Esther: Ezra

Italy, 1961

There was a knock at the door and I almost skipped to open in. I woke to find an empty bed this morning, something I wasn’t used to for the past fifty years. I had no idea where Ezra had gone but he occasionally left like this to surprise me will flowers or gifts. I opened the door but it wasn’t Ezra standing there, it was Jane.

“How do you do that?” she asked, she said the same thing every time she came to me. I smiled at let her in.

 “Hello to you too my friend,” I smiled, Jane was a favourite of mine in the Volturi guard, she was also my spy. She didn’t even know she was my spy when she wasn’t in my house, I took away our time together every time she left but there was something special about her, every time she saw me again she seemed to remember a friendship between us. I didn’t do that to her, it was her own mind making the connection.

“So Aro has word of a coven rising in America,” Jane said slumping on my couch. She acted like we were best friends when she was here, and whilst I humoured her, I knew she had no idea who I was the rest of the time so I didn’t get attached. If things had been different, and she wasn’t slightly insane I could have seen us being friends but she was no more than my informant and her obsession with pain went against my nature, I had enough pain as a child if I never saw someone in pain again it would be too soon.

“Oh?” I asked with my eyebrows raised.

“An old friend of his or something I don’t know. Apparently they have some powerful members,” she told me.

“I can’t take a trip to America, not when Aro is heading straight there,” I said sitting next to her.

“He’s not. He is summoning them here, maybe you can intercept,” she told me. Jane often told me of vampires Aro was tracking or keeping an eye on, anyone that was remotely powerful so I could learn and grow my ability.

“Thanks for informing me but I think I’ll pass this one. I don’t want to risk meeting the next big coven, not yet.”

“Fair enough, there has also been word of Ezra been seen in these areas. You wouldn’t know anything about that would you?” she asked me sceptically.

“Aro is trying to find him?” I asked with a frown. Ezra had been in the guard sixty years ago, he had only remained there a few months before he left of his own choice. I had met Ezra whilst on a hunt on his way back to Aro and he had stayed with me ever since, I had grown quickly attached to him. I wanted to keep him around and I didn’t like sharing him.

“I’m supposed to be out looking for him now, three other guard members are tracking him,” she sighed. A wave of panic ran through me. I didn’t know where Ezra was, what if a member of the Volturi had got to him? I didn’t wipe Ezra’s memories, if Aro found him he would know about me, he would know about everything.

“Jane we have to go,” I said and grabbed her hand pulling her from the couch.

“What why?” she asked.

“We need to get to Ezra before the guard,” I panicked.

“He knows about you?” she asked.

“Yes, he knows way too much about me,” I clarified; I pulled Jane out of my castle and tried to find his scent. I couldn’t risk letting Jane go so I couldn’t go my normal speed. I would have to wipe her memories if I left her alone just in case she went back to Aro.

“Can I ask you something?” Jane asked as we followed Ezra’s scent. It was far too close to Volterra for my liking.

“Sure,” I sighed although my mind was on Ezra.

“Why do you make me forget?” she asked.

“So Aro doesn’t find out about me, it’s nothing personal Jane,” I told her, smiling slightly to show my sincerity. It was true.

“Thought so, I just wish I didn’t forget you. Did you make it so I came back every now and then?” she asked.

“No, that’s you. I don’t control you Jane.” I told her, it was true, I didn’t know what made her come back to me but she did and she remembered me when she saw me every time. It was something I had either unintentionally done with one of my powers or Jane was special.

“Katherine!” Ezra called, I scanned the forest to see him coming into view.

“You’re okay?” I shouted as he reached me. He hugged me.

“They had me, they were going to take me to Aro but I stopped them and I ran.” He explained.

“Where are they now?” I asked. I needed to wipe their memories so Aro didn’t know they found me.

“This way!” he called, he eyed Jane at my side warily but didn’t say anything he led us to Demetri, Alec and Felix. They were frozen in place and looking panicked. I could see Alec’s ability floating around, threatening to incapicate anyone that came near him.

“Tell him to stop,” I told Jane.

“Alec!” she called, when he heard his sister’s voice his ability retracted.

“Ezra, go home I’ll meet you there, I have to wipe their memories. Go straight home okay?” I asked him he nodded and shot off into the trees. I walked over to Alec and rested my hands on his temples, removing the last hour from his mind, I repeated with the other two and Jane and I left the clearing, I heard Ezra’s ability wear off and they were discussing whether to go back to Aro or not.

“Esther you don’t have to, I won’t let Aro touch me,” she said sadly.

“I can’t take that risk, not after this. I’m sorry,” I told her, my hands reaching her temples. “Thank you for coming back to me,” I said softly, her eyes closed for a moment and before she opened them again I was gone. I ran back to my home and followed Ezra’s scent the entire way. He had made it home safe.

I opened the door to see him standing there waiting for me. He pulled me straight into a hug as I closed the door. I sighed as he wrapped his arms securely around me.

“That was a close call,” he murmured. I nodded into his chest and as I pulled away I had tears in my eyes. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Ezra was the closest thing I had to happiness in a long time. I had past lovers but they had never stayed with me as long as Ezra had.

“You have to go away,” I told him softly.

“What are you talking about?” he frowned.

“You need to go to America or Asia, somewhere Aro won’t find you.” I told him.

“Katherine, no. I won’t ever leave you,” he said strongly, stroking my cheek. I closed my eyes at the name, Ezra didn’t know my birth name, I had gone by Katherine for nearly one hundred years but I knew after today I would find yet another name, or go back to Esther. The name ‘Katherine’ meant too much to me, it meant Ezra and I’d need a fresh start after this. I knew I would.

“Please… I don’t want to change you; I don’t want to wipe your memories of our time together. I want you to remember me but you need to go. You need to leave Italy, stay away from Aro. You’ll do that for me won’t you? To protect me?” I asked him.

“Of course, I will always protect you but why can’t you come with me?” he asked. I shook my head.

“No, it’s too dangerous,” I said. “People can’t know about me. You know that,” I coaxed him.

“But I love you,” he sighed.

“I love you too,” I replied, kissing him softly. “Aro can’t have you so neither can i. He knows you’re here now and he will try and find you. I’ll throw him off the trail. He’ll know you disappeared again.”

“I hate that you fear so much for your life,” he said sadly, his forehead against mine.

“Maybe one day I’ll be free, then maybe we can be together. You can come back in a few decades, Aro will get tired of the chase and we can be together again. We’re immortal, a few decades are nothing to us,” I told him. I felt him nod against me.

“Okay. But only because I want to protect you and I don’t want to forget you,” he said kissing my forehead.

“Never.”