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They left the door open, so they heard when someone came into the infirmary. Twig didn’t have to see who it was to know. He would recognize his mother’s footsteps anywhere.

He’d told her to go home and get some rest, clean up, and get some real food, but clearly she’d skipped several of those steps. She wouldn’t have had time to do everything before she was back.

She appeared at the door, and her expression shuttered instantly. She looked from Palmer, who was still close to Twig, to Taylor, who was hanging around a few steps away from the bed. Her lips pressed together, and she looked like she was about to say something unpleasant. Twig didn’t want her to, so he smiled at Palmer and gently pushed his hands away. “I promise I’m fine. My mom is here, so she can help if I need anything. You should go home and get some rest.”

Thankfully, Palmer didn’t say anything about the conversation they’d just had. He nodded once and turned to Twig’s mother. “I was just making sure Twig knew that my brother is going to be hanging around the infirmary for a while longer. I want him to feel safe here.”

“How can he feel safe anywhere after he’s been poisoned?” Twig’s mother asked.

Thankfully, Palmer didn’t sound offended by her tone. “I agree. I really hope Killian will find who did this to Twig soon. Twig shouldn’t have to be afraid.”

He nodded at her, smiled one last time at Twig, and quickly left the room. Taylor wasn’t far behind, and to Twig’s surprise, he turned back one last time as he closed the door. Twig’s jaw dropped when Taylor winked at him, but he didn’t have time to compose himself because his mother was on him right away.

“Did something happen?” she demanded.

Twig shook his head. “No. Palmer was just letting me know that he was leaving for the night and that his brother would make sure I was okay.”

“That human isn’t a doctor.”

“He’s not. He’s protecting me, though. You heard Palmer. He doesn’t want me to be afraid.”

Twig’s mother sniffed. She would never see anything good about the humans, especially Palmer, so Twig hoped she would let it go. He didn’t have the strength to fight with her, especially not over someone who was keeping him alive to the best of his ability.

He agreed with Palmer, though. He really hoped that Killian was going to find out who was behind this soon.

* * * *

TWIG’S MOTHER WAS CLEARLY hostile, and Taylor wasn’t sure if it was because he was human or because he was Palmer’s brother. Maybe a little bit of both.

He couldn’t blame her, at first. Humans had done many things to dragons over the decades, and most of them hadn’t been good. She was no doubt afraid that her son would be hurt, and Taylor could understand that.

What he didn’t understand was her animosity toward Palmer. Palmer was doing everything he could to keep her son alive. Shouldn’t they be working together to make that happen, instead of her antagonizing Palmer every chance she got?

Taylor hung around the infirmary entrance, going in and out a few times, taking care not to disturb anyone. His job was to keep an eye on Twig, and that was what he was doing. He was pretty sure none of the other patients in the infirmary minded, anyway. Hell, most of them waved and smiled at him.

Most of the dragons didn’t mind having humans around, not the way Twig’s mother did. Some of them were curious, while others kept their distance, but only a few actually antagonized the humans around them. It gave Taylor hope that they’d be able to work things out, because he wasn’t going anywhere unless his brother was, and Palmer wouldn’t leave now that he was dating one of Killian’s half-brothers. This was Palmer’s home now, which meant it was Taylor’s too.

He could hear Twig’s mother fussing over him. He was still annoyed with her, but it also made him smile. She was fiercely defending her son and trying to do the best for him—she just wasn’t sure what that best was. No one was, at the moment, and she was probably panicking at the thought of losing her son, which was why, even though he didn’t like her much, Taylor understood. He couldn’t blame her for being terrified for her son’s life. Hell, he was afraid something would happen to Twig, and he barely knew him.

But he could also see that she was somewhat overwhelming for Twig, and he doubted that was good for the dragon. There was nothing he could do about that, but he hovered by Twig’s door, making sure the dragon could see him every so often. That way, he’d know he wasn’t alone with his mother.

Quite literally.

Chapter Three

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TWIG STARED AT THE ceiling and paid attention to his body. Palmer had suggested a new treatment, and while Twig had eagerly said yes, he actually hadn’t thought it would work. They’d tried several new treatments before, and the only thing that had happened was that Twig had gotten worse.

Not this time.

He couldn’t say he was feeling great, but he was definitely feeling better than he had a few days ago, or even yesterday. It was odd. He’d been feeling like shit for a while now, and he hadn’t expected it to get better. Palmer was a miracle worker, though. Twig was sure that he’d be back to a hundred percent soon, and he’d be allowed to leave the infirmary for good.

Part of him couldn’t wait, but another part wasn’t looking forward to going back home with his mom. He couldn’t say he liked living in the infirmary, but here, he wasn’t as stifled as he was back home.

But maybe it wouldn’t be, even once he left. Killian had visited him and confirmed that he still wanted Twig to sit on the council. He’d offered Twig the position before Twig had gotten sick, and Twig had thought he would’ve changed his mind since then. What good was a council member stuck in a hospital bed?

But that hadn’t been the case. Killian had been all smiles and warmth, almost as if he actually wanted to get to know Twig. Maybe he did. Twig wanted to get to know Killian, too. He didn’t care that Killian was king. He cared that Killian was his brother and that they hadn’t been allowed to be close for too long.