Killed by the man she’d nearly convinced herself she was in love with. The man who had used her so badly, who’d plotted to take her father’s kingdom for himself.
She knew that courtesy of the loyal servant who now stood in front of her. He’d discovered the plot himself, had been on his way to warn her father just before he was killed. At least, that’s what he’d said when he’d found her that night, hysterical and incoherent. He’d served her family for so long—unfailingly, with no expectation of reward—she knew it was right to listen to him when he said they had to flee Rome and start fresh somewhere else.
She knew he was the only one she could trust.
Filled with a swell of gratitude for him, she said, “Yes. We’ll review them together. And...thank you. Thank you, Silas. You’ve done so much for me. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
Silas smiled, a slow, spreading grin that overtook his entire face but didn’t touch the frozen depths of his black, black eyes.
“Oh, no, my Queen,” he murmured, moving closer. “It is I who could not have done it without you.”
First and foremost, I want to give special thanks to Eleni Caminis, my amazing editor at Montlake. Your enthusiasm, professionalism, sense of humor, and tireless cheerleading kept me sane whenever I was about to go off the rails. Working with you is a dream, and I couldn’t be more grateful for your support. Plus, you have great hair. (How can one person be so cool?)
To the rest of the team at Montlake Romance: YOU GUYS ROCK! It’s like wunderkinder wonderland over there. Jessica Poore and Nikki Sprinkle in particular deserve kudos for sheer awesomeness. Thank you for always patiently responding to the crazy writer people you assist. (Other crazy writer people, you know, not me.)
Also big hugs to the incredible Brooke Gilbert and a deep bow to the sheer fabulosity that is Ms. Daphne Durham. I’m so grateful to all the special people I’ve met at Montlake and Amazon, and I’d like to go on record as saying Jeff Bezos is a genius not only because he’s built one of the best companies in the world, but also because he knows the importance of hiring the right people and giving them the tools to be amazing.”
I owe a debt of gratitude to Marlene Stringer, agent extraordinaire. Without you I’d probably still be in query hell. Thank you for your dogged determination and business acumen; I’ve learned a lot from you.
To Melody Guy, who caught all my goofs and gaffes, I would like to bestow the Nobel Prize for developmental editing. (Unfortunately I’m not on the selection committee, but I’m totally going to send them a strongly worded letter.) And to Renee Johnson, thank you for dealing with the serial comma issue, among other things!
I also owe a special shout out to Lily Yao, aka Eagle Eye, who caught a glaring mistake before it was too late. Xander and I thank you.
And finally to Jay...you had me at “It’ll never last.” You saved me from disaster once, and you keep on saving me, every single day. I love you.
Photo by Jay Geissenger, 2011
J. T. Geissinger is an author, entrepreneur, and avid wine collector. Her debut novel, Shadow’s Edge, book one of the Night Prowler Novels, was published in June 2012, and she is at work on a third book in the series. A native of Los Angeles, she currently resides there with her husband and one too many cats.
Edge of Oblivion: A Night Prowler Novel, Book 2 Page 33