My dy led me to a premium looking shop in the capital. The shop was painted pure white with its name on the top written in gold coloured ink: “Sterling & Radiance”

  Old man: Ah, Lady Cowper, welcome. I’ve heard the most intriguing news. Would I be correct in assuming you’re here to browse bonding colrs?

  Cressida: Yes mister Sterling. Please show us your best work

  Mister Sterling: Of course Lady Cowper. Please follow me

  My dy put her arm around me when we reached the far end of the shop filled with chokers. I leaned close to the Countess and whispered

  Julia: Why are we buying chokers my dy?

  Cressida: Chokers?

  There was confusion in her voice

  Cressida: These are bonding colrs.

  Julia: Bonding colrs? Another one of the Cowper family traditions?

  She looked at me surprised

  Cressida: Surely someone has mentioned this to you before.

  I give her a questioning look. She replies to me in a low voice

  Cressida: *sighs* Do you remember when I expined the history of bonding and its ties to magical sve contracts.

  I nod

  Julia: Yes I do

  Cressida: You see, any sve contract requires a special type of colr known as a ‘sve colr’, and these are the ones we use.

  She gestures to the chokers on dispy

  Cressida: Naturally, no one calls them ‘sve colrs’ any more. They are referred to as ‘bonding colrs’ now

  Julia: Oh… Ohhhhhh! I get it now

  I now realized why every maid and butler in the Cowper manor was wearing a choker, I thought it was just part of their uniforms. So everyone’s bonded there… It makes me a bit nervous… I will be a sve…

  Cressida: Julia, choose your bonding colr carefully. The bonding colr is permanent, once our bond is formed, it will stay around your neck forever.

  What!? I can’t even remove it for baths?... I should pick the most comfortable one in that case

  Mister Sterling showed me many chokers– I mean colrs made of ptinum and gold adorned with diamonds but all of them looked too uncomfortable and fshy. I wanted something more simple and comfortable. My eyes moved to a small section with colrs made of fabric

  Julia: What about these?

  I point the simple colrs

  Mister Sterling: Those are the cheaper ones, surely Lady Cowper–

  He turned towards my dy

  Cressida: Julia gets what she wants. If she prefers the simpler ones, then that’s her choice.

  Aww so sweet of her. And what's with this guy, he is selling this to us not just my dy

  Julia: Can I try it on?

  Mister Sterling: O-of course

  He removes the tray of colrs from the gss showcase and puts it on a nearby table. I try on the one with the heart shaped ptinum ring and bck fabric. It was simple, stylish and comfortable

  Julia: What do you think?

  I turn towards my dy, I want her opinion as well.

  Cressida: It looks lovely, but do try on the others as well

  After trying on lots of designs we finalized 2, the first one that I wore with the heart shaped ring and another one with a small obsidian pendant carved into a heart shape. Both were made of stretchy breathable fabric.

  Julia: So which one do you like, my dy?

  Cressida: Choose whichever you prefer, you will be wearing it for the next thousand years.

  Julia: I love both of them, besides you’ll also be the one looking at them for the next thousand years.

  Both of them looked super cute! To be honest I wanted to wear both alternatively, but unfortunately that's not possible

  Cressida: Hm.

  She ponders while looking at the both of them

  Cressida: I think I like this one better

  She picks the one with the metal heart ring. I hope she didn’t just choose one of them randomly, I hope she chose this one because she really likes it.

  The old guy takes the colr and packs it in a polished wooden box for us

  --------------------

  Lilith Ravenshadow, and the rest of the Bckwing Troop were just on their way back to the Cowper Estate to report back to the Countess. The Countess wanted to hear their experience of using the weapons personally and point out any fws. Except for the loud noise that even the suppressors couldn’t dampen much, they had no compints. In many ways these weapons had made their job of hit-and-run attacks easier. As they could maintain their distance while hitting much harder!

  In fact, they could hit so hard now that they had wiped out the whole camp of their enemies and their general wearing full pte hardened armour. In all of her time as Captain, Lilith had never got the chance to stroll through the enemy camp so casually. The humans in her troop even stole some food while they were at the enemy camp.

