Page 44 of The Dinner Party

He laughs. “I don’t want a cigarette, but I’m starving—and you know how dangerous it is when werewolves get too hungry. I’m going to get something to eat in the kitchen.”

“Hey,” you say, “you just worked so hard. Let me get it for you.”

“Are you kidding? I’m not going to let my bride fetch me food on our wedding night.”

You consider arguing with him, but maybe you should just let him wait on you. It is your wedding night, after all.

To get the food yourself, turn to Chapter 72 (page 185)

To let Carson bring you food, turn to Chapter 73 (page 187)

72

Carson is so sweet to offer to get you food, but you’re not going to allow him to wait on you hand and foot just because you’re married.

“You just wait here,” you tell him. “I’ll bring you back a snack.”

“Well, okay,” he agrees. “If you insist.”

“What would you like?”

He licks his lips. “A steak would be nice. With some gravy.”

Fortunately, Carson never requires you to cook his steaks—he likes them raw. “You got it.”

You slip out of bed, throw on an oversized T-shirt, then pad out to the kitchen in your bare feet. The lights are out, but there’s a full moon outside, so you can see fine without them.

You pull the T-bone steak out of the fridge. You’re not sure where the gravy is, but after checking a few cabinets, you locate it on the very top shelf. You stand on your tiptoes to grab the jar and…

It falls, smashing to bits on the floor. Of course it does.

Gravy is everywhere. It splashed all over your bare legs and now as you crouch down to try to clean it up, it gets all over your arms and you manage to cut your hand on a shard of glass. What a mess! Hopefully, this isn’t some kind of omen for your marriage.

“Sloan? Everything all right in there?”

Carson’s voice sounds close, like he came out of the bedroom to check out the source of the crash. You call back, “Just a little spill!”

“Let me help you clean it up!”

Before you can tell him you’ve got it under control, you lift your eyes and there he is—your husband. Except thanks to the full moon outside the window, he is now in wolf form.

Carson pants as he looks you over, from the gravy splashed all over your body to the bloody steak to the gash in your hand. He licks his lips, hesitating only a moment. And then…

He pounces.

It only takes a few minutes until you’re in Carson’s belly. If only you’d listened when he told you how dangerous werewolves could be when they’re hungry…

THE END

Want to try for a different ending? Turn back to Chapter 1 (page 1)!

73

Carson offered to get the food, so you decide to let him. It is your wedding night, after all.

You stretch out deliciously on your silk sheets, waiting for your new husband to get the food. He is so great, and you can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with him. You wonder what your children will be like.

You hear a growl from downstairs, which likely means he’s turned into a wolf due to the full moon, but by the time he comes back, he’s returned to his human form. And he’s holding a bowl of ice cream.

“For you, my love,” he says. “And it’s a good thing you didn’t get the food. The gravy was all the way on a top shelf, and I nearly dropped it trying to get it down.”

“I wouldn’t have dropped it,” you insist.

He kisses you on the nose. “Of course you wouldn’t have. You’re perfect.”

He snuggles back in bed with you while you eat the ice cream, thinking about how happy you are. Ending up here with Carson on your wedding night—well, it just feels like fate. You can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with him.

THE END