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Once again, it seemed he read my thoughts, his weighted glance at my confounded expression telling.
Wanting an explanation, I said, “You claimed the humans were overcrowded and provisions were monitored.”
With a nod, he confirmed my statement. “It’s a failing capitalist society. Those who have much, flaunt what they will never share. They feed the poor the idea that if a person works hard enough, if they play the game just right, they too might own a car trimmed in vorec hide and polished to a high shine.”
No hybrid sister would have ever behaved in such a manner, flaunting anything above another. It was tasteless and cruel. “Why do you have this ugly car?”
Reaching for where my hand rested on the seat between us, Cyderial began toying with my fingers, the male softening the moment he touched me. “The president ordered all hybrids of a certain rank to travel in cars of this style. We are told it is a benefit of our dedication.”
And maybe to some hybrids, it was, but even I could see there was a hook in that bait. “Because he wants humans to dislike you? To set you apart?”
“I don’t think you want me to answer that at this moment.” Cracking his neck with a series of audible pops, so tense his jacket looked near to ripping at the seams, he let out a long, pained breath. And when the car landed with a gentle dip, Cyderial announced, “We’re here.”
His driver jumped out to open the door, the less savory midlevel air rushing in. Cyderial handed me out of the car, his posture overtly protective and somewhat ridiculous, yet still I beheld a wonder.
And a new sensory experience.
Humans closely packed together had an aroma that tickled the inside of my nose and left my eyes watering. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was absolutely alien.
When I’d explored the city with Maeve, we’d kept our distance from the crowds. To be in the crush… was a next-level experience.
I loved it!
Middling, the buildings nearby were dingy white, with street markers and faded lighting—so much grander than the academy would ever be. There were market stalls lining the streets, humans hawking everything from fabric to food. So much noise!
The landing was crowded with vendors, with businesspeople moving from place to place, with mothers and their children… all busy going about their lives until they saw who climbed out of the grand vehicle to stand at the center of their neighborhood landing port.
The hybrid humans. The novel female. The high-ranking male.
He gained their notice, loose jaws and confusion on the faces of many.
And I stared right back, rapt attention and a grin on my face.
My smile was not returned. Instead, suspicious stares ran over my pretty pink dress, eyes lingering on my hands.
The long, dangerous talons a dead giveaway that I was different. Inhuman.
And if I looked anything like Cyderial, the midday sun had set my occasional scales to glimmering.
Yet, hushed mutterings of excitement faded until a few hissed curses hit my ears. At least one human called us abominations.
As if talking to the farmers I’d known for years, I offered the stunned crowd a greeting, gesturing to a nearby food stall. “Hi there. I protect the Section 27 fields. It’s lovely to see your crops turned out so well.”
Silence.
Which was not going to alter, not with Cyderial practically growling at my side.
Despite whatever tensions festered between hybrids and humankind, the lingering hush in that moment was his fault. Dressed in his finest, he was unapproachable. Spine ramrod-straight and severe, surveying the crowd as if waiting for someone, anyone, to give him reason to act, he behaved like a walking threat.
And this would not do.
“You don’t have to be so intimidating,” I hissed under my breath, going so far as to stroke a touch down his arm. “If the point is to get people to like you, you’re going about this the wrong way.”
Where my hair had fallen over my shoulder, Cyderial took it in his fingers, delivering it to the mass hanging down my back, scowling all the while. “Which is why I declined an armed escort. Soldiers with drawn weapons patrolling the streets would cause trouble for your mother. But should anything go wrong, know that several of my people are here watching out of sight. You are safe.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit paranoid?” Aware this man’s reaction could be completely over the top, I added, “Would you act this way if I were not here?”
My question went unanswered, Cyderial overtly scanning the crowd. “Don’t let your guard down. We’re not in a bad area of town, but that doesn’t mean bad people do not live here. You will hear things. Do not engage with those who slander you.”
