Chapter 8
Eight
Nathan
Nathan was too self-aware to lie to himself, even if he’d lied to Hunter. He had wanted that kiss. He’d wanted more.
But if this were a test from God, he wouldn’t fail it. Sexual temptation had never phased him in the slightest. Until now. The revelation that he could be enticed to break his vows was an unexpected one, but he was strong. He would stay strong.
Slowing his pace a little, Nathan glanced behind him. The empty street spread out before him, the moonlight reflecting off the pavement and giving the entire scene an otherworldly glow.
The rectory stood at the top of a tall hill, and the street leading up to it had few houses on it. None within sight of where he now stood, as if he were the only person alive on earth, a wandering soul in the desolation.
There was no sign of Hunter.
The interaction with the infuriating man had sobered Nathan up. Any trace of intoxication had drained away with the adrenaline of that kiss. Now he was on high alert.
Hunter was gone, but he’d appeared out of nowhere, so Nathan couldn’t count on him giving up for the night.
Turning and glancing up at the rectory, his palms went clammy at the thought of returning to that house. The windows of the second story stared down at him like a judge delivering a sentence.
He couldn’t escape the thought that Father McDonagh would know about his transgression with Hunter. It was as though something physical in Nathan had transformed, something essential, and no amount of penance would change it back.
Which was ridiculous. It had been a kiss. A mistake, but not an irrevocable one. He hadn’t initiated it. Nathan would atone and get on with his life.
But somehow that was mixed up with whatever he’d witnessed earlier in his mind. Yet another thing he didn’t understand. The supernatural light. That turquoise energy had been like nothing he’d ever seen. What had the Franciscan been doing to Father McDonagh?
And what had Hunter done to him? What had he awakened?
Nathan wasn’t ready to go home. Instead of continuing up to the rectory, he took a right onto the next side street, a narrow byway lined by densely packed trees. The moonlight could barely penetrate the canopy above as he made his way to the parish cemetery.
Some of his parishioners might find it strange that he occasionally took walks around the perimeter of the large graveyard. There was something about the natural quiet of the refuge of the dead that appealed to him. It calmed his soul and allowed him to think.
As he approached the entrance to the cemetery, a subtle growl sounded from the undergrowth to his right. Nathan froze in place, his heart thudding in his chest as he waited for the unknown animal to move on.
They didn’t have bears in this part of Massachusetts, but a coyote or a fisher wasn’t anything to mess with. Neither of those hunted humans, but you didn’t want to assume it would be fine and get hurt.
There was a slight rustle of leaves and a flash of…Nathan wasn’t sure. A pair of eyes, maybe? Bright orange. They were there and gone again.
After holding utterly still for a few minutes, Nathan blew out a shaky breath. He had no desire to duke it out with a bobcat.
Part of him finally relaxed when he entered the cemetery, the gravestones rolling out in front of him like rows of rank-and-file soldiers on a moonlit march. A veritable army.
St. Stephen’s was one of only two churches in Purgatory, the other being the United Methodist on the other end of town, so there were only a couple of options for burial.
And the graveyard was old, although the truly ancient gravestones were tucked away in the far corner. Few visited there. The parish had been around for over three hundred years. That was a long time to be sending people to their rest. An astounding number of headstones.
Nathan veered to the right and headed along the path snaking around the perimeter. Trees lined the way, although eventually he’d reach Whitehall Lake on the far side. A soft breeze caressed his skin, and for the first time this evening, the knot in his gut loosened.
Many people would find the cemetery spooky, but he didn’t believe in ghosts. There was something so beautiful about the place, especially at night. So many families had laid their loved ones to rest here with care and attention.
Burying someone, following their wishes after their death, was an act of true devotion. You were honoring them when they were no longer there to thank you.
Just as Nathan pushed away all thoughts of Hunter and Father McDonagh and whatever insanity he’d witnessed earlier in the evening, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye.
Something had shifted out among the gravestones.
It was so fast he questioned if he’d seen anything at all.
He stood there, staring into the night. He was about to give up and continue his walk when it flashed by again. A dark shape was flitting from grave to grave, hiding behind the stones.
It was the size of a dog. Maybe. A very large dog. It was hard to pick out even in the moonlight.
It would tuck itself behind a gravestone and wait before zipping to the next one. As far as Nathan could tell, it was entirely black, although a few times he thought he caught a flicker of orange.
Slowly but surely, the thing was making its way toward him.
At first, Nathan wasn’t concerned. It was late, yes, but he assumed one of the neighbors’ dogs had gotten loose. It would probably have a tag. He didn’t have any food to lure the thing, but perhaps it would follow him back to its home.
