Page 51 of Snows Sinful Seven

“Oh yes, one of my best sellers. Here, try a piece!” He cuts a slice and puts it on a plate before handing it to me. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. It’s to die for.”

The smell hits my nose, and I sigh. “It smells amazing.” I take the fork from him and take a bite. The flavor bursts onto my tongue, and I moan, eager for more. I finish the piece in a blink of an eye.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” I lick my lips. “So good. I’ll buy a pie, please.” But as I search my pockets, my face falls. “Shoot. I left my money at home.” I sigh. “I’m so sorry.”

“You know what, it’s on me.” He smiles, grabbing the pie he took a slice from. “Just make sure to spread the word about how amazing the pie is, and I’ll take that as payment enough.”

“Are you sure?” I frown. “I don’t want to cost you any money.”

“Of course. Call it my good deed for the day.”

Not wanting to be rude, I take the pie. “Are you sure?” I double-check.

“Yes.” He nods. “I’m sure.”

“Thank you so much. And I promise I’ll be back for more, with money next time.” I laugh.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

I’m already down the street, taking more bites of the pie before I realize I’ve kept his fork, too.

Today is an off day. I think it’s time to go back to the cottage and maybe take a nap. I’m already risking enough being here.

How am I going to explain the pie?

I could lie and say I baked it myself. But the idea of lying feels wrong. But I can’t just throw the pie away, it would be rude after that nice man gave it to me for free.

Wanting another bite, I smile as I dig in for more. Maybe I can eat it all before I get back to the cottage. That way, no one needs to know, and there’s no lying. Right?

As I take another few bites, I start to feel weird. “Maybe I ate too much.” I groan, looking at the pie to see I’ve already eaten half of it. “This wasn’t a good idea.” I’ll hide it for later.

Another few minutes pass as I continue on the path toward home. With each passing minute, I start to feel more and more ill.

My sight goes a little fuzzy as my body sways. Heart pounding, I start to panic. I don’t feel good. I don’t feel good at all.

Maybe I’m allergic to something that was in the pie and I’m having a reaction.

Needing to get home, I stumble my way back to the cottage. By the time I reach it, it’s a struggle to keep my eyes open. I see the cottage, only it’s so blurry.

I blink rapidly, rubbing at my eyes. Another wave of dizziness hits me, and I whimper, fully terrified now.

This was stupid. I should have stayed home. I shouldn't have left. Where are the guys? I want the guys. I don’t want to be sick. I’m scared, and I want to go home. Something’s wrong, so very wrong. Am I dying? I don’t want to die. What about Regina? The pack? They wouldn’t know how much I cared for them.

I manage to stumble my way as far as the front step of the cottage before everything goes black.

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