  Lilith: Ugh, why is Lady Cowper’s home so far away

  Lilith compined to no one. She was tired and started daydreaming. Her mouth was drooling thinking about Julia’s blood. After tasting her blood, everything else left her unsatisfied. Even if it was just a few drops, she wanted more of that sweet smelling blood. “I hope she gets bonded soon” Lilith thought, “That way I drink more from her… Wait what if she gets bonded to someone far away from Cowper County? If that happens I can’t drink from her easily… I hope she gets bonded to someone closer to the manor”

  Lilith herself didn’t wish to bond with Julia since she had started seeing her as her little sister, but she wanted Julia to find someone to bond with as soon as possible. She couldn’t wait to drink that exotic blood again

  As she continued to daydream she suddenly noticed something in the distance. She focused her super senses on what… or who they were. The theocracy had started to send raiding parties to smaller vilges, they kidnapped bonded couples and vampire children to experiment on and the human children were either left alone in the burning vilges or killed as well for being “impure”. Her blood started boiling when she recalled the gut-wrenching reports of the kidnapped vilgers and the fate of their children

  Lilith raised her fist gesturing to her troop to stop. She gestured in the direction of the raiding party, there were 30 or soldiers most on foot and few on horses. The Theocracy soldiers maintained a tight formation and had yet to notice them. Perfect targets for their new weapons. Lilith dismounted her horse and the rest followed, she already had a pn.

  One member of The Bckwing Troop stayed behind with their horses while the others moved quickly through the forest on either side of the dirt road, staying hidden, and surrounded the band of theocracy soldiers who were walking together in formation. This was one of the few times she preferred to use ‘full auto’ mode of her weapon.

  She took in a deep breath and pulled the trigger, the rest of her troop started shooting as well when the sound of the first gunshot hit their ears. And before the Theocracy troops could even realize what was happening half of their friends were either dead or bleeding out rapidly. Two members of the Bckwing Troop were ordered to take down the horses first so no one could run away

  In less than 10 seconds all the theocracy soldiers were down and bleeding out. Lilith switched from ‘full auto’ to ‘semi auto’ and started putting bullets in the downed soldiers' heads, making sure there would be no survivors.

  Lilith: Hide their bodies.

  She ordered her troop, and they obeyed, throwing their bodies deep within the forest. She felt satisfied, the death of these soldiers made her feel… content, as if she had just given justice to some vilge in Aqualuna.

  ---------------

  Julia: So… my dy

  Cressida: Julia, what have I told you about confidence? You will soon be my bonded, never hesitate to ask me anything.

  Julia: Y-yes my dy.

  Cressida: *Sigh*

  She shakes her head

  Julia: I am just wondering when will we be going back to the manor?

  Cressida: We won’t be returning until after our bonding. Our bonding ceremony has been expedited and will take pce here in the capital in about two weeks. Travelling back to the manor and returning would take just as long, so we will remain here until after the ceremony.

  Julia: Oh… then I have a request…

  Cressida: Julia…

  She turns and puts her hand on my shoulder

  Cressida: Confidence! You don’t request things from me, you demand them!

  Julia: Yes my dy! I want to invite someone to the bonding ceremony as well.

  She furrowed her brow

  Cressida: I don't think it's possible for a messenger to reach your country and deliver an invitation to your family in only two weeks.

  Julia: Of course not, I wanted to invite Helen and Lilith.

  Cressida: Helen? Our maid?

  I nod wordlessly, hoping she’d say yes. Those two are the only people I have become close to, aside from my dy of course

  Cressida: Not a problem. Oh, and now that I think of it, Lilith is due to arrive at the manor soon. I’ll ensure Helen and Lilith receive their invitations right away.

  Julia: Oh and Aurel as well!

  Cressida: Aurel is already invited.

  Julia: Thank you my dy!

  I give her a little hug before going back to my room. Ahhh I can’t wait for the bonding ceremony… I hug the pillow and roll in my bed. Will they ask me to kiss her? I hope they do, I am ready to full on make out with her. I giggle thinking about her reaction to my kiss

  Until Helen and Lilith arrived, I spent my time cooped up in the town house, bored out of my mind. I didn’t have anything to do, my dy told me not to worry about preparations for the ceremony and that it was all being handled. It is MY wedding– bonding! How can a girl not worry about the decorations of her own bonding ceremony!? *Sigh*

  Anyway, I started experimenting with handheld encrypted radios in the meantime. Having a way of instant communication in this world would be extremely useful. Currently, the fastest reliable way to pass messages are carrier pigeons. That's faaaaar slower than radios! But there’s still one problem—range, these handheld radios are only good up to a single mile. I need something that has a range of hundreds or thousands of miles…

  *knock* *knock*

  Julia: Yes?

  Helen: My dy?

  I almost jump up from my bed and open the door

  Julia: Helen!!!

  I give her a tight hug.

  Julia: I missed you

  Helen: I missed you too, my dy.

