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I shrug. “It’s the polite thing to do, isn’t it? And I’ll take Prylie over starvation any time.” That’s not exactly true. If I have to weigh my options, it would be about fifty-fifty between the gruel and going to bed hungry, but I know I need to keep up my strength. And that means eating this slop.
She snorts. “I guess there is a first time for everything.”
“What’s your name?” I ask, choking down a spoonful of the gunk. As soon as I get out of here, I’m having a massive Granthen steak and never eating Prylie again.
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Why do you wanna know?”
Again, I shrug. “I figure that we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, so we might as well get to know one another. I’m Garet and if you see a guy who looks like me but slightly uglier, that’s my brother, Danel.”
The ghost of a smile crosses her face. “Brigid. Now, if you’ll excuse me, your highness, I can’t entertain you when I have other prisoners to feed.”
“By all means. But if you ever get bored, you know where to find me.”
“Yeah, it’s not like you’re going anywhere.” With that, she trundles off. Her parting words make me clench my teeth in irritation, but that’s just my bruised ego. This is far too important for me to lash out over something petty like that comment.
She returns a few hours later to clean up the meals and empty out the trash cans.
“So, how’d a nice lady like you end up in a place like this anyway?” I ask nonchalantly.
Brigid arches an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same thing. Everyone knows how you were caught—the attack is all anyone will talk about—but why were you trying to break in here in the first place?”
I wink. “That’s classified for now, ma’am. Trust me, the less you know, the better.”
“Fine.” She shrugs and starts to move on. “I mean, I’m not a snitch, but they don’t pay me enough to give a shit either way.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Brigid,” I call after her.
“Bye, Garet.”
For the next few days, it falls into a routine. I talk to Brigid every time she passes through during her duties, and eventually, she starts sharing things back.
“You know, it’s nice having someone be polite to me for once,” she says, leaning on her mop. “Too bad you’re just trying to manipulate me into helping you escape.”
Fuck. I knew she was perceptive but come on. I grin, trying to disarm her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“No one ever talks to a human unless they want something from them.” She resumes her mopping. “I’m not an idiot. The moment I help you get escape, you’ll leave me to hang.”
“I wouldn’t—” I begin, but she holds up a hand.
“Do you think you’re the first prisoner to try this? I’ve been working here longer than you’ve been alive and I know what youall think of humans. It’s nice to talk, but I think it’s only fair that you know where we stand.” She turns her back to me, squeezing out the dirty water and then dipping it in the clean bucket.
“My fated mate is human,” I call out to her, and she freezes.
“What?”
“My fated mate is a human woman named Tania. I met her when she was on a work trip visiting my home planet. She was lost in the jungle, and I found her during an exam to get into the elite Kaleidian forces and bailed on my test to help her out.”
The older woman arches an eyebrow. “And then what happened?”
“When she hurt herself, I decided to carry her to civilization. The moment I touched her, I felt it.”
“Felt what?” I can see that she’s genuinely curious, even if she’s pretending not to be.
“The Jalshagar bond. It’s how we Kaleidians know we’re destined to be with someone. We had a one-night stand and made plans to see each other again, but then I got the chance to retake the test and stood her up to do it. I sent her a note telling her, but it must’ve been lost somehow, and now she’s gone.”
“And you want me to help you so that you can find your girl again?” She seemed to be considering the idea. “I’ll admit that I’ve never heard a sob story like that before.”
“It’s true.” I sigh. “Being in this cell has given me a lot of time to think. If I have one regret in my life, it’s letting her slip through my fingers. I need to find her again and tell her everything.”
