Between the Marshal & the Vampire

by Tricia Owens

  She shivered, knowing he might be teasing but that he also meant it. She had to admit she was looking forward to her next meal.

  "What else?" Clay demanded, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.

  Vellum seemed to smile to himself. "Though I'm no longer the man I once was, I continue to find my eye turned by a beautiful woman."

  "You don't have a future with Mariel."

  Clay's blunt declaration shocked her.

  "You may play with her now, but the end, she won't be yours," he went on. "Such a thing is impossible."

  "I'm not unaware of reality, Marshal." This time it was Vellum's voice which carried a barbed note. "However, I am adept at enjoying the moment. When you're practically immortal you must learn to portion out the time lest it feel like an eternal damnation."

  "Having such a long lifespan must be lonely," Mariel said gently. She couldn't begin to understand or empathize with what Vellum faced, but she tried to. She tried to imagine a life without fear of death, but also without closure. If you lived a good life, you gained some satisfaction on your death bed. But if that death bed never came? How did you feel accomplished? You had no timetables, no restrictions, no deadlines.

  No challenges.

  She studied him with sudden understanding. Domination was, in a way, a challenge Vellum could measure and meet. A tiny goal in the grand scheme of things, but at least it had a beginning and a moment where he would feel that he'd triumphed.

  "I told you, Mariel," he said with a pale smile, "I'm not a fan of being painted as a lonely being. I have a considerable advantage that many men would kill for."

  Yet it's one I suspect you no longer want, she thought, and a shiver moved through her, born of dread, sadness, and a hint of fear. What did Vellum's future hold for him? She had the awful feeling that it wasn't anything pleasant, and that he wanted it that way.

  8

  "Well, now isn't that a pretty sight."

  Clay's easy, amused drawl should have made Mariel blush madly and scramble to collect her clothes, or at least try to shield herself with her hands. The other Mariel would have done those things. The Mariel who'd remained in Willowtown.

  But she didn't know that woman anymore, and she was glad of it. Beyond a quiver in her stomach, she didn't feel ashamed or embarrassed to be caught naked in the stream by Clay. In fact, she straightened up from her bent over position to allow him to look his fill.

  What a difference a trek across the territory can make.

  The creek they'd eventually reached had been a rapturous sight even if it wasn't overly wide or deep. The males had generously suggested that Mariel take her bath while they prepared camp and she hadn't argued the consideration, hurrying down to the water. However, she should have anticipated that her temporary peace and privacy wouldn't last for long, not that she minded much at all.

  She watched heat creep into the Marshal's whiskey-colored eyes as he looked her over. He took his time, as he did with all things sexual, letting her know by the way his eyes lingered on her that he liked what he saw.

  He lusted after her. Every inch of her. It was apparent in the tensing of his long, lean body and in the rise of the fabric covering his groin. It was definitely evident when Clay strode boldly forward through the water, uncaring that his trousers grew soaked up to the knees.

  Mariel took a step backward, momentarily intimidated. It made Clay grin, all cockiness and sunshine. The fierceness in his eyes eased just a tad.

  "You know you don’t need to be afraid of me," he murmured as he drew near.

  She tipped her chin up. "I'm not afraid of you. I was afraid you'd trip over a rock in your haste and crush me beneath your body."

  "Oh, I'll crush you beneath my body, alright."

  He reached her, splashing water over her thighs, and curved a large, calloused hand gently behind her neck, beneath her pinned hair.

  "But first," he murmured, bending down to brush his lips across her cheek, "I'll do a little exploring and admiring, if that's alright with you, ma'am."

  "I can't resist a man with…pleasant manners," she sighed as Clay brushed the backs of his fingers down her throat.

  "I'm more than pleasant, Mariel," he whispered. "Let me show you."

  She felt him smile against her cheek before he tipped his head down so he could watch the progress of his hand as it skimmed over her collarbones. For a man who'd lived a rough, dangerous life, he had only ever been gentle with her. His knuckles drifted down until they grazed the top of her left breast. She couldn't help breathing faster, her chest lifting into his touch as he sensuously caressed the swell of flesh. Clay loved her body. She knew he'd gladly spend hours simply touching her like this if he could.

