When Penelope finally caved to his insistent pestering, Crow felt a strange mixture of emotions. Part of him was pleased with himself for having been able to convince her to take the chance with him so easily, but there was another part of him that felt vile for manipulating her like this. He supposed he had always known that he was going to have to use their relationship against her at some point—it was only logical, since her trust in him would give him just the opportunity he needed to get away—but he still hated using her.

[i]Right after I promised her that I would try harder to be honest, too,[/i] he bit the inside of his lip to keep from grimacing at the thought. He hoped his efforts to appease Jaxon would pay off. As long as she stayed safe from harm, everything he was doing behind her back would be worth it. [i]It has to be,[/i] he added silently. [i]Otherwise I’m betraying her trust for nothing.[/i] Feeling his resolve return, he managed to push aside his doubts and guilt for the time being.

“If you say so,” Crow shrugged when Penelope insisted on finishing the rest of her guard shift without help. “Just let me know if you change your mind, okay?” Despite her confidence, he knew it was only a matter of time before the stubborn knight folded to her weariness. Between the valerian root he had slipped her and the act of sleeping together later in the night, he didn’t doubt that she would be too exhausted to stay awake later. It was just a waiting game now.

As she offered him a hand to stand up, he took it willingly. “That sounds good to me,” he agreed, stretching lazily as he made his way over to set up his bed for the night. Off to the side, Alistair and Olivia were fast asleep already. It looked like the thief had pulled his mat up next to the knight’s, as they were in separate beds, but still laid close enough to each other that they were practically touching. Next to them, Rikki had also just finished unfurling her bedroll and was settling down for the night as well.

Crow made quick work of putting out his own mat and then sat down, gesturing for Penelope to join him when he was done. Once she was beside him, he smirked playfully and wrapped his arms around her middle, dragging her down with him as he let himself fall back on the bed. He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and held her tightly against himself, pinning her against his body. “I think I could fall asleep like this,” he sighed with mock contentedness, despite the rather uncomfortable position he had put them in. He closed his eyes, pretending to drift off, “Goodnight, love.”