"Yeah, I see what you can do for her. I might have to put up with it, but I don't have to have it shoved in my face." Angrily knocking the blanket aside, Erik left the room.

"Don't think about him," Heath told me softly, stroking my hair. "Just drink from me and think about getting well."

I looked from the doorway to Heath's sweet gaze, and with a small moan I gave in to the need that raged within me. I drank from him, sucking in energy and life, passion and desire, along with his blood. I closed my eyes again, this time because of the intensity of the plea sure drinking from Heath gave me. I heard Heath's moan echo mine and felt him curl around me, pressing his arm more firmly against my lips and whispering sweet things to me that weren't entirely understandable.

My head was spinning by the time someone pulled Heath's arm from my grip. I felt stronger, even though my wound was burning like there was a fire camped out on my chest. But I was also feeling dizzy and weirdly giggly.

"Hey, she don't look right," Kramisha said.

"But I feel more right. Or is that righter? Which is it, Damien-Shamien?" I paused and giggled, which hurt my chest so I clamped my lips tight together to make myself stop.

"What's wrong with her?" Jack asked.

"There's definitely something abnormal going on," Damien said.

"I know what's wrong with her," Stevie Rae said. "She's drunk."

"Nuhuh! I don't even like to drink," I said, and then burped softly. "Oh, oopsie."

"Boyfriend is drunk. She just drank from boyfriend," Shaunee said. "So that means Z's trashed, too," Erin said. She and Shaunee had a wobbly Heath between them and they were guiding him back to the bed.

"Hey, I'm not drunk. Yet," Heath said. Then he collapsed onto the bed.

"I didn't know vamps could get drunk off a human's blood," Aphrodite said. "That's really interesting." She handed me my purse while she studied me like I was a specimen under a microscope.

"You'd think it was less interesting if you'd eaten a wino and had a hangover headache and then burped cheap wine for days," Stevie Rae said. "All I can say about that is nasty."

Aphrodite, the Twins, Damien, Jack, and I all stared at her. Finally I was able to say, "Stevie Rae. Please don't eat any more people. It's really dis-dis-disturbing," I slurred.

"She sure won't eat another wino. That last one tasted bad for real,&rdqu s a specimuo; So; Kramisha said.

"Kramisha! Don't freak Zoey out. No one is eating anyone anymore. I was just usin' that one time a long time ago as an example of why I know Heath's being trashed made her trashed." Stevie Rae patted my arm. "So don't worry, 'kay? We'll be fine here, and so will the street people. Don't stress about us. You just get well."

"Oh, yeah." I rolled my eyes at Stevie Rae. "I'm not going to worry 'bout a thing."

"Hey, you have my promise. No eating people while you're gone." Stevie Rae looked solemn and pretended to draw an X over her heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

Hope to die! Jeesh, I really hoped that none of us would have to die. Again. And just like that I was able to think through the wine fog that had woozied my brain, and I knew what I had to do. On purpose I gave Aphrodite a tipsy smile. "Hey there, Afro! Why don't you guys go on out to Darius? I gotta give Stevie Rae a phone number, then I'll be right there."

"Fine. We'll meet you out there. And do not ever call me Afro again." In a huff, Aphrodite led the Twins, Damien, Jack, and a whole passel of annoyed cats out of the room.

As they left the room, Erik came back in. Crossing his arms, he leaned silently against the wall and watched me. I used my drunkenness as an excuse to ignore him.

"Hey, could you manage to focus? Do you want me to add a number to my phone?" Stevie Rae said.

"No," I said stubbornly. "I gotta write it down."

"Okay, okay," she said quickly, obviously humoring the drunk.

She was looking around for something to write on when Kramisha marched over to her and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. "Here's something to write on."

Looking utterly confused, Stevie Rae shook her head at me. "Z, are you sure you can't just tell me the--"

"No!" I snapped.

"Okay, here, don't have a big ol' cow." Stevie Rae slipped the paper and pen into my hands. I could feel Erik, who had come over to stand closer to my table, watching me. I gave him a boozy frown. "Don't peek at what I write!"