As the founder of Freedom Fighters, famed music composer, William Mayes, is often the first port of call when the FBI needs assistance with human trafficking victims. After receiving such a call one night, William abandons everything to catch the next flight home. Arriving at Manhattan Memorial, he finds a beautiful young man restrained to a gurney. His eyes are wild with fear, and blood stains his skin. No one has been successful in getting him to speak. When even he can’t get the young man to cooperate, William does something he may later come to regret—he extends an invite to his home. The young man is non-verbal, angry, and at times openly hateful. All of which gives him control over William’s emotions. William slowly begins to spiral from his own struggles with his tormented past. His nightmares return, sleep becomes a lost cause, and the dark voices in his head are out for blood. Amid their co-dependent isolation, William’s feelings evolve. Lines are blurred, and then crossed altogether as they start down a path riddled with secrets and lies of omission. The only thing that can set them both free is the truth. But maybe some things are better left buried. Because if the ugliest parts of William are ever unearthed, no one will be spared. Only the Small Bones is an MM romance, and book one in the standalone series Slow Burns & Tragic Beginnings. This story features a non-verbal MC with touch aversion, and mental health representation. Please visit the author's website for a full list of content warnings.