I swallowed hard again. “Good morning, Lauren. Thank you for having me.”
“Of course. You’re Willow’s b-b…” I practically held my breath while her jaw worked, then breathed out with relief when she continued, “Brother. Always w-welcome.”
I gave her a tight smile in reply as Willow reappeared in the hallway leading to her wing.
“Mom!” Willow cried with a grin. “Quit hogging him! I have to show him my new room.”
Lauren let out a strangled sound that seemed like it was meant to be a laugh, then gave us another shaky smile before her nurse began to urge her the rest of the way up the stairs. We both stared in their direction for several seconds even after they’d gone, and it was nearly a minute later when we finally heard the echo of a door close at the end of the hall.
“Thank God,” Willow muttered to me. “Dad would be pissed if he saw her out in view of the front door.”
“Why isn’t she rooming downstairs?” I breathed in confusion. She shouldn’t have been anywhere near stairs, nurse or not.
Willow only snorted, which was answer enough.
I clenched my jaw, silently following my sister down the hall toward her wing of the house. I chewed my lip as I watched the décor slowly turn pinker and shinier as we drew closer to Willow’s rooms. I had no idea what to say to her. The last time I’d seen her, Skye was sending me away from her dorm, and Willow had begged me not to go. Now, she acted like none of that had happened.
No one gave me whiplash quite like my sister.
“How is she?” I asked, deciding that her mother’s condition was a safe topic.
Willow hummed noncommittally. “Well, you saw her legs aren’t quite working. That’s new.”
“I saw,” I confirmed, almost in a whisper. “Is she still attending physical therapy?”
“That was the physical therapist,” Willow replied, referencing the woman I’d thought was a nurse. “She comes here directly. Traveling is getting harder, so I found one who comes in-home.”
“Willow,” I stopped her with a gentle touch to the shoulder. She flinched almost imperceptibly, and Ihatedthat. My father’s personality was starting to wear on her. “Listen. You know the Palace has Healers. Rafe and I saw Holmes, the one who was working on the King–”
“The one whokilledthe King, you mean?” Willow sneered as she shoved my hand off her shoulder. “I don’t want heranywherenear my mom.”
I breathed out slowly, trying to remain calm. “Then another Healer,” I said. “Rafe can have someone here by the end of the day.”
Willow shook her head.
“Willow, come on. Why won’t you let him help?” I asked desperately.
“I’mnot the one keeping things stagnant around here, Wyatt,” she hissed. “You know as well as I do that he’d never allow that.”
“Then we’ll take her–”
Willow lunged at me suddenly, slapping her hands over my mouth and knocking me into the wall with a thud. I stared at her, paralyzed in shock, but she only tilted her head as if she were listening for something.
What thefuckwas going on in this house?
“Don’t ever,” Willow whispered so quietly it was barely audible, “eversuggest that in this house again.”
She spun around then, whipping me with her hair as she strode away from me.
I pulled out my phone, seeing a message from Rafe already waiting.
Rafe
Say the word, and I’ll come get you
Me
It’s worse than I thought
