Sever (The Ever Series Book 3) by C. J. Valles

onto the sidewalk is a stranger. He sets me on the ground and stares down at me with an imperious grin, the black depths of his empty eyes burning through me. His night-black hair is pulled back in a ponytail, exposing his impeccable features and flawlessly pale skin. He’s ageless, like Ever and the others. Late teens? Early twenties? I can’t even guess.
    “Well, fan-freaking-tastic,” I mutter. “You’re not human, either.”
    “It is so good at long last to make your acquaintance.”
    I feel the blood drain from my face when I see Ever and Chasen standing behind this being, both of them seething with quiet rage.
    “Ah, the rebel leader and his loyal henchman, I presume,” the stranger says without turning toward them.
    This guy knows Ever and Chasen. In fact, he seems to know more about them than I do. This isn’t good. This so isn’t good. I turn and look into his eyes.
    “And let me guess—you’re the prince of darkness?”
    “Quite stunning,” he says to Ever. “She doesn’t fear me.”
    “Hello?” I say peevishly, waving a hand at him. “Who—or what—the hell are you?”
    “I, young Wren Sullivan, am your future.”

5: Ascension
     
     
    S uddenly the stranger is gone. There one second, gone the next. Like Ever and the others. A second later, I remember shoving Taylor out of the way. Spinning around, I exhale when I see her sitting on the curb, surrounded by a crowd. There are people everywhere, all of them indifferent to the pouring rain as they gather around to examine the cavernous pit that now encompasses a wide expanse of the street. Rushing over to Taylor, I kneel down and study her. She looks dazed but mostly unhurt.
    “Oh my god, Wren!” she weeps. “I thought you got swallowed by that sinkhole! You saved my life!”
    I grit my teeth. I nearly got you killed . I need to get Josh over here and have him take her home—and away from me. The second I think this, Ever is on his phone calling Josh. A short middle-aged woman with an apron and a thick accent kneels down next to us and tells Taylor she can come in and have a warm drink on the house. I look the woman up and down, trying to determine whether she’s human. As soon as I’m sure she is, I help Taylor up, and the woman hurries over and opens the door of the restaurant behind us. I lead Taylor inside and get her situated at an empty table.
    “Josh is coming to get you, and I’ll be right back.” I squeeze her hand when she looks like she’s about to burst into tears again. “Hey, at least we got to finish our ice cream.”
    She lets out a half-laugh, half-sob as I move toward the door. Ever and Chasen are just outside. Stopping in front of them, I notice the difference in them immediately. The tenderness I’ve seen in Ever’s eyes when he looks at me has been replaced by ice. And Chasen’s easy smile is gone, replaced by the look of grim determination he wore the day I first met him. It’s as though all the humanity in their features has gone dormant. Or maybe it disappeared altogether.
    “As soon as Taylor’s gone, we need to talk,” I whisper.
    I have a bad feeling that this is worse than even Ever was expecting.
     
    ***
     
    “All right. How bad is it?” I ask.
    “Bad,” Ever says.
    My stomach pitches. Hearing this from someone who has been trying since he met me to shield me from the weight of his reality, I believe him. Now I’m not sure I want an answer to my next question.
    “Who was he?”
    “Victor.”
    I snort, assuming that like Ever and Alex and the others, this is another “chosen” human name.
    “ Victor ? As in winner ? A little presumptuous, isn’t he?
    “Regrettably, no,” Ever says with an air of defeat.
    We’re sitting in Ever’s “room,” which is actually the beginning of a suite of rooms. During the past year—while things have been good, stable, and under control—we’ve always spent more time at my house, something I didn’t question much until now. It seems like in order