CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE

**OLIVER**
Not much has happened since Carrie took up residence in our house. The only thing that changed was my comfort in the home that I shared with my lover. I had gone to great lengths to avoid seeing Carrie, partly because I didn’t want to see her annoying smirk on her face, and partly because I didn’t trust myself around her. I had taken to watching baseball in the next town, going to see the movies every day, and developing hobbies that I didn’t even know existed.
I sighed as I rolled over in my bed, and looked at the clock. In the days that I didn’t go anywhere, I had taken to bed rotting, a method that wasn’t very fulfilling but was very effective. I grained and stared at the door, listening for any proof of anyone in the house…of Carrie in the house. I smiled to myself as I thought how she hadn’t come to knock on the door as soon as Gabriel left. As I lay there, I thought to myself how I hadn’t heard from the goddess since our last encounter, and decided that it was time for me to visit the river.
I rolled out of bed and got dressed in record time, not bothering to look at my reflection in the mirror. I gently opened my door, afraid that Carrie might still be in the house and I might attract the little demon to myself. I sighed in relief when I saw that she wasn’t around, and followed the footpath behind the house. I smiled to myself, at least this was the one place I didn’t have to walk on eggshells around.
My feet worked together to make my path through the forest, my body on autopilot as I charged through the woods. I stared at the river and watched as the sun blessed it as it flowed. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, smiling to myself as the sweet scent of nature drifted up my nostrils, calming me.
If only I had known that my peace was about to be shattered into a million pieces.
The sound of laughter from the shrine invaded my peace. A crease appeared on my forehead and my eyes snapped open. I watched in shock as the shrine opened and Shanice and Carrie stumbled out, holding onto each other and giggling like teenage school girls.
I blinked rapidly, my eyes heavy with disbelief, but every time I opened my eyes, were still there, like a pesky fly next to your ear. I felt a stirring in my loins as my eyes met Carrie’s brown eyes, almost blinded by her beauty.
Beside her, Shanice’s ears perked and her eyes shifted to him. “Is that Oliver?” She asked.
I open my mouth to speak but no words come forth. I just keep staring at the duo, spellbound.
“He must be blinded by my beauty,” Carrie said and they both burst out laughing.
My eyes widened in surprise and shock. I never thought a day would come when this would happen. I allowed my eyes to roam the length of Carrie’s form. From her web hair that plaster red itself to the sides of her face, to the white oversized shirt that was wet down the front, I could see her hard nipples poking angrily through the front of the shirt. I felt my pants tighten, and swore under my breath and looked away.
“What are you doing here, Carrie?” I asked.
Carrie shrugged and batted her lashes innocently at me. “Shan promised to do a cleanse for me,” she replied. “Isn’t she sweet?”
Shan? My eyes drifted to the elderly lady smiling from ear to ear. She seemed a little too happy with the situation.
Shanice blushed, her cheeks taking in a faint rose color. “You flatter me!” She said.
Carrie turned to me, her eyes widening as though remembering something. “Why didn’t you tell me about this goddess?” She asked. “And that you’re her priest?”
I waved her off dismissively. “It wasn’t important.”
“I think that it’s rather fascinating…” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “Don’t you think?”
I sighed heavily and ran my hands through my hair, not knowing what to make of the situation or what to do moving forward. I stared at Shanice in shock, amazed that she would tell Carrie about the goddess, and my connection to her. I began to wonder just how much she had said, and if she knew about the goddess’ request. I watched as both women descended the porch steps, holding on to each other's waists for support, and giggling like high school teenagers. It felt good to see Shanice live so freely…however, it was at my expense.
“When did this…alliance…happen?” I asked, pointing between both women.
They both laughed. “You silly goose,” Shanice said. “Carrie here is just like a daughter to me!”
I watched in total disbelief, unable to speak as Shanice turned to leave, her feet guiding her path through the forest to her house, leaving me to deal with Carrie who stood a few steps away, her eyes burning circles into me.
“So…” she said as soon as Shanice was out of earshot. “She’s an amazing woman.”
“Yes, she is.”
I answered. Shanice has been an essential part of my life here. Even in times like this when I can not and will never get behind her decision, her impact on my life and the pack can never be understated.
I watched spellbound and tongue-tied as Carrie sashayed over to me, her waist swinging deliciously from side to side. She stopped short of me. So close that we shared the same breath, so close that I could feel the heat from her body, so close that I could see the details in her eyes. And yet, somehow, not close enough.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, her voice carrying a sultry tone. “You’ve been avoiding me, Oliver.”
The blood in my veins came to a boiling point at the sound of her voice, at the way her lips moved, at the way she darted her tongue out to wet her lips. I realized I was taller into the abyss, falling further into whatever trap the goddess had set for me.
“What are you doing, Carrie?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
She cocked her head to the side, and a small smile Steph her way to her lips. “I don’t understand what you mean…”
I scoffed and made the mistake of taking a deep breath, her scent filled my nostrils, and I felt my cock jump.
I groaned and ran my hands through my hair. “Why are you here, Carrie?”
She shrugged and shifted on her feet. “Well, I’m just here to find my feet…and to get over my dead husband…” she replied and ran her finger down his chest. “Besides, is it a crime for me to miss my cousin?” She asked sweetly.
“You don’t exactly look like a woman mourning, Carrie.”
“Oh? What do mourning women look like? Do they wear long white robes and shave their hair off? Or maybe they roll in the sand for years and years to come?”
I ran my hand over my face. “Carrie…”
“Besides, there’s nothing to mourn. I’m glad he’s dead.”
I thought about her husband, the type of man he must have been that his widow more or less refused to mourn him. It made me wonder what her true mission here was. Surely, she didn’t come all the way here just to fuck me. I thought about the goddess, did she kill him? How far was she willing to go to get what she wanted?
“You never told me you had a husband?”
Carrie rolled her eyes. “It never mattered. And the best part is that I am not free to pursue new exploits,” she said and ran her fingers over my lips. It took every bit of self-control I had not to suck them into my mouth.
I tried to step away, to break her hold on me, but I couldn’t. My feet stay glued to the ground as she thumbs over my lips, and she moves in even closer. I stood still, unable to stop the surge that ran through my body. My breath shuddered, something that didn’t go unnoticed.
Her hands snake behind my neck and pulls herself flush against me, her breast pressing against my chest, and her bare thighs rubbing against mine.
“Why do you keep doing this to us?” She asked and lightly brushed her lips against mine. “Why are you intent on making us suffer?”
She takes my hand and places it on her breast. It fits perfectly into my palm, and I squeezed, my mouth salivating as she breathed a heavy sigh. She began to brush against me, bolder, more insistent.
I stood, powerless to stop her seduction as her hands ran the length and breadth of my body. Down my chest, her hands sneaked under my tee and brushed against my nipples, and then down between my thighs. I swore under my breath as my eyes met hers, and a sinister grin spread across her lips.
She wrapped her hand around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss, her lips lightly brushing against mine, her tongue darting out and licking my lips.
“You don’t need to worry about anything,” she said as she sucked my lips into her mouth, her voice like music to my ears.
I sighed, my eyes half closed as I surrendered myself to be her object to be seduced.
“You don’t have to worry about anyone,” she said and planted a hard kiss on my lips. “Not even Gabriel…”
I froze, my body felt as though it had been doused with cold water. His name is the catalyst for my freedom. I pushed her away, enjoying the shock in her eyes as she stumbled back.
“What the fuck is your problem?” She shrieked.
I bent over, my hands on my knees and forced air into my lungs, my mind replaying the events of the past hour. I swore loudly and turned around to leave, headed back home…with a raging hard-on.