House of Deception: The Unrivaled Series

by Brandi Elledge

  He saved me from further embarrassment. “I’ve told you once that everything is about power. You need to remember that.”

  Feeling brave, I asked, “What did he do to you?”

  His lips lifted. “You think that he had to do something horrible for me to want to kill him? I fear that you think I’m soft, Little Thorn.”

  He didn’t say anything more, and when I thought he would never answer the question, I shifted in my seat so I could stare out the window. I had never seen the landscape past the House of Ash until recently. The farther south we headed, the less snow covered the ground. I silently hoped that, when we returned back to the House of Hybrids, the snow would still be there.

  I smiled as I looked out the window where a few kids were playing. They were rolling the snow into balls then stacking them. I wanted to do that. As silly and simple as it sounded, I wanted to make a snowman.

  “What are you thinking about?” His deep voice cut through my thoughts, almost making me jump.

  I answered honestly because what was the point in lying to the Puppeteer? “That I hope I can play in the snow when we return.”

  The car became comfortably quiet after that and, at some point, I fell asleep. When I woke up, the sun was setting in the sky and the landscape had once again changed.

  After miles and miles of nothing, there were finally houses coming into view. They weren’t as nice as the houses that were in the district of the House of Hybrids, but they were a lot better than the shacks where I was born in the district of the House of Ash.

  “Are we here?” I uttered my first words since waking when the car slowed down in front of a blue house with pretty flowers that were in wooden boxes in front of the windows.

  “No, we only crossed into Old Georgia a few hours ago.”

  My back was stiff. “How long have we been driving?”

  “More than seven hours. In Old America, before the war, it would have taken us several more hours, but with no cars on the road, there is no speed limit.” He stopped the car and turned off the ignition. “Follow me.”

  I rolled my eyes as I put my shoes back on before I got out of the car and practically hid behind him as we approached the house. His voice was back to being gruff. The bigger concern was: why did that affect me?

  An attractive woman in her forties opened the door. She was completely flawless. Almost too perfect. Black, silky hair hung to her shoulders, and hazel eyes and an olive complexion made her something to behold.

  She tilted her head when she saw the man in front of me. “The mighty Puppeteer showing up on my doorstep? Can I ask: to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I’ve brought someone who will need clothes to visit the House of Deception.”

  Her smile dropped as she took in my appearance. There was a brief moment that perhaps I had imagined where she looked shocked before she once again smiled in welcome.

  Not looking at me again, she stepped back and held the door open for us to enter. After we had stepped into the living room, she said, “You know how I feel about the House of Deception.”

  “And I have told you numerous times that you don’t have to stay in this old state.” His voice was stern.

  She lifted a shoulder. “Creature of habit, I suppose.” She quickly looked over to me before returning to the Puppeteer. “The House of Deception is extremely stuffy. I guess, if their powers can’t be unrivaled by others, why not be snotty in their attire? I’m assuming that you would like for me to attire the girl in the House of Deception clothing?”

  The Puppeteer made a slow circle around the woman. “It just goes to show that you should never assume.” He stopped at her back.

  She barely moved, as if afraid he would pounce.

  “Nice illusion, Lana, but it’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

  She put a hand up to her cheek.

  He continued around in his circle, coming to stop beside me and directly in front of her. “There is beauty in imperfection, and strength in pain. Why is it that you choose not to show your story, Lana?”

  When she didn’t answer, he said, “Shall I see for myself?”

  Her body became fraught with tension. “The illusion that I cast is for my safety.”

  Obviously, the woman had spoken the truth, because the Puppeteer nodded.

  My eyes ping ponged between them. What illusion was she casting and why?

  “I’m sure that, in part, is true. If you don’t mind, I’ll just have a quick look.”

  She narrowed her eyes in anger moments before she took on the same vacant look that I had seen with Tim. After a few minutes, he released his hold on the woman, leaving her gasping for air.

  “Interesting. All the pieces of the puzzle are just neatly falling into place, wouldn’t you say, Lana?”

  She glared at him. “Do not violate me like that again.”

  “Or what?” He tilted his head to the side. “Would you have told me the truth?” When she didn’t say anything, he raised his brows. “Exactly. I have more pressing matters than your little secrets.”

  She lifted her fingers to her lips. Her hazel eyes were wide with fright. “Are the rumors true?”

  “I’m afraid so,” he said. “I’ve been making my rounds to the houses, but it is taking longer than I would like.”

  “We will have another war. The humans won’t survive, and most of the houses will probably be wiped out.”

  I was beyond frustrated. What were they talking about? Another war? I thought back to Raven and Geralyn. I needed to get back to warn them. Maybe we could make a run for it. We could take enough supplies to hide in the wastelands while they all killed each other, but I needed to know the details so I could better prepare us.

  The side of the Puppeteer’s mouth twitched. “If you have a question, Little Thorn, then have the courage to ask it.”

  Balling my fists beside me, I asked, “When will this war happen and why?”