  But he was also a skilled lover who knew when she wanted more from him. Still smiling to himself, he gently brushed her erect nipple with one finger. She gasped, her body shuddering from that single touch. Her hands found his shirt and gripped it for balance.

  "Never can get enough of the way you dance for me, Mariel," he whispered.

  He watched himself brush his knuckles back and forth over her nipple, making her entire body bow toward him. His hand at the nape of her neck massaged her as though he were trying to keep her calm. That simply wasn't possible though, she thought wryly.

  She spread her hands flat on his shirt, feeling the firm muscles beneath. His body made her mouth water. She loved his good humor and his charm, but times like this were when she happily acknowledged that Clay was a mouthwatering example of a man. He was only matched, as far as she'd seen, by one other male.

  His hand left her breast tingling and aching, only to explore further down her body. Her stomach jumped involuntarily as he grazed the skin of her abdomen and then paused to tease at her navel, a blunt finger dipping in and out. The action made her breath quicken as she anticipated what was to come. Clay's hand drifted lower still, until his fingers combed through the curls covering her mound.

  "I'm thinking maybe you don't need to wash yourself in this cold stream," Clay murmured against her cheek. His voice was rougher, thick with lust. "I'm thinking maybe I'll do the deed myself. Lick you all over, Mariel. Use my tongue to make sure I do the job thoroughly. Wet every inch of you."

  Mariel clenched her eyes shut. Her knees began to tremble as he slid one finger teasingly back and forth between her nether lips.

  "What do you think of that?" he breathed against her skin. "You want my tongue, Mariel?"

  "Yes," she gasped. "Please."

  He groaned and his fingers at her neck tightened for a moment as though he were overcome by his own desires. Then he released her and slowly sank to his knees in the stream.

  The water came up to just below his hips but he didn't appear to care that he was soaking wet. He placed his palms against her inner thighs and exerted pressure, guiding her to spread her legs.

  "Brace yourself on my shoulders," he told her. "I don't want you to fall."

  "That's kind of you…Marsh—oh!"

  Mariel tossed her head back as Clay kissed the junction where her thigh met her torso. Such a seemingly innocent spot, and yet so sensitive. Clay dragged his tongue down the crease until his face was between her legs. He groaned as he breathed her in, and Mariel experienced a moment's self-consciousness. Clay didn't allow her to dwell on it for long. With another deep groan, he pushed his nose between her lips and delicately touched her innermost skin with the tip of his tongue.

  She was grateful for his broad shoulders to brace against, because otherwise she would have likely drowned in the stream. Clay's tongue slid slowly along her slickness, raising goosebumps on her arms. He reached up and parted her folds, baring the swollen nub of her.

  "Prettiest thing ever," Clay said softly. He licked it, slow and thoroughly, the way he sometimes licked her nipples when he woke up before she did in their bedroll.

  Mariel bit her bottom lip to hold back a whimper. Shamelessly, she spread her feet in the sand, widening herself so Clay could delve deeper. She lif
ted one hand from Clay's shoulder to curve it around the back of his sun-kissed hair. When she felt him shudder at the touch, she exerted pressure against the back of his head, encouraging him to forage deeper. He obliged eagerly, as though he'd only been holding back because he was waiting for her signal.

  His tongue swirled her clit, raising a cry to her throat. He licked a path low and slow to her entrance, where he pushed himself as far into her as he could. When she bucked in reaction, his big hands gripped her buttocks and pulled her hips firmly up and forward, so he could plunge even deeper into her swollen channel and lick out her juices while she moaned.

  Mariel felt faint as Clay continued to pleasure her. She tried to slow her excited breaths, tried to regain some measure of control, but it proved to be an impossible task when she heard the splashing of water and opened her eyes to find Vellum stalking toward them. She gasped and thought of warning Clay, but something in the vampire's almost sly smile made her hold her tongue. Vellum slowed. When he arrived just behind the kneeling Marshal, his passage barely stirred the water.

