Crow flushed at Penelope’s next words. She hadn’t done anything particularly special by saying that she cared about him, but hearing her say it out loud made him want to close the distance that had formed between them. Perhaps she wasn’t lying to him. After all, they had bonded quite a bit during the course of their travels. Who was to say those moments they had shared weren’t real? He stayed quiet for a moment as he recounted they many times they had talked alone. Both of them had opened up to each other about their pasts, giving the other personal information that wasn’t typically discussed between a knight and her prisoner.

Penelope went on to explain why she had sided with William. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, her reasoning made sense to him. The older knight had been one step away from killing him, and Penelope had just been trying to cool down the situation. By making William think he had won, she may have saved his life. He was suddenly embarrassed by the way he was treating her like an enemy after she had done so much for him. She had proven she was different from the other knights, and he had let himself forget so easily.

He nodded in understanding when she concluded by saying she wouldn’t be able to uphold her end of their deal if William didn’t trust her. It was true. If William knew how close they were, he would separate them for the rest of the trip. He dreaded to think about how terrible it would be to ride in the wagon with William for a week. Just one day had almost ended in him being decapitated. [i]After I steal the staff, he won’t have a reason to keep me alive anymore either,[/i] he thought with a shudder. If William took over Penelope’s watch of the thief, he would be [i]lucky[/i] to end up behind prison bars again.

“Sorry,” he muttered, looking away from Penelope. “I’m guess I’m still not used to having someone on my side.” He forced himself to sit upright so he could meet her gaze more evenly. “Also, thanks for watching out for me. William tries my patience more than I can handle. I don’t know if he would have spared me if it wasn’t for you—despite the king’s orders.”