"I don't want to leave him," she told Clay.
But the reaction she'd expected—agreement and sympathy—didn't happen. Instead, Clay tensed up, and an invisible wall went up between them. Clay lowered his arms and stepped back a pace.
"That's a mighty big decision," he said, his tone neutral, as though he were speaking to a stranger.
"Can you blame me? The connection I have with him—"
He held up his hand. "No, I understand. Trust me, I do. I've been here all along, Mariel. I've got eyes."
She frowned, realizing what was happening. "I'm not choosing him over you."
"Aren't you? If he can't come into Everton Fort that means you stay out here with him."
She struggled. "That's not—but surely—"
"No, Mariel." This time his voice hardened. "It's the only way."
"I prefer to believe there are always options, Clay," Vellum drawled from behind them.
Clay whirled. For the first time in nearly three weeks he reacted as a Marshal, his hands flying to his empty holster. Vellum's gaze flicked down to the action, then lifted slowly to Clay's face. Something dark moved behind the vampire's eyes.
"Is there a problem, Marshal?"
"I want my gun back."
Vellum didn't flinch beneath Clay's hard tone. "I told you I'd return it to you once we reached the fort."
"We're nearly there, Vellum." Clay narrowed his eyes in a way Mariel didn't like. "Or are you saying you don't trust me after all we've done?"
"And we have done a lot, haven't we, Marshal?" Vellum cocked a dark eyebrow. "But maybe not quite enough."
Mariel didn't like the sound of that. She squeezed between the two alpha males. "What are you doing? We're all on the same side. What are you going to do? Fight?"
"I want my gun," Clay stated, ignoring her as he attempted to stare down the vampire.
"I'll give it to you," Vellum said pleasantly. "After I've fed from you."
"No, feed from me," Mariel argued. "It's my turn."
Vellum's smile was a sliver. "Don't be greedy, Mariel. Let's show the good Marshal some love. After all, he's asking for it."
It was Clay who gently but firmly steered her out of the way. Angry at being treated like a child by them, she glared at them both.
"Sure. Butt heads like the big bad males you are. See how much good that does you. We've gotten this far because we've banded together!"
"We're not banded together any longer," Clay said softly. "You told me so yourself." As Mariel stared at him in shock, realizing how terribly he'd misunderstood her, he rolled up the sleeve of his left arm. "You don't need to drink from my neck, vampire. Any old vein will do."
"So it is."
Before Mariel could stop him—not that she stood a chance of preventing a vampire from doing anything—Vellum took hold of Clay's bared forearm and brought his wrist to his lips. Vellum smirked and dragged his tongue across the skin. When Clay fisted his free hand, Vellum sank his teeth in.
Clay didn't react, though Mariel suspected the bite must have hurt. She watched closely as Vellum's throat began to work as he swallowed the Marshal's blood. It took only a few moments for Clay to show how he was affected.
He swayed where he stood and instantly Vellum moved closer. With his eyes on Clay, he reached between them, sliding his palm down the other man's torso and abdomen. Clay shook his head, but then let it fall back on his shoulders as a masculine moan rolled from his lips. Though Mariel was an outsider to the scene, she felt herself growing moist as she watched Vellum seduce Clay. She didn't know if she was supposed to step forward and join in as she had every other time that Vellum had drank from him. She was Clay's safety net, the only reason he probably put up with having Vellum drink from him and caress him. Never had it been only the two males during a feeding. She was nervous.
She heard the jangle of the Marshal's belt before it fell to the ground around his boots. Next, she saw the seat of his trousers sag as Vellum efficiently opened the garment and reached inside.
Clay gasped and his head snapped up. He grabbed hold of Vellum's shoulder as if to push him off. But Vellum's power overcame him, and soon Clay clutched at the vampire's shoulder for a different reason.
Vellum lifted his blood red lips from Clay's wrist long enough to murmur, "Take me out and stroke us both, Clay. Give in to the curiosity that's been tying your guts into knots."
With a shudder, Clay released Vellum's shoulder and reached between them. Mariel, wide-eyed with lust and surprise, shuffled closer, enough to see that Clay had done as Vellum bade and gripped their cocks in his hand. With a groan, Clay began to stroke them.
"No, he doesn't want this," Mariel said weakly.
Vellum looked at her from over Clay's wrist. "He's as hard as when he drives into your body, Mariel. He's wanted both of us for the longest time."