Crow closed his eyes as Penelope nestled against him in the grass, enjoying the time they had left before they would inevitably have to part ways again. He wished he could keep her close. The attack on Gavin had been surprising to hear about, but it also stirred a deep fear inside of him that Jaxon wasn’t finished yet. It was possible that the other thief had only gone after the knight because he had been suspicious, but if he found out that Crow’s secret was hanging by a thread, he might decide to end their deal and send someone to kill Penelope next. The thought made him shudder faintly and tighten his embrace around her protectively.

The not knowing was stressful, but at least he wouldn’t have to wait long before he could question Jaxon about it. Since they were meeting again the following night, he could find out for sure what was happening on the other thief’s end. He just hoped he wasn’t too late to convince Jaxon that he was still valuable enough to keep around, despite Gavin’s incessant need to get involved. If he could just do that, then he could also keep the murderer from going after Penelope, since he wouldn’t work for him unless she stayed safe.

After a while, he felt her shift against him and looked down to meet her gaze as she apologized. “Don’t worry about it,” he shook his head, offering her a reassuring smile. “You obviously had a lot on your mind tonight.” He leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him, and then laughed softly at her following words. “Right. You can be sure I won’t forget that.” He winked at her coyly and hugged her close, pressing a playful kiss to her nose before he loosened his grip on her again.

As she moved to collect her clothes, Crow followed her lead, reaching out to grab his pants that laid on the ground nearby. He stood up and slipped the clothing on, glancing up at her as she suggested meeting again in four days. “I’m starting to suspect that you enjoy making me wait,” he smirked at her teasingly as he bent over to pick up his tunic. Sliding the fabric over his head, he stepped over to wrap his arms around her and touch a quick kiss to her lips. “But alright,” he gave an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose I can manage four more days if that’s what you want to do.”

Chuckling softly, he kissed her once more and then stepped back again, “I love you, Penelope. Please be safe until the next time we meet.”