“To you I am forever bound. Whenever, whatever your need, to you shall I come. To you do I answer, with sword, bow or blood. My life for yours. My soul to yours.” Again Loren sealed the pledge with a kiss. Dara’s lips were surprisingly soft, as if unaffected by the fire and elements. They clung to his, moving tentatively in response. When an answering warmth rose within his own body, he broke the kiss quickly. His eyes gleamed down at her. “Remember?”

“A life for a life? So now we’re even? You’re free to go?” Her voice sounded breathless. Those remarkable gold eyes darkened with an unspoken yearning.

Loren caught himself leaning toward her again and frowned. The vows did not feel finished yet, as if there was more to do, farther down this road they tread. “’Til our last breath… Is that specific enough for you?” He made a quick decision. “You come with me.”

That quickly, her yearning turned to disbelief and annoyance. “What?” She sounded aghast. “You can’t just go corsair and steal me. I want to go home. I’ve a war to win.”

“We are going home. My home, where you can get proper healing. Not this black art improvisation.” He glared down at her bound injuries. “You were meant to come home with me. Can you not feel it?”

Dara shoved against him. “I was not meant to do anything, warrior. I choose to stay and fight that invading bastard.” Her eyes welled with tears at the raw brand on her arm.

Loren refused to let go. “We need assistance. Jalad is no longer human.”

“I can’t go looking like this.”

“You do resemble a muddy puppy.”

“I stink, and you know it. Lady, I’d kill for a bath.” Her eyes turned fierce and begging all at the same time. “We’ve got water and a fire.”

“You cannot manage one right now, even pain-blocked.”

“You can help me.”

Something like a snicker came from Hani`ena’s direction. “You could.”

Oh, Lord and Lady. Just the mere thought of…was enough to turn his blood hot and cold. Her. Naked. Skin glistening in the firelight, droplets of water running down her back to the sweet curve of her… He broke into a sweat at his unchivalrous thoughts. She was injured and under his protection. “Nay.”

She turned from begging to indignation in the blink of an eye. “I granted you a bath, and you were in far less need of it than I. The least you can do is return the favor.” There was naught seductive in her tone. He felt her self-disgust.

“You have soap and clean rags in my saddle bags.”

“Shut up, Hani`ena.” He glared at the mare, who blinked at him. “You do not fool me for an instant.” He turned to Dara. “It would be…” Torture. “Inappropriate.”

“I can’t be the first woman you’ve seen naked. I trust you. Just pretend I’m your sister.”

“Your much younger sister,” Hani`ena commented.

His hand knotted in Dara’s hair. His face went rigid, and turmoil smoldered in his heart. “You are not my sister.” It felt like a shout, but his throat was so tight it was barely audible.

“I don’t think clean hair’s too much to ask. Do you want them to follow us by my stench alone?”

“She would smell better.”

“Please? It won’t take long.”

He caved. A quick bath. I can do this. “I shall get everything ready.” He got another skin of water from the spring and then dragged her on his cloak over to the fireside. He got soap, rags and his extra change of clothes out. He frowned at Dara, who tried to sit up. “Nay, wait a minute. I shall help.” Younger sister…younger sister…

Hani`ena cropped grass and didn’t comment.

When much of the filth did not come off with repeated applications of soap, he realized with horror and pity to what extent the bruises spread. He tried to be gentle, but Dara still hissed a time or two. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right.” Her cheeks flamed as he scrubbed every available inch of bare golden skin with fern-scented soap, then rinsed her with clean water.

He kept his face impassive as he ran the rag over her full breasts. Her nipples tightened, beckoning. He forced his hand not to linger. Dara caught her breath. From the coolness of the water, or in reaction to his touch? “Turn over.” He cursed the hoarseness in his voice. He scrubbed her shoulders and back, then lower, below the binding, over the lush curve of her backside all the way down to her toes, until every inch of unbruised skin gleamed golden in the firelight.

His body clenched when she quivered at his touch. Uncertainty. Awareness. Hers, or his own wishful thinking? To distract himself, he stared, entranced, at that skin. He had expected burns in addition to bruises and abrasions, lots of burns. There were none, except from the iron bindings. The rest of her was unmarked by the flames she had stood in, but the ropes and wood had burned away. He himself was blistered and singed. There had been no time yet for trance-healing on this northward flight.

How could this be?

He rinsed the rag and ran it up betwixt her legs, dragging it through coppery curls. Heat greeted his touch, and he hardened to the point of pain.

