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was
nothing more than she expected. And if he thought she was crazy for wandering
the cliffs at night, he’d consider her certifiable when he heard the rest. She
may as well confess and be done with it.
    “I
may be crazy, but not crazy enough to go up there at night. I heard the woman,
I saw the rosebush, but I wasn’t there physically. I was...” She had to force
herself to finish the damning admission. “I was dreaming.”
    She
held her breath, waiting for the derision to appear in his eyes. Instead, they
went blank, and he sat back in the chair.
    “Dreaming?”
he asked quietly.
    “Dreaming,”
she repeated. Now that she had committed herself, the words came easily. “I
dream. I can’t explain it really. It just...is. As a girl the dreams were
mystical and fascinating. Though I didn’t understand them at the time, I
dreamed of Ireland long before I’d ever set foot here. I’ve flown over the
coast on the wings of an eagle. I’ve taken tea with elves, spied on a pair of
leprechauns arguing over a crop of wild mushrooms. On several occasions, I’ve
watched a band of fairies at a céilidh , while a beautiful fairie
princess directed the music and festivities.”
    She
paused, expecting him to scoff in disbelief. He remained silent and watching.
She picked up her cooling coffee and stared into the cup.
    “But
the dreams changed that summer I came to Dunhaven. Instead of magical
adventures, now they suck me in like an unwilling captive.”
    He
was watching, still, when her gaze rose to meet his.
    “You’ve
read Into the Mists , so you’ll recall the twins in the story. They
weren’t just imaginary characters—well, not in the normal sense, anyway. I saw
them in my dreams and watched helplessly while a cruel force stalked them,
never quite allowing them to find their peace and live joyful lives. And Prince
Rory? His search for his lost soul wasn’t a solitary quest. I was there for
every disappointment.
    “Dunhaven’s
Door has become an obsession. Every night I find myself at the center of the
ring, knowing there is something I need to do, and frustrated beyond endurance
because I can never discover what that something is. For ten years, the dreams
have battered me. The only thing that kept me sane was the knowledge I wasn’t
alone.”
    She
took a bracing breath. “From the day I arrived in Dunhaven that summer, you’ve
joined me in the dreams, Colin.”
    The
silence stretched out until she wanted to scream. When he finally spoke, she
thought she might.
    “What
is it you want me to say, Keely?”
    “Nothing,”
she insisted. “Nothing. Unless you can shed some light on all of this, I’d
rather you said nothing at all.” Disappointment made her throat tighten.
“Though you’ve walked with me in the dreams, you’ve never entered the ring.
Last night is the first time you’ve done so. It is the first time I’ve seen the
rosebush and the first time I’ve heard the woman. She called out to someone
named Owein.”
    His
gaze slid from hers to settle briefly on the wet bar in the corner. When he
turned back again, his eyes were as cold as blue diamonds, his expression wiped
clear of all emotion.
    Her
heart sank. He didn’t believe her. No surprise there. She barely believed it
herself.
    “I
know all of this sounds insane, Colin.” Her voice was rough with the humiliated
tears she refused to shed. “Believe me. No one knows that better than I. I’d
hoped...” Her eyes slid shut on a sigh, and she shook her head. “I’d hoped you
could help me.”
    She
forced herself to look at him again, and though the wary discomfort in his eyes
was nothing more than she’d expected, regret filled her.
    What
had she been thinking, coming here like this? If life taught her anything, it
was that the dreams, their mystery, and the confused anxiety they caused, were
hers alone to bear. She’d managed them on her own this long. She’d solve them
on her own as well.
    “Obviously
not,” she said