Bennett refused to look in Max’s direction. She wasn’t craving blood. She was craving something else, and she did not understand why. Bennett was first introduced to these sensations five years earlier, and a woman in leather breeches was the cause. Now, however, there was no woman in breeches to blame for what was happening to Bennett. Her inner sanctum had suddenly taken on a life of its own, and no amount of sword fights, jaunts up and down the stairs, or books would silence it. Embarrassed, annoyed, and confused, Bennett shoved another volume back onto the shelf. “Isn’t there anything I haven’t read around this bloody place?”

“There are literally dozens, but I don’t think reading is what you need at the moment,” Max said, pointing to a chair. “Now sit down and tell me what’s going on. After all these years of me being honest with you, I would think you’d be equally conscientious.”

Bennett sent a disgusted look in Max’s direction and then sunk into a chair. “I think I’m sick.”

“Sick? Whatever do you mean?”

“I just…I just haven’t been feeling like myself for a while now.”

“That’s understandable. You’ve gone through a number of changes over the past months.”

“I’m not talking about feeding. I’m talking about…” Flames of red instantly painted Bennett’s cheeks, and she lowered her eyes. “Damn it, Max. I’m anxious.”

“Anxious? What do you mean? What are you worried about?”

Bennett’s raspberry cheeks darkened to maroon, and she raised her eyes. “Not that kind of anxious.”

Max’s eyebrows became one, and a second later, they vaulted into his hairline. “Oh, Christ, no,” he said, falling back in his chair. “Oh, my dear Bennett, I fear I owe you an apology. I thought that particular issue only involved the males of our species, and here these past few months, you’ve probably felt as if you were walking across hot coals.”

“Wait. What?”

“I need a drink,” Max said, springing out of his seat. Pouring a splash of brandy into two goblets, he handed one to Bennett as he sat down. “Now…how do I say this?”

“Just say it, Max,” Bennett said, taking a taste of her brandy. “I doubt I can get any more embarrassed than I already am.”

Max offered a weak, tightlipped grin. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Our species, like mortals, are nothing more than animals. True, we walk on two legs and have opposable thumbs, but when it comes right down to it, we share many of the same instincts as our four-legged friends, survival, sustenance, and procreation being just three of them.”

Bennett drew her head back. “You’re saying I want to have a baby?”