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’ve been searching for myself, my true self, for so long, I don’t think I’m capable of anything else but this search. But with him at my side…


If only I knew what to say to Alistair. If only I had the wisdom to speak the exact words, those words that could unlock him, I’d take him out of that awful black shirt and white collar and run off somewhere where God couldn’t find us again. Is there such a place?


Here I go again, down my street, to the subway station, underground, and out again, emerging from the tunnels below, my heart fluttering with anticipation, because this it. This is the moment of truth. I walk fast, almost furiously, with my hands deep inside my pockets, head down, moving like a train. I need courage. I need determination. Now is not the time for weakness.


Chapter 48