Fourteen years ago, on the banks of Craving’s Creek, Ryde swore to his best friend Alistair he’d never be alone in the world. Though Alistair was destined for the priesthood, there was something beyond holy about the first kiss they shared. But a fun camping trip went horribly wrong when Alistair was involved in a horrific incident. Now, at age thirty-one, Ryde’s life is a mess of alcohol and the painful imprint of his last look into Alistair’s desperate eyes. Since the evil they encountered on that shore, his first love has been lost to him ... until he learns a friend’s wedding is to be officiated by a priest named Father Alistair Genet. Amid the rush of emotions, one thought crystallizes: Ryde’s love for Alistair has never died. It’s stronger than ever. But can it win over the repressed memories slowly tearing Alistair’s mind apart?

Craving's Creek

I jump to my feet and dive headfirst into the water. The coldness of it almost gives me a heart attack, but I’m thankful for it. I swim to the bottom and kick back up. I do this for so long, my head feels light.


When the hunger is gone, I climb back up on the rocks and find him lying there, staring at the sky. I watch him, this man-child, and look around at the woods.


“I didn’t touch him,” I lie under my breath to God, who somehow I feel is always spying on us.


The fire cracks and pops, slowly toasting my face.


But I like sitting up close to it, close enough for the heat of the flames to cook my running shoes. I’ve always been that way. I suppose that says a lot about me. There’s something terrifying when you know your only real limits are those set by natural law. I’d walk through the fire if my body could sustain it without injury.


Chapter 25