Crow thought for a moment when Penelope asked him what the plan was now. Honestly, he hadn’t thought that far ahead. He had been so caught up in trying to figure out his own problems that he hadn’t even considered the trouble they would face now that they were together. However, he was sure there had to be some way for them to spend time together. Whether it would mean sneaking out in the middle of the night more often or coming up with some other clever way to slip out of their camps without being suspected, he was willing to try anything to be with her.

He met Penelope’s gaze again with a concerned frown when she mentioned that Gavin already knew she was with him again. She seemed fairly confident that her former suitor wouldn’t tell anyone about them, but he wasn’t so quick to trust a man he barely knew. He wondered if there was some way that they could trick Gavin into believing they hadn’t actually gotten back together or that it wasn’t working out between them. Unfortunately, no simple solutions came to his mind.

In addition to the problem of Penelope’s ex suitor knowing about them, Crow was also going to have to make sure the other thieves didn’t find out too. If they learned he was in love with a knight, he didn’t know what they would do. They definitely wouldn’t approve of his relationship with her. Every single one of them hated nobles with a passion—especially Simon. He shuddered to think what the anxious thief would say if he learned his leader was so close to one of the people he loathed. For the sake of avoiding that conflict, he was going to have to tread carefully around his companions until the war was over.

He pulled Penelope a little closer and let out his breath in a long sigh. “I wish it was, too,” he murmured, nestling his head against hers. “But unfortunately, the world we live in isn’t very accepting of a relationship like ours. We’ll just have to do what we can with the hands we’ve been dealt and remember that things will get better once this war is over.”

Crow couldn’t wait for that. Once the war ended, he would be free from the responsibility of protecting the villagers, and the other thieves wouldn’t need him as much, so he wouldn’t feel guilty for leaving them. He and Penelope could move away from everything to live in by the lake in Farhill, where they would be able to move on with their lives without the unwanted judgment of others. It already sounded like a great life to him.

“I don’t know how often we’ll be able to meet for now,” he said after taking some time to think over her initial question. “But I don’t want to only see you during our formal meetings… Maybe you could pretend to go on a patrol and meet me here tomorrow?” He blinked as another thought came to him and then shook his head. “Damn. I forgot I told Simon that I would go with him to Younis tomorrow. We’ll probably be gone for a few days, so that won’t work.”

Sighing again, he met Penelope’s gaze with a halfhearted smile, “Sorry, love. We might have to stick with our regular meetings for now… but at least we can use this place.” He glanced up at the room. “We’ll have some privacy, so we can talk openly and ‘make the most of our time,’ as you so elegantly put it.” He winked at her teasingly. “Do you think that’s alright? I’ll try to think of something else, but for now, this is the best I can come up with.”