New Rules

New Rules
"Drink this!" Damien put a small vial of red liquid to Viv's lips. His hands were shaking. Outside, the sky was starting to lighten. "It's my blood. It might buy us time."

Viv paused for only a second before swallowing the thick liquid. It tasted like copper and something else she couldn't name. Almost instantly, the burning pain in her chest eased.

"Is it working for you too?" she asked, watching Damien's face.

He nodded, the tightness in his shoulders relaxing slightly. "But it's temporary. We need to find someone who can finish the binding ceremony."

A sudden crash made them both jump. The barn door flew open, and a woman stepped inside. She was tall and beautiful, with long black hair and pale skin. Her eyes glowed red in the dim light.

"There you are," she said, her voice sweet but cold. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Damien."

"Lilith." Damien moved in front of Viv. "How did you find us?"

Lilith laughed. "Did you think I wouldn't know about your little escape routes? We've only been friends for, oh, three hundred years." She looked at Viv with squinted eyes. "So this is her? Your little human pet?"

"I'm not his pet," Viv said, stepping out from behind Damien.

"No?" Lilith walked closer, observing Viv's face. "Then what are you? Because from what my spies tell me, you've completed a blood binding with him." She looked back at Damien. "Bold move. The Council won't be happy."

"We don't have time for this," Damien said. "Viktor is dead. The binding is incomplete."

Something changed in Lilith's face. "Viktor is dead? Who killed him?"

"Your soldiers," Damien snapped.

"Not on my orders." Lilith looked truly surprised. "I wanted him alive. He knows too many secrets to waste."

Viv felt the pain returning to her chest. "If you didn't order it, then who did?"

Lilith ignored her question, instead grabbing Viv's hand and studying her palm where the cut had been. "The mark is already fading. How long ago was the ceremony?"

"Less than an hour," Damien said.

"Then we still have time." Lilith dropped Viv's hand. "I can complete the binding."

Damien looked suspicious. "Why would you help us? You've been trying to take my territory for decades."

"Because, dear Damien, if you die, I don't get your territory anyway. It goes to the Council." Lilith smiled coldly. "And I'd rather deal with you than them."

Another wave of pain hit Viv, stronger this time. She doubled over, gasping.

"Decide quickly," Lilith said. "Your bride doesn't have much time."

Damien looked at Viv, then back at Lilith. "Fine. But if you try anything..."

"Yes, yes, you'll rip my heart out." Lilith waved her hand dismissively. "I know the routine."

She pulled a small knife from her boot and approached them. "Join hands," she ordered.

Viv took Damien's hand, feeling the strange link between them grow stronger at the touch.

Lilith began to say the words that Viktor had said earlier. She made new cuts across their old ones, pressing their bleeding hands together.

"Blood to blood, life to life," she said. "The bond begun shall now be sealed."

The blue light appeared again, whirling around their hands. It was brighter than before, almost blinding.

"Now for the final step," Lilith said. She leaned in and whispered something in Damien's ear.

His eyes widened. "No. There must be another way."

"There isn't," Lilith said definitely. "You know the old laws. A blood bond must be sealed with a blood kiss."

"What's a blood kiss?" Viv asked, her voice shaking from the pain.

"You have to drink from each other," Lilith stated. "At the same time."

Viv looked at Damien in horror. "You said you wouldn't take my blood!"

"He has to," Lilith said. "Or you both die. Though I must say, you're lasting much longer than most humans would." She looked at Viv with new interest. "Most would be dead by now."

The pain was getting worse. Viv could feel her heart beating too fast, her skin burning up.

"We don't have a choice," Damien said softly. "I'm sorry, Vivienne."

He pulled her close, tilting her head to expose her neck. "I'll be gentle," he promised. "And I'll only take a little."

Viv was too weak to fight. She felt his cold breath on her skin, then the sharp sting of his fangs. It hurt for a second, then changed to a strange, almost nice feeling.

"Now you," Lilith directed. "Bite his neck. Hard enough to draw blood."

With the last of her strength, Viv turned her head and bit Damien's neck. His blood filled her mouth, tasting like the liquid from the bottle but stronger.

The blue light burst around them, filling the entire barn. Viv felt energy rush through her body, pushing away the pain and filling her with power.

Suddenly, she could see Damien's thoughts, his memories, everything about him. And she knew he could see hers too.

After what felt like forever, Damien pulled away. Viv did the same, gasping for breath.

