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

When I reach the presbytery, I stop to look at it. I never imagined I’d ever enter a presbytery, much less feel excited at the prospect. I wait for Eberhart’s stern face to greet me in the glass.


Instead, I see Alistair coming down the hall to the entrance. I stiffen up, the anxiety now reaching close to panic. Who is he today? Am I going to meet the child or the lustful succubus? I’m prepared for both.


He pulls the door open, but upon seeing me, his whole face blanches. He puts a hand over his heart and looks like he might pass out. “No.” He presses his hands to his mouth. “No…Ryde?”


“Hey,” I say quickly. He’s completely shocked. “Did I come at a bad time?” I ask, hoping to give him a clue we’ve met before now.


I see him thinking, his mind working fast. What if he’s seeing me for the first time in fourteen years?


Chapter 50