The man blinked, then narrowed his eyes. “As if that matters to you, Triari bitch.”
Right, the Triari knew how to speak Bleiten too. My knowledge of his native tongue didn't prove anything. But I knew what would.
“I am Amaranthine Elyonne Starsiene, second in line to the Triari throne,” I introduced myself.
He bared his teeth to me. “Starsiene? Try again, bitch. I'm not a fool.”
“There have been many changes, Juriksel. Prince Malik and I forged a truce between the Triari and Bleiten; we are no longer at war.”
“Not possible. The Triari would never agree to it.”
“It helped that their duchess mated your prince.” I turned and lifted my hair, exposing Malik's mating mark.
When I turned to face him again, the Bleiten was kneeling, his fist pressed to his chest even as he gaped at me. That mark was indisputable proof of my connection to the House of Starsiene. No Bleiten could deny it.
“Your Highness.” He bent his head. “Forgive me for insulting you.”
“You didn't know about the truce or our mating. No forgiveness is necessary. But, tell me, how did you come to be here?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Bleiten?” Bishop snarled through a speaker. “I hand you a Triari and you kneel to her?”
“Don't tell him who I am,” I said urgently, still in Bleiten.
“I would never betray my princess,” Juriksel vowed. “I was here on a mission and while tracking my prey, I was hit with something—some kind of pellet with liquid inside. When the liquid sank into my skin, my Bleiten battleform and strength were lost to me. A group of men circled me and shot me with another pellet that put me to sleep. I woke up in a cell.”
A paintball just like the one they'd used on me, and it sounded as if they used them to administer tranquilizers too. How novel. It was hard to imagine a single hit weakening a Bleiten, but if the drug could dampen my magic, it could work on any magic. Juriksel's battleform was probably suppressed right now, which may have been why Bishop felt confident about putting me in a room with him. But a Bleiten was still dangerous in his normal body. Bishop had been banking on me surviving long enough to cry mercy. The joke was on him; in his attempt to be exceptionally cruel and cunning, he'd given me an ally instead of an enemy.
“Were you doing anything to threaten humans at the time you were taken?” I asked Juriksel.
“Do you hear me, Bleiten?” Bishop shouted again. “That is a Triari—your greatest enemy.”
“No, Your Highness,” Juriksel swore to me, still on his knees.
“Get up, warrior.” I waved to him. “We'll make that idiot human suspicious.”
He stood immediately. “But why areyouhere, Princess? Where is Prince Malik?”
“He and I are working with the American Government, conducting an investigation. I got taken unawares, just as you did. Malik is searching for me but our mating bond is suppressed along with my magic and it can't penetrate the barrier in the prison.”
“Damn them!” Juriksel hissed. “I will fight them when they come for us and give you a chance to escape, Your Highness.”
“No, don't. Malik will find us soon. I was able to get a message to him. It won't be long. Just hold on, Juriksel, we'll get you home.”
Juriksel inclined his head and smacked his fist to his chest again. “I am yours to command, Princess.”
“For now, play the model prisoner,” I said as I heard footsteps approaching the room. “But be ready.”
“I'm a Bleiten warrior, Your Highness.” He grinned at me.
“Yes, you're always ready.” I grinned back.
The guards burst into the room, and Juriksel went to his knees again, putting his hands behind his back as if he'd done so a hundred times. He flashed me a quick grin before his expression went blank.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Two of Bishop's guards came to fetch me shortly after Juriksel was taken away. They led me further down the corridor but only a few feet, to another room. They pushed me through the doorway, followed me in, and shut the door. Bishop waited for me inside the sterile environment, his presence a dark stain against the white walls and counters. A giant, white sphere sat next to him on a ring base, an illuminated screen and buttons off to one side of its rounded surface. Bishop pressed one of those buttons and panels lifted out of the sphere, then slid to the sides, revealing a metal chair equipped with straps at the neck, wrist, and ankle positions.
“Get in,” Bishop said to me.