"It is done," Lilith said, her face pale with shock. "The bond is complete."

Viv touched her neck where Damien had bitten her, but there was no wound, not even a mark.

"How do you feel?" Damien asked, watching her closely.

"Strong," Viv said, shocked. "Really strong. And I can still..." She tapped her head. "I can feel you. In my head."

"This isn't right," Lilith mumbled. "The human should be weakened, not strengthened."

Damien looked different too. His skin had a healthy glow, his eyes bright and clear.

"What happens now?" Viv asked.

Lilith composed herself quickly. "Now, my dear, you learn the rules." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Because tomorrow night, you will be presented to vampire society as Damien's bonded mate. And if you make even one mistake, they'll tear you apart."

Back at Damien's mansion, Viv was given a new room—a bigger one linked to Damien's through a shared sitting room. Lilith had demanded that bonded mates must appear to live together.

"Lesson one," Lilith said, walking in front of Viv. "Never show fear. Vampires can smell it, and it triggers our hunting instincts."

"Like sharks with blood?" Viv asked.

Lilith stopped walking. "Exactly like that. Clever girl."

Her tone made it clear it wasn't a praise.

"Lesson two: Never refuse a direct order from a vampire elder. There are seven bloodlines, and Damien's is the oldest. But the others still command respect."

"How do I tell who's an elder?"

"They'll be the ones looking at you like you're dinner," Lilith said with a cold smile. "Which brings me to lesson three: Never, ever be alone with any vampire other than Damien."

Viv crossed her arms. "Why are you helping me? You clearly don't like me."

"I'm not helping you," Lilith said. "I'm helping Damien. His position is already precarious. Having a human bride will make it worse unless you can prove yourself worthy."

"Worthy how?"

"By being perfect at tomorrow's gathering." Lilith leaned in close. "The Grand Meeting happens once a year. All seven bloodlines will be there. And they're all very curious about the human who has supposedly saved the great Damien Blackthorn from his mysterious illness."

Viv swallowed hard. "And if I'm not perfect?"

"Then the Council will declare the binding invalid and order your execution." Lilith said it so casually she might have been talking about the weather. "Humans aren't supposed to know about us, you see."

"But Damien has human servants who know!"

"Servants, yes. Carefully selected, carefully controlled." Lilith's eyes narrowed. "But a bride? Unheard of since... well, since Eliza."

The name hung in the air between them.

"You knew her," Viv said. "Damien's wife."

"I did." Lilith turned away. "She was my friend, before she died."

"How did she die?"

Lilith's shoulders stiffened. "That's not my story to tell. Ask Damien, if you dare." She turned back, her face hard again. "Now, we have much to learn and little time. The gathering begins at midnight tomorrow."

Hours later, Viv's head was spinning with rules and customs, names of vampire elders, proper greetings, forbidden topics, and a hundred other details.

"One last thing," Lilith said as she prepared to leave. "You must convince everyone that you love Damien. That this binding was done out of passion, not desperation."

"Why?"

"Because a political binding can be challenged," Damien said from the doorway. Viv hadn't heard him come in. "But a love match is sacred, even among our kind."

Lilith nodded. "Exactly. So practice your adoring gazes." She walked to the door, stopping beside Damien. "Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention to your pet... I mean, bride."

She looked back at Viv with a smile that showed the tips of her fangs. "At midnight, under the full moon, every bonded pair must perform the Blood Dance. It's quite intimate. I do hope you're a quick learner."

After Lilith left, Viv slumped on the bed. "She hates me."

"Lilith hates everyone," Damien said, sitting beside her. "But she's right about the gathering. It will be dangerous."

"Why? I thought the binding was supposed to protect me."

"It protects you from other vampires trying to feed on you. Not from political schemes." Damien ran a hand through his hair. "There's something I need to tell you, something I should have said before the binding."

Viv felt a knot of fear in her stomach. "What?"

Damien looked at her, his blue eyes worried. "The binding we completed... it's not normally permanent for a human. But the way ours happened, with that blue light..." He hesitated. "Vivienne, I think we've created something that hasn't existed in over a thousand years."

"Which is?"

"A true blood bond. It means you're becoming like me. Not fully vampire, but not fully human anymore either." He touched her face gently. "And it means that if I die..."

"I die too," Viv finished, finally understanding why Lilith had been so shocked.

"Yes." Damien nodded. "Which is why everyone at that gathering tomorrow will be trying to kill us both."