Deceitful (Rules of Deception 1)

“So, how are you getting along with Summers? Is she a good mom?”

Alec shrugged and continued to stare out the window, his face solemn. “I guess. I wouldn’t know.”

Beneath the bitterness, there was a vulnerability that he seldom showed. I jumped off the desk and walked up to him, my bare feet soundless on the carpet. He didn’t turn to face me. Without shoes on, I barely reached his shoulders. I linked our fingers and squeezed. “I know it’s hard. But the FEA is our family and that’s enough.” I was trying to convince myself as much as him.

His jaw flexed in an attempt to hide his emotions, and I wrapped my arms around him, though I half expected him to push me away. He didn’t. I relaxed against him. After a moment, he pressed his palm against my lower back. It felt impossibly hot. I tilted my head up, wanting nothing more than to kiss him. His thumb lightly caressed me. I doubted he noticed. Perhaps one day he’d realize that I was a better choice than Kate.

He tensed. “There’s someone on the sidewalk, watching your window. A man.”

I quickly shifted back to Madison’s body before approaching the window. There was a lone figure, obscured by the darkness. “He was here before,” I whispered.

Alec pushed open the window. The frame groaned. Alerted by the sound, the man whirled around and fled. I could only hope the rest of the household hadn’t heard the noise. Alec swung out of the window, not bothering to climb. Falling one floor wouldn’t hurt him. He took off running in the direction the stranger had gone. Alec was stronger and faster than a normal human. If the guy didn’t have a bike or a getaway car somewhere nearby, he didn’t stand a chance.

“Text me,” I hissed but he had already crossed the street and disappeared into the foggy night. Cold wind blasted into the room, making me shiver. I wanted to run after them but in the time it would take me to get dressed and climb down, they’d be too far away. I closed the window, sank down on the bed, and clutched the cell phone in my hands.

My eyes began to blur from staring at the dark screen. Finally, a half hour later, the little phone glowed and Alec’s name appeared.

He got away. Lost him in fog. Talk tomorrow.

That was all? Nine words? I’d hoped for a call or at least a warmer text. He must have known that I wanted to learn every detail. After all, it wasn’t an easy feat to outrun Alec. How had the stranger managed it? I had no choice but to wait until tomorrow to find out.

My first class of the morning was English literature, one of the few classes Alec and I didn’t share. That meant I had to wait even longer to get an explanation from him.

Ana and I took our seats in the front row, the only class where we occupied such a prominent position. “Why the first row?” I asked as we unpacked Wuthering Heights, a book we were apparently reading. I’d never read it and hadn’t found the time to make up for it yet. Not that it mattered if Madison’s grates dropped.

Ana tipped a pen against her lips, smearing her lip gloss all over it. She was always getting lip gloss everywhere, leaving her shimmery fingerprints on everything. If only the killer had been into wearing shiny makeup.

“You chose the seats,” she said. “Because of how much you love literature.” She eyed the yellowed pages of the book in front of her as if they might bite her. “Personally, I think it’s boring. The only reason I agreed to the front row is for the view.”

“The view?”

Ana winked. “You forgot the best thing about lit class? Just wait, you’ll see.”

As soon as the lit teacher, Mr. Yates, entered the classroom, I knew exactly what she’d meant. He was cute and very young for a teacher, maybe in his mid twenties. His brown hair was short and curly. He wore a light-blue shirt and black trousers and was lean, but built like an athlete. Perhaps he was a runner.

“He’s new, it’s his first year as a teacher,” Ana whispered. “Everyone totally has a crush on him.”

Mr. Yates stopped behind his desk before he turned and allowed his focus to settle on me. His eyes flitted to the scar around my throat. “We’re all happy to welcome you back, Madison. I’m sure you’ll be caught up in no time.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as every pair of eyes in the room focused on me. He gave me a tight smile and picked up his edition of Wuthering Heights. He began reading an excerpt from somewhere in the middle of the book but I wasn’t listening anymore.