Deceitful (Rules of Deception 1)

“I’m sorry.” The words slipped out without my volition, like the automatic “bless you” when someone sneezes. I wasn’t even sure what I was apologizing for.

This is good. I needed to build a connection to him again to gain time.

“You are so clueless.” His lips curled. “I was stupid for thinking you were worth knowing my gift. You are nothing but an ordinary slut. Did you enjoy having Yates’ cock in your stupid mouth?”

Something snapped in me. “More than yours.” It was a stupid thing to say, but I couldn’t stand how he talked to Madison.

His face fleshed with hurt pride and fury. He raised the knife to strike and I focused on my power with all my might. And finally the familiar tingling began in my toes, slower than in the past, but at least my Variation hadn’t abandoned me.

A crack sounded from somewhere in the house and Ryan froze. The knife was almost at my throat, and the shivers had worked their way up to my knees by now.

He jumped up and crept out of the room, leaving the door ajar. With the light from the corridor streaming inside, I could barely make out my surroundings. There was a bathtub with old-fashioned claw feet and a hole in the ground where the toilet must have been. Over the tub, on a small shelf, rested Devon’s hunting knife and my Taser.

I closed my eyes and tried to speed up the shifting. The rippling in my toes and knees increased and slowly traveled up to my thighs.

A cry crashed through my concentration and the rippling died down. My eyes shot open. Ryan appeared in the doorframe, his hand twisted in blonde hair. A streak of fog trailed after him like a lost puppy. He dragged the woman inside and dropped her as far away from me as possible, beside the bathtub. Her face was pressed against the tiles but something about her seemed familiar. Ryan tied her wrists and ankles together with tape. He turned her onto her side and I saw her face for the first time.

I gasped.

Ryan’s eyes darted toward me. “What? Do you know her?”

I shook my head, trying to wipe the shock from my face.

His lips thinned in suspicion. “Are you sure? Why did she follow you here then, Maddy?”

Kate stared at me, one of her eyes already swelling shut and a nasty cut on her temple. Had Major asked her to join the mission without telling me?

“I’ve never seen her before,” I said.

“You’re lying,” he accused, advancing with the knife.

“I’m not! I don’t know her. Maybe she followed Devon here.”

Ryan paused, his green eyes contemplating. “Devon.” His mouth twisted. “That would be just like the jerk.”

“Why did you kill him?”

Kate was trying to bore a hole into my head with her eyes but I didn’t look her way. I couldn’t risk making Ryan even more suspicious.

“Because he’s been prying around too much, sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. I had to stop him. I led him here. He thought he was so damn clever but he would’ve never found me if I hadn’t let him follow me. It’s a pity that he’s dead though. I was planning to blame the murders on him. That’s why I killed that bitch Francesca.”

Ryan grinned. He advanced on me, slowly, enjoying every moment of his sick little game. I forced my body to relax, even when he knelt down beside me and twirled a strand of my hair around his finger.

“Why did you lead Devon here?” I asked, the words rattling in my throat.

He paused with his finger on my collarbone. “Because this is my spot. Nobody ever comes here. I’ve been using this place for months to work on my gift.”

“The fog,” I said before I could stop myself.

He removed his hand, his eyes searching my face. “So you do remember?”

I hesitated. “Some things. You can control fog.”

“Not just control. I can create it. It’s part of me,” he said, pride lighting up his expression.

“But what does that have to do with killing people?”

I could feel Kate’s intent gaze on me. Of course, she’d realized by now that we were dealing with a Variant. Maybe she’d known all along.

Ryan leaned back on his haunches, the knife balancing on his thighs. “Why should I tell you?”

“I just want to understand,” my voice cracked and it wasn’t even pretend. There was little doubt in my mind about the outcome of this night if Ryan had his way. Kate and I would die. I allowed the rippling to begin in my legs again, and could feel them shorten slowly. The problem was the moment I went through with the shift into the little girl to slip out of my restraints, Ryan would stop sharing his secrets, but I needed to know them. I had a feeling Major wouldn’t share them with me.