Page 17 of Her Immortal Love

"This is not a request," she says coldly. "You are now a valuable asset in this war. Your cooperation is expected."

I'm taken to a lone tent on the opposite side of the encampment as the other humans. Inside, I slump to the ground, exhausted and overwhelmed.

My world has shifted yet again, and I find myself longing for the relative simplicity of the human encampment. I wonder how I'll survive this new chapter in my strange journey on Protheka.

The events of the past few hours replay in an endless loop. My fists clench as anger bubbles up inside me.

But then the flap of the tent rustles and Alexei steps in. His face is a mask of concern, but I can't bring myself to care.

"Alina, I-"

"Don't," I snap, cutting him off. "Where were you? Why didn't you stop them?"

He takes a step towards me, hands raised placatingly. "I couldn't interfere. Nyx's decision was-"

"Bullshit," I spit out. "You're one of them. You could have said something, done something."

Alexei's jaw clenches. "It's not that simple. There are rules, protocols-"

"Rules?" I laugh bitterly. "You didn't seem too concerned about rules when you were sneaking around with me."

His eyes flash with hurt, but I'm too angry to care. "I thought... I thought we had something. I thought you cared."

"I do care," Alexei insists, reaching for me.

I jerk away from his touch. "If you cared, you wouldn't have let them drag me into this war. You wouldn't have stood by while they treated me like a weapon to be used."

Alexei runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. "Alina, please. Try to understand. My position here is precarious. If I'd spoken up, it would have only made things worse for both of us."

"Worse than this?" I gesture wildly around the tent. "Worse than being forced to use magic I barely understand? Worse than being treated like a tool instead of a person?"

He flinches at my words, and for a moment, I see a flicker of the man I thought I knew. But then his face hardens, and he straightens his shoulders.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," he says stiffly. "But this is our reality now. We're at war, Alina. Personal feelings can't come before the survival of our people."

"Your people," I correct him coldly. "Not mine."

We stare at each other, the distance between us suddenly feeling insurmountable. The connection we'd forged, the tender moments we'd shared, all of it seems to crumble in the face of this betrayal.

He opens his mouth to say more but then a voice snaps from outside. "Alexei!"

He looks between the tent flap and me, and I wave him off. "Leave."

He gives me one last conflicted look before ducking out of the tent. I watch Alexei's back as he leaves, my anger still simmering.

The relative quiet lasts only a few hours before chaos erupts.

"Dark elves! We're under attack!" The shout pierces the night air, followed by the clash of weapons and screams of pain.

My heart races as I peek out of the tent. The camp is in turmoil, vrakken warriors engaging with shadowy figures that seem to melt in and out of the darkness. Magic crackles through the air, setting my skin tingling.

A nearby explosion sends me stumbling back. I need to do something, but what? I've never used my powers in battle before.

Suddenly, a dark elf materializes in front of me, eyes glowing with malice. I react on instinct, throwing my hands up as raw energy surges through me. A blast of pure force erupts from my palms, slamming into the elf and sending him flying backwards.

The rush of power is intoxicating, terrifying. I stare at my hands in disbelief.

"Alina! We need you!" It's the female leader from earlier, gesturing urgently.