Maybe Lucien secretly had a deathwish. As he followed Castor and the vampire doctor back out into the hallway, he wondered what possessed him to offer up his own neck.

They were brought to another room full of empty cots and medical doohickies that Lucien wasn't quite familiar with. Pink and red roses adorned the walls of the otherwise stark white clinic, adding a vibrant touch of color. Lucien approached one of the cots with a bedside table full of literature books and educational pamphlets.

Feed a Vampire Today. The amusing title was enough to make him snatch up the pamphlet, skimming over the nice dedication to those who donate to focus on the minor side effects. It could cause dizziness or nausea. Nothing too extreme. That was a small relief at least.

With a trembling hand, Lucien loosened his collar and tugged his robe off. "Do we just sit somewhere and you feed from us or do other vampires join?" Lucien asked, tilting his head to expose his neck.

"We take your blood like normal." Sebastian's lips curved into a smile as he waved a sealed donation IV. "No direct feeding here."

"That's a very intimate thing for vampires to do," Castor said as he flattened and secured Lucien's collar, his lips twisting and his eyebrows lowering almost in admonishment. "They take our blood and keep it at the clinic, not offer our necks for any takers."

"Oh, my bad." Heat rushed to Lucien's face. "I didn't know."

"Some vampires still prefer that traditional way of feeding." Sebastian prepared the I.V. and connected the tubes to the bags to collect their blood. "But here, we don't do that. When feeding directly off someone, it's easier to lose control and harm you. This way, we can take just enough and ensure your well-being."

Lucien laid down on a cot beside Castor and gazed up at the fluorescent lights above him. While waiting, Lucien couldn't help but think about what drove Charlotte to Nevermourn. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell she was secretly dating a vampire. His sister rarely expressed interest in wizard men. There had to be another reason, but what could it have been?

From all the horror stories their folks filled their heads with, he was quite surprised she'd even consider donating her blood to vampires. Unless she was doing it with ulterior motives.

It would've been a clever cover-up for being down in Nevermourn. Why else would wizards fly down here unless there was something they wanted or someone they needed to see? For Castor, Lucien understood his connection with the vampire. They were a lot alike, shunned by their own society and disregarded as nothing but wicked vermin.

"Before we begin, I just need you to fill this out." Sebastian handed him a clipboard and a pen. "Standard blood consent form. It'll never leave this office, nor will your council ever be able to see it. There's also some questions to fill out about your medical history and any medications you're taking."

Lucien accepted the clipboard with a shaky hand. "You swear they can't force you to access it?"

"No, by law, only our Sanguine Council is the one with authority to access them aside from me and they can't be held against you," Sebastian explained. "None of your wizards will ever know about it. If you're not comfortable donating your blood, I understand. I won't be offended."

"No, it's okay. I want to do this." Lucien read over the papers diligently before signing his name at the very end, along with filling out his medical history.

Once that was out of the way, Sebastian cleaned his arm with a damp swab before inserting a sterile needle into his vein. A sharp pinch pierced his skin, but it vanished within seconds.

"AB Negative." Sebastian's eyes fogged with a longing hunger as he watched the blood drain from his arm. "You've got one of the rarest blood types, also one of the most desirable amongst our kind."

"Oh, really?" Lucien asked, struggling to hide his unease. "Do blood types taste different?"

"Of course. Yours is the richest, sweetest flavor. It provides us with more energy, strength, and healing power. However, it can also be very addictive," Sebastian explained. "The most common type we get here is O Positive. It's the best for treating binge drinkers and those who are starved. That's what Castor has and Charlotte did too."

"Interesting. I never knew that about blood types." Lucien tilted his head slightly toward Castor as the vampire doctor went to prepare his injection. "How often do vampires need to feed?"

"Everyone is different, but the average vampire needs a pint per month. Which is what you're both donating now," Sebastian explained. "Some cases can be more extreme with binge drinkers, but that's also why we keep animal blood on hand here. Many vampires get extra blood from the Last Drop pub since their owner imports blood from overseas."

Fear slithered down Lucien's spine. "That's legal?"

"Of course. Nevermourn has a barter arrangement with the country of Valorath. They bring over crates of an assortment of bloods, from wizard and witch, to the fae. Fairies can actually donate more blood than a wizard or a witch, but their race is rare here in Marusticia."