  A new sort of tension tightened Mariel's breath. Though the three of them had touched each other numerous times, such intimacy only ever occurred with Vellum once the vampire fed from one of them. His bite was the inciting action. It was the excuse, Mariel realized in reflection, especially for Clay.

  She had wondered about Vellum, too, though. Wondered if he became intimate with them only because the domination involved with feeding from them aroused him. He had admitted as much, but she had hoped there was more involved, hoped that his will was involved in some way. His desire. For them.

  She thought the answer to that question might very well be answered in the next few seconds. The look on Vellum's face was one she had seen before.

  Already panting and flushed, Mariel began trembling for a new reason as Vellum extended a pale hand and followed the same path with it that Clay's hand had taken. It was as if the vampire could see or sense Clay's touch on her body and wanted to mimic it. Reinforce it. Vellum's finger against her nipple made her whimper and thrust her hips forward. Below and between them, Clay groaned and licked at her with renewed passion.

  "Mariel," Vellum whispered, his black eyes piercing her. He smiled, not quite baring the tips of his incisors, but she knew they were there. Oh, how her body knew they were there and how sharp and seductive they felt as they pierced her. "Come here, Mariel."

  He cupped her behind the nape exactly as Clay had done, his hand cooler and smoother but no less demanding as he pulled her toward him. As she leaned forward, she watched Vellum lower his other hand and firmly grip a handful of Clay's hair.

  Clay startled, realizing the touch wasn't Mariel's. But before he could move back, Vellum used the grip on his hair to hold the Marshal's face firmly between Mariel's legs.

  "Do your job, Marshal," Vellum purred down to him. His eyes glinted at Mariel with a predator's hunger. "And I'll do mine."

  Now would be the time that Clay resisted. He had nothing to hide behind, no magical vampire powers to blame for his actions.

  But maybe because Mariel was involved he didn't jerk out of the vampire's grasp. Mariel's heart soared…and her body flooded with heat over what could be.

  Vellum's mouth caught hers as though it were prey that had tried to flee from him. He pinned her lips and thrust his tongue into her mouth just as Clay, after a long hesitation, stabbed his tongue into her from down below. The double penetration made her cry out. It was maddening and nearly too much. Mariel clutched at both males as her body heaved, rising toward a violent climax. She felt Vellum push Clay harder against her, felt and heard Clay's lustful groan at the treatment and his hungry response as he licked her out. Vellum filled her mouth, plunging his tongue into her again and again, fucking her as surely as if he'd used his cock to do it.

  He wants this, Mariel thought. He wants me. Us.

  With a cry that Vellum instantly swallowed, she shattered. She felt the rush of her juices and Clay's tongue lapping it up. Her breaths gusted into Vellum's mouth, who murmured approvingly, soothingly. His fingers drew tender circles against her nape. It was the touch of a lover, not a hunter. Not a predator of the night.

  She slumped against him with a breathless laugh.

  "Well, good evening," she said to him. "Would you care to join us?"

  "Sounds like a wonderful idea," he murmured with a faint smile. His lips coasted over her chin, her jawline. He reminded her of a nuzzling tabby. How was this the same intimidating vampire she knew?

  Eventually, Vellum glanced down at Clay, who remained kneeling between them, his forehead resting against Mariel's hip, hot breath puffing along her thigh. She squeezed his shoulder and watched as Vellum drew a finger through Clay's hair and down the back of his neck. Clay shivered and ducked away from the touch.

  Vellum chuckled at the expected reaction.

  The relationship between the two men was still relatively tentative, though it seemed that as each day passed without violence they grew more at ease with the situation. Mariel caught a glimpse of Clay's groin and the unrelieved tension there. She glanced up at Vellum, and saw the same tension in his smooth, aristocratic features.

  "Comfortable down there, Marshal?" Vellum taunted.

  Even though she'd just found release, Mariel couldn't help feeling a zing of lust at the dark hunger in Vellum's question.

  "Let me take care of you," she offered before Clay could say something that would ruin this fragile connection between them. "Both of you."