  “It will happen when one house feels like they can overtake all the others,” he answered. “The scientist who invented the serum was killed, and it was thought that the serum was destroyed, too. It turns out that there were ten bottles scattered. Seven of them are unaccounted for. If a house gets their hands on those bottles and finds the ones they are looking for, then we will have another war.”

  I bit my lip. “If a hybrid got injected by the serum, what would it do? And what happened to the other bottles? And what do you mean, the ones they are looking for?”

  The woman looked shocked that I was asking questions, and she looked even more shocked when the Puppeteer answered.

  “With the mutation already in their blood, if a hybrid gets the serum injected into them, there is over a ninety-five percent chance that they will die from a reaction to the chemicals. The unrivaled want power, but most aren’t crazy enough to inject themselves for it. The risk is too high.”

  I had a sickening feeling. “And the other bottles?”

  His blue eyes flashed, cruel and unforgiving. “My father came across three of the bottles. He was unwilling to try the serum out on himself. Turns out he didn’t have that same fear when it came to me.”

  My heart dropped. “Your father injected you with the serum?”

  He didn’t look fazed as he answered, “No. He injected me with three of the bottles that he had in his possession.”

  I had so many questions, like where the hell his mother had been when his father had pumped the serums into their child? What if he would have died? What was the point of all this? Then it hit me. The Puppeteer had said it was all about power. His father had put the need for more power above his own child.

  I cleared my throat, trying to get rid of all the emotions that I felt. “Who are the ones you spoke of? The ones who the unrivaled are looking for?”

  His body wasn’t as tense now that we had moved away from talking about his father. “They are the ones who are a one hundred percent match for the serum.”

  This was all so confusing. “If a hy
brid isn’t a perfect match, who would be?”

  It was the woman who answered, and with such misery in her voice. “The ones who are born from a compatible perfect match.”

  I raised my brows in question.

  She gave me a small smile. “Think of them as soulmates. When soulmates have a child, that child is the one who all unrivaled will search for.”

  “So, where are the other seven bottles?”

  He smiled. “That is what we are going to find out, Little Thorn.”

  The woman looked at me with concern. “Are you planning on throwing her to the wolves?”

  “I am the wolf,” he said.

  “This is true. But who will be protecting her from you? That is the true question.” Before he could reply, she said, “Give her to me for a few hours. Let me work my magic.” When he didn’t move or say anything, the woman crossed her arms. “If you think for one second that I would betray the Puppeteer, you’ve lost your mind. And we all know how brilliant and conniving you are.”

  “And we all know how much you love having your head resting upon your shoulders.” He turned to me. “I need to go get gas. Then I’ll be back.”

  “Gas is sparse around here,” I said. “I hope you brought plenty of coins.”

  “I think I can manage,” he said dryly as he headed toward the door.

  The woman called out, “Wait. Before you go, is it safe to say that you want her to bear your mark?”

  “Of course.”

  My nerves went from being taut to snapping. “Do I not have any say so in this? Whatever this bearing the mark means?”

  They both looked at me like I was daft. Then, without another word, the Puppeteer left.

  The woman immediately started sizing me up.

  I eyed the door, causing her to sigh heavily.

  “It’s too late to run, girl. Those days are gone. My question is: how did you land yourself in this mess?”

  “I’m an orphan. A human orphan. I’ve been dealt a crappy hand. One that I didn’t ask for.”

  “Hmph. I’m Lana, by the way. May I tell you a story why I fix us tea?”

  “I thought you needed a few hours to make me presentable for the House of Deception?”

  She rolled her eyes while she waved a hand at me. “Please. I’ll need maybe fifteen minutes. I just told the Puppeteer that because I need to know some information about you. If I’m sending you into the lion’s den, I need to know if you’re capable of taming them. My conscience won’t allow for anything less.”

  “And you think he bought that?”

  She laughed. “No. But I think he knew that I needed time with you. The Puppeteer knows how to get things out of people. He knew that I would be more compliant if he allowed me this gift.” She filled up a teapot with water then hung it over a fire. My eyes widened when she then pulled expensive teabags out of a cupboard. I didn’t know of anyone who could afford tea who wasn’t a royal.

  She caught my look of astonishment and chuckled. “I think you deserve that story now. Come sit.”

  Pulling back a nice chair from the round table that was near the fireplace as she worked on filling our cups, I studied my surroundings. Her home was cozy. The kind of home I could only wish for one day.

  My eyes caught on a row of books behind a wingback chair. Those were highly frowned upon in my district, but I had seen some workers in the House of Hybrids reading and had seen the Puppeteer’s private library. I wondered if Old Georgia allowed her these books. If they didn’t and she had them out in the open, it was extremely brazen of her. Either that or she was powerful. My eyes cut to the door where the Puppeteer had disappeared. Or maybe she just knew someone powerful.

  She placed a steaming cup before me. “I don’t know how you prefer it, so added a little honey and milk.”

  “I can’t believe you have any of those things. And to be honest, I’ve never had tea, so I’m sure however you drink it will be fine. Thank you.”

