Page 15

Quinn

“I still haven’t figured out what made you think something was wrong with your commander earlier.” Olivia won’t let the subject go.

“First off, he’s not my anything. Second, I don’t know. It was just a…feeling.” I can’t explain it even to myself. “He rushed out of here so fast, and he looked off, I guess.”

“You must have been paying awfully close attention to have noticed.” She waggles her eyebrows at me. “Poor Bannik doesn’t stand a chance, does he?”

I glance over at the Bohnari guard, who’s out of uniform, thankful Liv’s barely talking above a whisper. He seated himself a few tables away after I invited him to join us, because he didn’t want to interrupt our time together. “Only one of them has asked me to spend time with him.”

“True. But you’re secretly wishing it was Horek, aren’t you?” She points her bare utensil in my direction. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you avoided answering my question.”

“I didn’t avoid it. Bannik asked me out on what I’d consider a date.” I hope . “Why wouldn’t I give him a chance? Besides, the queen gave her approval of him. She was extremely complimentary of his character.”

Olivia snorts. “What? You really think she’s going to say anything bad about one of her subjects when he could be the first of the Bohnari to find his bride, marry her, get her pregnant—with a girl, of course—and save their race from extinction?”

“I don’t think she would encourage any of us to accept just anyone by falsely praising him. If she didn’t actually believe what she said about him, she wouldn’t have said anything at all. Guys who are shitheads reveal their shittiness pretty quickly.”

Liv winces. “Not always.”

My shoulders drop. “Fuck. I’m sorry.”

She tries to blow off my apology. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I know how much damage Craig did before any of us realized what a monumental piece of shit he was. I should have thought about that before I spoke.”

Olivia reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “I wouldn’t have gotten through it without you, so I think that gives you a pass.”

“Thanks, Liv.”

She squeezes my fingers and releases them. “I shouldn’t have said that about Bannik, either. He does seem like a nice guy. I really hope you give him a chance.”

I glance over at him again to find him watching us. Crap. I hope he hasn’t heard anything we’ve been saying. How good is the Bohnari hearing? He rises from the table and approaches. I swallow down the trepidation that I fucked things up already.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” I gesture at my empty plate. Thankfully the food also helped ease my headache. “Olivia and I were just finishing up.”

Bannik smiles easily. Or at least he appears to. “There’s no rush. We can go whenever you’re ready. I still need to pay for my meal anyway.”

I push my chair back. “I’m ready.”

“Excellent.”

Since I have to pay as well, I walk with him to the counter. Olivia joins us but remains a few paces away.

“Thank you for coming in today,” Erik says. “I hope to see you again soon.”

“I’m sure you will. Everything was delicious.”

He grins. “Didn’t I tell you it was the best thing on the menu?”

“Yes, you did.” I chuckle.

Once he’s taken the credits off our accounts, Bannik and I head for the door. Outside, Olivia waves.

“I’ll see you back at the apartments.”

“You sure you’re okay to walk back by yourself?” What if that Janik guy is still around somewhere?

She gestures around. The sun has fully risen and shines brightly from the clear sky casting a lovely glow over the city. It’s a stark contrast to what we saw when looking up back in the bottom tier.“I’m pretty sure this place is way safer than the bottom tier ever was and I walked alone there all the time. I’ll be fine.”

“No one would dare bother her,” Bannik adds. “Females, especially humans, are meant to be protected at all costs.”

Liv thumbs in his direction. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

“Fine. I’ll see you later then.”

“Have fun.” She pivots and starts off in the direction of our building leaving me standing alone with Bannik.

He turns to me. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

We walk down the tree-lined street away from Erik’s. I still can’t get over all the beautiful landscaping. Or how clean and pristine all the buildings are. “The trees and flowers are so pretty.”

Bannik glances at me. “Do you not have them on Earth?”

“Not really. At least, not anymore.” It’s been a long, long time. “When the population grew so large and cities had to build and expand, they destroyed all the natural habitat and forestry and replaced it all with more buildings.”

“That’s terrible.”

