Ava accepted Yusuf’s thanks wordlessly. She had never needed any reward for doing the right thing – her kindness was innate and it had always seemed like the more natural thing for her to do. There was no tiny part of her heart that could have left this stallion there, haggard and dehydrated, and turned away from him without helping. The fact that he was a stranger – possibly even an intruder – didn’t change that. She set her bright, emerald green eyes on him, watching with interest as he drank his fill before lifting his own head again. At her question, however, he seemed to tense and Ava’s lips fell into a small frown. She hoped that she had not gotten herself into trouble by helping him out, but his reply was cryptic and left her somewhat uncertain about Yusuf’s exact relationship with Orhan. “Stood up for you?” she asked, prompting him to elaborate if he would. The words were oddly chosen, and implied that Orhan had intervened in some kind of conflict that involved this stranger that had turned up in his Desert. Ava had not lived on Salem long enough to have any idea what or who could have been involved, so she had no choice but to trust in whatever answer Yusuf could give her. “What do you mean?” she continued, tilting her head in curiosity. |