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’m drunk. Too drunk for this. But I don’t care anymore. I have to see him. Oh, God, I have to see his face.


Through the crack in my window, the wind howls, throwing dead leaves at my windshield. Brutally, dark rain lashes my old, rusty Plymouth Breeze, and every drop warns me, Don’t do it, Ryde. The thunder growls, Leave him alone


Still, I put the bottle to my lips again and take another long, satisfying swill of the cheap vodka. I know I should stop now. I can barely see straight anymore. I put the cap back on and set the bottle down on the seat next to me. If I get caught sitting here with this open bottle on my seat, I’m going to jail. No two ways about it. But there’s no one on this street, and besides, I won’t get caught. Not today.


Chapter 36