As it neared, though, unease spiked in Nathan’s chest, and he took a step back. The animal was larger than he’d initially estimated, and muscular. The thick, ropy muscles moved underneath a blanket of black fur. He couldn’t quite make out its face until—
He lost the ability to move. The reason why wasn’t clear, but his legs wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t fear, not exactly, but it was as though the animal had some kind of power over his body.
As it slipped between two nearby headstones and padded toward him, he swallowed, his throat dry despite the cool night air. It was some kind of canine. At least, Nathan thought it was, although it had some feline qualities as well. Long and sleek, its slick black fur shone in the moonlight.
Its head came into view, and for a second he wondered if it was a wolf. The thing’s fangs stuck out from its powerful jaw, and it had the feel of a predator.
But it didn’t have lupine ears. Instead, its ears lay back flat against its head, and it sported a mound of black fur on its back, right behind its head. Down the center of it was a bright white stripe.
Nathan had never seen anything like it before. But none of that was what made his breath catch. It was the eyes. They were orange, piercing through the darkness like twin flames.
Inside him, fear and curiosity warred, trapping him in place.
He was drawn to the creature, but he also knew it was a terrible idea to interact with a wild animal.
Even if it was a dog or a wolf, it wasn’t like any Nathan had ever seen, and he was pretty certain it didn’t belong to any of the citizens of Purgatory.
But he couldn’t stop himself from staring at it.
The creature let out a low, rumbling growl as it approached, coming within inches of Nathan. Its head was at the level of the priest’s stomach, and heat poured off the animal in waves, warming his skin even though he hadn’t touched the beast.
Then it tucked its head into Nathan’s stomach and nudged.
He hadn’t been expecting that, and he let out a strangled laugh. The move was practically affectionate.
It reminded Nathan of the Rottweiler he had as a child. Everyone feared the dog, but he was a sweetheart, scared of his own shadow and a slobbering lover. Nathan had been devastated when he’d passed on.
Slowly, oh so slowly, Nathan reached out and placed his hand on the creature’s head.
It was stupid, phenomenally so, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. And he didn’t regret it. The beast’s fur was so soft, like expensive goose down. At the touch of it, a deep sense of safety filled Nathan.
It wasn’t a cuddly feeling, though. It was the sensation of having a weapon more powerful than anyone else had. He had the most dangerous creature in Purgatory protecting him.
Nathan didn’t know what to make of it. He wasn’t scared of the creature, but somehow he understood he was the outlier. The beast had made an exception for him.
Nathan didn’t know where he got any of that from. He put it out of his mind, although he didn’t stop petting the animal.
“Hi there. You’re a beautiful creature, you know that?”
The thing lifted its head and nuzzled into Nathan’s hand, as though it knew him and trusted him. A slight whimper escaped from its lips as the beast leaned against him.
He’d known it was muscular, but the body of the thing was heavy, only a portion of its full weight causing Nathan to sway with the pressure. But he was somehow certain the creature wouldn’t bowl him over.
It was taking care of him. He was sure of it. The sensation was odd, one he hadn’t experienced since his mom died.
Eventually, his logic kicked in. All of this was ridiculous, and he was being foolish. The beast was dangerous. Nathan removed his hand.
The creature’s eyes snapped to him, and there was a startling flash as Nathan focused on its pupils.
It wasn’t just that they were a fire-like orange. They were fire. A tongue of flame flickered in each of the beast’s eyes.
Nathan let out a yelp and stumbled back. His ass came into contact with the cold dirt of the path as the creature bounded off into the trees. Jumping up, Nathan peered out into the woods but saw no sign of the friendly canine.
What was that thing?
He stared, part of him hoping it would come back. He’d found it…well, not cute, but striking and comforting in a dangerous way. Would he ever see his beast again?
Listen to him. His beast. Nathan was being ridiculous, and he knew it. He should report it to Animal Control and forget about it. In all likelihood, someone in town was breeding dogs. Nothing all that unusual.
Except for the flames in his eyes.
His? He didn’t know why, but Nathan was certain the beast was male. He was less certain of his sanity, but he couldn’t deny the flames he’d seen in the hound’s pupils.
This was too much. Another bit of unexplainable ridiculousness to ruin his day. What was happening? After a life of normalcy, God had piled a series of absolutely mind-breaking events on him. He didn’t know what to do with that.
But he couldn’t deny he’d enjoyed the beast’s presence. He sort of wished it would hang around longer. Maybe its presence would keep away Hunter. Honestly, having a guard dog to sic on the obnoxious man didn’t sound so bad.
Nathan sighed. He needed to get back to the rectory. He hadn’t handled the day very well. Maybe a decent night’s sleep would give him some perspective.