Dear Claude,

Isn't Mr de Vere 'romancing' it all up ?
Taking this vampire stuff too seriously , almost as if he has a longing for this ritual to come back to life again.
I'd like to see a very serious independent investigator on the job, who fishes out this pedigree of mystical blood he claims he has , and checks out all this elven stuff he claims to be true. (but to fund it I would have to start selling T-shirts and mugs !) 'lol)
I personally don't like rituals at all, other than meditation and prayer. I can't help but think that ritualistic group gathering often leads to adoring the devil (a mistake) indeed.
And what is wrong with being a vegetarian and drinking orange juice, Mr. de Vere ?
Yes, I know a bit of iron once in a while ! See that's what is in the blood, iron, salts and minerals. And that is all ! (and adrenaline if you are a meat consumer.) Other than that all the same, yours or mine.
Maybe it's not what is in the blood, but what you do with it...

Best,
Raja