  I pull back and stare at her in mild surprise

  Julia: What's with the ‘my dy’

  Helen: Oh, you are the future Countess, so I thought it was–

  Julia: Oh stop with that honorifics, just call me Julia like before

  Helen: But–

  Julia: Oh no, if you insist on calling me that I will start calling you ‘Lady Helen’ as well

  Helen: But… that's… um

  She fumbles over her words for a moment and then looks away in resignation

  Helen: Fine… Julia

  Helen: Congratutions!

  She hugs me again, I saw a huge smile on her face when she pulls back

  Helen: By the stars above, how did you and Lady Cowper manage to keep your retionship a secret for so long? I've always dreamed of a secret forbidden romance, but my husband and I were the talk of the vilge. You have to tell me everything about your secret romance!

  Julia: Wait, why is my retionship with my dy forbidden?

  Helen: Of course since you are a commoner, it’s frowned upon in noble circles to bond with one, even if they’re wealthy. But, let’s be fair, you aren’t exactly wealthy either.

  Ouch! She didn’t have to be that blunt. Also, I didn’t realize it was that much of a taboo for nobles to bond with a commoner. My dy is risking her reputation by bonding with me just to keep me safe… Dear god, just how much more will I fall in love with her?

  Lilith: No hug for your big sister?

  Lilith chimed in behind Helen as she carried 2 heavy looking metal trunks

  Julia: Aw! Come here. I’m so gd you returned safely.

  I capture the tiny vampire in a tight hug

  Julia: I’m sure you are here to collect on that promise I made

  Lilith: I'll collect what I'm owed after you're bonded. That way, I can savour more of your blood.

  Lilith: And congratutions are in order! I expected you to secure an influential bond, but I never imagined you’d be bonded to the Countess herself. That is quite the pleasant surprise!

  Helen and I gossip about her love life while Lilith gives her report to my Lady. There were only a few days until the wedding– bonding ceremony and those days passed by in a blur with Helen and Lilith.

  Julia: Do I really look good?

  Helen: You look marvellous Julia

  She straightened my bright red gown. The gown very much resembled a wedding dress with one exception, it was red! Apparently every human wears red to their bonding, and I can guess the reason why. Blood!

  My dress was the same colour as roses, in fact Helen put a rose in my hair while she was styling them. It looked very lovely, I wish my mom was here to see me…

  Helen: The ceremony will begin soon, hurry up

  Julia: Yes!

  We walked to the door and just as the first notes of the violin began to py, the small but heavy wooden door in front of me opened. Exactly opposite to me the door to the Countess’s room opened as well. Our eyes met and lingered on each other. She was wearing a beautiful bck gown, her hair accessories were bck as well, perfectly complimenting her blonde hair. She looked like the most elegant vampire in the world! I just wanted to run up to her and kiss her!

  But I maintain my composure, and we walked slowly and in sync towards each other as the violin pyed its sweet melody. Just as we had rehearsed, we met in the middle where the high priest was waiting for us. The pce we are in right now is the biggest temple of the stars, named “Sanctuary of the Eternal Stars”. And the building definitely deserved the grand title, it was absolutely huge! The architecture resembled a gothic church with its walls painted a dark gray colour. There was one notable difference. The roof was covered with clear gss, probably to get a clear view of the night sky which was dotted with hundreds of thousands of stars and vivid nebus. That's something you can never see in my world, there was too much light pollution there. It was like you could look at the whole gaxy from here. I think I will have to go stargazing sometime with my dy after we are bonded. I looked around the church, it was very dark, as the huge pce was only lit by a few chandeliers with candles, but there were surely lots of people in attendance…

  High Priest: By the light of the eternal stars, we gather to witness a bond forged beyond mortality, a union…

  I stopped listening to the old man's speech and got lost in my dy's eyes. They are infinitely more beautiful than the starry sky. Our eyes remain locked with each other as the priest continues his lecture. I wonder… Do I look beautiful to her? I hope I do… Even though Helen assured me I look good, I want to hear it from her, hers is the only opinion that matters.

  I am pulled from my daydream when the priest asks me a question

  High Priest: Do you, Miss Julia Moore, under the stars' light, willingly enter this bond and devote your soul, mind and body to your bonded?

  Julia: Yes I do!

  I reply with more confidence than I have ever been able to muster in my life. He turns to my dy

  High Priest: And you, Lady Cressida Cowper, under the stars' eternal gaze, do you pledge to uphold this bond with sincerity and compassion?

  Cressida: I do.

  Her voice was firm and brimming with sincerity. The priest then picks up a wooden box from an elegantly carved stone table behind him. He opens it and reveals the same bonding colr that we had picked out earlier. The one with a heart shaped ring

  My dy picks up the bonding colr and puts it around my neck with great care. The priest says speaks as she does this

  High Priest: This colr is no shackle, but a mark of unity. It binds not only form but also spirit.

