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

“We’ll be together forever, right?” He holds my hand in his.


“We’ll never be apart again.” I turn his face to mine. The sun is on his white-blond hair, and a memory of him, sitting in his attic, sewing that shirt, comes over me. He’s my cloak. The only garment I ever needed. “Forever,” I whisper back to him. “Now lie down with me.”


We lie back on the warm rocks, staring up at the forget-me-not-blue sky. “I think I’m gonna fall asleep,” he says, pressing his face into my neck. “You don’t mind, do you?”


No, I don’t mind. But this time, I’m going to stay awake.


But I wasn’t sleeping at all. I turn to look at him. He’s still lying on his side, but looking at the woods behind me.


“Wake up,” he says again. “Wake up.”


“What is it?” But I know. I know. I glance over my shoulder, at the trees. “What? Tell me.”


Alistair is on his feet. He stands there, breathing hard, watching something, someone in the trees. His eyes are glazed. Is he even awake?


Chapter 78