Deceitful (Rules of Deception 1)

Kate was curled up in a fetal position across from me. I tried to speak through the tape over my lips but all that came out were incoherent sounds. At least they managed to draw Kate’s attention. She raised her head an inch, her eyes watery and half closed. Slowly she propped herself up on her elbows. I wriggled and shifted until I looked Kate straight in the eyes. For three years I’d avoided that like the plague, determined not to give her access to my head, and now here I was, inviting her to read my mind.

If everything went as Ryan wanted, we’d probably be dead soon. There wouldn’t be time for regret. Or for Kate to kill me out of anger.

The way her eyes flashed with fury, that was currently on her mind. She struggled into a sitting position, her eyes blazing. Despite the urge to look away, I kept my gaze trained on her. She blinked at me, sweat and blood trickling over her pale skin.

Sorry, Kate. I can’t read your mind. What are you doing here anyway?

She licked blood off her lips, coughed, and swallowed thickly like she was trying to find her voice.

Did Major send you?

She shook her head no and closed her eyes for a moment, her face draining of color. She looked sick, and her blouse was drenched in blood; her temple wound had bled a lot. “No,” she said finally, her voice raspy. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”

Kate had disobeyed Major? Wow.

“It’s your fault,” she continued. “I wanted to keep an eye on you and Alec. I know what happened. Holly’s mind is like an open book.”

How did you find me?

“I was sitting in a car outside the house. I thought you might go on another midnight stroll to meet Alec. But then I saw you running after that guy.”

Why did you follow me inside? You must have known Alec wasn’t here. And just a few minutes ago you distracted Ryan from me. Why?

“Not because I like you, if that’s what you think. I owe it to Major to do what I can. I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities enough in the last few days.” A coughing fit stopped her from saying anything more.

The tub was full of water. We didn’t have much time before Ryan would return.

We need to find a way to escape.

She nodded and ran her eyes slowly over the length of my body before raising one eyebrow.

I can’t shift. My Variation isn’t working. It’s going at a snail’s pace.

“Focus,” Kate whispered. Panic flashed on her face.

I closed my eyes. How had I managed to get past my Variation block last time?

Alec. But he wasn’t there, at least not physically. I let my favorite memory reclaim me, the memory I’d tried to forget in the last few days. Alec’s gray eyes tender and loving, his lips soft and demanding, his touch like whispered promises on my skin.

The rippling started in my fingers and spread like a wildfire in my body. My skin started quivering and then shrinking; my bones and muscles were next, growing smaller.

I opened my eyes and for the first time I saw admiration, maybe even jealousy on Kate’s face, but it was fleeting and quickly replaced with a glower.

The ropes hung loosely around my newly childlike wrists, and slipping out of them was a piece of cake. I stretched, my muscles aching. Letting the rippling sensation wash over me once again, I shifted back into Madison’s body.

I made my way over to Kate and tried releasing her from her restraints. But my ropes had been easier to loosen than the tape. It stuck together and was much too strong to rip. Steps sounded in the hall.

Kate’s eyes grew panicked. “Hurry! He’s coming.” My fingers fumbled with the tape but without a knife or scissors there wasn’t a chance to remove it.

The door swung open, almost hitting me in the head. I stumbled back, lost my balance, and collided with the sink. A pang shot through my lower back, making me grimace. Mist crept over the floor, reaching out for me like hungry claws.

Ryan staggered toward me. I’d never realized how tall he was. He held the knife in one hand and lunged at me, but I sidestepped the stab, missing the blade by inches. I punched his arm and the knife clattered to the ground, the sound muffled by the growing mist. He gripped my hair and motioned with his free hand at the fog. Like ropes, it began to slither around my body. I struggled but its hold only tightened. It wound around my throat, cold and wet and constricting. I cried out but its grip was relentless. It strangled me. Strangled by fog. The mysterious way that two of the victims had died. Black dots danced in my vision. I could feel the fog pulsating around me as though it had a heartbeat of its own.