  As soon as my dy finishes putting on the colr the priest closes his eyes and starts to chant something in a foreign nguage. After a few seconds a blue circle forms around us on the ground. It had intricate patterns with strange symbols, the circle then vaporizes into thousands of tiny lights into the air, it looked like a lot of small fireflies. It was all extremely beautiful

  High Priest: By the will of the stars, the bond is forged. Together, may you walk a path of strength and joy.

  High Priest: May the stars guide you both, now and forever

  He takes a step back and everyone stands and starts cpping. We bow to the priest and start walking to the main set of huge wooden doors in the front, my dy’s hand grips mine firmly. Just a few steps away from the temple is the reception hall where dinner will be served.

  The reception hall is much more brightly lit than the temple. My dy guides me to the front where we take our seat at the center of the table. Helen, Aurel and Lilith congratute us before taking their seats on our side. My dy leans closer to me and whispers

  Cressida: You can take off that ribbon now.

  I subconsciously touch the red ribbon on my wrist with her name on it

  Julia: What? Can’t I keep it on?

  Cressida: You’re welcome to keep it, but with the bond now formed, it’s no longer necessary to show who you belong to

  Julia: I’d like to keep it on.

  I honestly love the little ribbon. It feels so romantic, and just a bit possessive. It makes my heart flutter, knowing that everyone who sees it knows exactly who I belong to.

  The servers started serving everyone, there weren’t as many guests as the ga, but the amount of people was still pretty big. A waiter served me and Helen some prawns, or at least the dish looked like prawns, Lilith and Aurel were served a gss of blood.

  I looked toward my dy as I eat

  Julia: Won’t you have dinner, my dy?

  Her eyes look away avoiding my gaze. Her voice is soft when she replies

  Cressida: I will have some ter…

  Helen pokes my shoulder

  Helen: You should hurry a little, there will also be speeches and toasts by other nobles

  I look over to her pte and it's licked clean! How the hell did she eat so fast!? Same with Aurel’s and Lilith gsses, they are empty as well. Do I eat that slowly?

  -----------

  Lilith and I were in the living room of the townhouse as I had changed into my nightgown and was tasting some wine we got as a gift. Helen had gone to bring another bottle of wine. My dy and Aurel had already gone to their rooms.

  Julia: By the way

  I looked toward Lilith

  Julia: Didn’t you want to drink my blood after I got bonded?

  Lilith: Someone’s eager, I see.

  Julia: Well I feel bad, I wanted to welcome you with something special. After all, you and your team risked your life to test out my weapons

  Lilith: Oh, do not worry about it, your weapons are brilliant. I’ve never taken down so many Theocracy soldiers so fast and with such ease.

  Julia: Oh? So did they pass the test?

  Lilith: Without a doubt!

  I give her a big grin

  Julia: Then you should celebrate as well. It’s a shame Helen and I get to enjoy this fine wine while you just sit there watching. Come on, drink from me before I sober up and change my mind. Let me spoil my new sister a little!

  I raise my arm forward and she smiles

  Lilith: Well then who am I to refuse such excellent blood?

  She leans down, and I prepare myself for the pain. But just before her canines could sink in to my arm a loud high-pitched voice takes away our attention

  Helen: STOP!

  Helen hurries towards us and puts the unopened bottle of wine on the table. She pulls Lilith away from me with all her strength

  Helen: What are you doing Lilith? Lady Cowper hasn’t had her first yet!

  Lilith pulls away in surprise, almost afraid to be near me

  Lilith: Julia!

  Her tone is a mix of surprise and scolding. She sounded like a mother about to scold her little kid

  Lilith: *sigh* Come!

  She picks me up in a princess carry.

  Julia: W-what are you doing?

  I blush, surprised by her actions and strength, how can such a tiny person have so much strength!? She ignores my words and carries me upstairs toward my dy’s room. God this is so embarrassing please don’t let her see me like this.

  She knocks on her door, and my dy comes out wearing a pure white night gown

  Lilith: My dy, I apologise for the disturbance, but you see, Julia here nearly let me drink from her before you had your first. Thankfully, Helen stopped me before I could do anything.

  Cressida: Oh…

  I look over to my dy and there was a hint of surprise and jealousy in her eyes. Wait… First? They aren’t talking about… that, right? I hope my dy is not assuming I am a virgin… I would be so heartbroken to disappoint her.

  Lilith passes me to my dy like I am a baby! I didn’t think this could get any more embarrassing! My dy gently puts me on her bed and Lilith closes the door behind her. Her room is so dark, she must be getting ready to sleep

  Julia: Um… My dy?

  Cressida: Yes Julia?

