Page 22 of Praise Me: Priest

But he is not here. I have no idea what he’s thinking. Is he ashamed of our actions last night? Does he still wish to remain a priest above all else? Even love?

Merely thinking that four-letter word sends my heart into a tizzy.

I love him.

I think I’ve loved him since he came to my rescue in the field.

My body knew it before my heart, surrendering to him. Now, I want to fully surrendereverything toRune. My heart, soul, pride, trust. I want to lay all of myself at his feet.

But would he accept?

I wet my suddenly dry lips. “Is Father McDaniel saying mass this morning?”

Monsignor Hannibal pauses in the act of gathering the chains. “No, he is deep in prayer, asking the lord for guidance.”

My pulse starts to quicken. “Guidance on what?”

He eyes me with speculation. “I have my suspicions.”

Tread carefully. “Do you?”

“Yes. I still sense an undercurrent of lust between the two of you.” He hesitates, seemingly unsure. “But I have no choice but to admit failure, now that you’ve passed a majority of the tests.”

I let out a slow breath. He doesn’t know that Rune and I made love.

Part of me is elated, as I haven’t caused Rune’s excommunication from the church.

The selfish half of me is deflated. If he’s to remain a priest, that doesn’t leave a future for us, does it? Not unless we kept our relationship a secret. Would that make me happy? No. Clandestine meetings with Rune would make me his private shame. My body might rejoice in that arrangement, but my heart would break more each time.

“What happens now?” I ask, mostly to myself.

“You go back to the village,” the monsignor states, matter-of-factly.

“Now?” My pulse misses several beats. “This morning?”

“Yes,” he fairly hisses. “Or would you like to engage in another round of temptation? Maybe this time he’ll fail and you will win.”

“I…of course, I n-never wanted him to fail—”

“Didn’t you? That’s the only way you’d get paid.”

Dizziness hits me, along with a slow yawning of dread. “I…you said you were going to pay me for my time, no matter the outcome.”

“No, I didn’t. I said I would pay you for your services if they were to my satisfaction. Your services didn’t meet the required standard, or you would have seduced him.”

A realization dawns, thickening my sense of impending doom. “Youwantedhim to fail your tests. You never wanted him to pass. Why?”

His sneer turns my stomach over. “He thinks he’s so much better than me. Refusing to engage in innocent gossip or condemn even the vilest of parishioners. Thieves and beggars. He allows them into the church to sit beside good, honest people and has the nerve to question me for not doing the same.” His laughter is dark. “Yes, I was looking forward to taking him down a peg, that’s for sure.”

“You…hate him because he is too good. Too accepting and kind.” Warmth presses in behind me eyes. “But that’s exactly what a priest is supposed to be.”

“What do you know, you penniless street trash?” He glares at the outline of my body beneath the sheet. “You’d be wise to make some coin selling that body, before you lose your appeal.”

I’m going to be sick.

I’m actually…scared being alone with this man. He’s an imposter. A fake. He’s no more holy than the prisoners being held in the local jail. Or anyone in the village, really.

And the villagedoesneed Rune.

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