As soon as Crow saw John’s breathing grow slow and even, a devious smile crossed his lips, and he reached to retrieve his pick lock key from his boot. He made quick work of the chain on his wrist and was already sitting up by the time Penelope reached him from the other side of the room. When she got to his bed, he looked up at her in the darkness, amused that she had risked coming to him this time, but also impressed by how quietly she had walked across the wooden floor to do so. It looked like she was just getting better and better at sneaking around, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride over it.

“Me too,” he whispered when she commented on how quickly her father had fallen asleep. Of course, it didn’t matter too much, since they would have been able to visit with each other even if the older knight had fallen asleep later, but it was certainly nice to have the extra time. He slid carefully on his mattress to let his legs hang over the edge of the bed, wanting to be closer to her as they talked.

At her next words, he shook his head in agreement. “You’re telling me,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her hips to pull her close to him. “I can’t wait until we can be together without anyone trying to stand in our way.” He leaned his head against her chest and looked up at her with an affectionate smile. “On the bright side, it might not be much longer until that day.” If Penelope was forced to run away with him to avoid having her marriage arranged by her father, they would finally be able to have what they wanted. Of course, it wasn’t ideal for her to leave her battalion before the war was over, but he couldn’t deny that he was excited to be with her they way they dreamed, despite the consequences.

Suddenly wanting to be a little closer to her, Crow silently stood up from his bed and leaned in to press a passionate kiss to her lips. He lingered for a while before he shifted to touch a few more tender kisses along her jaw and neck. “I have an idea,” he murmured in her ear, giving the lobe a soft bite. “Why don’t we take this somewhere a little more… private?” Trailing his lips along her skin, he brought one hand up to the side of her neck and smirked mischievously. While he’d been intending to wait until they reached the castle, they had a perfect opportunity to slip away right now. John seemed to be sleeping soundly, so as long as they returned before the morning, he would never know they were gone.

“I know the perfect place we can go too,” he went on, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze. “So, what do you say, love? Want to take advantage of this opportunity the gods have blessed us with tonight?”