Read Online Evade (The Ever Trilogy) by Jessa Russo - Free Book Online Page A

Any girl would have felt this way, right? Right.
    “They can’t blame you for what Ariadne did, Toby. That’s not fair.”
    “No. It’s not fair. And they don’t really blame me, but they do expect me to help clean up the mess. More importantly, keep you safe.”
    And there it was again. The threat to my safety. His earlier words drifted through my mind again. I won’t let anyone hurt you.
    “Why am I in danger?”
    “Well, there are others—another group of soul collectors. If word has reached them…well. Then they’re the ones after you. They’ll want you because of what Ariadne has done.”
    “What?”
    He pulled over to the side of the deserted, dusty highway, and parked the car. Trepidation crept its way through my chest and down my arms until my hands trembled in my lap.
    “Toby? What are you not telling me?”
    He took my hands in his, and I didn’t pull them away. I needed the comfort his strength could bring me. What was I going to hear next?
    “When Ariadne put a limit on your life, an expiration date so-to-speak, she branded you. For us—for soul collectors —your soul has more value now.”
    “What?” It was the only thing I could muster.
    “Your soul is worth more to people like me.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Okay, I’ll explain, but I have to get back on the road. Please tell me if you need me to pull over.” He gently trailed his fingertips down my cheek and then turned back to the wheel.
    Pulling back onto the road, he started talking again. I briefly wondered how I was going to get across the border if my passport was still in Cabo with Jessie.
    “If Greg got the same phone call you did, are he and Jessie out of Mexico by now?”
    “It’s safe to assume that, but when I called him earlier…well, he hasn’t responded to my texts yet, so they’re most likely still on this side of the border.”
    I slumped in my seat. She must be so worried about me.
    “Here.” He handed me his cell phone. “Try again.”
    I searched through his phone contacts, my heart skipping a beat when I passed over my name and the number to my house. I don’t know why I was surprised to see it there, but I was. I briefly contemplated calling home, but thought better of it since I really had no idea what to tell Mom or Frankie yet.
    I dialed Greg, finding his number two places underneath mine, only to hear that annoying beeping on the other end. Frustrated, I sent a text, addressing it to Jessie in hopes he was still with her. He had to be with her. If he wasn’t, then she was alone in Cabo, freaking out about my disappearance, and I was officially the biggest jerk ever. I should have never ditched them this morning.
    “Nothing?”
    “No. I sent another text.”
    “It’s going to be okay, Ever. He’s with her, and I guarantee they’re not too far behind us. We’ll see them shortly.”
    I nodded. I wanted to believe him.
    “Okay. Back to the story. When we become soul collectors, we receive a list of assignments. A list of souls to collect.” He shot a sideways glance at me, and I nodded. Toby ran his hand through his shaggy golden hair and took a deep breath. “Depending on who you were, in your normal life, well…that indicates the kind of list you’ll have when you become a soul collector. Are you following me?”
    “Yeah?”
    He smiled, a half smile that barely reached his eyes. “You know, a yes with a question mark at the end sounds a lot like a no. The easiest way I can put it: if you were a relatively good person, you’ll have a short list. You’ll only have a few hundred souls to collect before you can move on.”
    A few hundred?
    “Move on?”
    “Die. Like, to die for real .”
    I swallowed the quickly forming lump in my throat as I remembered what Greg had said about dying—the first time. “Go on.”
    “Now, on the other side of that coin, are the people who weren’t good in their lifetime. The people with the long lists. The more evil the person, the longer the