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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow couldn’t see anything through his tears as he headed blindly through the woods towards his camp, following the path home by memory since he was helpless to do anything else. Now that he was far enough away from the knights that he felt sure he was alone, he had let his suppressed emotions break free to ravage his body. The pain was worse than any physical injury he had ever received, and at one point he even convinced himself that he must be dying. After all, what else could cause him to feel like this, aside from a mortal wound?

He brought a hand up to clutch at his chest, wishing he could make the unbearable pain go away, but unable to do anything to an injury that he couldn’t see or touch. More tears fell from his eyes, unrepressed. He was certain now that he had lost Penelope. This was the worst he had ever hurt her. Surely even she, as patient and forgiving as she was, wouldn’t take him back after what he had done. He choked as a sob threatened to escape his lips.

Vaguely, he was aware that he needed to try and stay more alert as he traveled alone through the forest. If a local knight found him in his current state, he would be in no condition to defend himself. But he couldn’t stop thinking about Penelope; he couldn’t get the image of her heartbroken face out of his mind. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lifted both of his hands to his head, willing the mental picture to go away. He couldn’t believe he had hurt her like that. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone else, yet he only seemed to cause her more pain.

Maybe she’s better off with someone like Gavin after all, he choked again. I was a fool to ever think I was good enough to be with her. All I’ll ever be is a lowly criminal. Suddenly, he felt a sting in his cheek, and he flinched, opening his eyes again to find that he had cut himself on a low-hanging tree branch in his distraction. The small wound burned as it mixed with the salt from his tears, but it was still nothing compared to the anguish he felt on the inside.

Crow continued walking back to his camp, but as soon as he could hear the waterfall in the distance, he slowed to a stop. As tired as he was from the emotionally exhausting night, he didn’t want his companions to see him like this. They didn’t need to know about what had happened between him and Penelope—in fact, he didn’t want them to find out yet. He already knew how they would react. Hazel would be pleased that he wasn’t with a noblewoman anymore, while Rikki would console him at first and later point out that she had been right all along. The only one he trusted with the information was Alistair, but even then, he didn’t want to tell the other thief because his emotions were still too raw. He needed more time to cope on his own.

So, gazing dully ahead, he turned and headed into the deeper part of the woods until he found a secluded spot near the edge of the river where he laid down to be alone, closing his eyes as he continued to cry until his heart grew numb, and he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Man, I low key almost cried writing that post TuT

Also, I see this playing out that Crow tries to stay away from Penelope, but ends up going to Jaxon's camp on his own (same time the knights would go) because he's worried about her

Yep, haha. I needed it cx

--

EDIT: Hey so I just got out of the shower and I had a really cool idea for the final battle when the knights attack the thieves' camp! I don't normally like to get super detailed in planning like this, but it's so good. I really want to share it xD

Basically, my idea is that the knights would send a bunch of their members to take out the thieves, but during the battle, Jaxon is nowhere to be found. While they're all fighting, he eventually appears to ambush Penelope from behind while she's locked in combat with another enemy, but before he kills her, Crow (he would have just gotten to the scene after running from his camp) jumps in front of his sword to save her. He ends up near fatally wounded, which just leaves Penelope to face off against Jaxon by herself in the final boss battle cx

I think it's a super epic way to conclude this part of the story, but what are your thoughts? If you've got any other ideas, I'm down to hear them!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Penelope and Gavin agreed not to say anything to the other thieves about his betrayal, Crow felt a little more relieved. He was still ashamed with himself for asking the knights to keep his secret, but he couldn’t risk letting his companions find out that he had been working for the man who had killed Simon, especially if they heard it from someone else. If they were ever going to learn of his dealings with Jaxon, he was going to be the one to tell them, himself.

As the knights spoke amongst each other again, he took another step away from them, feeling like he had been outcasted. Gavin had always tried to exclude him from their plans, but this was the first time Penelope had done so too. It hurt him to listen to her speak with her ex suitor like he was just some feral animal that couldn’t be trusted to be included in the discussion, and he wondered again if there was any hope that she would ever trust in him after all of this was over.

