He knew what she was doing. Testing him, trying to discourage his attentions as usual.
She still feared that their feelings for each other would distract them from their mission, so she tried to suppress them. But underneath that exterior of perfectly contained self-control, she had a passionate nature. She couldn't hide the truth from him.
It would have been different if she hadn't returned his affections, if she'd rejected him outright. He could have coped with the disappointment of unrequited love and gotten over it eventually.
But he knew she loved him back, and he couldn't let her go. He'd come to rely on her, and he needed her in his life.
Sometimes he felt woefully inadequate. He'd been unprepared for all this. Sheltered and naïve, raised away from the world of magic, in ignorance of his fate. He'd had no training. no inkling of who he really was and what was expected of him.
There was so much he still didn't know. He was doing the best he could, learning on the fly every day.
Fortunately, Kahlan and Zedd were patient with him. With their help, he'd absorbed an enormous amount of knowledge in a short period of time.
Even so, at times he was still impetuous, trying to take shortcuts that didn't serve him well, and she was the voice of reason that brought him back to reality.
In many ways, she was far more disciplined than he was, and her wisdom and good judgment tempered his tendency towards impulsivity. They balanced each other out.
Most importantly, she gave him the strength to not give up, even when it seemed hopeless. The odds were always against them, and the obstacles and hardships they faced seemed unending and insurmountable.
But she made it all worthwhile.
He was too stubborn to just give up on them.
As Zedd was constantly telling him, "Where there is no way, the Seeker will find a path."
He was skeptical about many of Zedd's lessons, but that one he'd taken to heart.
Why shouldn't it be true of finding a way for them to be together?