Was afraid bloodsucker lost out to cardinal? (6)
I believe the answer is:
feared
'was afraid' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for feared that I've seen before include "Dreaded" , "Was terrified" , "Was afraid of" , "Was in awe of" , "Was uneasy or apprehensive about" .)