Page 57 of The Botanist and the Beast

Chapter Thirty-One

Sebastian was dead asleep from exhaustion. Theo worried as morning turned to the late afternoon, then late afternoon turned to early evening. All the while Sebastain barely stirred. To pass the time, he put some of the flowers he brought in vases and hung the rest to dry so they would keep them forever. After a while, he decided to venture down to the kitchen so Sebastian could eat once he woke up.

Once he loaded up a tray, he quietly tiptoed into the suite and to Sebastian's door. Before he could open it, the door flung open. It smacked the wall with a loud bang, and Theo nearly dropped the tray in surprise.

Standing before him was Sebastian, his thin silk robe barely on, his claws raked over the door frame as he bared his sharp teeth. His now catlike eyes were filled with tears.

"Where were you?" he demanded in a voice more animal than nymph.

"K-kitchen?" Theo stammered as he held up the tray. "I thought you might want to eat dinner."

"Oh. You went to get food. I see." He turned away and went back into the room. Two long tails stuck out from under his robe.

Theo entered and set the tray down on his dresser and quickly saw the room was in a disheveled state. The velvet chair was across the room, the sheets were shredded by claw marks, and glass from a broken vase littered the ground. Sebastian got on his knees to pick up the flowers, but his claws and shaking hands made him clumsy.

"I got it," Theo said, coming over and quickly grabbing the flowers. "I'll put them in the cup of water I brought up."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I do like the flowers. I didn't mean to be careless with them."

"Don't apologize." Theo dropped the flowers in the cup of water he brought up and then sat at Sebastian's side at the foot of the bed. "I can pick you a thousand more flowers. I can bring the whole veil in here if that's what you want. I do want you to talk to me, though. What on earth got you so worked up?"

"I thought you left me again," he mumbled, looking away.

"Where would I go? I just got back." Theo nudged him lightly. "I only left before because you asked me to, and as I said, I only stayed gone because the storm was too bad to turn right back around. I have no intention of disappearing again. I may visit my sisters soon, but I'd tell you about it and it'd be temporary."

"I don't want you to visit home," he blurted out. His antlers and eye shined a bright green like fresh cut grass.

"You don't want me to visit my family?" Theo tilted his head confused. "Why not?"

"I know it's selfish but look at me." He gestured to himself. "I'm more lost now. My claws and teeth come out at the slightest disturbance. My antlers won’t shrink. I have some spots that won't fade on my legs, and I have more than one tail.”

“I don’t think I understand what you’re trying to tell me,” Theo said slowly. “I’m trying to listen, but I’m a bit lost.”

“If you go see your sisters and remember how much better life is out there and with them, you might decide you want to forget about me. It's not like I could come after you. And I mean, you'll probably find a human man instead. I bet they'd suit you so much better. I bet they wouldn't bite. I bet they wouldn't be constantly turning into more of a pet than a lover. They don’t have spots, or tails, or fangs. They’d deserve you."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," Theo said firmly. "You're here, so here is where I want to be." He kissed his fingertips, letting the claws lightly scratch at his lips. "Even if I visit my family, I'll tell them the love of my life is here, so I'll be going back and forth. If they'd come, I'd bring them to meet you. I have no interest in meeting someone else. Other humans are dreadfully boring."

"You say that but—"

"Sebastian Adair, I want you. Dreary days with you are worth more than all my sunny ones outside the gate. Trust me when I say I'll stay."

"I trust you," he said, still clearly plagued with worry. "Of course, you can visit your sisters as soon as possible. I'll manage my anxiety on my own. Maybe I'll go hunting for a while when you leave."

"Don't worry about that right now." He tugged him onto his lap. "You're cute when you're worried." He kissed him softly on the lips, but Sebastian growled and immediately deepened the kiss.

Theo knew they should grab a gag or chain to be safe, but he was lost in the bliss. He wanted to stay here for a bit longer.

The door swung open, and Sebastian stopped kissing him and looked over his shoulder. Lyle was in the doorway, his hand gripping the knob staring at the two of them.

"You should knock," Sebastian said, getting off Theo's lap and sitting next to him again.

"Apologies," he said, rolling his eyes. "I didn't know you two were sharing a bed these days or I would've."

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, rushing in. "I told him we should wait until you rested but ..." He stared for a moment, then laughed. "Though now I wonder if you rested at all with Theo here."

"Enough," Sebastian said, closing his eyes. "Why are you both here?"

"During the storm some of the statues fell outside the bounds of the kingdom. Obviously, no one can get them back without turning to stone. I was coming to suggest your ward bring them back. This is the type of thing he's here for, is it not?"

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