Crow’s heart sank at Penelope’s response to his explanation. It seemed that he had been right. She wasn’t going to believe a word out of his mouth, regardless of whether it was the truth or not. He averted his gaze, pained by the venom in her words. Everything she said felt like she was just twisting her sword further into his chest. He wished he could make her see that he wasn’t lying, and that he really hadn’t had another choice. If he’d gone to her like she suggested, and Jaxon found out… He closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to finish the thought.

The worst part was that it didn’t even matter anymore. None of it did. All of his efforts to keep her safe were meaningless now that she had found out about his dealings with Jaxon. As soon as the murderer found out about this—and Crow was certain he would—he was just going to kill her like he did everyone else he saw as a threat, and there was nothing Crow could do to stop him. The thought made him feel like he was drowning.

The thief winced as Penelope called him a coward. The accusation hurt, especially because he knew it to be true of himself. He was a survivor. It was the only way he knew how to live. He would do or say whatever he needed to see another day, regardless of the consequences to anyone else. There was simply no room for justice or loyalty in the life of a criminal. He’d thought things were different after Penelope had come into his life, but it was clear to him now that the only thing that changed was the inclusion of her safety in his survivalist mentality. He still had no allegiances to anything or anyone else.

Crow blinked as he noticed her remove her hand from the hilt of her sword and looked up again, slightly hopeful that perhaps she was changing her mind. However, that hope was quickly dashed when he saw the tears streaming from her eyes. He felt a lump in his throat at the sight, destroyed by the knowledge that he was the one who had caused her that pain. At her following words, his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and betrayal as she questioned if anything he’d said to her had been true at all.

“Penelope…” his voice failed him yet again, and he bit his lip as he felt his own emotions threaten to boil over. Taking a shaky breath, he forced himself to go on. “I love you… You know I’ve always loved you. If you just take a second to think back over everything we’ve been through together, you’ll see that I’ve never lied to you about that.” Momentarily forgetting his intent to run, he took a hesitant step towards her. However, he didn’t get any closer before a second figure suddenly emerged from the trees behind her.

He stumbled backwards in surprise as Gavin marched towards him with his sword drawn and his face contorted with rage. “Stay away from her, [i]thief[/i],” the knight spat threateningly as he planted himself protectively in front of his comrade.

Crow’s eyes flicked between the two nobles as it hit him that he was now outnumbered. Bristling nervously, he stepped slowly back towards the other side of the clearing, seeking to distance himself from them in case either one went after him. “Penelope, please,” his voice cracked as he turned back to her with a pleading look, growing more desperate to convince her that he wasn’t the enemy. “Just hear me out. You can still trust me… I promise you can still trust me.”