Everything Restored

Chapter Four

TW

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Chapter Four

Eric

I wanted to hate Seojoon for putting us in this situation, but it was easier said than done. I could hear his heart beating beside me, knew that it wasn't an easy decision even though he made it himself, but I still wanted to yell at him for it. Whatever was about to happen, I only hoped it wouldn't result in our deaths.

The crest in The Matriarch's hand was the same drooping rose she and Orion wore, but void of colour. I watched curiously as Orion walked up to her and stared at Seojoon and I while he waited. His gaze alone made me antsy.

"Bare your fangs, and bare your blood, for this is the decree of the dead." The Matriarch spoke the words in a way that sounded like a song. "Do you Orion, agree to be the Sponsor of the Shadow Pack, and lead Eric Wolfe and Han Seojoon on their journey to assist The Matriarch?"

Orion bowed his head deeply. "Yes Maker."

"Will you spill your blood for them?"

"Yes Maker."

"And will you do so without hesitation?"

The stuttered pause didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room, but Orion answered shortly afterward. "Yes Maker."

Orion lowered until one knee was on the ground, resting his forehead on the other. It looked like he was proposing and begging for forgiveness at the same time. When The Matriarch reached behind her back and into her dress, she took out a small, razor sharp blade and showed it to us. I stepped back, but felt the hand of a vampire pushing me back into place.

From the corner of my eye I saw Seojoon look at me, but I couldn't take my eyes off the dagger. The hilt was an ivory white, the base of the blade showing that the entire thing was supposed to be the same colour, but it was somehow stained red from the tip dripping down. I could smell the blood on it, and knew all too well why three quarters of the blade was red instead of white. I had to hold my breath so I didn't throw up.

Orion raised both of his forearms, his head still pressed to his knee. The Matriarch stepped closer and took a hold of one of his arms, bringing the blade down to his wrist while speaking calmly. "It is so, that the Maker has witnessed that Orion has pledged to become the Sponsor of the shifters standing before me."

**

I watched her drag the blade down his wrist towards the inside of his elbow, blood quickly surfacing with it. Blood never bothered me much, but seeing it begin to drip down Orion's left forearm and hit the marble floor made my stomach uneasy. Seojoon on the other hand wasn't as much of a fan of the stuff, and I could tell by how pale his face got, that he was close to fainting at the sight of it.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, The Matriarch grabbed his other arm and began doing the same thing. "Does everyone in this room bare witness to this promise?"

Everyone said, "Yes Maker." while Eric and I simply stared on. When it was clear we were expected to say it too, we did so under our breath.

The dagger was lifted and now dripping with Orion's blood while the vampire himself stayed kneeling at the dais. His arms were still up, and I watched as it began to drip down his arms, pooling beneath him on the white floor.

**

He stayed like that for what felt like hours, but when Orion began to shake and struggle for breath, The Matriarch stepped back and put the blade down on her throne. "Bestow upon them, their crests."

Orion braced a hand on his knee, swaying when he stood up and turned to face us. His eyes were paler than usual, hair stuck to his forehead from the light sheen of sweat that had accumulated, and his fangs were visible with his lips parted. He looked starved, like he was ready to kill us if he had the chance, but instead he took the two crests from The Matriarchs hands and stumbled towards us.

Holding one up, he lowered himself to the pool of his own blood and pressed the crest face down against it. I heard him whispering under his breath, not catching onto the words, before he stood back up. He went to Seojoon first, pinning the symbol to his collar near his neck, and then repeating the process for me.

Just as he began to pin it in place, I noticed the rose that was once white, now stained red, matching his own. "No one shall harm you, as I am...your Sponsor, and my blood is your blood." Orion bowed his head once more.

He faltered backward and stepped around the large puddle on the floor while everyone looked at us. By this point, Seojoon was so pale I hoped he wouldn't fall over into it.

"Then it is done. Orion, rest and feed, they'll stay under our watch until tomorrow."

He barely managed to raise his arms in respect before he slowly walked out of the room. I tried ignoring the fact that my shoes were probably becoming a part of the pool at our feet, but Seojoon couldn't help but to look down at it.

"My apologies. It seems we wouldn't have enough time to explain everything in one day, but I will go over the set of rules you must follow." She picked up the bloodied blade and sat down on the throne, swaying it around like it was a toy while she talked. "First, if you speak of this place, or anything that goes on inside of it, then Sponsor or not, we will kill you." That wasn't incredibly welcoming, but she continued. "Second, whenever you are within these walls, wear the crest close to your neck. The vampire here won't touch you while under my watch, but without it, you'll just be another snack for the few hundred who live here."

Once again, I wasn't enthralled by the information. "Lastly, we'll discuss why you're here."

The dagger was put down on the armrest where The Matriarch propped her elbow and stared in our direction. "We're in search of a vampire, who has been slipping past our notice for a while now. He's dangerous, powerful, and too familiar with us to get close to him."
"We need you to track him for us. It can take a week or a few months, it all depends, but what matters most is he won't expect you. I haven't worked alongside shifters in the amount of time he's been alive, he won't expect it."

I cleared my throat and got a few heated glances when I interrupted her, but I didn't care. One of the rules didn't say we couldn't talk over her, so I decided I'd most likely not be killed because of it. "If he's dangerous and powerful, how is it that we'll be safe?"

The Matriarch raised a shoulder. "You'll be under our watch. Also, he prefers witches blood." That didn't really answer my question, but I stayed quiet anyways. "The crest would also throw him off, so I'd suggest you remove it if you know he's close by."

There were too many things to ask, so much so that I wasn't sure where to start. The Matriarch took the silence as an excuse to continue. "We'll need you to return to us tomorrow. We will give you directions this time directly, so that you won't need to be hooded and thrown in here like dogs." She smiled at that. "Wear something nice. You're expected to attend a Grand Ball, and you'll want to be looking as delicious as you smell."

A chill ran down my spine, but I simply stared at The Matriarch and grinded my teeth when she tilted her head towards me. She couldn't see me, but she didn't have to. She could sense us, and the way Seojoon's heart could be heard in my ears was probably tenfold for the vampires around us.

"I'll see you at dusk tomorrow."

"Dusk?" Seojoon finally came out of his shock.

"Of course, what do you expect? Do you wish for us to have a Ball during the day?" The Matriarch seemed humoured at the idea. "No young ones, we will do it when we are most powerful, because then it'll be so much more fun."

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TW: Vampires have ceremony in which a blade is used to cut Orion's forearms and drain him of a lot of blood. Be advised.