Free Vampire Forgotten by Rachel Carrington Page A

of seconds, agonizing screams pierced the air.
    Lunging to her knees, she scrambled to get to Rhad’s side as his cries of agony echoed off the walls of the cave. Grasping both of his shoulders, she shook him as hard as she could.
    “Rhad, wake up. You’re having another nightmare.”  Her palms slid across the dampness of his skin, and she leaned closer to his ear.  “Rhad!”
    He came awake suddenly, his eyes wild.  “What?  What is it?”  He pushed himself to a sitting position, causing Mischa’s hands to fall away. 
    “I’ve been trying to wake you.”  She scooted closer to him and touched the small of his back with her fingertips.  He jumped.  “Are you all right?”  She softened her voice, feeling the tension in the muscles rippling along his back.
    He climbed to his feet and stood with his back to her.  For a long moment, he didn’t speak.  Mischa used the time to stand up and walk to his side.  When he finally looked at her, she saw a momentary flash of panic, but she quickly corrected herself.  Vampires had no need to panic.  Did they?
    She reached for him, but he shied away, stumbling across the rocks beneath his feet.  “What’s the matter with you?”
    He raised one hand to ward her off.  “Nothing.  Nothing.” His gaze flicked to the entrance of the cave. “It’s night out. We should get going.”
    She clamped her hands on her hips.  “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what’s wrong.  You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    He stared at her then snatched hold of her wrist, yanking her behind him.  “We’re leaving.”
    Mischa dug in her heels, and Rhad stopped short.  He turned around to glare at her.  “We need to leave.”
    The iciness of his tone surprised her.  She tipped her head back to see his face in the gathering darkness.  “Are you still upset about what I said earlier?  Because if you are, this is going to be a long journey.”
    Rhad’s brows lowered, and she wanted to smooth the taut skin with the tips of her fingers.  She clenched her hands into fists to resist the urge. 
    “Mischa,” he said her name through gritted teeth.  “We need to leave.”
    “So you’ve said, but you need to tell me what’s gotten you so upset.”
     “It’s not important.” He turned once more to tuck his shirt into his jeans and for a moment, though a brief one, Mischa knew she’d seen genuine pain in his eyes.
    How was that possible?  Vampires didn’t have a conscience.  Oh, she knew her grandfather had pierced his soul, making human blood abhorrent to him, but even the shaman’s magic could not have restored the man the vampire had consumed.  She kept her eyes glued to his spine as he moved around the cave, suddenly, in no hurry to leave.
    “Rhad, why won’t you talk to me now?”
    He spun back around and stalked past her.  This time, he didn’t reach for her before he exited the cave.  “I am a vampire, and you are a human.  We should have not forgotten our differences.”
    His words spiked her temper.  “You’re saying you regret what happened between us?”
    “It shouldn’t have happened.”
    She jogged to catch up with him and smacked his shoulder to capture his full attention.  “Pardon me for saying so, Rhad Valentine, but you’re full of shit.”  Though his eyebrow lifted, he didn’t comment.  She forged on.  “You wanted me just as much as I wanted you, and if I were to touch you right now, you wouldn’t push me away.”  Deliberately, she moved closer, invading his space.  “Would you?”
    His eyes glittered in the darkness.  “Mischa, don’t.”
    She placed her hand on his chest.  “Don’t what?  Don’t touch you?  Don’t make your body aware of my presence?”  She glided her fingertips over his skin, tiptoeing them up to his neck.  “I won’t deny how I feel simply because you choose to.”
    Her hip brushed his deliberately.  She’d slipped into siren mode though she’d never taken