A knock sounded on the door. The force of it told me it was Jeremy. I ignored it. I didn't want to be around anyone.

I had woken hours ago with hunger nawing at stomach. It had taken two bags of blood to kill the ache. I knew the hunger was coming quicker each time I feed. I knew it was more severe each time.

Since I had escaped to my room the night before, twelve hours ago, I had found myself back in the kitchen thrice. I had consumed four bags of blood. There were only sixteen left. That gave me less then two days of blood, and that only if the frequency didn't continue to change.

"Alex, open the door. I can hear you." Jeremy demanded.

I stalked over to the door and wrenched it open.

"What do you want?" I stood in the doorway, arms crossed over my chest.

"Beth is hungry. She hates caviar and pâté. I need to go to the market."

I laughed, genuinely, at the disgust on his face at his pronouncement of Beth's hate of pâté and caviar. He didn't look at all miffed by my amusement.

"You need to come down with her. I don't want to leave her alone."

"Alone? Where's Breea?" I dropped my hands to my side and enhaled. Her scent still fragranced the air.

"She had errands to run. She mentioned something about getting more blood as well." He motioned for me to follow as he went down the hall.

"Beth is making a list of what she wants. If you want anything let her know so she can add it to the list."

"I'm fine." I said. My mind was still on the fact Breea may be bringing more blood.

In the kitchen Beth was sitting on a barstool at the bar. A tiny notebook lay open, pages flipped up over the metal spiral. She was writing but paused to look up as we entered.

"Almost done. Alex you want anything added?"

"I'm good." I told her. She nodded and continued writing.

Jeremy left Beth and I in the kitchen. I followed Beth to the living room. She lay on the sofa with one of the few magazines from the collection left by the previous human owners of the house. I could still smell their scents faintly.

"Have you looked through the library?" I asked her. One of the rooms, possibility an ex bedroom, had been converted to a small library. Most of the shelves were empty but they had left a few books behind.

"No. I don't think I could concentrate." She told me as she flipped a pages.

"Well, I'm gonna go see what I can find." I said and made my way too the hall.

It was the last door on the right. I turned the knob was was greeted by the smell of carpet, dust, paper, glue, and oak.

Oak. Beth. I loved her scent. I moved across the room and ran a hand over the simple beveled oak fronted shelves. There was very little dust but the books lay on the shelves in no order, some lay on their sides, stacked or sat alone.

It took me ten minutes to a dust cloth, which I finally found in the kitchen pantry.

I started dusting the shelves and books. When clean and arranged the room looked almost empty. I took the dust cloths to the laundry room. I realized I'd have to get a washer and dryer soon. I wondered if Ann had that on her list. I'd have to ask her.

I dropped the cloths and heard a bell ring through the house.

" Got it." Beth called. Then her feet made rapid thumping sounds toward the foyer. A moment later she called out.

"Alex, going to need you a minute." She called loudly. I wasn't sure if it was because she forgot I had vampire hearing. I made my way to the foyer.

A giant of a man with biceps the size of small cars stood in the doorway. He was looking down at a clipboard. His dark tan uniform stretched over his thick muscles made him look like bumpy tree.

"Can I help you?" I asked as he pointed to the paperwork and leaned it so Beth could see it.

He looked up at me, gave me an admirering look. He held the clipboard to face me.

"Alexis -"

"Alex, please." I told him firmly.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I dot the stuff you ordered. I got it here as soon as I could. I had to wait for it to be loaded on the truck." He looked over his shoulder. Then back at me. "Where you want me to unload it."

"What is it?" I asked focusing my eyes on his name tag, Hugh, then the company name patch, Action Rental.

"Washer. Dryer. Dinning table. Chairs. TV. Entertainment center." He told me looking at the paperwork and flipping pages when he named each item. "I have credit card receipt here. I'm supposed to deliver them with the furniture."

It took us 92 minutes for the man and his assistant to bring the items in and hook up every thing. The entertainment center took 15 minutes alone. The bed took twenty.

Unfortunately both men smelled yummy. Hugh smelled iron and fresh cut grass. Tony smelled of fresh turned dirt and thyme sprigs. As we were coming up the basement stairs I touched Beth's arm.

"Could you see them out? I need a drink from the kitchen." I put as much emphasis on "drink" as I could without alerting the humans.

She smiled, reassuringly. "Sure."

I made my way quickly to the kitchen and retrieved a blood bag. I had finished it before Beth entered the room holding the paperwork Hugh had promised. I intended to call Action Rental and arranged an extra tip for both men.

Jeremy entered the kitchen less then a minute after the delivery men left.

He carried multiple bags from a large number of stores.

I eyed the bags. "I though you were going to the market?" I mumbled.

"I did." He said placing twelve bags on the bar. "The rest is in the car."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'll help." Beth laughed. She turned to the living room.

"I've got it handled, Ms. Beth." Jeremy told her.