Page 74 of Commanding Scythe and Sky

“With what?” he bit out.

“That mop you’re two seconds away from ripping out by the roots?”

August blinked, then shook his head. “It’s fine, Mags. I’ll find…”

His words trailed away as I stood, crossed to a drawer, and held up a pair of clippers.

He considered the offer for a moment before setting his tea on the table and rising, the chair screeching softly across the floor.

“I already sent for fresh clothes for you,” I added.

He accepted the clippers with a muttered, “Thank you,” then disappeared into my tiny bathroom. How the warriors managed to fit their broad shoulders into those showers remained a mystery.

“You’re a saint,” he called back.

“Far from it.”

I wiped down the table as the clippers began to hum, returning things to their proper places and straightening the photographs pinned to my walls.

Long minutes passed while we worked in silence. The weight between us steeped ever thicker as I felt August preparing himself for the conversation neither of us wanted to have.

“So…” he called over the buzzing clippers.

“Oh boy. Here we go,” I muttered, bracing myself.

Either he didn’t hear me, or he pretended not to.

“What happened out there?”

“I…”

When my words failed, he finished the thought for me.

“Invoked the Blood Bond.”

“Something like that.”

“Mags.” His groan held equal measures of understanding and reprimand. “Goddammit.”

Somehow, the curse didn’t seem directed at me.

I rounded the corner and peered into the bathroom, only to find his bare back littered with fresh scars and raw wounds that were still bleeding.

“Fucking Grayshellians,” I muttered irritably.

I stepped forward and pressed my hands over the injuries, quickly sealing them.

“Thanks,” he grunted, twisting to reach the back of his head. “Tell me the truth—could I pull off bald?”

I snorted, rolled my eyes, and motioned for the clippers.

“I’d rather you didn’t find out the hard way.”

“Mags, you don’t⁠—”

“Shut up and let me help you.”

His laugh was real this time—deep and rumbling from his chest as he passed me the clippers.