Crow didn’t like how quickly the rest of the trip back to the knights’ camp went by. Even though they ended up detouring to Myrefall first—he and Penelope had managed to convince Gavin to take the slightly longer route so he wouldn’t have to part ways with them as quickly—it still felt much too soon to him to split with Penelope. He wished that he could go with them all the way back to their camp or that she could remain behind with him in the village, but alas, neither of those options were possible, since he couldn’t walk into a camp full of knights, and she couldn’t part with her comrades without alerting her barons to her disappearance.

So, when Myrefall came into view between the trees on their second day of travel, he felt his heart sink a little, knowing that the time had come for him to stay behind. Part of him felt selfish, since it would only be a few days at the most before they would see each other again, but he couldn’t help himself. He craved to have her by his side all the time. The constant back and forth of only seeing her when the timing was convenient for everyone they were involved with frustrated him, and he wished they didn’t have to answer to the beck and call of the other thieves and knights in order to be together.

He looked up again when Penelope told Gavin and Olivia to wait for her at the edge of the village. It took a moment for her former suitor to comply, but after a brief hesitation, the knights walked onward, leaving them behind. Almost as soon as they were out of sight, Penelope turned to address him and pressed a kiss to his lips.

At her question, he nodded. “Two days would be best,” he sighed, slipping his arms around her lower back to hold her close. “I still have to talk to my companions too, but I think I’m going to wait until tomorrow.” He leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes. “Even if I left tonight, I doubt anyone would be awake enough to hear me out, so I’m going to spend the night here and go home in the morning.”

Crow pulled back again, holding her gaze for a moment, before he leaned in and met her lips in a passionate kiss. He snaked one hand up the length of her back to caress her neck as he pulled her even closer to himself. He wished they had more time together, but such as it was, he was just going to have to make the most of what they had left.

After some time had passed—he wasn’t sure how long, because he had lost track of it while his attention had been on the knight—he pulled back from her again and smiled softly. “I love you, Penelope,” he breathed, touching one more gentle kiss to her forehead before taking a step back and letting his arms fall to his sides. “Have a safe trip back, and good luck convincing your barons.”