  She gave me a warm smile. “I live here in my tiny home, away from the bigger mansions that surround the House of Deception, because I’m an outcast. I’m sure that you know that there are only a few of the old states that survived after the end of the world. Everything is now desert or ash. How much of the other surviving states have you seen?”

  “I haven’t seen ninety percent of Old Florida.”

  She nodded like she expected that much. “Then you will have to take my word on some things. If this serum is found by the wrong people, then we are in for a world of hurt, and I have a feeling that you will be caught in the middle of it.”

  “Why is that?” I asked.

  “Because the Puppeteer doesn’t do anything out of the goodness of his heart. If he has brought you with him, then it is for a reason.” She took a sip of tea. “Now, let me give you a little bit of a history lesson. The serum only works on the strong. When the soldiers were injected with the serum, some of them … well, most of them died right away. As you know, the rest changed. Humans were terrified and showed a huge prejudice against the soldiers. Sometimes, I wonder if they would have been more understanding if things hadn’t happened the way they had. If you back a rat into a corner, the rat will fight. The soldiers became the rats, but unfortunately, they didn’t stop when they won. After years of being hunted, they became bitter, and then they had to put the humans in their place to feel vindicated.” She took another sip while her gaze seemed to look at everything and nothing.

  “After the Second Civil War, the unrivaled named the ones with the most power majors, while others became minors and humans became workers. Somewhere along the way, the unrivaled let their power define them. The bloodline went from being soldiers of the United States, defenders of civilians, to tyrants. Then they started turning on each other. Houses were developed. If you belonged to one of them, you were protected. If you didn’t, then you were free for all. Even the people born of the houses aren’t free from certain death.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She looked at me with such sorrow. “The houses are developed based on basic skill sets. For example, the House of Remembrance is a minor house. The ones that belong to that particular house have gifts of the mind. Some have the ability to read someone’s past. Some can see into the future. Some can control your mind for certain amounts of time. But they all have the common denominator of the mind. The serum mutates differently for everyone, and the mutation continues down the bloodlines. If someone in the House of Remembrance has a child who develops gifts that could technically be labeled under a different house, that child is wiped out.”

  My voice shook as I spoke. “Wiped out? You mean, they kill their own child?”

  She nodded. “Once a child hits eighteen, their blood is tested in a neutral territory called the Minor’s Ball, or Major’s Ball for the majors. Let’s say that two parents from the House of Remembrance had a child that had gifts that were a seventy percent match for the House of Ice. Once that child was tested on neutral ground, the House of Ice could claim that child as their own. So, the House of Remembrance would have handed over a powerful and potential enemy to another house. If the child is unfortunate enough to show gifts that bear resemblance to another house, then they are doomed.”

  “By their own parents?” I was disgusted.

  “Not all the time. Sometimes the house leaders will kill the child. In rare circumstances, they let the child live because their power is extremely low or the parents will risk death themselves to smuggle their child to the House of Hybrids.” She sighed heavily. “It is almost better to have a child with a human, because that dilutes the bloodline so much that your child won’t be extremely powerful and it’ll have a chance to survive the power hungry majors and minors.”

  “So, this is what happens when your every thought circles around power?”

  “Yes, and I can assure you it was a lot worse until the Puppeteer’s father made a house in Old Virginia for hybrids. Don’t think for one second he did it because he was a good man. N
o, he did it because he wants his son to rule the entire world. I swear that is part of the reason that the Puppeteer hasn’t demolished all the houses. He is very different from his father. His father had grand ideas of making a house full of majors that were nothing but weapons. The Puppeteer has made the house more of a refuge for the lost, alone, and ostracized. He has provided protection for the hybrids. Unfortunately, I grew up in a time when hybrids were hunted.”

  My eyes rounded. “You’re a hybrid?”

  She nodded. “My mother pretended that my father was human so that the House of Deception would allow me to live. My life was miserable because they thought I was tainted, and the House of Deception had no use for that. When my powers started manifesting I knew there was no way that I could stay in that house and show who I truly was—a hybrid. My mother had passed away so I ran. I became an orphan, a hybrid pretending to be a human … until a couple of years ago.”

  As she took a sip of her tea, I studied her pretty features. Behind her eyes, there was strength, and I had little doubt that she hadn’t had her fair share of troubles. Here I thought everyone born into power had an easy life. This woman had anything but.

  I warmed my hands on the cup. “What happened a couple of years ago?”

  She gave me a smile. “I lived in a small home where I learned to survive. The Puppeteer somehow heard of my talents. He found me and made me a deal, one that I couldn’t refuse. He offered me refuge as one of his hybrids, which meant I no longer had to look over my shoulder. This is why I’m worried for you.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The Puppeteer didn’t offer me his protection because he felt sorry for me. He offered me refuge because I could be an asset to him. You are somehow an asset to him. He will use you. Just make sure that you use him, too.”

  I thought about her words. “What is the mark that the both of you were talking about?”

  She pulled down her shirt, baring her left shoulder. That was when I saw two lines intertwined with one another, making a pretty rope design. It was the length of my palm and ran along her collarbone. It was magnificent. The mark was drawn in a light pink, but against her pale flesh, it stood out.