Page 24 of A Blackened Bond

“Whogave this to you, Micai?” He finally shifts his gaze toward me, a desperation building in his eyes.

Butwhy?

What did Ezra know, andhowdid he know about it?

“Why? Do you know what it is?” Had he encountered something like this metal bracelet before?

He hesitates for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“Not exactly. It’s one of my abilities.” He flits his gaze toward me before looking toward Annex behind me. They share a look before Ezra continues. “I can feel and sense magic, and I can also reflect and manipulate certain types as well.”

My brows raise. That’s quite an omission. Andnota normal ability of witches or shifters.

I always thought Ezra was some sort of Fae or hybrid mix, but I had never heard of them having such abilities.

Ezra’s eyes narrow at the bracelet. “And I can feel the energy off of it. It’s stagnant and dark. It’s something given with ill intent, Micai. This bracelet…” His lip curls up in disgust, “It’s laced with something…murky. It’s a twisted and tainted kind of energy. Even holding it for such a short period feels like it’s siphoning something from inside me—” His eyes suddenly widen.

“You haven’t been wearing this, have you?” Worry creases his brows and pinches his lips into a frown.

I shake my head. “I haven’t worn it in a while.”

Relief takes over his features for a brief moment before he turns back toward me.

“A while? Meaning you’ve worn it before?” Panic sets into his gaze as he throws the bracelet onto the dresser and starts to check me over, asking a dozen questions all at once.‘How long I had worn it?’,‘How did I feel right now?’or ‘Was I feeling strange or sick in any way?’

Thankfully, I had stopped wearing the bracelet the instant I came back, and felt so much better for it.

I knew there was something eerie about the bracelet, something dark and reminiscent of the shackles I wore in The Facility. They also made me feel weak and restrained me.They had to be connected.

Andshehad to have known something.

If I could just find out where it was from or how she got her hands on it, then maybe I could find my first proper link to The Facility.

“What’s going on, Ez…” His blue eyes narrow toward the small bracelet. “What the fuck is it? And what was it doing to Red?”

I shake my head, flickering my eyes between their two worried gazes.

“I’m fine. I stopped wearing it before we even met. I promise I don’t feel sick in any way. I actually feel the best I ever have since I stopped wearing it.”

Ezra sighs. “That makes sense.” He glances down at the bracelet. “I think it might have some type of draining or absorption magic spelled into it…” His words cut off, colour draining from his face with some type of realisation dawning on him. “Micai. How long had you been wearing it?” A somber look floods his gaze, his voice falling to a low whisper as he watches me. “Is that why you wereweakbefore and why everyone thought you had no magic or power?”

“Wait, what—” Calls Annex, glancing back and forth between Ezra and me. A look of anger starts to bubble and ooze in Ezra’s eyes.

“Who?” The word seeps from his lips, a promise of death in the single syllable as a murderous expression takes over his features. “Who the hell has been doing this to you?” He steps toward me, anger rolling off him in waves. “Who gave this to you?”

Annex also takes a step toward me, his dark expression mirroring Ezra’s. “Give us a name, Red. And I’ll shove the little metal chain down the bastard’s throat—”

“That’s not enough.” Calls Ezra, glaring back at the small looped metal. “They made her suffer for god knows how long.”

“How long was it, Red?” Annex asks, his brows pinched together as his eyes trail up and down me.

“Over three years.”In this life.

Their eyes widen, a shaky breath leaving Ezra’s lips. “Years.”

“Who?” Demands Annex darkly.

I look between both sets of eyes as my lips part, the word tumbling from my mouth in a soft whisper. “Seria.”

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