Species Traitor: A Science Fiction Dystopian Novel by Kate Mary (books to read to get smarter txt) 📕

they usually were. Many of the Veilorians I passed no longer looked me in the eye, and some even stepped aside like they were trying to avoid me. None of the half-humans I usually saw were present, either. Maybe they’d gone into hiding. Then again, I wasn’t sure there was anywhere for them to hide. It wasn’t like the District was huge.

I made the climb to the third level but couldn’t help glancing in the direction of Finn’s house when I passed level two. He was nowhere in sight—not that I’d expected him to be—but that didn’t stop me from glancing over my shoulder every few seconds until I could no longer catch even a glimpse of the walkway leading to his home.

Ione answered the door a second after I knocked, her face a mask of worry.

“Ava!” she cried, throwing her arms around me. “I’m so scared.”

The viewing screen was on behind her, and the scene I’d passed outside the wall on full display. Veronica Waters stood on the platform smiling as the crowd applauded, and the sudden roar of cheers was in stereo, echoing not just from the viewing screen but from behind me as well.

“It’s going to be okay,” I lied, holding her closer.

We stayed that way for only a moment before Ione broke the hug and pulled me inside. She took a quick look out at the District before shutting the door and flipping the lock. It was the first time I’d ever seen anyone inside these walls lock a door.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said as she led me toward the couch. “This is all so scary.”

“She can’t possibly do all the things she’s saying,” I assured Ione as we took a seat. “She’s just trying to win the radical vote. That’s all.”

“I hope you’re right,” my cousin said.

I reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze, but said nothing. The truth was, I didn’t think I was right. Veronica Waters meant every word she’d uttered. My only hope was the council wouldn’t allow it to happen. Mayor or not, she couldn’t create new laws without approval from the council.

Rye arrived home about an hour after I got there, and Ione was in his arms the second he set foot inside the house. He whispered in her ear that everything was going to be okay, running his hand down her head to try to soothe her. It was a touching sight, and it made me hate Veronica Waters and everyone who supported her twice as much. Why should two people loving one another be wrong? It was ridiculous.

Despite the display of affection, I found myself staring at the door and hoping Finn would appear. He didn’t, though. Not after Rye had taken a seat on the couch with us to watch the coverage, not when Ione got up to make dinner, and not before I’d gotten to my feet to leave.

It was just after seven o’clock. Time to meet Dean.

“Not staying to eat?” Rye asked, looking up at me.

He was still sitting, but with as tall as he was, it barely felt like it.

“I have a date.”

His eyebrows lifted but there was no surprise in his amethyst eyes when he said, “The guard.”

“Finn told you,” I replied even though I knew Ione could have just as easily been the one to spill the beans.

“He did.” Rye frowned. “It’s none of my business, I know, but I like you, Ava, and I feel like I should say something.”

My back stiffened as I waited for him to tell me Dean was a monster who preyed on Veilorians when I wasn’t around.

“I saw the way Finn was with you the other night at the bar. He doesn’t take to new people the way he did with you, especially not humans. Ever.”

It was the last thing I’d expected Rye to say.

“He hates humans.”

“He’s angry about what humans did in the past.” Rye gave me a pointed look. “The right human could change his mind.”

“Haven’t you heard?” I said as I slung my bag over my shoulder. “The whole notion that a woman can change a troubled man just by loving him is a lie. People don’t change.”

“True,” Rye replied, “but they can realize who they really are on the inside.”

This gave me pause, remembering how Finn had acted when I showed up at his house to get my bag. He’d been so different with me, so much softer. Nicer.

But by the end of my visit he’d returned to the cold Finn who hated humans, and that was something I couldn’t ignore. Not to mention that with as precarious as things were right now, getting involved with a Veilorian was the last thing I wanted to do.

“I’m only here for Ione,” I told Rye. “No offense. I mean, I don’t agree with that woman at all,” I nodded to the viewing screen where Waters was still front and center, “but I’ve never been one of those human girls who fantasized about finding her Prince Charming inside the District. I think everyone, alien and human, has a right to freedom and respect, but I’m not looking to complicate my life more than it already is.”

“Fair enough,” Rye said as he got to his feet, smiling and forcing me to look up. “And I’d never accuse you of being anti-Veilorian. You’re a good person, Ava. Really.”

I returned his grin. “So are you.”

Rye and I shared one of those rare moments when we were both able to see the other person Ione cared so much about. I understood why she’d fallen in love with him, and it had nothing to do with his soft purple eyes, ivory skin, or rugged looks. Well, almost nothing. She was human, after all. Rye was the rare kind of person who was genuinely good.

“Bye, Ione,” I called as I headed for the door.

“Have fun tonight,” she yelled from the kitchen. “I want all the details!”

I rolled my eyes and waved over my