Chapter Thirty-seven

**OLIVER**

I slowly ventured into the river, stopping only when my lower half was submerged in the water. I closed my eyes and began to offer supplication to the river goddess. I dipped my prayer beads into the water and smiled to myself as I felt the goddess’ presence surround the river.
“Been a while, Oliver…”
I opened my eyes to see her seated on a nearby rock, her dark skin and flowing white hair reflected in the moonlight.
“I can tell you have questions…”
“I do,” I replied, I had several questions. Questions about her, about Jamie, about my mother, about her policies, about everything.
“Well,” she said, spreading her hands out in a come-hither motion. “Let’s get to it. And here I was thinking you summoned me because you missed me.”
I smiled wryly. The dynamics of our relationship had changed greatly since I moved to Gabriel’s pack. She was no longer this scary, ancestral being who wanted to burn the world down, or maybe I was just biased.
“Well…” she urged.
I sighed. “You lied about Jamie.”
Her brows lifted. “I did? How?”
“You said you didn’t kill him.”
“I didn’t,” she answered smugly. “He gave himself to me. I didn’t take him.”
I could feel my blood begin to boil right under my skin. “So, you killed him.”
“No, I didn’t. He came to me. If there was any child to kill, it would have been you.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “You weren’t my chosen priest,” she said. “I preferred Jamie. Agreeable, malleable…”
“What?”
I blinked and she was no longer seated on the rock, rather she was standing dangerously close behind me, her voice tickling the skin behind my ear.
“Jamie would have given me what I want by now…”
“And what do you want?”
“Your soul, Oliver…make us one completely.”
As she spoke, her hands circled my waist from behind and she pulled herself flush against me. Her lips tickled my ear, sending shivers down my spine. I swallowed audibly, not quite understanding the situation but not in a hurry to end it.
“You want me to give up…everything. You want to become me…” I said my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes…”
“I still have questions…”
She chuckled behind me, her hands not leaving my midriff. “Go ahead.”
“What would it take for you to leave the next generation alone?” I asked.
She seemed taken aback for a second. “What exactly are you asking for?”
“What do I need to do for you to leave my children and their children alone? I don’t want them to suffer what I did. I don’t want to bury a child to please you, and I don’t want my child to subjugate themselves, spirit, soul, and body to you. What do I need to do?”
My breaths came in heavy pants as I had said that all in one breath. Against my chest, I could feel the glass pendant, and if I concentrated hard enough, I could feel Jamie’s presence. The goddess chuckled and was suddenly standing dangerously close right in front of me. So close we were that we were breathing each other's air, and I could see the shining blue in her orbs.
“But Oliver…” she said, her voice coming out in a sensual whisper. “Isn’t it a small price to pay?”
“Small price for what?” I asked, my voice mimicking hers.
She laughed, the delectable sound of her laughter only serving to add to the tension. “A small price for violating and murdering my child…”
“That was eons ago….”
“…and ensuring wealth and prosperity across generations. That’s very generous, Oliver. I’m not asking for too much.”
“I will never be yours…” I whispered.
She laughed and her left hand went behind my head, holding it in place with a strength that belied her stature, and her tongue swiped across my lips. “But you will be, Oliver. You’ll see…”
“No…” I said in a breathy moan.
I stood helplessly still and closed my eyes against the pleasure as her lips toured from my lips to my ear. I sighed as she sucked my lobe into her mouth, and then pulled away. She smiled widely as she saw my heavy breathing.
“You can feel the storms gathering, Oliver, can you not?” She asked, as he hand played with the buttons on her white robe.
My eyes followed her hands as she parted the robe and for a second I forgot how to breathe.
“No…” I said weakly.
She laughed and moved even closer to me until her body brushed mine.
“You want this, Oliver…” she said, her hands journeying down to my fly.
“No!!!” I said firmly and jumped away from her. “I don’t want this. What I want is to know what you want for you to be satisfied. How many more generations before you are avenged?!”
She smirked widely at me, her eyes sparkling as she closed her robe.
“I’m afraid that there’s nothing you can give me, Oliver…”
“So, you’ll just go ahead and keep claiming children from each generation?”
She nodded gleefully. “Of course. They killed my daughter, you pesky humans deserve all the pain,” she said, her voice an unsettling calm.
“Fine then. I’ll just do what my aunt did…”
She turned sharply to me. “And what did she do? This aunt of yours?”
I smiled widely. “She killed herself.”
Her brows furrowed as though deep in thought and then her eyes opened wide. “Ahhh. Your aunt, Kristabel. I’ve missed your mom, Sasha, is it?”
I stood there, somewhat confused, not understanding the shift in demeanor or where she was headed. She seemed rather unbothered by the threat of me killing myself.
“I remember giving your mother two choices,” she said. “She chose to save herself.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You’re not the first to try getting rid of me, Oliver,” she threw back her head and laughed. “And I wonder why you guys keep trying. Kristabel had gotten into a pact with the vampire god. Give him a child and he will get rid of me.”
“Vampires exist?” I asked, the more I listened to her, the more confused I became.
“Yes, Oliver. They do,” she replied. “They had a child. Now, a child exists that possesses the powers of the river goddess and the god of vampires.”
“Is that why you want to take a human form?”
“Not entirely. Kristabel then refused to procreate further.” Anger crept into her voice as she spoke. “I had to turn to your mother. Sad, she was so easy, so weak-willed. It would have been easier.”
“What happened then?”
“She refused.”
Silence reigned for a while, I stewed with my thoughts.
“You can feel the storm, Oliver. Something big is coming. You’re going to have to accept my offer if you plan to rise above it.”
“What?”
“It’s going to consume everyone you love.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she simply disappeared. I blinked rapidly, my breath coming in short, hard pants while my mind tried to rationalize what had just happened. I walked slowly out of the water and settled on the bank, my prayer beads still in my hand. The only sounds to be heard were that of the flowing river, and the sounds of the hanging sea shells in the cabin, and yet, those sounds couldn’t penetrate the fog that was the thoughts running through my mind.