At her last question to him, Crow felt another stab of hurt. It seemed that she didn’t just want to keep him out of their plans; she wanted to push him out of the mission completely. He felt like he was being crushed beneath her words. Even after everything that had happened that night, he had thought that she would at least be willing to give him a chance to keep working with her and her comrades. To find out that she didn’t want to be around him anymore was devastating.

Is there even any point to going with her though? he thought dismally. She’s making it pretty clear that she doesn’t want anything more to do with me. Maybe I should just cut my losses and let her go. He took a shaky breath, fighting back against tears that stung his eyes as he began to lose control of his swirling emotions. This wasn’t how he had thought things would go at all. He had wanted to prove to her that he could be the man she deserved and stay by her side unwaveringly throughout the war. He’d really thought he could do it too… but then that cursed murderer had come along and ruined everything. He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a moment to force himself to calm down. As much as it hurt, he refused to show his pain to the knights.

“You’re right,” he said numbly, unable to bring himself to look her in the eyes. “I shouldn’t get involved.” He took another step back, turning slightly as he prepared to leave the knights behind. However, before he did, he paused and added softly, “Goodbye, Penelope… I hope you catch him.” With that, he turned quickly and headed out of the clearing, hiding his face from the others as the tears that he could no longer suppress began to flow freely down his cheeks.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's starting to get scared that she's going to leave him xc

We ended up staying home actually xD
My husband got home from work at 2am, and I'm so used to him being here that I can't sleep alone anymore, so we decided to sleep in instead

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow glared at Gavin as the knight accused him of giving them another false lead. He wished the other man would just give up on fighting with him already. Why would he lead them astray again when they had already caught him speaking with Jaxon? He wasn’t stupid. His cover was gone, so if he lied again, he would practically be turning himself in as a traitor. Not knowing what Gavin might do to him in his anger, he wasn’t about to risk playing with that fire.

Besides the more logical reasons, he also desperately wanted to earn Penelope’s trust back. It pained him to see her look at him like he was an enemy. He knew he had messed up pretty badly when he had gotten caught working for Jaxon, but he was still the same man she had fallen in love with. His heart felt like it was being constricted every time she casted her cold and hurting gaze upon him, and he could practically see the wedge that was driving them apart. Even if he continued to be honest with her, there was a part of him that wondered if it would ever be enough to restore their relationship. In the situation as it was now, it seemed unlikely.

He lowered his gaze to the ground, wallowing in his heartache as the two knights continued to speak as if he wasn’t even there. He longed to speak to Penelope about everything that had happened, to tell her why he had been working for their enemy, but he knew it would have been pointless to try. She didn’t even trust him enough to give her a real lead, so there was no way she would believe everything else that had happened. The thought made him feel hollow inside as he wondered if she would even want to be with him after this. He was starting to think that she wouldn’t. After all, why would she choose a thief who had lied to her and let her comrades die? It didn’t make sense. He bit the inside of his lip as he felt his emotions threaten to overtake him again.

Crow was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Penelope ask him her question. What did get his attention was Gavin’s loud voice that followed. “Hey,” the knight said sharply, making him flinch in surprise. “Answer the question, thief.”

Crow stared at the two knights blankly. “S-sorry,” he stammered after a moment as he realized he must have missed something. “…What?”

Gavin ground his teeth in frustration before repeating his comrade’s question in a growl, “Do those other thieves of yours know about all of this?”

“No,” Crow answered in a quiet voice, shifting his weight as the question raised another concern in his mind. His companions were another issue he had yet to deal with. They didn’t know about his involvement with Jaxon, but now that his cover had been blown with the knights, there was no more reason for him to keep them in the dark. He shuddered to think how they would react if they learned he had been working for the man they all loathed so much… especially Hazel. The image of her distraught face appeared in his mind, and he cringed. He couldn’t tell them the truth.

