Something creaked, and a second later, Sage was leaning over the banister rounding the access to the attic, just above Will’s head.Will looked up briefly, then down just as quickly, ashamed.And afraid.
“Sorry, I…”
What am I going to say?That I’m some shifter creep who sneaks around here every night?That I was trying to get up there to watch him sleep?Shit.Why did I have to go and make a mess?Sage was only ever nice to me.
“You okay?”
Sage’s voice was calm.He didn’t sound angry.
“I just couldn’t sleep.”Truly mended.“I have bad dreams sometimes.”
Will’s heart was beating as fast as a wolf running under the full moon.To say it was to make it real.No, to say it was to give the knowledge to others—to Sage—and that…that…it could break everything.
“Huh, okay.Why were you coming up here?”
Will didn’t want to answer, but at the same time, he felt compelled to.His wolf wanted to please Sage, not lie to him.It was pack instinct, soothing in this moment of fear.
“I thought…I wasn’t going to do anything bad.But sometimes, it just calms me down when I hear you breathe.”It had sounded okay in Will’s head.Out of the shelter of his thoughts, it sounded creepy.
“Please tell me that’s a werewolf thing?”
“I guess?”
“And what helps you get over the nightmare is to sit on those stairs for however long it takes you to calm down?”
“Yeah?”
Sage fell silent.Will braced himself.
“But you can’t hear me over the rain?”
“No…”
“Okay.Unless this is totally inappropriate, you might as well just come up here.My futon is pretty big, and if it helps you sleep, you can have half of it.Or not.Whatever is comfortable.Just sleep too, okay?I’m not trying to suggest anything weird or the kind of thing that would make Peter consider tearing out my spinal column.”
“Peter…tears out spinal columns?”
Sage was silent for quite a while.“I should plead the—there’s some number I should plead.No comment, you know?I’m not always super coherent when I don’t get enough sleep.Anyway, if it helps, you can sleep up here.”
Will had not expected this.Secretly, he’d been waiting for Sage to snap.Every time he hadn’t, Will had glanced at him and wondered if he was real, if he was really fine with having Will around and messing up constantly.He’d wondered and feared the moment when the camel’s back would break.
Yet this invitation from above made him feel like the girl from that fairy tale, the one who walked into the forest in nothing but her nightgown and wished on the stars.The stars heard her and rained down onto her nightgown in the form of golden coins.Sage’s words were golden coins as well.
Will heard Sage go back to bed.He clenched his jaw.Hewantedto go up there.Hewantedto climb into bed with Sage.Will had eyes, and Sage always wandered into Will’s line of sight just when distraction and daydreams were already on Will’s mind.
Sage was so handsome.And those blue eyes…Will really liked those.He wasn’t sure whether it was okay to want what he thought he maybe wanted or not, but he couldn’t help wanting it.He couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to kiss Sage and be kissed by him.
Before he could think better of it, Will took the remaining stairs up and was finally in the attic.He’d never been there before.The entire space was one large room made smaller by the angles of the roof, which made the space cozy.There were several old-looking carpets on the hardwood floor, and a large futon in the center of the room.Other than that, there was only a wardrobe and two bean bags on either side of a low table, as well as a yoga mat in front of one of the two round windows.
“I’ll stay.If that’s really okay.”
Sage was already back in bed.“Just toss the cushions on the floor.”
Of course there were more cushions.Will still wasn’t sure why any person—witch or otherwise—needed that many cushions, enchanted or not.
In this moment, he didn’t care.He walked to the low bed and pushed the cushions off, then took up that space.He stayed on the corner, but Sage turned and moved half of the sheets and comforter over to Will.
“Get warm.Hope you sleep okay.If you snore, you gotta go.”
