Avenging Amethyst (Immortal Eyes) Read Online Free PDF Page B

held amusement.
    "No,"
I said. But I don't have much of a choice, I finished in my head.
    The sound of a
baby crying caught my attention and I looked around to find the source. Riley
had just pulled a baby out of the backseat of the SUV and she bounced it gently
in her arms to calm it down. I don't know why I was so shocked, there were
plenty of people my age that had children, but Riley just didn't look like the
type to have a kid so young.
    I opened my
mouth to ask about the child but Felix spoke before I could. "That's a
Lovac child. He was born only a few hours ago in a hospital near Seattle. Riley
was there while we were talking in the coffee shop. She was with a few others
but she was anxious to meet you so I picked her up."
    "So that
means his mother just died, too?" I asked. I turned away from the baby and
tried not to think about how horrible it was that most Lovac killed their
mother's when they were born.
    "Yes,"
Riley said, giving me a sympathetic look.
    "What's
going to happen to him?"
    "There's
going to be an adoption today, where any interested Nesmyr can place a bid for
him," Felix said casually and started walking towards the building. Riley
didn't hesitate to follow but I stood frozen for a moment.
    I jogged a few
feet to catch up once I decided I wasn't ready to leave yet and said, "You
mean Lovac are bid on like some kind of prized cow?"
    Felix and Riley
shared a look. Neither of them seemed to want to answer but Riley was the one
to talk first. "I know it sounds awful but all of the Nesmyr families are
screened prior to the adoption ceremony to make sure they'll make good parents.
Lovac are just born so rarely that dozens of families are always on a list to
adopt. Nesmyr are greedy so the council decided that whoever will offer the
most money gets to adopt the child. We all grow up in loving homes and are
provided with everything we need."
    Felix laughed
humorlessly and rolled his eyes. I raised my eyebrows in question but Felix
didn't say anything. I turned to Riley who just shook her head. "Felix
seems to think he grew up with a horrible family."
    "They're
not horrible," Felix said. "Nesmyr just treat Lovac differently than
they do other Nesmyr."
    "What do
you mean?" I asked. We were almost to the doors to the building now but
there were few windows and they were all darkly tinted so I couldn't see
anything inside.
    "Since
Nesmyr can have children too most Lovac are adopted into families with other
Nesmyr children. The parents usually treat the Nesmyr children just slightly
better than the Lovac. Even though I know my parents care about me, I don't
think they ever loved me as much as their own flesh and blood."
    Riley was the
one to laugh and roll her eyes this time. "I grew up with six Nesmyr
brothers and sisters and I never felt like my parents loved me any less."
    "Well then,
you got lucky," Felix said and opened the doors for us.
    Riley didn't
continue the conversation once we were inside and as soon as I stepped into the
building I had no desire to continue it either.
    The doors opened
into a long hallway that had several doors leading off of it from either side
with two large doors at the end of the hallway. The decor inside the building
was such a contrast to the outside that I was speechless. The floor was
polished wood, with a fancy embroidered rug running down the middle. The walls
were decorated with countless pieces of framed art and the chandeliers hanging
from the tall ceiling sparkled.
    I felt like I
just stepped into a mansion.
    "Nesmyr
really like their money," Felix said quietly to me. He really
wasn’t joking.
    "The
adoption is happening today. You can sit in and watch if you’d
like," Riley said. "I’m sure the Lovac council members are
eagerly waiting to meet you but they’ll probably be busy until after the
adoption is over."
    "She’s
right," Felix said. "I can show you around the facility until the
adoption is over if you want."
    I still
didn’t trust Felix and I didn’t