“I’m the only one who’s been working with Jaxon,” he went on after a pause. “The others don’t know I have been either, and I don’t want them to find out.” He forced himself to hold their gazes seriously. “They can’t know I’ve been helping that murderer, so please… don’t tell them.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He caved

That'll be my last one tonight. I've gotta be up at like 7:30 tomorrow I'm going to die :'D so I'm gonna sign off for bed.
Night~

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow felt his chest tighten as Penelope used his words to Gavin to insist that they needed to capture the other thief. This wasn’t what he had been trying to do at all. The only reason he had brought up Jaxon’s threats was to prove to the knights that he was on their side and that the murderer was too dangerous to make an enemy out of. It might have been too late for Gavin, since he had killed one of Jaxon’s men, but he and Penelope still had a chance to get out of this mess with their lives intact—assuming he could keep her discovery of his deal a secret, that is. Suddenly wary that they could be being watched, he glanced out at the surrounding trees, standing tensely as he looked for signs of movement.

His attention was drawn back to Penelope as she went on to say that she didn’t want his protection. He felt a stab of hurt as she even brought up his promise to her, averting his gaze guiltily as the mention of it only served to remind him of his failure to be the man she deserved. At her final words, he looked up to meet her gaze again with a pained expression. She really thought he would abandon her to save himself? He may not have had a sense of loyalty to anyone else, but he would never do something so callous to her.

“I’m not going to leave you,” he murmured. “I really meant it when I said we were a team… I’m just sorry I haven’t been a good partner.” Shifting his weight again, he toyed absently with the hilt of his dagger as he considered her words. Even though he was worried about the consequences of getting the knights further involved with Jaxon, he was beginning to wonder if he was making the wrong decision. Maybe he needed to start being a better teammate.

Taking a steeling breath, Crow forced himself to hold her gaze. “His camp is in the forest halfway between Aramoor and Wheldrake,” he finally confessed. “But there’s more to it than that.” He wavered slightly before going on. “I’ve been to their camp, and there are more of them than there were when I saw them last… a lot more. If I had to take a guess, I’d say I counted at least thirty thieves.” He shook his head, running a hand nervously through his hair. “They’re practically a battalion by themselves, and they’re much more ruthless. I honestly don’t even know how you could expect to approach them and win.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow is still hesitant to tell her because he's afraid of losing her xc

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow’s eyes flicked towards Gavin as the knight tried to get involved. He clenched his jaw, wishing Penelope’s former suitor would stay out of their affairs. His blind hatred wasn’t going to help anything when the thief needed her to see that he wasn’t trying to deceive her anymore. The sword in his hands certainly wasn’t helping either, since the thief had to keep it in the corner of his eye at all times. If the knight charged at him, he needed to be prepared to escape.

His eyes drifted back to Penelope in mild surprise as she gestured for her comrade to lower his weapon. Holding his breath, he let a small bubble of hope rise up in his chest. Was she going to give him a chance after all? It certainly looked that way, since she had stopped Gavin from attacking him. Perhaps there was still some trust inside of her despite everything that had happened. His heart pounded nervously as he forced himself to wait patiently for her reply.

Unfortunately, her first words were far from what he had expected them to be, and his hopes were dashed once again as she said that she shouldn’t trust him. He bit his tongue, fighting the urge to tell her how wrong she was. He may have sided with Jaxon, and he may have been willing to work for the enemy kingdom, but everything he did had always been for her. In every decision he made, she had been at the forefront of his mind. He just wished there was some way to make her understand that.

“I’ll give you a chance though.”

Crow nearly swayed on his feet, he was so weak with relief. Even after she had seen him with their enemy, Penelope was still willing to let him prove himself to her. He couldn’t begin to express how grateful he was for her patience. Of course, Gavin tried to intervene and change her mind, but she seemed firm in her decision. He opened his mouth to tell her that she wouldn’t regret showing him mercy and that he wouldn’t let her down again, but she spoke first.

