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.
Maybe, in the course of a month, the vampire might tell them.
Business taken care of, Clay hopped back to camp.
"I'm thinking I might not mind having a pretty lady taking care of me," he quipped upon seeing that Mariel had already prepared coffee.
"You wouldn't mind being tied up and at my mercy?" she asked with an arched brow.
He felt a stirring in his cock that was welcome this time, unlike the previous two times when it had occurred around Vellum. "I'm an open-minded sort of man. I'm willing to try anything."
She laughed and set the pot in the fire. "I'll keep that in mind when some awful chore comes up that needs doing."
"I'll always be your man, Mariel. Don't worry."
The look she turned on him was affectionate, and while he liked that just fine, it wasn't what he ultimately wanted from her. He stood beside the fire, still trussed like a turkey, and raised his bound arms behind his head. "Don't believe me?"
She froze in the act of adjusting the wood. "Are you challenging me?"
He shrugged, but the grin he turned on her was playful. "Depends on if you're a woman who's up for it." When still she hesitated, he added, "Throw me a bone, Mariel. My manhood's taking a hit here."
"Far be it for me to let your manhood suffer," she muttered, but his heart leapt when she rose to her feet and planted her hands on her hips as she studied him with mock seriousness. "Well, you do appear to be a man. Whether you're up for whatever is demanded of you is another matter."
"Only one way to prove it," he said, adopting an innocent look.