Die for Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer (43 page)

She smiled at that. “It’s wonderful.” So now she knew what the guy had been working on so hard for the past day and a half.

Dane and his secrets.

At least she knew his secrets weren’t the killing kind.

He wiggled his brows at her. “Should we christen the room?”

She laughed. She was doing that more. Laughing with Dane. Enjoying life.

Maybe one day, she’d see her past through a cloudy veil. Maybe it would seem like everything had happened to someone else.

Maybe she’d just be the happy woman with the doting husband.

The woman who could live next door to anyone.

The woman who’d once had a serial killer say he loved her. In those last moments, Valentine had whispered to her, and he’d said…

I did it. I died for you.

She wrapped her arms around Dane. His warmth pushed away the cold of her past.

She was a new woman. In a new place. With a man who loved her, darkness and all.

And she loved him. So much that, sometimes, the power of that love scared her.

She’d expected love to be beautiful. Kind. Good.

She knew now that it could be consuming. Terrifying.

But even in the midst of that terror, love could bring you safety. Hope.

Dane was her hope. Her future.

And she couldn’t wait to see what more life would bring them.

She was Katie Black. She lived in Anywhere, U.S.A. She knew about killers. She knew about death.

And now, she knew about love.

Thanks to a detective who hadn’t been interested in dying, but more interested in living, for her.

I want to thank my fabulous editor, Lindsay, for all of her wonderful insight as we worked on
Die for Me.
Lindsay, working with you is a pleasure!

For my equally fabulous agent, Laura Blake Peterson, thank you for your incredible support.

Photo by Nicholas Roussos, 2011

A Southern girl with a penchant for both horror movies and happy endings,
USA Today
bestselling author Cynthia Eden has written more than two dozen tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Her books have received starred reviews from
Publishers Weekly
, and her novel
Deadly Fear
was named a Rita finalist for best romantic suspense. She currently lives in Alabama.