His resolve wavered slightly as she told him that he was going to have to earn her trust back this time, and he shifted his weight uncomfortably as she demanded to know where Jaxon’s camp was. “I do know where it is,” he admitted quietly, lowering his gaze. “But… it’s not that easy.” He forced himself to look up at her again with a grimace. “He made me pledge that I wouldn’t tell anyone. If he finds out I did, he’ll kill all of us.”

“I knew it,” Gavin scoffed, turning to Penelope. “See? This bastard isn’t going to help us. All he cares about is protecting his criminal friends. We need to end it before he lets anyone else get hurt.”

“That’s not true,” Crow snapped suddenly, narrowing his eyes at the knight. “Why can’t you see that I’m trying to protect you both? I always have been. It’s what I was doing when you followed me the last time too! I wasn’t threatening you when I said you would die if you didn’t keep your nose to yourself, I was trying to warn you that Jaxon would kill you if you insisted on getting involved. But of course, you didn’t listen, and now look what happened! You killed one of his men, and now he’s hellbent on getting revenge.” He curled his hands into fists, trembling slightly as he tried to reign in his temper. “Now, he’s just going to keep sending assassins after you until you die, and there’s nothing more that I can do to convince him not to.”

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

If possible, the inside of the house was even more stunning than the outside. The first room Jett stepped into was thoroughly modern in design, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, a multitude of hanging and free-standing artwork, and a neat arrangement of comfy-looking chairs and a sectional couch in the center. There were few dividers between the different rooms, so the living area and kitchen space overlapped, giving the first floor an open and inviting feeling.

A crew member hurried over to relieve Jett of his bags and waved a hand, gesturing at the bar on the far end of the room where the other participants were all gathered. Jett followed the motion with his storm gray eyes, lingering by the doorway as he took a moment to look over the people he would he living with for the next few months. Right away, he spotted a couple other famous musicians that he knew, Bella Michaels and David Hopper, along with a few celebrities he was familiar with, but had never met in person before. A smile spread over his lips as he watched the small crowd from a distance. Just based on the personalities that had been invited to take part in the show alone, he could already tell this was going to be a wild ride.

Jett murmured a quick ‘thank you’ to the crew member who had just finished collecting his luggage, and then headed towards the group, eager to grab a drink and join in the conversations. As he got closer, he noticed a bartender rushing back and forth to prepare and set out a variety of classic drinks on a quartz-topped table nearby. It wasn’t a long shot to guess that the poor guy had been told by production to make enough to keep the cast drunk and happy. He stepped up to the table to look over the display. Fancy, crystal glasses were filled to the brim with the alcoholic beverages and garnished extravagantly. He recognized Old Fashioneds, Martinis, Mai Tais, and White Russians to name a few. It looked like there were plenty of options to satisfy all kinds of tastes. They really went all out, huh?

This show was pretty much a fancy vacation to Jett, so he selected a Mojito for himself—to get the full vacation experience, of course. With a glass in hand, he turned back to the rest of the group, bringing the minty drink to his lips as he worked on deciding who he wanted to talk to first. The easiest thing to do would be to start with someone he already knew, especially since half of the people here were probably crazy fans of the celebrity guests. He’d had enough close calls with some of his own fans in the past to be at least a little wary of approaching someone he didn’t know.

However, the decision was made for him when a familiar voice called out his name. He turned to see Bella Michaels making her way over from the other side of the crowd, grinning broadly as she headed towards him with her arms outstretched.

“Hey, long time no see,” Jett set his drink down on the bar to greet her with a friendly hug and a pat on the back. It had been about a year since the last time he and Bella had crossed paths. Last summer, she had sung a duet with him for one of the songs he’d written that had needed a female vocal counterpart. Not only did he admire her talent as a singer, but he’d also found that they’d gotten along quite well during the collaboration and even kept in touch off and on after he’d gone back to New York. It was great to see her again.

“I had no idea you were going to be doing this too!” Bella said excitedly. “I mean, I heard there were going to be other singers, but what were the odds we both got invited to join this show?”

