previously titled beserk
A young gay witch with deadly powers on the fringe is traveling the U.S. in search of a substitute for suppressing his magic and a way to control his powers. Ezra Pierce was born into a religiously strict family with no one...
"life gets hard sometimes, i know, darling look at me, you are not broken beyond repair, you are always capable of mending. you will always mend." w o r d c o u n t : 1,281
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Ezra could only trace his fingers over the gashes still prominent on his flesh. Even with the collar of his jacket upturned against the harsh cold, they were there. They were visible, peeking up from his neck, slithering out on the back of his hands with angry red vigor.
Ilan watched him fret for a moment before seizing his hand and welding it to his side.
Ezra wanted to leave the hospital and he couldn't take no for an answer, knowing that there were so many apologies he had to make. After being formally discharged they prescribed him some pain medication.
They wanted lasting damage and they got it.
Nights were spent attempting to focus on anything other than his own terror. Alone time was hardly a possibility anymore unless he wanted another panic attack.
He became her guardian and she his savior.
And as Ezra watched Ilan's cheery disposition disappear, guilt festered inside him. It twisted his organs into a knot and climbed up his throat to suffocate him. He dragged her into a mess that she didn't deserve.
He and Ilan were training together, each of them improving their skills. Ezra could wield his lightning like a sword and it fit easier in his hand than anything else.
This technique would revolutionize the way a witch could fight. With a steady flow of magic, they could easier build up a tolerance and be able to harness much more of their power and keep it going for longer. With the weapon, they would no longer have to rely on small bursts of power.
Paul hadn't spoken to him or made any effort to. Each of them was waiting for the other to make the first move toward forgiveness. And each of them was too damn stubborn for their own good.
Ilan bought a small house toward the outskirts of Forks. Diarmuid had transferred the compound's funds to her mere minutes before the fire started, meaning he knew what was coming.
Zephyr looked into it but it was a dead end. The funds were transferred, the account closed, and that was the end of it.
She converted the office into a room for Zephyr who claimed there was no reason they return home. They had no family. Zephyr was willing to stay with them and help them and the witches were incredibly grateful for it.
Ezra stayed there too. The Cullen house was too much for him and he had to watch out for Ilan. He was never going to leave her alone again.
He needed to visit the wolves, Emily especially. It had been forever since he had seen her and he found himself craving the presence of the human.
He thought he'd see Bella on the way, see if she wanted to come along. It was her first day back from Jacksonville.
There was so much to do, being back in town. With the rising Shade population he knew there could be a time he had to leave without notice, so Ezra knew he had to make the best of his time.
The clean fall air stung his nose with every breath and Ezra took a sip from his thermos of tea. Carlisle banned him from caffeine, hoping that without it, sleep would be a little easier.
Spotting Edward, Bella, and Jake, Ezra made his way over to them. The air was tense as the two entered the group and obviously, Bella was thrust into the middle.
The brunette lit up at the sight of him. "Ezra, you're okay." She breathed, rushing to him and embracing the witch tightly. He grunted at the impact, his sore wounds crying out at the force. "Oh god, I'm sorry!"
Ezra smiled tightly. "Don't be, I'm alright. It's good to see you too, Bell."
"Ezra, you're back. And you brought a friend." Jake noted dryly, looking Ilan up and down. "Done abandoning Paul or are you going to rip his heart out again?"
"You have no right to speak to him that way," Ilan growled, leaning forward with a harsh snarl.
"Ilan, don't." Ezra grabbed her arm lightly, pulling her back before turning back to Jacob. "You have no room to speak to me. I did what I had to do. Paul doesn't want me around and I'm not going to wait around while my species is in a civil war."
Jacob rolled his eyes like a dramatic child before turning back to Edward. "I'm not here for you. Bella has a right to know. She's the one the redhead wants."
Bella let out a shocked breath, her face contorting with panic. "Victoria?" Edward let his eyes fall shut in frustration, turning toward the human. "Alice's vision,"
"I was trying to protect you," Edward whispered while Jake watched the argument with sick glee.
"By lying to me?" Bella asked, her voice cracking with pain. "Okay, we're going to talk about this." She turned to Jacob but all Ezra could find himself thinking about was Paul.
He missed him so much that Ezra couldn't feel the pain of his wounds or the stinging of the cold rain, all he could feel was an intense longing ingrained so deep into his chest it ached.
Of course, he should apologize, but Paul wasn't one to choose his words lightly. He was right, Ezra didn't belong in their world, he belonged with his own kind. He wasn't human and he never was.
Bella stepped forward to follow Jake on his motorcycle when Edward grabbed her arm. "Wait-"
"You don't trust me?" Bella demanded angrily, still hurting from the pain of his lies.
Edward's face softened, his shoulders falling. "Of course I trust you, it's him I don't trust."
Bella ignored his words, tugging on her hood and moving over to Jake. She slung a leg over his bike and wrapped her arms around his chest. "Lose the grin, Jacob, we're just going for a ride." Bella scolded but Jake's cheeky grin didn't falter.
"Hold on." They sped out of the parking lot and Edward looked to Ezra and Ilan.
"It's nice to meet you, Ilan." He tossed Ezra the keys to Rosalie's cherry convertible. "Watch out for her."
It seemed a common theme anymore, Ezra being a babysitter. He caught the keys with ease, slipping them into his pocket. "Of course."
The car roared to life under his fingertips and the breaks screeched as Ezra tore from the parking lot, pressing the gas as hard as he could to catch up to Jake and Bella with their significant head start.
The wind screamed around the pair as he whipped down the road at a dangerous high speed until Jake's bike came into sight.
Ilan was tense as she jerked in front of the motorcycle and began to slow. "So what's up with dickhead?" She asked quietly, her eyes flicking from the Fork's scenery to Ezra.
"He's a part of the Uley pack. Paul's pack as well. They hear each other's thoughts, they're all like brothers. He's right to be upset with me." Ezra glanced back at Jake in the rearview mirror. "I don't want you to have any misconceptions because of your loyalty. I did an awful thing, it's my fault Paul hates me. I lied to him for a very long time about his best friend's death. He's right to hate me."
