005

CHAPTER FIVE

Kieran

~~~~~

Ever since I last saw Vicente this morning, I hadn’t seen him again.

He’d sent servants to bring me food and water, but I refused to eat any of it.

It was already evening, the sky darkening outside the window. I sat on the edge of the bed, my thoughts loud, restless. I couldn’t stay here any longer. Whatever this was, I needed to leave before he came back.

I opened the door quietly and stepped out. The place was silent. The house looked larger under the dim lights, the hallways were long and the floors were polished all reflecting money. The workers seemed to have gone home.

I thought maybe luck was on my side until I heard a voice.

“Come out.”

I froze.

He was sitting at the dining table, reading something from his tablet, a bathrobe loosely hanging off his shoulders. His head lifted slowly, eyes meeting mine like he’d known I was there the whole time.

“I was waiting for you to come out,” he said calmly. “I told you about the baptism, didn’t I?”

I blinked, confused. “Baptism? It only takes place in the church, Vicente.”

He stood, setting the tablet aside. “I want mine here.”

“Here?” I frowned. “That’s not how it works. You can’t just—”

He started walking toward me, and for a second, I didn’t know what to say or do.

“I already prepared everything,” he said, stopping right in front of me. His voice was calm, but something about it made my chest tighten.

He reached out, grabbed my wrist gently but firmly, and began walking toward the room by his left, I was surprised when he pulled me into a bathroom.

“Vicente,” I called, trying to pull my hand back. “This isn’t necessary. I told you, it doesn’t work this way—”

“Then tell me what I should do,” he said, stopping at the door.

I sighed, realising there was no point arguing. “Nothing. I just need to bless the water before baptising you. That’s all.”

He smiled, that same small, unreadable smile. “You see that water over there?” He pointed to the small bowl beside the tub. “It’s already blessed. I got it from a priest earlier.”

He stepped closer to the tub, glanced back at me, and before I could even ask what he was doing, he started untying his bathrobe.

“Vicente,” I said quickly, eyes widening. “You don’t need to take off your clothes for this.”

“But I want to.”

“Vicente—”

Too late. The robe dropped to the floor, and he stood there completely bare, not even trying to hide anything.

My words caught in my throat. I turned my head immediately, heat crawling up my neck. “For God’s sake, put something on—”

“Why?” His voice was calm, almost teasing. “You said I needed to be clean for baptism in the church yesterday, I remembered every single word you said. I’m clean now.”

“That’s not what I meant!” I said sharply, still refusing to look at him.

I heard him step into the water. The quiet sound of movement echoed in the tiled room.

“You’re the priest, right?” he said, his tone lower now. “Then do your job.”

I clenched my fists. “This isn’t a joke, Vicente. You can’t turn something sacred into—”

“I’m not joking.” His voice cut through mine, firm this time. “You said we all needed to repent of our sins. So here I am, tell me what to do.”

I turned slowly, meeting his gaze. He wasn’t smiling anymore. His eyes were cold and I can't lie he looked dangerous.

I took a slow breath. “Fine,” I said quietly. “But after this, you’re letting me go.”

He didn’t answer.

I picked up the small bowl of water, murmured a quiet blessing over it, and moved closer. He was still watching me, his face unreadable.

When I lifted my hand to pour the water over his head, he caught my wrist.

“Vicente—”

“You really think I was letting you baptise me?” His voice was low, dark and cold. A short, humorless laugh left his mouth as his grip tightened on my wrist. “Tell me, Father… between the both of us, who’s the real sinner here?”

I froze, searching his eyes for a trace of that calm tone he had carried moments ago, but there was none. There was something dangerous in his stare now like something inside him had finally snapped.

“Vicente,” I said, steadying my voice even though my heart was racing. “Let go.”

He didn’t move. His gaze dropped to my lips, then back up to my eyes. “I can’t,” he said quietly.

Before I could react, he stepped out of the tub, water dripping down his body, soaking the tiles. His hand shot forward, grabbing me by the collar and slamming me gently but firmly against the wall.

My breath hitched. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. His face was close and that terrified the hell out of me.

“Vicente, stop this,” I said quickly. “This is absolutely wrong in the presence of God—”

“Wrong?” he repeated with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “You keep saying that word like it means something to me.”

He leaned in closer, his breath brushing my cheek. “You think I don’t know what you’re hiding behind that collar? You think I couldn't see it?”

“See what?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

“The way you looked at me before, the way you hate me getting close to Victoria, my childhood friend.” His hand moved from my collar to the side of my neck, his fingers pressing lightly against my skin. “You want to cleanse me, but part of you—” he paused, his lips almost brushing my ear—“part of you wants me to sin with you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why aren’t you fighting me harder?” he asked, his tone coming out sharper.

I know I had a crush on him before but that was maybe six years ago and I didn't see him for three more years, it was more likely my feelings were gone.

“I am fighting you but I just can't. Stop saying that as I f you know I had feelings for you,” I said, trying to push him off, but he didn’t budge. His strength was terrifying.

He gave a short, dark laugh, then leaned in so close our noses nearly touched. “Well, Father Hale,” he whispered, his tone dropping into something that sent chills down my spine, “maybe I’ll make you confess the truth yourself.”

My stomach twisted. “Vicente—”

“I’ll make you beg,” he cut in, his words slowly tempting and poisonous. “I’ll make you cry out my name until even your God turns away from you.”

I stared at him, speechless, my body rigid against the wall. I gasped at the traitorous part of my body beneath my leg that was beginning to rise.

And then his lips inched dangerously closer hovering against mine. I tightened my eyes praying for God to make a miracle happen.

Just when I thought he was going to do it...

He chuckled darkly “Open your eyes and watch how I eat your lips!”