Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake Page A

like a deflating balloon. “Okay, you can let go now.” The words came out muffled against his palm .
    He removed his hand and plopped down beside me. I scooted up against the headboard, pulling down the hem of my black cami to cover my stomach. Surprised to see him in street clothes, I took a second glance at the jeans and black T-shirt hugging his body nicely.
    “How’s the leg?” He gave me a crooked smile, his gaze dropping to my chest.
    “Did you just check out my boobs?” I whispered. Please say yes.
    “No.” He smirked. “Okay, yes. I am a guy.”
    That you are. I yanked the covers up to my chin and suppressed a smile.
    Cleo hissed at Arik and dropped from the bed. “Way to serve and protect,” I said with a laugh. “You could at least scratch his eyes out or something.” She let out a protesting mew and hopped onto my desk chair, staring at Arik suspiciously.
    His dimples deepened. “Cats have their own agendas, and they don’t include their slaves.”
    “I’m not her…oh, never mind. What are you doing here, anyway? Pop will kill you if he catches you in my room. Wait. How did you get in? ”
    “I used the ladder.”
    “You mean the fire escape?”
    “You say it’s an escape. I think entry.” The way he spoke with that accent and showed that dimply smile, sent goose bumps across my skin. “How are you faring?”
    “How do you think I’m faring ? I’m terrified. I can’t sleep or eat.”
    “You were sleeping when I got here.”
    Was I? Maybe. Barely?
    We sat there staring at each other, neither of us saying a word. I lowered my gaze; his eyes on me were so unnerving. I didn’t do silence well, so I searched for something to say. Our meeting in the Athenæum came to me. He’d quoted my favorite book. “So you’ve read The Secret Garden ?”
    “Yes,” he said. “Several times.”
    I glanced up. “Really?”
    “You sound surprised.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
    “Because I am.”
    “What’s your favorite part in the book?” he asked.
    My favorite part? Were we really discussing a book? I’d never had a conversation like this with a guy before. “Um, I’d have to say the one where Mary finds a hidden room in her uncle’s house and meets Colin and finds out that he’s her cousin. After that, she no longer feels alone. What’s yours?”
    “When she discovers the garden and it changes her.”
    “That’s a good one.” Did he say that because I’m a girl who just found her secret garden? Will it change me? “Most guys I know would never read it. Why do you like it?”
    “Sentinels are sort of like Mary, aren’t we?” His voice was quiet. “We’re alone in the world, taken from our true parents. I like to think of the libraries as our secret garden. Our escape.”
    The emotions in his voice made my heart ache for him. I was lucky. I knew what it was like to have a real family. I had Pop and Nana, and the memory of my mom.
    Not able to look him in the eyes, I decided we needed a less emotional subject. “So where are you from?
    “I was born in a small market town, Framlingham in Suffolk, England.” Something like a bittersweet smile crossed his face as he mentioned the town. “I haven’t any memories of the place. I was a baby when I was taken.”
    “You’ll have to go and visit one day. I was born here. In Boston, I mean. Not like right here in my room. A hospital.” My cheeks heated at how ridiculous that sounded.
    He laughed.
    Gah. Really, Gia? I glanced around my messy room to avoid his stare, wondering if he got into anything while I was sleeping.
    From the corner of my eye, I spotted him shift to see where I was looking. Our eyes met again and the corners of his mouth lifted. “Don’t worry. I only glanced at your journal on your desk.”
    I stifled a gasp. “You didn’t.”
    He chuckled. “No. I wouldn’t invade your privacy. Besides, it’s too dark in here to read.”
    “Funny.” I tossed my pillow at him. “So what are you doing here? You