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But he didn’t want to keep thinking about that right now. Thinking about Palmer made him think about his mother and how she was behaving, and Twig didn’t have the energy. Instead, he found his thoughts drifting back to Palmer’s brother.

Palmer had said there were guards standing by just in case. He’d mentioned that his brother would be one of them. That meant Taylor would be hanging around.

For some reason, that made Twig happy.

Chapter Two

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TAYLOR’S SHIFT AT THE infirmary wasn’t over by the time his brother was ready to leave. When he walked toward Taylor, Taylor could immediately see that Palmer was frustrated. He didn’t have to ask why. Right now, there was one case that frustrated Palmer above all others, and it was Twig’s.

“Something happened?” Taylor asked.

Palmer shook his head. “Nothing different. Twig’s mother is a problem.”

“We already knew that.”

“I just feel like she’s stressing Twig out more than he should be. I’m doing everything I can, but maybe she’s not wrong. Maybe I should bring in a healer to look into this.”

“You mentioned it to Twig, right?”

Palmer raked a hand through his messy hair. It was clear this was something he’d been doing most of the day. Hopefully, once he got back to his room, he’d have the chance to relax. Maybe his new boyfriend would help.

“I did suggest it to him,” Palmer confirmed. “He said no. He trusts me, and I don’t know if that trust is misplaced.”

“Why would it be? You’re doing everything you can to help him. He can see that. Even his mother can, even though she won’t admit it.”

“Maybe everything I can do isn’t enough.”

Taylor hated it when his brother doubted himself, even though he understood where Palmer was coming from. For now, he still didn’t know what had been used to poison Twig, which meant he was having a hard time fixing it. Everything he tried seemed to make the situation worse, which meant he was scared to try something new.

Not for the first time, Taylor was glad he hadn’t decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a doctor. He held people’s lives in his hands in other ways, but he wasn’t sure what he would do if he was in Palmer’s place right now. Palmer was going nuts, and there was nothing anyone could do to help. Twig might get hurt even worse, or die, no matter what Palmer tried.

“You’ll find a solution,” Taylor said, watching his brother.

He wasn’t sure Palmer felt that same confidence himself. He shook his head, and his shoulders slumped. “I hope so. Twig is a sweet person. He doesn’t deserve what’s happening to him.”

“Nobody deserves that.”

Palmer snorted. “I’m not too sure about that. I can think of a few people who should be in that hospital bed instead of Twig.”

Including the person who was probably responsible for what was happening to him. Everyone suspected Pearl had something to do with it. Taylor didn’t understand that. Twig was Pearl’s half-brother. They shared the same father, and even though that father had been an asshole, it should have meant something to her.

It clearly didn’t. Maybe it was better that way, considering the kind of person she was.

“You have plans for tonight?” Taylor asked, hoping to distract his brother.

“Just going to relax. I’ll be right back here tomorrow morning, trying to find a way to help Twig.”

The infirmary door creaked open, causing both of them to turn. Taylor expected a nurse or a family member of one of the patients, but instead, a pale and shaky Twig appeared, clutching the doorframe, one foot dragging in front of the other.

“Twig?” Palmer asked.

Twig froze and slowly looked at them. He didn’t say anything, but the guilty expression on his face told Taylor he knew exactly what he was doing.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” Palmer said as he rushed forward.

Taylor quickly followed. If his brother needed help with Twig, he was more than happy to provide it. That was why he was here, after all. He needed to keep an eye on Twig, and apparently that included getting the dragon back into bed when he was being an idiot.