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...
"you swore to your parents that you would be virtuous, the things you've done come to you in the night and whisper, you lied, you lied." w o r d c o u n t : 1,097
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Ezra nudged the cherry door shut with his hip, listening to the resounding slam that drew the pack eagerly outside. The cold breeze of impending fall did nothing to deter their lightly clad bodies rocketing from the house, overwhelmed with excitement.
Ilan lingered close to his side, their shoulders brushing as she examined the small sunlit house.
"Ezra?" Embry asked incredulously as he lurched forward to wrap the boy in a painfully tight hug. "Where were you? We were so worried."
Emily bolted from the house with an excited shout, throwing herself at him. He winced in pain and Ilan stepped forward, only for him to wave her off.
"How dare you leave for so long?" Emily demanded, crossing her arms. "You get inside, we'll get some food and tea into both you."
"I'm sorry," Ezra said, knowing it would take far too much to explain everything he had went through in their time apart. "I'm here now."
"And how long will that last?" Jared asked doubtfully. He was closest with Paul, he always had been and despite his naturally calm demeanor, he wouldn't forgive Ezra so easily. Not that Ezra deserved his forgiveness.
Ilan tensed, an irritated and audible sigh leaving her lips. It wasn't like her to be so tense.
"As long as it can." Answered Ezra, putting an arm around Ilan's shoulders. "This is my friend, Ilan. We met while I was gone." He watched cautiously as they examined each other. "Ilan, this is Embry, Jared, Brady, Collin, Quil, and Leah. Seth's too young to come around. They're all a part of the Uley pack. If anything ever happens to me, they're always to be trusted. And Emily is Sam's fiance. The strongest of all, of course."
"Not that anything's going to happen to Ezra." Emily was quick to assure. "It's nice to meet you, Ilan. Any friend of Ezra's is a friend of ours."
Ilan was shocked as Emily quickly pulled the thin girl into a tight embrace. Growing up in the foster system, the lack of affection throughout her life was clear. "Thank you, Emily. It's good to meet you too."
Emily let out a soft coo. "Oh, I absolutely love her. C'mon, Ilan, dinner's almost ready and it's Embry's turn to help."
Embry groaned dramatically, throwing himself at Quil who propped his dead weight up with a sigh. "But Quil's so much better at cooking!"
"You could clean up." Emily pointed out, knowing that clean up with the absolute worst task.
The roar of a motorcycle distracted them all, turning to see Jake pulling up to park. Bella slid off the back and Jake looked mournful to see her arms leave from where they wrapped around his waist. Bella smiled nervously as the pack greeted her excitedly and began to tease Jake.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you at the hospital." Bella smiled lopsidedly, breathing hotly on her stiff fingers. "How are you feeling?"
Ezra tugged his sleeves down, again aware of the ugly wounds. "A little sore. No big deal. I'll be good as new soon enough. What about you? How're things after your little escapade in Italy?"
The human's face turned crimson and she chewed fiercely on her lip. "Charlie's still mad."
"I get it. Not that I wouldn't have done the same though. It was pretty damn brave of you." Ezra praised.
Bella let out a small laugh. "Thank you. Anyone would have done it though."
"Not really. A lot of people would run instead of face the vampire government." Ezra ruffled the smaller girl's hair. "You should go on inside with the rest of them. Emily's making lasagna, I hear."
"I can't. Jake and I need to talk. It was good to see you though." Bella quickly hugged Ezra before hurrying off to the woods where Jake had disappeared.
Much to Ezra's surprised, the pack had already gone inside, whisking Ilan in with them and leaving Ezra outside.
With a sigh, he braved the cold air and slipped off his jacket. The thin henley he grabbed that morning did little to help him contain body heat.
He missed Paul so much and to be back in Forks just made it worse, to see all the reminders of the greatest regret of his life.
"Ezra," Ilan called from the doorway as, behind her, the pack talked loudly. "What's wrong?" She jumped over the few steps, landing on the ground with a soft thud.
"What else would it be?" Ezra asked with a melancholy chuckle. "How're things going inside? Everyone gettin along?"
"They're all incredibly kind. I get the appeal of this place. It's better than the Compound. No one liked me there." Ilan commented with a small smile that he hadn't seen since before Elyse Maddox.
"I'm glad you like it here. I want to stay. At least until Elyse makes another move." Ezra promised with a soft smile.
"You know, I was wondering," Ilan began, making a clump of nerves settle in Ezra's chest as she continued. "Why do you care about our world, our culture? You were raised a human. After you realized you weren't the chosen you could have easily walked away. But you came back again and again. Our world has done nothing but hurt you."
Ezra's lips curled into a frown. He thought for a moment, of Nik, of those kids that the Council murdered, the kids that Elyse murdered for her own sick revenge. It seemed that all their culture was anymore was death.
"After Aloysius killed Nik, I was partly looking for him, partly looking for who most witches I crossed paths with thought me to be. He's looking to defend the Old Way through whatever means necessary and Elyse is no better. This has never been for the Shades or the Defenders of the Old. This is for Nik and people like you. You're good. This has never been for the old dickheads forcing children to die for them and aching for an all-out war."
Ilan swallowed thickly, her face deathly serious. "Then who's side are we on?"
"We're not on any side. We have no one to rely on but ourselves."
