"Annoyed by your own excitement, perhaps."
I stare at him for a moment. "If you're going to be insufferable, you might as well make yourself useful," I say, one hand clutching the corset and the other lifting my hair off my neck as I turn and walk back to the mirror. "Help me with this."
He follows without comment, and I watch in the mirror as he studies the mess I've made of the ribbons. His frown deepens. "You barely tied this at all."
"My arms gave out. I was going to walk to Margot's shop and have her fix it." I gasp when he tugs the ribbons sharply. "Gods! Not that tight."
"You were going to walk across town with this falling off you?"
"I would have held it."
"People are half-drunk thanks to those wine dispensers on every corner. It's not safe to walk around like this." He begins unlacing what I've done, his movements careful despite his irritation.
"Like what?" I ask, though I'm only half listening. I'm too busy watching the way his biceps flex with each pull of the ribbon, the controlled strength in his hands.
He lifts his head just long enough to give me a withering look, then returns to his task. "Where were you earlier?"
"The clinic. And then I wanted to see if the rumors about legion guards on every corner were true."
His hands still. "By yourself?"
"No, with my lover," I deadpan.
He tugs the ribbon hard enough to steal my breath. I gasp.
"Goddess strike you, Malachi Bain!" I glare at him in the mirror. "What is wrong with you today?"
He stops lacing entirely, his glare meeting mine in the mirror. "What's wrong with me is that we overheard someone say Shroudmaidens were spotted near the clinic. And when I went to find you, you weren't there."
Something warm blooms in my chest despite the fear his words should inspire. I bite my lip to keep from smiling. "So you were looking for me."
He exhales, something between frustration and amusement. "Yes. I was worried and I was looking for you."
His admission makes my stomach dip. “But you knew I was fine. Because of the bond.”
I say it because I want to know if he's been reaching for it the way I have. If he finds the same strange comfort in it that I do. It's maddening to admit, even to myself. The bond is a reminder of everything I owe, everything I can't escape.
And yet, in the chaos of the last few days, it's become an anchor. The one certain thing in a world that's falling apart around me. He doesn't answer. But he doesn't look away either.
"Did you and Kage actually search for the artifact today," I ask, forcing lightness into my voice. “Or did you just roll around in the sand?"
His lips twitch. “We conducted our search before we went to the Dueling Estate to roll around in the sand.”
"The Dueling Estate?"
"Draven arranged a tour. The place was empty." He resumes lacing, his touch gentler now. "Apparently there's a match at the amphitheater tonight."
"They hold them twice daily during the festival." I frown. "Though I'm not sure how that works if the festival keeps extending." I catch his eye in the mirror. "When exactly is the Reckoning supposed to begin?"
"When the blood moon rises."
"And if it doesn't?"
"It will."
"You really believe we'll be able to see it? The sky here is never clear. The Shroud swallows everything."
"The sprites will stop. The sky will clear. We'll see it." He says it like a man who's repeated the same words to himself a thousand times. "We just have to wait."
