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“It’s not so awful. I find wooing him a delightful and rewarding challenge.” I arched a look his way. “Though he is definitely a tenacious one. I couldn’t even sway his mind after patching him back together with true love’s kiss when he received an arrow wound just this morning.”
“What’s this I hear?” Mydera lifted her brows with interest. “An arrow wound? Are there mad archers in the vicinity?”
“Not any longer,” Farrow answered, smiling slightly at me as if remembering how we’d teamed up to defeat our attackers. “But yes.” He glanced at Mydera. “There were five border radicals.”
“Were?” She gave a low, impressed whistle. “And you defeated them? One against five? My, my. I’m impressed.”
Farrow smirked. “Your math is off, mage. It was two against five.”
The proud smirk he sent me made my insides melt.
Mydera cocked her head slowly as she watched us. “And yet he still denies you after that? Why, you poor child, you. You trust old Mydera now, you hear. If you want your mate in your bed, I can spell him to—”
“Or you could stay out of our private affairs,” Farrow cut in, narrowing his eyes at her.
She sniffed and pulled herself up tight, but relented with a moody nod, muttering, “Fine. Suit yourself. But it’s just not right to deny your destined partner physical companionship when you’re perfectly capable of giving it. You remember that, boy. Fate always wins. Like a little toddler, it doesn’t mind throwing a bloody fit to get what it wants, either. So you might as well give in now before causing a catastrophe for all of us.”
His gaze hardened and mouth opened to retort with something I knew would be unpleasant, so I touched his arm lightly, and he immediately cooled his temper, closing his mouth again.
I motioned respectfully toward Mydera. “Thank you for the offer. It’s very kind of you. But no. I have faith I’ll get him to come around to seeing things my way soon enough. And if it eases him to feel as if he has control over his own destiny, then I can give him that.”
Farrow leaned toward me and spoke for my ears alone. “You should pray that I do have control over my own destiny, princess. Things would end better for both of us if I did.”
I looked at him as he pulled away. Experiencing that eerie feeling that he was warning me of something, I knit my brow and tried to figure his words out. He sounded as if he were aware of the fact that he knew he wasn’t in control of his own actions, but then something told me he wasn’t talking about my love mark, either. Something else was driving his hand.
I didn’t like that thought. No one forced my mate to do anything he didn’t want to. I wanted to demand to know who thought they could put a leash around my partner and manipulate him to their will.
But here in the company of the mages was neither the time nor the place for such questions.
I was confident I’d figure out Farrow’s problems later.
And fix them.
We stayed with the mages for the rest of the day. The caravan was so huge, they even had traveling hammocks tethered between a pair of elephants so they could take shifts, some napping while everyone else nudged the convoy along.
Farrow and I rested a couple hours before we helped with the slug-like procession. We probably would’ve been able to cover twice—if not three times—the distance if we’d simply parted ways with the mages and gone off on our own, but he spoiled me by letting us remain.
I tried not to feel guilty about that. We had to get to his ailing mother with the utmost speed, but I honestly wasn’t sure how I could’ve pushed myself with the same endurance we’d used in the desert. I was just plum worn out. And I think Farrow realized that, so he took
pity on me. And I definitely didn’t press for any more time than one night.
When night came and the fleet finally slowed to a halt, I collapsed onto a fallen log and sat numbly, watching from bleary eyes as others worked preparing camp. Someone even had pity and built a campfire in front of me. I murmured a grateful thanks and held out my hands toward the blazing warmth.
After a time, Farrow found me and handed me a plate of food, more juicy morsels that made my mouth water the moment I smelled it. He sat next to me on the log, and we ate together as more campfires popped up around us. Then laughter, talking, music, and dancing ensued.
It didn’t take me long to realize a majority of the mages spoke in a language I’d never heard before. It sounded fascinating.
Leaning toward Farrow, I asked, “Have you any idea what they’re saying?”
“Not a word,” he admitted. “But they’re quite a boisterous, close-knit community, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Grinning, I began to tap my knee to the music. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
Responding with a noncommittal grunt, Farrow crossed his arms over his chest and remained unmoved. When I started clapping along to a particularly catchy tune, Spice—the female page of Mydera’s who’d been going through our satchels earlier—appeared in front of me and reached for my hand, inviting me to join the fun.
After the breather I’d just taken, I felt regenerated enough to get up again, so I didn’t decline. Pushing to my feet, I stumbled after Spice as she dragged me off toward a line of dancing women who were snaking their way throughout the camp.
I glanced back to check on Farrow and found him watching me, his eyes gleaming in the firelight while I tried to mimic Spice, lifting my hands over my head, shuffling my feet along, and gyrating my hips to the rhythm.
