From Remembering Ausar by Madeleine Drake: The air around her went moist and smoky-sweet. Elise wrenched her eyes open. She stood in the center of a windowless chamber with walls of gold. Huge braziers, almost as tall as her, blazed in the four corners. She pivoted, surveying the space. No door. Impossible. It had to be hidden. How could she have gotten in here if there was no door? I am crazy.

Or I'm dreaming. I've been working so hard on my thesis, this is probably my subconscious' way of telling me I need a break. But for once, it wasn't a bad dream. A massive wooden couch carved in the shape of an elongated lion dominated the center of the room—it looked just like the funeral bier of Osiris, engraved on the walls at the Dendera temple. A naked man lay on the couch, tangled in creamy linen sheets. Tall, well-muscled, and brown-skinned, with short, curly black hair. Dream Guy's features were exotic: sculpted cheekbones, pointed chin, full lips. He looked familiar, but she couldn't think why. The arousal she'd felt earlier came flooding back, with knee-weakening intensity, as she imagined his large, blunt fingers gripping her hips. She let her gaze wander over the planes of his chest, admiring the slope of muscles under smooth skin and the elegant curve of his shoulders where they met his neck. He didn't stir.

In fact, Dream Guy didn't seem to be breathing.

Great. I'm dreaming dead guys. Maybe it's going to be a bad dream after all.

Still grasping the gilded phallus, she approached the couch. Its contours were carved in swooping lines that granted the stylized lion the appearance of grace and power. It had been painted in shades of white and gold and brown, same colors as a real lion. It looked familiar and foreign at the same time. But even knowing what she saw was the product of her subconscious, Elise was fascinated. She reached out to touch a corner of the linen sheet hanging off the edge of the bed.

What happened to my gloves?

Never mind my gloves. What happened to my clothes?

Dream Guy opened his eyes.