It was not my first time being tied to a tree. At twenty-six, this would be my eighth year. The eighth year of wearing the white dress, the eighth year of not being able to sleep for days prior. But even though it was not my first time, it wasn't a pleasant experience. I doubted that there were many people who would have volunteered to be stuffed into a symbolic dress, bound to a tree, and blindfolded.

If they had used the volunteer system, I wouldn't be surrounded by countless other women. I wouldn't have had to endure the sound of soft sniffling. But that soft sniffling would not remain so quiet. Not when the beasts came out. Then, it would turn into screams.

Once upon a time, I had been the one who screamed. I screamed and cried for the first three years. My mind had been filled with horror stories since I was young. We were all told terrible and heinous things about the beings that lurked in the dark. Those stories were used to keep children compliant and in the house during all hours. But the villains in those stories were not fictional. They were deadly. They were cruel. They were never to be trusted. And they were very real.

And then, one day, when girls became women, they were told not to be so frightened. They were told that it was duty and that they should be honored to be able to serve in such a way. And the women would serve. they would start with the screaming and crying and begging their parents to keep them indoors. Then, they would serve in silence with raised chins and tears sliding down their cheeks.

I was at the point where I could be silent and steady, but there was certainly a part of me that wished that I didn't have to do this anymore. Yes, I had come out alive every time, but the fear was still there. Why couldn't have a man found me and wed me already? Once we women were married, we seemed to lose value to the beasts. I used to be offended by that. Now, I wanted it more badly than I cared to admit.

"Ready?" the city's guard asked.

I gave him my best smile. "Of course."

He didn't return the smile as he slid the blindfold over my eyes, tipping my head forward to secure it at the back of my head. My world was dark and would remain so until the morning light signaled that the very same guards could remove the blindfold.

Tomorrow morning, I would sigh when I peered in the mirror. I would have new marks dotting my neck and they would scar. I would hate the way they looked on my skin, but every girl in the village would endure it. We all knew it was a small sacrifice to make.

The vampires would come. They would feed from us. They would leave. Most of us would return home to tell the tale and the vampires would continue to protect us until the next blood moon. Then, we would do it all again.

With a sigh, I leaned back against the tree trunk that I was tied to. I really needed to consider looking at the men in my village as marriage prospects instead of idiots. Being with one of them surely could not be worse than enduring this over and over again. I used to think that marriage would be this beautiful thing, something filled with love and compassion. A warm hug to come home to at the end of the day. Then it morphed into something I never wanted when I saw that not every man was good and kind like my father. The beats and bruises became harder to hide and I was no longer a naive little girl. But after enduring the Bloodletting for so many years, I knew I could not continue this way.

The screaming started earlier than I anticipated. A girl wailed at the top of her lungs. I could imagine the way she was thrashing, could feel the rope biting into my arms at just the thought of how hard I had fought and begged those first years. But the guards who tied us down were veterans. They could make no mistakes, allow no risk that would lead to the vampires accusing us of not fulfilling our side of the deal.

We could not risk losing their protection. Even if we lost girls to them every year, they were better than the werewolves, trolls, and warlocks who roamed around. Because of that, we were bound down within an inch of our lives. She could fight all she wanted. She would never get free.

I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be unfazed, but I heard them coming. I heard the branches bending, the twigs snapping, the leaves rustling.

My body was wound as tight as it was every year. Repetition never seemed to make it better. I knew it would feel like a cut, like I had been absent minded while chopping vegetables. It would sting, but it would pass. I would heal. I would be okay.

One was approaching me. I could hear the steps nearing. Fast at first, then slower.

There was a groan, like a man suffering. Something twisted low in my belly. Something I seldom felt before.

My head was taken between two hands, strong and warm, and tipped to the side. I let out a gasp, knowing exactly what was coming, yet somehow unable to even begin processing the feelings whirling within me.

Teeth pressed down. But there was no knife-like pain. Not even a twinge. My knees weakened.

And the beast pulled blood from me.

"Please," I whispered. But even I didn't know if I was begging him to stop or to continue. 

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Hello and welcome to my first ever vampire book! I hope you stay a while!

For those of you who have never read one of my books, this is where I post questions every time I upload in an effort to connect with my readers and for them to see me as more of a human being!

Question of the Day: What is your favorite family recipe?