“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” She slid Dageus’s mug back and glanced curiously at the older, fortyish woman. She couldn’t be his mother, she mused, unless she’d had him incredibly young, even for medieval times. Dressed in a lapis gown similar to her own, the lovely woman had a gently faded but timeless beauty. Her ash-blond hair was swept up in an intricate plait, with fringy bangs wisping about her face, rather like Gwen’s, Chloe thought.

“’Tis your dream, lass. Make up her name yourself,” Dageus said, watching her with a mocking expression.

He knew she knew. Damn the man.

“Oh, Dageus,” Chloe sighed, slumping in her chair, “what did you do to me? I thought you were just a wealthy, eccentric womanizer. Well, I also thought you were a thief for a while,” she muttered, “and a kidnapper, but I didn’t think—”

“Would you like to see the library, lass?” he offered, his dark eyes glittering.

Chloe narrowed her eyes. “You think it’s going to be that easy? Show the girl a few impressive books and she’ll think it’s all right that you somehow yanked her back in time?” Sadly, she mused, he might be onto something, because the instant he’d said “library” her heart rate had quickened. A zillion questions perched on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t yet bring herself to talk about reality as if it were real.

“All right, then. Let’s go to the stones. I’ll send you back this very moment.” He pushed himself to his feet and she got her first look at him from the waist down. Snug black leather trews encased his powerful hips and thighs. Holy cow. Her mouth went dry. There was an impossible-to-ignore bulge in them.

“Wait just a—” Silvan began, but stopped abruptly at Dageus’s warning look.

“You know you’re not dreaming,” Dageus said flatly.

Chloe forced herself to tear her gaze away from his lower body and pursed her lips.

“Then come. I’ll send you back.” Dageus gestured impatiently at her.

Chloe remained seated. She wasn’t going anywhere. “Are you saying that you could send me back any time?”