“Who knows?” Jett shrugged, picking up his drink again to take another sip as he leaned back against the bar. He glanced over the crowd of people once more, “Whatever the case, I’m excited to see where this thing goes.”

“Me too,” Bella nodded in agreement as she followed his gaze. “Have you met any of the guests who had to audition to join yet? The ones I’ve talked to have all been nice so far.”

“No, I just got here.,” he shook his head and then turned back to her with an amused look. “I’m glad you already tested the waters though. I wasn’t sure what sort of people they invited to live with us, and I really don’t feel like starting off my summer getting mauled by a rabid fan, you know?”

Bella laughed, “Lucky for us, they seemed to have picked a nice, semi-normal bunch of people, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.” She lifted a hand to rest briefly on his shoulder before taking a step back to head slowly toward the crowd. “Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I’ll see you around, Jett.”

“Same to you, Bella,” he lifted his glass to her in a lazy gesture of goodbye as she wandered off to chat with some of the other girls that he didn’t recognize.

Jett was just about to follow her lead and approach a couple of unfamiliar guys, when another thought crossed his mind. They were still waiting for the last couple of people to arrive, so he had a bit of time to look around the house. This could be my last chance to explore without a camera following my every move. Being a people-person nearly to a fault, he loved meeting and getting to know new faces, but he had all summer to do that with this crowd. So, instead of joining the rest of the group, he turned and walked over to the living area side of the massive room instead.

Unsure how long it would be until the final participants arrived, he only took a little while to wander, but in that time, he discovered a number of interesting things about the house, including a small aquarium built into one of the interior pillars, an enormous infinity pool on the back patio, a piano in one of the parlors—he made a mental note to remember that detail—and an open-air bar. By the time he came back to join the others at the bar he was grinning excitedly, already picturing the luxurious summer he was going to have at this millionaire estate.

Apparently, he’d had perfect timing too. As soon as he returned to the rest of the cast, he noticed that the announcer and camera crew had joined the party. The rest of the show members must have arrived while he was gone. Quickly finishing off the rest of the drink in his hand, he stepped up to fill the nearest gap between two other people as the man with the microphone prepared to address them all.

“Alright!” the announcer said loudly. “It’s good to see you’re all getting to know each other. The people standing around you now will be your friends, your comrades, your family, your rivals, your partners in crime, and for some of you… your lovers.”

They’re really hung up on this ‘lovers’ thing, Jett mused, folding his arms loosely across his chest as he listened to the wordy speech. Romantic flings must make for good ratings in this type of show.

“From now until the end of summer, this dream house is yours to use as you please,” the announcer went on. “You have access to all of it: the pool, the game room, the theater, the bar… everything is yours through September. The only place you won’t be able to wander to and from at all hours of the day is that cozy little spot outside.” He pointed at a covered area to the right of the pool outside, where three, cushioned benches were arranged around a fireplace. “That is where we’ll be filming all of your confessionals throughout the show. So, apart from there, you have free reign.

“As for your rooms, they’ve already been assigned, and your luggage has been dropped off accordingly. Whenever you’re ready, you can go find the room with your nameplate and arrange it however you’d like. Now then, I think I’ve done enough jabbering. Go and enjoy yourselves in this oceanside paradise!”

As if on cue, the lights dimmed, and loud, electronic party music played out over speakers that Jett couldn’t see. Immediately, the circle of cast members folded in on itself as people began talking, drinking, and dancing together. Meanwhile, the camera crew circled the crowd predatorily in search of captivating scenes to catch on film. The sight sent a thrill of excitement through Jett. This was exactly the kind of atmosphere he had been hoping to find when he’d accepted this summer gig.

Since it was the first party of the summer, he supposed now was as good a time as any to meet some new people. Grabbing an Old Fashioned from the drink table, he slipped into the crowd and sauntered up to the first girl he saw, a tall blonde with a pretty face. Having approached her from behind, he tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. “Hey there,” he grinned, speaking loudly so that she would be able to hear him over the blaring music. “Want to dance?”