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

Christmas morning, I stand at the presbytery door and give the cab driver a reassuring look. This shouldn’t take long, if all goes according to my plan. Alistair has agreed to a holiday from the presbytery, the church, and all his priestly responsibilities, which I never ask about.


My mother thinks it’s too much, too soon. She keeps telling me I’m going to break more than a wax crayon this time if I insist on drawing Alistair back to life all by myself.


I don’t care about any of that. I just want to be alone with him for days and nights. Can’t we just be alone? There was always someone watching. Always


Frau Eberhart pulls the door open. She nods and steps aside to let me in. She pats my arm and pushes a wrapped box into my hands. “Merry Christmas,” she says in her thick German accent. “For you. Open.”


I’m so shocked, I can’t even unwrap the gift.


Chapter 58