-Lucien Draven:
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to keep my voice calm. "It starts with feeding."
He let out a low, humorless laugh. "I'm not killing a human for blood."
I swallowed, my chest aching at the stubborn set of his jaw. "Ronan, you…"
"No," he snapped, crossing his arms. "I won't kill someone just to keep myself from going insane."
My throat felt tight. "You don't have to kill," I said, voice quieter now. "You just have to drink. A little at a time. You can even ask for volunteers, or pay for it—there are ways. Or you can take it from blood bags, or animal blood. There are options, many."
He scoffed, glancing away. "Blood bags? Like some… animal in a cage?"
"Better that than murdering someone you love," I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
His gaze snapped back to me, anger flaring again. But he didn't argue.
