Vampire Forgotten by Rachel Carrington

thankful. I could very easily break your neck. In fact, I do believe that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Rhad’s fingers closed around Hamrick’s throat. 
    “Rhad, wait!” Mischa pushed forward, the need for knowledge crowding out her grief. “Why did you kill my sister?” She came face to face with the killer and saw barely a flicker of regret in his eyes.
    “Because she was standing in my way.”
    The words tattooed her heart with more pain. He’d responded so quickly, so bluntly. It couldn’t be a lie. Her breath shuddering, she pushed for more information. “What did you want with the shaman?”
    “The old bastard knows everything, but then, you know that already, don’t you? With a grandfather like that, you shouldn’t be hanging around with vampires.” He pinned Rhad with a hard look. “That really is what you are, isn’t it? Those old drunks told me that, but I didn’t believe them. Guess I was the fool.” He gave Mischa his attention again. “Your grandfather can give you the world, or at the very least, show you how to get it, and you’re out here wandering the mountains with a bloodsucker.”
    She shook her head, feeling Rhad’s eyes on her face. “I’ve never met my grandfather.” And she didn’t even know why she was telling him this. One look in Hamrick’s eyes told her he didn’t care.
    “I’ve heard he’s so powerful, he can actually stop a person in their tracks with just his mind. I need him. This body of mine is giving out on me, but he can fix that. The old guy can give a person immortality. Didn’t you know that?” He laughed and spat at the ground. “Come on. You had to have known that. Isn’t that why you’re out here looking for him?”
    “I’ve been looking for my sister, you sick son-of-a-bitch!” Fury swelled within her heart, and she lunged before Rhad could intervene. Hands curled into fists, she pummeled the face of her sister’s murderer, needing him to feel as much pain as he’d caused her.
    Had she died a painful death? She didn’t even know that. The thought stopped her movements, and she fisted her hands in Hamrick’s collar. “Did you torture my sister before you killed her?”
    Hamrick tipped his face back to look at her. “What do you think? And no matter what I did to her, she wouldn’t tell me a damn thing. Not even where I could find you. She died to protect you and your granddaddy. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
    Her stomach protested the information, and she swayed. Rhad thrust Hamrick aside and caught her before she could hit the ground. As he lowered her to the cold earth, he whispered assurances that everything would be okay.
    Then a shadow fell over his right shoulder, and Mischa screamed just as Hamrick raised the discarded knife in the air. Rhad spun, kicked out his leg, and punted the man three feet away.
    Hamrick didn’t stay down long. He scrambled up just as Rhad’s body slammed into his. Mischa closed her eyes as they grappled on the ground. She heard the scuffles of boots against the dirt and then the snap of bone followed by a scream that rent the night air.
    Her head spun, and she doubled over, her hands covering her face. When had her life become about danger and death? A few days ago, she was in Boston bitching because she was going to have to go looking for her sister. Now, she traveled the night with a vampire and sat at the feet of a man passed out from the pain of broken limbs.
    Rhad returned to her side, taking both of her hands in his. “Mischa, I didn’t kill him. Are you listening to me? He’s only unconscious because of the broken arm. Once we get back home, I’ll make sure he gets some help.”
    She opened her eyes, tears welling in their midst. “I know.”  Her palms caressed his face, and she bumped her forehead to his. “I’m so tired.”
    He settled his back against a tree and scooted her into his arms. “Then rest.” His hands soothed her hair. “I’ll wake you in a