"I have in the past," he said, his words careful.
The bitter taste of bile rose in my throat, and I fought not to gag. "But you don't anymore?"
Please let him say no.
He raised a brow and gave me an incredulous look, like he couldn't believe I'd be upset with the idea of him killing innocent people. "No, not unless it's absolutely necessary," he said.
"Right." I nodded like this was the most normal conversation in the world. "So, you didn't. . .?" I inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. "Rachel? Marc? The hikers?"
"No," he said firmly. "We only feed on animal blood."
That made me feel slightly better. "But they didn't die of animal attacks or hiking accidents, did they?"
"No, but I promise you it wasn't me or my family." He squeezed my hand, but it did nothing to comfort me.
"Wait. There are others like you?"
"More than you realize."