As Penelope got up from where she had been laying on his chest, Crow stretched languidly and rolled onto his side to settle down more comfortably on his bed. He was still nervous about falling asleep, but as the night wore on, it was growing harder for him to fight the urge to let go. His eyelids drooped wearily as he watched her get ready to leave, and he lightly bit his tongue to stifle a yawn. Even if he had decided he was going to sleep by himself, he didn’t want to pass out until she had left his bedchamber.

When she stepped back over to his bed, he nodded and smiled tiredly at the kiss she planted on his cheek. “I hope so too,” he sighed, shuddering slightly at the thought of reliving his nightmare again. Despite his brief moment of distress, the knight’s touch calmed him. He gave in to the impulse to close his eyes as she ran her hand down his arm. “I love you, Penelope,” he murmured.

He waited for the sound of her receding footsteps followed by the turn of the door handle before he rolled over again, suddenly a little more nervous about falling asleep than he had been when she’d been with him in the room. Part of him was tempted to fight his exhaustion by getting out of bed and pacing, but he was so tired. With each passing second, the temptation to let go and risk the nightmare grew more appealing.

[i]Maybe it won’t happen this time,[/i] he thought to himself, drawing his blanket up to his chin and letting out a slow exhale. The dream had only appeared once, after all. That didn’t mean it was going to plague him as it had in the past. With that thought in mind, he finally relinquished control and let himself drift off to sleep.