Page 34 of The Haunting of William Thorn
Just like the memories of the past had seeped into the foundations of Hanbury manor, Edward’s words worked through all of William’s shields until they etched on his bones.
Since Archie had died, William had been alone in every sense of the word.
Even now, as he looked deep into Edward’s eyes, he felt the need to argue his point. But something stopped him.
Pushing people away was his most prized skill, and yet, in that moment, he couldn’t do it.
“I just want to sleep.” It was all William could manage. The past nights of sleepwalking and fright had done a real number on his sanity. “I can’t think straight when my thoughts are so frantic. Knotted.”
“Then that’s what we shall do. Sleep.”
Edward took William by the hand and guided him towards the bed.
Robert’s journal rested on the ruffled sheets, a silent witness to everything that had happened.
It was a brief and hot reaction, the urge to pick it up and cast it out of the window, but the allure of answers still sang to his tired mind.
He resisted, for now.
“What about the board?” William asked as he climbed onto the sagging mattress.
Edward lifted the duvet over William, cocooning him in the sheets as though they could protect him from his new reality. It was impossible not to be entirely focused on how attentive Edward was with everything he did.
“I’ll put it out of the room for now, then we can deal with getting rid of it tomorrow – I mean today.” Edward chuckled, the sound almost out of place but still beautiful to William. “I don’t think I’ve stayed up this early since freshers’ week at university.”
With that, Edward turned his back William, paced to the door and opened it. Nothing was amiss outside, nothing to suggest anything sinister had ever happened. Not that William knew what to expect or look for.
Had the figure from the grave followed him back to Hanbury, or maybe it was the other way around. Perhaps that figure was always in the manor and simply followed William out.
Edward did as he promised, placing the board beyond the door and then shut themselves away from it.
Without question, he moved back towards the bed, stopping just shy of it enough for him to tug his shirt over his head.
For a moment, William was completely distracted.
His mind was completely stuck on how sculptured Edward was, the number of muscles he hid beneath his clothing and the way his abdomen ended in a perfectly shaped V of muscles over bone.
William diverted his gaze before Edward could notice.
“Shall I close the curtains again?” Edward asked, voice a muted whisper.
“No,” William exhaled. He didn’t care how childish his sudden fear of the dark was, nor did he feel like Edward was the one to judge. “I’d feel better with them open.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
The bed shifted with the added weight of two bodies. Suddenly embarrassed that he was overly dressed beside Edward, William turned his back on him, facing the wall whilst his mind reeled.
“May I?” Edward said, his breath brushing William’s ear.
William didn’t know what the request was regarding until he peered behind him to find Edward entering the big spoon position. There wasn’t a need to ask for further explanation, not when Edward’s body language screamed with answers.
“Please,” William said, then arms folded over him, anchoring his body to Edwards. “But only if you’re sure.”
“I’m most certain. And this way, if you have another bout of sleepwalking, I’ll know about it.”
As Edward wrapped his warmth around William, he found the tightness around his lungs abate. The heavy pressure of an arm over his side, the hard press of a chest against his back… all of it added to his much-needed comfort.
Edward closed his face into the back of William’s neck. A pleasant ripple of shivers coursed over him. He hoped that wasn’t noticed by Edward, but would it have been terrible if he had?
“I don’t even know if I’ll be able to sleep,” William admitted, nuzzling his head into the pillow.
“Can you feel my heart?” Edward asked.
There was a faint patter coming from Edward’s chest. How could he ignore such a harrowing feeling? It took everything for William not to melt further into Edward. “I can.”
“Then focus on it. Let your mind think of nothing but my heartbeat. I promise, by the twentieth count, you’ll be asleep.”
“And then what?” William asked.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
William shuffled back a little, slotting perfectly into the bow of Edward’s body. It was impossible not to notice how Edward’s grasp on him got that bit stronger, as though he was anchoring their flesh together.
“I mean, what are we going to do when we wake up?” William asked.
“We’re going to ensure that Hanbury Manor is yours and only yours. If that’s what you want.”
I don’t know what I want anymore . “And how are we going to do that.”
William wondered if Edward felt his own heart skip a beat.
“By finding out what they want.”
They . William didn’t know if Edward referred to the house itself or the memories it held.
Perhaps the lingering energy that was causing these sinister happenings.
Maybe his choice of words encompassed all of those options and more.
Either way, William still found himself relaxing because there was something else Edward had said, something that he had repeated over and over in his tired, frightened mind.
You’re not alone. I’m here with you.
Edward was right about something else, because by the twentieth count of his heartbeat, William was truly and utterly asleep.