  Below, Clay went still. "Mariel, you don't have to."

  "I don't. But I want to." She held Vellum's gaze. "I want to very badly. I want to see you flood my hands. Both of you."

  Hot breath gusted against her skin again. "Oh, Mariel…"

  "Stand up," she ordered, though she thought it was laughable the idea that she held any control over these powerful men.

  Nonetheless, Clay did as told, shifting slightly away from Vellum, so that he and the vampire stood with her as the corner of a pyramid. She'd allow the distance, because she was far too interested in the bulges she could see in both male's trousers.

  "Take yourselves out for me," she said softly, figuring she'd ride this for as long as they let her.

  Clay gave Vellum a wary look, but dutifully opened his trousers, allowing his erection to emerge into the night. Mariel caught Vellum staring at it—long enough that Clay began to frown—before the pale man smoothly and quickly opened his own trousers. The long, marble-like stalk of his cock caught the moonlight and Mariel's eye. Clay's, too, though he quickly went back to staring at Mariel.

  She reached out and took them each in a hand. "You're like silk," she breathed as she fondled them. "I don't think I'll ever not be amazed by that."

  Clay groaned softly as she began to stroke them both. Vellum was silent, but his regard was as fierce and intent as the sun's rays on her face. She thought, perhaps, he didn't believe she'd go through with it.

  The positioning she needed to take with her arms was slightly awkward, and she worried she wasn't fully satisfying them with her touch. But that concern soon waned and disappeared. Clay vibrated like a struck lightning rod and even Vellum seemed unusually tense. She tightened her grip on each of them and was rewarded with a hiss. Feminine power filled her, turning up the corners of her lips and making her lower body tingle. She stroked faster, firming her grip, her confidence growing as Clay and Vellum showed increasing signs of agitation. It was more evident in the Marshal, but the vampire wasn't immune to her touch. His signals were more subtle. Mariel was swiftly learning them, though.

  She tried a twist of her wrists. She spread her fingers, rubbing them over the shiny tips of them. Clay gasped first. He reached for her shoulder but only held her, clearly needing some kind of contact with her, which she found both sweet and deliciously sexy.

  "Next time," she said, feeling bold, "I'll take you between my lips. Both at the same time."

  Clay groaned and at once his h
eat poured over her fingers. Vellum must have been trying to outlast the Marshal, for once Clay gave way Vellum immediately released a groan of his own. In seconds his release bubbled up between her fingers, slicking them.

  "You both are so beautiful," she sighed as she gentled her touch, spreading the slippery fluid along their lengths.

  "I think you've been too long without a mirror," Clay murmured. He leaned down and swiped his tongue across her lips. "You're the only one who's beautiful around here."

  He caught her hand, the same one she'd used on him, and brought it to his lips, though he took care to kiss only her dry skin, which she found a touch amusing.

  "Seems we're all messier than when we started," he remarked with a wry smile. "We're not very good at washing up."

  Vellum smirked as he looked them both over. "Is that what you two were doing? I misunderstood."

  "Let's try this again," Mariel said. "Cleaning that is." She glanced at the sky. "We've probably got three hours before sunrise."

  "You think that's enough time?" Clay scoffed. He leaned into her and murmured into her ear. "For cleaning, that is."

  In front of them, Vellum idly ran a hand through his dark, lustrous hair. "I can expedite matters if necessary." He flashed them a grin full of fang.

  Mariel knew she wasn't alone in experiencing a spike of lust. But she said, "Apparently it's not always needed."

  She watched Clay give Vellum a speculative look, no doubt thinking about what they'd just done and how Vellum's pheromones hadn't driven their behavior. There was no hiding now. No pretending that unnatural lust had incited their actions.

  "You're more like a man than you admit," he said at last.

  Vellum smiled pleasantly. "I'm not an animal. I can experience carnal lust."

  "I don't think you normally do, though," Clay pressed, which surprised Mariel. Did he realize what sort of answer he was pushing for?

  "You're right, Marshal," Vellum said in a low voice. "Usually I don't. But this time…I do. Lust, that is."