"Pretty interesting stuff, isn't it?" Castor asked. "I'd never even considered where vampires got their blood until I visited here."

"I've done everything I can to make this place a safe home for my kind." Sebastian's expression faltered as a frown ghosted his face. "But no matter what I do, those wretched hunters always sneak through our barriers. Another vampire's corpse was discovered in his home earlier this evening. Struck with a death curse and beheaded."

"Another?" Concern crossed Castor's face. "Gods, I'm sorry. Do you think that hunter could have killed Charlotte too?"

"Perhaps. Maybe he learned she was donating her blood here and considered her a threat?" Sebastian suggested.

"Yeah, maybe so." Lucien agreed, yet he couldn't find it in his heart to believe that.

While they discussed the types of death curses used against the slain vampires, Lucien wondered if Charlotte had been secretly helping the hunter. Maybe Sebastian was partially correct about her meeting someone out in Nevermourn. Just not a vampire.

Lucien didn't dare voice his theory aloud, not when Sebastian believed Charlotte had been donating her blood out of the kindness of her. Which was still possible. He just had a hard time believing that.

Once they had finished donating a pint each, Sebastian placed a small bandaid over each of their injection sites. Lucien found it amusing how his bandaid was shaped like a coffin while Castor's had little bats checkered across his.

"Castor already knows the drill here, but I prefer it if you ate a snack before leaving. Just to ensure you don't feel faint or have any other problems I should be concerned about," Sebastian said before moving at the speed of light toward one of his cabinets, returning with a box of sweets. "I try to keep a nice supply of different things for people. Just take anything you'd like."

"Thank you." Lucien said as he plucked out a frosted honey bun from the box of goodies to munch on.

"I'll grab you both some bottled waters as well," Sebastian said.

A moment of silence passed as Lucien nibbled on his honey bun and Castor took a bite of one of his pumpkin spice cookies. It was crazy for him to think about Charlotte doing all this. If anyone from the Supernatural Council had caught wind of her donating blood to the vampires, she could've faced severe repercussions for it. Lucien knew the same applied to him as well, but he wouldn't be too heartbroken if they terminated him.

Castor rose from the cot to sit at the foot of Lucien's, and his azure eyes pierced into his soul. His warm, calloused hand brushed over Lucien's arm. "Don't you ever offer yourself up to a vampire like you did earlier. That was so dangerous."

"I'm sorry," Lucien murmured. "I didn't know what exactly giving blood meant here."

"I know." Castor's hand moved away from his arm, gently resting along the side of his neck. "Promise me you'll never offer them this again."

A touch of color tinted Lucien's cheeks. "I won't, I promise."

"I trust Sebastian, but not all vampires are as kind as him. One bite and they'd drink you dry," Castor said, keeping his voice low as he gazed toward the door the vampire doctor had exited through. "Are you feeling okay? You didn't need to donate your blood as well. Mine was plenty."

"I know, but I wanted to. It's nice to help them out like this." Lucien gently touched the bandaid on his arm. "What Sebastian's doing for his kind is admirable. I get why you come here to help him out."

Soon enough, Sebastian returned with their bottled waters, and after they'd finished their snacks, they planned to head back to Briarwood. Lucien followed Castor back down to the clinic's foyer, where the vampire receptionist only spared them a brief glance.

Icy wind clawed at Lucien's skin against Lucien's skin the moment they stepped outside the clinic. He tugged his hood over his head, shivering with each step down the sidewalk. Castor brushed against Lucien and radiant embers of fire magic warmed his skin as their fingers touched.

"Told you I'd always keep you warm." Castor's smile shone like the moon in the night sky.

"Thanks." Lucien kept close to him as they walked by more cloaked vampires on their path.

Crimson eyes slanted toward him suspiciously while some of the women bared their fangs in a taunting manner. Despite how unease blossomed in Lucien's chest, he knew he was safe with Castor.

It was illegal for vampires to feed by force, and from their fanged smirks, Lucien suspected they just wanted to give them a little fright. They probably didn't get many wizards from Briarwood down in their depths. Which brought him back to wondering how Charlotte ended up donating her blood at the vampire clinic.