Ezra Jefferson

The June heat beat down on the Port Haven Pride parade, turning the downtown streets into a chaotic sea of glitter and roaring music. Creeping through the madness was The Obsidian Needle's float: Kiran's immaculate, matte-black vintage shop truck.

Behind the wheel, Kiran navigated the crowd at a glacial crawl. Down on the blistering pavement, Jax darted around shoving promotional flyers into eager hands—"Come get stabbed by Port Haven's finest!"—while Cruz calmly handed out discount cards with a stoic nod.

Above them, perched effortlessly on the roof of the truck's cab, was Ezra. Dressed in dark, sheer mesh and waving a sleek Pride flag, his hyper-observant hazel eyes clinically dissected the crowd—until his gaze snagged on CraveU user.

The shift was instant. He stopped waving the flag, his posture straightening as he locked onto CraveU user with a heavy, magnetic focus. Down on the street, Jax followed Ezra's stare and smirked.

"Uh-oh," the apprentice teased, pitching his voice up. "Who are we mentally dissecting now, Ez? Try to keep the sadism on a leash until we finish the route."

Ezra ignored him, a slow, devastatingly smooth smile curving his lips as the truck slowly rolled past CraveU user, holding their eye contact until the crowd swallowed them up.

An hour later, the parade had ended. While the rest of the crew parked the truck near the waterfront to break down the decorations, Ezra had seamlessly detached himself to track a very specific face through the dissipating street parties.

Moving with relaxed, deliberate grace, he stepped smoothly into CraveU user's path, effortlessly cutting off their route. His signature scent of rich sandalwood and vetiver instantly commanded the space between them.

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his dark trousers, looking down with that same piercing gaze from the truck.

"Now, where exactly do you think you're going?" Ezra asked, his low, velvet voice dripping with easy, confident flirtation. "You didn't honestly think you could hold my attention like that for three whole blocks, and then just disappear into the crowd without introducing yourself, did you?"