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.
But even the best man might not be much competition against a vampire whose bite could send a person to heaven and back. For as many lovers as Clay had enjoyed, he couldn't say he could do what Vellum could do to a woman. Not so powerfully. Not in an instant.
It was troubling, and so was the understanding that he looked forward to seeing Vellum again, too. For his own reasons. Reasons that only Mariel would understand. Damn, so maybe tracking down this damn vampire wasn't a fool's errand after all, he thought as he surreptitiously adjusted himself within his trousers. Sometimes giving in to desire wasn't the most reckless thing a man could do.
He urged their horses just a little bit faster.
Over an hour later it happened. He spotted Vellum's horse and the crate up ahead, resting partly within the anemic shadow of a lightning struck pine tree. The trees had begun popping up here and there now that they had left the desert, but so far most had been dead and blackened from storm damage. This particular tree didn't provide much protection from the sun's direct rays. It bothered Clay to see how vulnerable Vellum was like this. Anyone could have ridden up and grown curious about the crate and opened it. Vellum needed them for more than food. He needed their protection.
Clay hoped he and Mariel could convince him of that.
Mariel's horse passed him by in a gallop. Clay smiled a bit but clucked his horse to follow suit. She wasn't the only one looking forward to a reunion with their strange, pale companion.
Once at Vellum's crate, they set about making camp. They wouldn't have much longer to wait until sunset, so Mariel prepared a fire while Clay set off to hunt down food for him and her. It would be ideal if they were fed and rested by the time their vampire awoke and was ready for his meal.
A shudder rippled pleasantly through Clay's body as he rode. Never would he have imagined the day when he possessed not only a beautiful woman, but a male lover who wasn't quite a man.
"Strange world," Clay murmured, and then perked at the familiar, welcome sound of fleeing game.
~~~~~
At the first shift of the crate's lid, Mariel's heart began to pound so fiercely she was sure Vellum would be able to hear it. In fact, the lid, after that initial slide, ceased to move, as if the vampire had detected that he was no longer alone.
"Vellum," she called out so he wouldn't fear the worst, "it's me."
Seconds passed with no sign or sound of movement from within the crate.
Confused, she tried again. "Vellum—"
"I heard you."
A pale hand emerged from within the crate and shoved aside the lid with a violence that made her yelp and take a step backwards as the wood tumbled to the ground.
Vellum rose up like the shadow of a monster, looming over her with supernatural malice and blocking out the moon. Mariel's instincts told her to turn and run, to find Clay, but she forced herself to stand her ground. The old Mariel would have run. But she'd shed that woman long ago.
"It's me," she repeated, though she noted how her voice trembled. "It's Mariel. Clay came with me. We came back for you."