Page 13 of Her Immortal Mate

When our breathing finally steadies, Mae lifts her head from my chest. A blush creeps across her cheeks, turning them pink as she bites her lower lip. Her hair is delightfully mussed, copper strands sticking to her forehead and neck.

"Feel better?" She traces a pattern on my chest.

"Much." I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. Fuck, I haven't felt this good since... ever.

She scrambles off my lap, leaving me cold where her warmth had been. My hands twitch with the urge to pull her back, to keep her close. To taste more of her. To feel her come undone around me again. But now's not the time - we've been gone too long already and the forest is not kind.

Mae gathers her scattered clothes, pulling them on with quick, efficient movements. "We should head back to camp."

"Yeah." I dress quickly, adjusting my weapons belt.

The walk back is quiet, but charged with unspoken words. When we reach the edge of camp, something feels off. Soldiers rush about with more urgency than usual.

"What's going on?" Mae asks as we approach the war tent.

Inside, chaos reigns. Many of the older vrakken are gathered, discussing as runners dart in and out with messages. Raziel's face is grim as he turns to us.

"The First is gone."

Ice floods my veins. "Gone how?"

"No one knows. Her tent was empty at dawn patrol. No signs of struggle, no tracks." He spreads his hands over the map. "Just... vanished."

I think back to the battle, to the way she seemed to be slower, her magic weaker. The look in her eyes — not fear exactly, like she expected it.

"Could she have been taken?" Mae's voice is quiet beside me.

"Or left on her own," I mutter. Both options are equally disturbing. The First isn't just our leader - she's the foundation of everything we are. If someone managed to overpower her... or if she abandoned us...

"Search parties?" I ask.

Voss shakes his head. "Already out. Nothing yet."

My jaw clenches as I think it over. Strategic withdrawal or forced disappearance - either way, we're vulnerable without her. And something tells me this is just the beginning.

6

MAE

The air crackles with tension as dozens of vrakken gather in the makeshift war camp. Fires cast dancing shadows across pale faces, their dark eyes reflecting the flames like obsidian mirrors. Long hair whips in the evening breeze - some pure white, others in shades of midnight and storm clouds.

"We must send search parties to the dark elf territories," a winged vrakken named Tara demands, her voice carrying across the clearing. "The First could be their prisoner."

"And risk more of our people?" Another steps forward, his lips stained crimson from a recent feed. "The dark elves want exactly that - to draw us out, weaken our numbers further."

I hang back near the edge of the gathering, trying to blend into the shadows between two silk tents. The vrakken barely notice my presence anymore - I'm just another human to them. Basically cattle.

"Someone must convene," someone shouts from the crowd.

"Who?" Tara spreads her wings, the membrane nearly translucent in the torchlight. "We've not seen Akeldama since we first came here. Now the First is gone. We need new leadership now."

"Your presumptions need to cease." Brinda emerges from the largest tent, her fiery hair elaborately braided. "There are some of us that have been at the First's side since her first night. We will decide what needs to be done."

Murmurs ripple through the gathered vrakken. Some bow their heads in deference, while others bare their fangs.

"And what would you have us do, Brinda?" Tara's wings flutter in agitation. "Hide while the dark elves claim victory?"

"Mind your tone." Brinda's eyes flash dangerously. "You may have wings, but you're young. The First has Made us all. We are strong — strong enough to survive no matter what."

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