyssal darkness.

~~~~~

The crawlups that Mariel had been so proud of hunting fell from her nerveless fingers as she watched Clay hit the ground and lay there, unmoving. Before she could make a move toward him, the vampire turned to face her across the fire.

It wasn't Vellum. Only the dark hair was similar, but even that was only a passing resemblance because this vampire's hair was stringy and dull. It looked unhealthy. But then, everything about him did.

He remained slightly hunched over, as though curled around an injury, or he was infirm. Telling his age was impossible, but he looked haggard in Mariel's opinion. He was the ragged remains of someone who had been living hard for a long, long time. His eyes burned with mania.

"He thought I would be weak," the vampire rasped in a voice that sounded stripped and scraped of all emotion. All humanity. "He should have known better. The sire will always be stronger than the child. As am I."

"Where is he?" Mariel choked out. "Where's Vellum?"

"Bled out. Food for carrion crows and crawlups." The vampire ran a pale yellow tongue across cracked lips. "I knew he couldn't have made it this far on rock goats. I knew he'd have brought cattle with him. And here you are."

The look he turned on Clay's limp form was lit by a ravenous hunger. Mariel would go so far as to say this vampire was nearly mad with hunger. How long had he lived in these mountains, sustained on only animal blood? Clearly it had been too long. This vampire had reverted to the creature that all men feared.

"Leave him alone," she said shakily as the vampire began shuffling toward Clay's body.

The creature gave her only the briefest of dismissive glances, his attention fixed on Clay. Remembering the solid weight tucked into the waistband of her trousers, Mariel fumbled for the gun Clay had given her. She lifted it with a trembling hand and pointed it at the vampire.

"I said get away from him," she gritted out.

He paused only after she'd cocked the weapon.

"Should I drain you first, then?" he asked. He grinned a monster's smile, all yellowed fangs and slavering tongue. "Female blood is sweeter. Thicker. I'd meant to save you for dessert, but you've tempted me to change my mind." He crept forward.

"Stop," she ordered. She was surprised when he did, hovering just at the edge of firelight. "What did you do to Vellum?" she asked, trying to buy time for Clay to recover. "I don't believe you that he's dead. He wouldn't have lost to you."

"No? I ripped his guts out just like I tore out the throats of his family. All weak. All full of fight but lacking in power. Nothing but pitiful vermin."

On the ground, Clay curled his fingers into a loose fist. Mariel's heart sped up. She needed to keep the vampire distracted.

"Then why did you turn him into one of your kind if he was so weak?" she asked.

The vampire chuckled. "Because I was bored. Because I wanted to watch him tear apart a woman while he was mindless with the transformation. The mess he made was…invigorating. The anguish of the Marshals and that little boy when they found her…sublime."

Mariel gasped and nearly dropped the gun. Was he referring to Clay's Janie? It couldn't be a coincidence.