Fear.

It was a dash of ice water. He froze and backed off. “Did he…hurt you?” Murderous rage flared at what Jalad might have done.

Dara shook her head. When she looked back at him, her eyes were wide with shock and a churning mixture of emotions. A maiden’s uncertainty warred with tentative yearning and instinctive arousal. “Nay. ’Tis just, I’ve ne’er…no man’s e’er…”

Blinding need to be her first, her only, slammed into him. “Never fear that I would hurt you.” He would die first. “Can you kneel? I can do your hair.” He helped her up and unbound her braid. Hot, dirty water cascaded over her hair. That once-glorious river of flame. He scrubbed with the soap. “This is going to be cold” was the only warning he gave her afore dumping icy clean spring water over her, carrying away the last traces of Jalad’s hospitality.

She yelped as she flung her hair back. “It feels so good to be clean again. Thank you.”

Loren helped her wring out long sections. Unbidden, an image of it wrapped around their naked, entwined bodies flashed in his mind’s eye. Silk and fire… He cursed and yanked his spare tunic over her head, grateful when it fell to her knees. “Sit by the fire. It will help dry your hair.” He shoved a wooden comb into her hand and turned away. “I go to wash the cloak so it can dry afore sleep time.” He gathered soap, rags and waterskin and fled to the spring afore she commented on the aroused state of his body that defied all his control. So much for chivalry.

* * *

Dara eased onto the ground aside the fire, adding a few more twigs to the flames. Her hair was a right mess of tangles, but the knots inside—from his kiss, from his touch—were worse. He was her rescuer, and a…friend, but she’d never felt such an awareness, a yearning for anyone afore. Her skin still tingled, everywhere he’d touched. Her breasts ached, and heat pooled betwixt her thighs. His touch was like a brand on her heart. She glanced at the slave brand on her arm—painful and permanent. She felt bereft with his disappearance. Why? Why did she yearn for him when he was gone, and feel so relieved when he returned? And she’d seen the look on his face; he hadn’t been affected at all. She sighed. She’d seen young women pine for this or that village oaf and had always afore been torn betwixt pity and derision. Always she’d been above such things.

Now that ’twas her own obsession with the unobtainable, it wasn’t a bit humorous.

	DUALITY won the 2008 Ecataromance Reviewers' Choice Award!

...Jalad, the despot I keep mentioning, is a horrible, twisted and dark-souled person. Well 'person' is a loose term for him really. I'm not certain that a human being could be as...evil as he is by themselves. I hated him, but man did he keep me interested to see what he came up with next!

Reviewed by Lexie from Poisoned Rationality | Read entire review

Renee Wilde surprised me thoroughly. I found myself drawn into her world by the descriptions and lively characters.  I ended up drowning within her world by the emotions that the story conveyed. Her writings remind me of Michelle Sagara; an innocence with a touch of seduction rolling in the endless possibilities. The world she introduces is one filled with life, good and bad. She weaves a story that makes the reader not want to put the tale down. I found myself unable to sleep, reading until 4 in the morning so that I could see where she took the characters, as well as me. I enjoyed being so wrapped in the story that I cried at the end.  I look forward to the continuation of the Guardians of the Light series!

Reviewed by Nicole Hicks at Howling Good Books | Read entire review

Duality was very hard to put down. The plot and characters were woven together to form an intricate and spellbinding story.

Reviewed by Shona at Bitten by Books | Read entire review

Duality is a big story. In style and scope it reminds the reader of Lord of the Rings, though you should not make the mistake of thinking the plots are in any way related. Ms Wildes creates a world so real you feel you can taste the mist on your tongue, smell the earth in the early morning sun.

Reviewed by Eglantine, Long and Short Reviews | Read entire review

Duality by Renee Wildes is a suspenseful story of romance and surprise. A well written story that will grab your imagination and pull you into this magical world. I think readers will enjoy this story whole heartedly, I know I did. I recommend this to anyone looking for a good romance, filled with adventure that will leave you on the edge of the seat.

Reviewed by Beth Senters, PNR | Read entire review

Rating: 5 stars

Duality, by Renee Wildes, is the best fantasy story that I have ever read! This story has it all: Heart stopping adventure, True evil versus good, Love, Handsome Fae, and a gorgeous dragon. What more could a reader desire? This fabulous story is to die for!

Reviewed by Sisiq2 (aka Linda) at Ecataromance | Read entire review

Reviewed by Dawn at Love Romances & More | Read entire review

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