I nod. “Agreed. But it tends to happen when people get greedy. The richest men in the world destroyed it all for profit.”

“How very sad for you and the rest of the humans. I’m not sure I can ever understand why there are those who have everything, and yet, it’s never enough.” Bannik’s disgust is obvious.

I glance over at him. “Sounds like you might have some experience with people like that.”

His eyes meet mine. “My older brother.”

Ouch. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Doesn’t make me any less sorry.” I smile gently. “I can’t imagine how painful that must be for you.”

“Thank you. He’s no longer in my life, which is for the best.” Bannik faces forward again. “Do you have any siblings?”

My chest aches. “Not anymore.”

He darts a glance my way again. “You did at one time?”

I swallow down the grief that’s never quite left no matter how many years have passed. “I had a younger sister. She died when she was five and I was eight.”

“This time, it is I who am sorry.” Bannik palms his chest.

“Thank you. It was years ago.”

“I don’t think that matters though when it comes to grief.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

We pass under an archway that spans from one side of the road to the other. Twining teal vines decorate it and small, white flowers burst from random buds. I breathe in the fragrance and try to identify the notes, but everything smells so different here than back home. Not bad. Just different. I point up at them.

“Do those have a name?”

“It is called the Kavaki vine.”

“And the flowers?”

“Calanthium.”

“They’re lovely.”

The streets have grown more crowded the longer we walk, but at least people aren’t gawking like they were the first day of our arrival. I take in the architecture of the surrounding buildings and can’t help but remain in awe of it. A shadow falls over us and I glance up at the sky again.A large space craft hangs low and is slowly descending somewhere nearby.

Bannik points at it. “That is one of the Kundartha’s ships. They’re frequent visitors to Bohna.”

I try to recall any of the information we were given on our flight here as well as what Johnna told us. “Preska is a trading port, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he confirms. “Not a large one, but we do our fair amount. Mostly precious metals and some tech. We also do our own trading with one of the nearby planets.”

That surprises me. The Bohnari appear to have everything they need. They’re technologically advanced well beyond Earth. Nothing I’ve heard would make me think they would need to trade for anything. “Really? Anything specific?”

“The Tavikhi are a primitive race, but on their planet a very specific plant that grows. One that doesn’t grow anywhere else and is vital for the survival of the Bohnari. It is nothing more than useless vegetation to them, so they are more than happy to trade with us and we are willing to give them almost anything they ask for. Within reason, of course.”

“Why can’t you just plants some seeds and grow it here?”

Bannik shakes his head and sorrow radiates from him. “Sadly, it’s not viable on our planet. Whether it’s something in the earth, the air, or the water, we don’t know. Not even our most educated and brilliant scientists can figure out why.”

“You said this is a plant you all need to actually stay alive?”

“It is.” He studies me. “What do you know about the Bohnari?”

I blink at the question. “Um, I guess I know whatever we were told by our President. Who, I assume was told by Alik. He said your people have been unable to give birth to females and that data analysis of our DNA shows we’re a compatible species that should have no problem birthing them. Which is why we came here as part of the bridal lottery program.”

“All correct. Having stopped birthing females is not the only problem that is leading to our extinction. We also suffer from a mating fever that can only be soothed by our mate. Or by the plant we trade for with the Tavikhi.”

I stop in the middle of the path and stare at Bannik. “Explain this mating fever to me.”

“Male Bohnari are afflicted with the mating fever until they meet their mate. Without her—or the kanet plant—it gets progressively worse. Our bodies overheat. We suffer excruciating pain. Rage. Madness. Until eventually it overtakes us, and we go on a rampage and need to be destroyed.”

Horror fills me. “What you’re telling me is that if your males don’t find a mate, or if they stop taking this plant thing, they eventually go mad and have to be killed?”

Bannik slowly nods and the sorrow pours off him in waves so strong they nearly make my knees give out. “That is why the prince has been so desperate to find brides for us. We don’t just need female children, but also mates.”

Apparently there was a whole lot Johnna left out.