As Penelope leaned in to kiss him, Crow closed his eyes and met her halfway, savoring the feeling of her soft lips moving against his. Now that they were only able to see each other once or twice a week at the most, he relished every moment they had to be intimate with each other, to whatever degree that meant. So, when she pulled back again, he had to force himself not to chase after another kiss. Lowering his gaze to look at their intertwined hands, the thief let out a quiet exhale. He longed for the day when they would be able to be together without parting. Only seeing her on occasion was becoming harder to do with each passing day.

 As she spoke up again, he looked up to meet her gaze, feeling a wave of relief when she reluctantly said she would trust him. He was glad that she didn’t insist on telling him to stay away from the battle. It was a promise he didn’t believe he could make, especially if he could find a way to get involved safely. As long as there were options available, he wasn’t going to give up on finding a way to make it work.

At her teasing comment, he rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” he leaned into her jokingly. “The next time you see me, I’ll be the one making knights turn tail and flee.” Despite the cockiness of his words, there was a softness in his gaze as he held her worried green eyes. When she leaned against his shoulder, he rested his head on hers and ran his free hand gently over her arm in a comforting gesture.

He shifted slightly as Penelope brought up Hazel. “We spoke,” he said with a hint of reservation in his voice. “But she’s adamant that she doesn’t need a noble’s help to figure this out.” He shook his head. “She’s a proud woman, so I didn’t expect anything less. I can keep trying to convince her until the battle is over, but I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to change her mind.” Pulling away from her, he looked down to meet her gaze and offered her a half smile. “It’s not all bad though. I have been feeling better lately, so there’s a chance she’s finally gotten on the right track to healing me. We might not need a physician’s help after all.”

Letting go of her hand, Crow slid his arm around Penelope’s waist and leaned in to meet her lips again. He kissed her deeply, running his free hand along her thigh until he finally drew back. “I’m sure everything will work out for the best,” he said breathily, caressing her neck with his hand. “Like I said, I’m not going to give up on our future. One way or another, I’m going to get over this illness.”