“No, it doesn’t, and this is juice, not blood. I know that argument is tantamount to heresy to every vegetarian on the planet, but look it up. It’s called myoglobin, and it’s a protein found in muscle tissue. It doesn’t taste like or have the same viscosity as blood. If it did, trust me, nobody would eat meat, except, of course, vampires or…werewolves.”

“Which means it doesn’t help.”

“Help what?”

Lisa slouched in her seat. “Bennett, you look a little pale.”

Bennett took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten before she let it out. “Do you have any idea how truly aggravating it is for everyone to be concerned with my feeding habits? Max did it last week, and your father did it for nearly forty years, and now it seems his daughter has picked up the mantle, and it’s unnecessary. You’re the one who orders my supply, so you know I’m consuming my fair share, and like I told Max, there’s no need for me to be in tip-top fighting shape when I’m not at war,” Bennett said, spearing the last piece of meat. “So please don’t bring it up again. I haven’t lived this long by not doing what I need to do when I need to do it.”

Lisa set her silverware on a plate that once held grilled salmon and asparagus, and picking up her glass, she sipped her wine while Bennett finished her meal, not saying another word until Bennett put down her fork.

“Okay, so I’ve waited all week for you to volunteer information, and I’m tired of waiting,” Lisa said, slanting toward Bennett. “How did you finally convince the council that Napoleon had to be reined in?” Lisa snorted when Bennett jerked back her head. “Guardians talk.”

“Do they now?” Bennett said, placing her napkin on the table.

“Don’t act so surprised and stop evading the question. What did you say to—”

“I didn’t say anything. It was Max, and before you ask, he wouldn’t tell me what he said to them,” Bennett said, taking a sip of her drink. “I believed once he and the council found out what I’d done, I’d be the one on their dung list, not Napoleon.”

“It’s called a shit list.”

“Isn’t it the same thing?”

“I suppose it depends on what century you’re born in,” Lisa said with a laugh. “Anyway, what exactly did you do?”

“Sorry?”

“What did you do that made you believe you’d be on the council’s shit list?”

“Oh. I took care of the men that Napoleon had hunting in Back Bay.”

“Took care of how?”

Bennett pursed her lips, her eyes twinkling ever so slightly. “Let’s just say they no longer need neckerchiefs.”