Or was it something else?
I ran my fingers over my cuff again, drawing the symbol that unleashed my powers. Then I called the flames to my hands once more.
No black fingertips.
My horns weren’t appearing either.
Is it my cuff or me?
“Give it to me.” Ezra held out his hand with the command. “Now.”
Part of me wanted to argue, but it seemed frivolous at this point. “Maybe it’s this place messing with my powers,” I told him as I drew a rune to unlock my cuff. “Or the imbalance.” I held out the enchanted item for him. “Or our bond.” Because I hadn’t possessed my horns in Heaven, either.
Nor did they come to me now as he took the cuff from my hands.
Fire licked along my fingertips, my skin remaining pale and unchanged.
I still felt weak, too.
“It’s not our bond.” His tone held a note of confidence that I didn’t quite feel. “Something has been holding us back. I think this is it.”
“But I wasn’t wearing it in Heaven.”
“Right. And I didn’t feel that block in Heaven,” he countered.
My brow furrowed. “You’ve felt a block?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you mention it?” I wondered aloud.
His gaze hardened. “I assumed it was emotional and your lack of faith in me—which I accepted, as it’s warranted. But now I’m wondering if it’s related to this.” He held it up for me as though I didn’t know whatthismeant.
“It’s never been a problem before.” Nor did it truly feel like one now. But my lack of demonic traits was rather telling, as was the exhaustion flowing through my veins. “Someone took that cuff off of me when we…” I trailed off, uncertain of how to finish that statement. “While in Heaven,” I decided on instead. “Maybe someone altered it?”
He opened his mouth as though he wanted to issue a retort or a denial, but then his lips tightened together into a straight line.
His thumb brushed the metal, tracing over the silver markings.
“We should talk to Raphaela,” he said after a long beat of silence. “Find out who removed your cuff.”
“Okay,” I agreed. That seemed like a good place to start.
His chin dipped in acknowledgment, his gaze once more falling to the cuff. “Who gave you this cuff originally? How was it created?”
“Yaz had it commissioned.”
His expression told me he didn’t like that. “Why?”
“To keep me safe.” I folded my arms. “He’s like a protective big brother to me, Ezra. You don’t need to feel threatened by him.”
Ezra snorted. “I don’t feel threatened by him.”
“Sure you don’t. That’s why you’ve been so kind to him, right?”
“I’ve not beenunkindto him, if that’s what you’re implying.”
I arched a brow. “No?”