  Her voice is soft, gentle and comforting

  Julia: What is this ‘first’ thing?

  I have my suspicions, but it's better to confirm it. My dy takes a seat at the edge of her bed

  Cressida: You see, once a human is bonded, it’s customary for their bonded to be the first to drink from them. It’s... well, how should I say it... a deeply rooted tradition in our society. In some remote vilges, they even go as far as the first hundred drinks.

  Julia: Ohh…

  I breathe a sigh of relief. I am so gd it wasn’t about virginity. But I’m pretty sure the vampires and the humans do that too on their first drink…

  I sit up and my hand brushes against hers

  Julia: Then why didn’t you tell me. I would have never refused you if you asked me that.

  Cressida: It’s… I did not wish to trouble you…

  Her eyes look into mine, even in the dim moonlight, her emerald eyes shine brightly. I just want to get lost in her calming gaze

  Julia: If I remember correctly I told you can drink from me anytime. And yet you hesitate. What was it you told me? “You don’t request things from me, you demand them”

  She looks away and gives me a light chuckle

  Cressida: You’re quite the sly one, Julia.

  Our eyes lock again, the air in the room seems so… electric. My dy moves closer, so close that our shoulders are flush against each other

  Cressida: So may I?

  Her gaze is drawn to my neck as she takes in a deep breath, probably smelling the scent of my blood. I nod and she starts to lean in close. But suddenly I remembered something

  Julia: Wait!

  She jerks back

  Julia: Sorry… just one thing. That dress I was wearing… it was red because of a reason, right? You are supposed to drink when I am wearing it, right?

  Cressida: You are correct.

  Julia: Then I would like to do this according to tradition, may I change into that… please?

  I give her my best pleading look.

  Cressida: I… If that’s what you wish. But I’m perfectly fine with this dress as well.

  I give her my best and brightest smile

  Julia: I will be back in a minute

  I hurry to my room which was just besides hers and change into the red wedding– bonding gown and get back to her room

  Julia: Sorry my hair is a mess…

  I stand near the door as my dy takes in my figure. My face gets redder the longer she gazes at me

  Julia: Do I look good my dy?

  I never got the chance to ask her this

  Cressida: Of course you do. You look good in anything Julia.

  Her comment makes me blush even more. I ignore my racing heart and sit next to her

  Julia: Now then. Please drink as much as you want.

  She puts her hand on my waist and leans in close. The wine I drank has left my system as I am hyper aware of her touch, the faint soothing scent of her body, the way her breath tickles my neck. It's all so… vivid. I wrap my arms around her when she gets near me and not a second ter I feel the sharp pain of her canines sinking into my neck. I tighten my grip, holding her close. The pain is much more intense than how I remember it, it's almost too much. But I power through it, I don’t squeal or even let out a sound as I don’t want her to get scared or worried and stop drinking. The pain seems to dull as she continues drinking, and after what feels like a few minutes, she pulls back. I feel dizzy and fatigued, but those feelings go away after around 10 seconds. “Must be super healing” I think to myself.

  I look towards my dy. I am greeted by a sight of her canines peeking out and blood dripping from both corners of her mouth, she looks satisfied. I let out a hearty ugh, and she looks at me in confusion

  Cressida: What?

  I shake my head and try to suppress my ughter

  Julia: Nothing *giggles*

  I reach out with my hand and wipe the blood with the sleeve of my dress

  Julia: I just… You looked so cute

  She realizes what had happened and looks away, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Julia: *Yawn*

  God, it's so te… She won’t mind if I just y here for a bit, right? I want to talk with her for a little while longer. Even though we have a thousand years together, it seems to be not enough when I am with her… I close my eyes and don’t realize when I fell asleep

  In the morning I am greeted by a beautiful figure sleeping next to me… Ah my bonded……… Wait… Fuck! I fell asleep here in her room!?. I lift my bnket and see that I am still wearing the red gown. Wait, don’t panic, you are still clothed Julia, nothing happened. Wait, isn’t this a good thing? I wanted to get closer to her and what better way to get closer than to sleep in the same bed?

  My happiness doesn’t st long as I realize I will have to sleep in my own room when we get back to the manor. Fine then! I will ask her if we can sleep together when we get back. I even have the perfect excuse—She told me to show more affection to make this bond look real, what better way to show affection than to sleep in the same bed!

  --------------

  Author's note: While writing this chapter, I realized I had accidentally mentioned Lilith’s team (The Bckwing Troop) being all vampires in Chapter 6, but they are NOT all vampires, there are some humans in it as well. I have corrected that mistake. Also I almost forgot to add this chapter on scribble hub. If you are liking this story then please add rate this novel