Crow smiled when Penelope kissed him on the cheek and then shrugged carelessly as she proceeded to call him stubborn. He had gone most of his life relying on himself to survive and handle his own problems, and he wasn’t about to stop now. Of course, he allowed for some exceptions, including the knight and the other thieves he’d been living with during the war, but he had no intention of expanding that circle—especially not with the nobles in the castle. Telling someone else about his nightmares would mean telling them about the reason for his dream, and he didn’t trust anyone here with that personal of a secret.

So, when she was willing to let the issue drop, the viceroy was relieved. He leaned his head back on his pillow and left his arms wrapped around her as he relaxed on the bed. For a while, the room was quiet, and he didn’t think much of it until he realized she hadn’t said anything to him for some time. Curious, he glanced down at her and then smiled affectionately when he saw that she was falling asleep against his chest. He gently ran his hand down and up her back in a soothing gesture. Even though he knew it was risky for her to fall sleep in his room with him, he couldn’t help but find her tired face endearing.

The moment didn’t last long. As Penelope lifted her head again, Crow exhaled softly and turned his head to let his eyes wander aimlessly over the side of the bedchamber. Fighting sleep was such a dull activity. He wished he could do more to entertain himself, but he didn’t want to draw any attention to his room by lighting a lamp or making noise. His eyes flicked back to the knight. He supposed there [i]was[/i] one thing they could do… again. However, she was clearly tired, and he was only interested for the sake of staving off boredom. He doubted she would take him up on it if he offered.

[color=fff79a][b]“Do you want me to stay?”[/b][/color]

Crow blinked, surprised by the sudden question. He’d thought it had been established that it was too risky for her to stay longer, so he hadn’t expected her to make the offer now. As she went on to explain her logic, he looked up at the ceiling to think it over. He would have been lying if he’d said he didn’t want her to stay with him, but he also didn’t feel right about it.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that for me,” he shook his head after a moment, glancing down at her with an amused smile. “You can barely stay awake as you are right now, love. You should get some sleep. I’ll be fine by myself.” He leaned down to press a tender kiss to her lips and then pulled back to meet her gaze again, running one hand softly over the back of her head. “It was kind of you to offer though. I appreciate it, but I really do think it would be best if you go back to your own room.”