Page 27 of Resisting the Alien Commander

He shakes his head and takes several steps away from us. “You’re wrong. No one was supposed to be there.”

Olivia crosses her arms. “Well, they were.”

“I must go.” He spins and takes off, nearly colliding with another Bohnari exiting a building.

We stand there for a second and then look at each other. Olivia’s forehead’s wrinkled and there’s a crease between her brows.

“Was that weird or was it just me?”

I nod. “Definitely weird. Even before he took off. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you knock a guy down a peg that fast before. Not that he didn’t deserve it.”

“He was way too full of himself. I hate that shit.”

“I know.”

“Come on. We can restart the conversation after we get some food and sit down.”

We turn another corner and spread out before us is the market. Lining each side are all the various food options to choose from. We passed a place yesterday that Johnna pointed out served really good Bohnari breakfast, although they don’t actually call it that.

“You good with here?” Olivia asks when we reach it.

“Works for me.” I’m actually glad there aren’t too many people bustling around yet and that it’s quiet. My head still aches, but at least the throbbing is dull.

We head inside and are immediately assaulted by the most delicious scents. I haven’t eaten enough of the food yet to be familiar with the smells of specific dishes, but there’s a mix of savory and sweet. When Liv asked me to breakfast I really hadn’t been hungry, but now that I’m here, my stomach’s decided to change its mind. It rumbles in anticipation.

There are a few people seated and eating already. They take us in and return to their meal.

“Greetings, females. Welcome to my establishment.” The Bohnari at the counter grins widely.

He’s one of the few I’ve seen whose horns aren’t completely shorn, although his closely cut hair might also make them appear taller. Kind of like how I heard some men back on Earth a couple hundred years ago used to shave off all their pubic hair to make their dick look bigger.

“Greetings,” Olivia replies.

“What can I get for you this morning?”

“What do you recommend?” I’m not good with making choices when there are too many. I’d prefer someone give me an option to go with and the next time I’ll either get the same thing or try something different.

“You can’t go wrong with the tannek. It’s the best thing on the menu.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I’ll have the same,” Olivia says.

“Wonderful. If you would like to have a seat, I’ll bring it out when it’s ready.” The Bohnari gestures toward the mostly empty seats.

I nod my thanks and we pick a table that’s away from others. Once seated, a different male—one whose race isn’t known to me—brings us something to drink. I try not to stare since I’m uncomfortable when people have done it to us, but it’s hard not to when he’s only the third type of alien I’ve ever seen.

He’s the complete opposite of the Bohnari. Not only in build, but in coloring. After he walks away, Olivia leans across the table.

“He kind of makes me think of a skinny vampire snowman.”

I press my lips together. Maybe not quite how I’d describe the guy, but also not completely inaccurate.

“I am a Njeri, not this…vampire snowman.”

Olivia and I both jerk our heads up to find the man standing only a table away. His back is ramrod straight and he proudly juts his chest out. Liv’s face colors and I can tell she wants to break eye contact with him, but she holds it instead.

“That was unkind of me. I’m sorry.”

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