Her eyes widened and she gazed at him inquiringly.

“The odds that I will die before you, Nellie, are significant. I would not have you grieve me. I ne’er offered my first wife the binding vows because she was not my mate, and I knew it. I ne’er offered them to you because you are my mate, and I knew it.” He paused, searching for the right words. Her eyes were huge and round and she’d gone very still.

“That is without a doubt the most discombobulated bit of logic ye’ve e’er spouted, Silvan,” she finally whispered against his finger.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you alone, bound to me.”

She took his finger from her lips and slipped her hand into his. “I could bear any number of years, Silvan, if I know we’ll meet again.”

“Do you mean that? Truly?”

“How could ye doubt it? Have I not shown ye my love?”

Och, in so many ways, he thought, exhilarated. And it was nigh time he show her his. Gently, Silvan placed his hand between her breasts, above her heart, and rested his other above his own. “Place your hands atop mine.”

She glanced down at his hand and her eyes narrowed. “What happened to yer ring?”

“’Tis no band of simple metal that holds us together, Nellie. ’Tis something far greater than that. As to what happened to my ring, I gave it to the queen of the Tuatha Dé Danaan when she came and told me Dageus was alive and well, and free at last.”

“What?” Nellie gasped.

“I’ll tell you all anon.” Silvan said impatiently. Now that he’d made up his mind to take the binding vows, he was desperate for her answer. He didn’t want to waste another moment. He was frantic to claim her, lest something awful happen, like his heart give out before he could complete the vows. “Will you be saying the words after me, lass?”

“Och, life with ye is ne’er simple, is it?” she exclaimed. Then she smiled radiantly. “Aye, Silvan. I’ll be saying the words.”

Silvan’s voice was firm and deep. “If aught must be lost . . .”

“So, how does one marry a Druid?” Chloe asked breathlessly. She couldn’t stop touching him, couldn’t believe that he was alive, that she had him back and everything had worked out.

With a finger beneath her chin, he tipped her face up for a soft kiss. “It’s fairly simple, really. You nearly did it once,” he said, flashing her a smile. A smile that fully reached his golden eyes, filling them with warmth. A smile that promised heated lovemaking the moment they completed his Druid rites. And she was definitely in need of some heated lovemaking. She felt as if she might burst from happiness.

His words penetrated a bit belatedly. She frowned, perplexed. “I did?”