When Crow got back to the camp, he paused by the edge of the clearing to see what was going on since he had left. From what he could tell, not much had changed. Alistair and Olivia had yet to return from their little getaway, Rikki was lying on her bedroll flat on her back as she gazed dully up at the stars, and Penelope was by the firepit with Gavin, helping to prepare their dinner for the night. He hesitated for a brief moment longer before he began to make his way over to her, hooking his thumbs into his trouser pockets to keep himself from subconsciously fidgeting with the valerian he had hidden away. Though he doubted the knights would be able to tell what he was up to by restlessness alone, he didn’t want them to catch on that something was off.

He knelt down beside Penelope when he reached her at the fire pit, wrapping his arms around her in an affectionate embrace. Off to the side, he caught a glimpse of Gavin, who was casting him a disgusted look from where he was seasoning the chicken. Somehow, there almost seemed to be more hostility in his gaze than usual, although Crow couldn’t think of a reason why. Perhaps the knight was mad at him for undermining his authority more than usual during this trip? Whatever it was, it wasn’t important enough to dwell on now. He turned his attention back to Penelope.

“So, he’s got you working on the vegetables, huh?” Crow mused, casting her a fond grin. While his expression was friendly, his mind was already working on a way to slip the valerian root into their supper without alerting either of the two knights. His eyes darted briefly to the pot Gavin had set out to cook the vegetables. It was already filled with water. He bit back a smirk. In the darkness, no one would notice if he added one more plant of his own before the food was poured in.

Switching his focus back to Penelope, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, ignoring the way Gavin wrinkled his nose nearby. “I’m excited to see how this turns out,” he said, pushing back against a sudden wave of guilt he felt knowing that he was going to be tampering with her very first cooked meal. Reminding himself that it was worth it to keep her safe, he leaned in a little closer to her, holding her gaze with an alluring expression as he tried to keep her attention fixed on him. Again, he noticed Gavin watching them from the corner of his eye, and he fought the urge to shoot the knight a glare. He needed to make the other man stop looking at them, or else he wouldn’t be able to slip the valerian into the pot.

[i]I know just how to make him do that,[/i] he thought as he recalled something that always seemed to make Gavin avert his eyes. Continuing to hold Penelope’s gaze, he reached up with one hand to gently caress her cheek. “You’re going to be an amazing wife,” he murmured with a soft smile. In the next instant, he leaned in even closer to close the distance between them with a passionate kiss. As he kissed her, he cracked one eye open to see that Gavin, as expected, was now looking elsewhere. Perfect.

Crow pressed deeper into Penelope’s lips, trailing one hand down the length of her back as he carefully reached into his pocket with the other. Locating the valerian, he gave the thin stem a quick twist between two fingers, separating the flower from the root, and then smoothly withdrew the root and dropped it into the pot of water.

Having finished what he had come to do, he finally pulled back from the kiss with a grin, as if he was lightheaded. “I never get tired of that,” he chuckled breathlessly, running his fingers through her hair.