As Penelope laid down next to him, Crow shifted to make room for her in the grass and wrapped his free arm around her. He met her gaze and laughed softly as she commented on their “dangerous” mission. “I’d have to agree,” he nodded. “As long as things stay the same, this may be my favorite one yet.” Despite the lightheartedness of his tone, he knew it was unlikely that the rest of their mission would be this peaceful, especially if they found Jaxon. It was partly why he wanted to take advantage of any opportunities they had to relax and enjoy each other’s company now. There was no telling how many more days they would have before the mission really did turn dangerous.

He frowned as he thought about who they were facing once more. Jaxon and his thieves weren’t afraid to kill anyone. If he and the knights couldn’t come up with a plan to outsmart them, or if something went wrong, it was almost a guarantee that they would all die. The leader of the rogue thieves never left survivors. He gave a faint shudder at the thought of something happening to Penelope. He cared little about what happened to Gavin or Olivia, but he couldn’t bear the idea of losing her.

Feeling an unexpected burst of protectiveness for the knight, Crow rolled onto his side and wrapped his other arm around her middle, pulling her close in a sudden embrace. The feeling of her slender frame pressed against him comforted him. However, the moment didn’t last long before he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Glancing up, he saw Gavin standing nearby with his arms crossed as he looked down at them.

“We need to keep moving,” the knight muttered, seeming displeased with how close the two were.

“We’ve still got time,” Crow rolled his eyes, not moving from where he laid beside Penelope. “There’s no reason to rush.”

“The sooner we get to Aramoor, the sooner we can start questioning the locals,” Gavin contended curtly. “We can’t waste time on a mission.”

[i]You just want to leave so we’ll be forced to separate,[/i] Crow thought dryly, though he held himself back from making the comment out loud. “If you’re in such a hurry to leave, then go refill the water flasks for us,” he said dismissively, turning away from the knight to rest his head against Penelope’s. “We can leave when you’ve finished.”

“I already refilled them,” Gavin said with a hint of pride in his voice at having thought ahead of the thief for once. “Get up so we can go.”