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I think Farrow was in shock. Or more likely complete denial.
After giving him irrefutable proof that he was indeed my mate, he backed away, gave his head a quick shake as if to clear it, and then said, “We need to set up camp before the sun’s full in the sky.”
I let him use his evasion tactic because we had the rest of our lives for him to get used to the idea, and honestly, I was a little worried about him. A dull roar of emotions wafted off him in unrelenting waves. They were jumbled together so tightly I couldn’t distinguish one from the other; I wasn’t even sure if they were mainly positive or negative feelings.
I guess he needed a bit of time to process.
But his silence bothered me to no end.
“Want to know something ironic?” I asked as he pulled a large spool of leather from his pack and then bent to spread it on the ground. Realizing the covering was actually the roof of our tent for the day, I moved to the opposite end as him to h
elp straighten it. When he didn’t answer my question, I shrugged. “I got my mark not even a fortnight before your army invaded Donnelly.”
When he extracted some bamboo poles from his supplies next, I knelt when he did and mimicked his actions, assisting him as he elevated the bamboo walls into the air and levered them into place so the leather roof would provide a nice area of shade underneath.
“If I’d waited even a moon cycle to get my tattoo, I never would’ve been drawn away from my bedchamber that night and down to where you were being held captive. I never would’ve helped free you. And you…” I gulped as I glanced at him. “You would’ve died with the rest of the prisoners my brother executed.”
He grunted, saying nothing, just leading the horses under the tent so they’d be out of the sun as well.
“My brother Caulder was so upset when he found out I’d gotten the mark. I thought he was going to banish me from the castle altogether. Then again, he was never as easy going as Brentley is with me.”
Farrow paused to send me an odd glance as if he wanted to inquire about something I said, but then he lifted his brows briefly and went back to work, ignoring me as he stripped the horses of their loads and stroked their backs to massage their sore, strained muscles.
The action looked sensuous and relaxing; my mouth went dry as I watched. I had sore, strained muscles if he wanted to massage something.
But I had a suspicion the suggestion would only freak him out more, so I cleared my throat and kept talking.
“I knew Caulder wouldn’t be happy even as I snuck out to get the mark, but I didn’t care. I was determined to find my true love. I would’ve suffered through any kind of reprimand. I guess it’s a good thing I took the risk, too.” I watched him as I added, “It’s the only reason you’re alive today. Kind of makes you think destiny had a hand in my actions, doesn’t it?”
He glanced at me, his gaze brooding. “You should get some rest. We’ll sleep during the day to stay out of the sun and then ride at night.” And he went back to preparing the camp, flipping out bedrolls on either side of the horses and placing them on the sand under the shade.
Hmm, using animals to separate us. I guess this meant he didn’t want to sleep beside me.
I shook my head in awe. “You still don’t believe, do you?”
Stubborn was an understatement when describing Farrow, I realized. No proof was going to convince him of anything until he was ready to accept it.
He didn’t speak, merely pulled a leather flagon with a sturdy metal bottom from his supplies, uncapped it and took a healthy drink. When he was done, he held it out to me. “Thirsty?”
“God, yes.” I was parched beyond thirst. “Thank you.” Taking the flask, I gulped greedily, only to force myself to stop and send him a guilty wince after I took more than I felt was my fair share. “Sorry. That was too much, wasn’t it?” I went to hand it back, as the flagon wasn’t all that big; I didn’t want to hog all our water supply, especially since—
Oh hell.
I glanced around the desert. Who knew when we’d cross another water source? Was this all we had to get us by for the next handful of days?
Farrow waved me on, however, refusing to take the flagon back and encouraging me to keep drinking. “Take all you need,” he said.
So, I did, unable to help myself.
“The canteen’s infused with magic,” he explained as I chugged. “It holds an endless supply of water.”
Wait. Had he just said magic?
I jerked the pouch from my lips and spat out what water I had left in my mouth. “This is magic water?” I accused, wiping away as much as I could with the back of my hand and then spitting out even more.
But seriously, how dare he feed me something magical without my knowledge?
My reaction merely caused him to laugh. “The water’s just water,” he assured, taking the flagon from me and pouring it out into a tub he’d fashioned on the ground so the horses could have a drink. “Only the container’s been enchanted.” He paused and looked at the flagon. When a feeling of extreme despair washed over him, he quietly admitted, “This flask was the last thing my mother ever gave me.”
