Page 55 of The Botanist and the Beast

"I will not drop it!" Jacques yelled, shoving Sebastian back. "If there was even a sliver of a chance, you owe that to us. You should've kept him here. Have you forgotten what's happening to us? Are you that selfish?"

"No, Jacques, I haven't forgotten," he snapped. "Regardless of what you and Lyle think, I haven't forgotten many of my men have died. I haven't forgotten that my body isn't my own anymore. And I haven't forgotten that I will die alone in this forsaken place, roaming around like some feral animal because of something my father did."

His eyes burned with tears as he let out an exhausted laugh. "Theo stays, I'm selfish and not thinking about ending the curse. I make Theo go, I'm selfish because maybe he was the key to ending the curse. Perhaps as an animal it's in my nature to be self-serving."

"Sebastian, I'm sorry," Jacques said in a small voice.

"I don't want to see any of you today. Consider that an order from your prince," he said, not bothering to look at them as he made his way back to his suite.

For the first time, his suite felt too cold. Theo's body heat no longer drifted from room to room. Most nights he could see the glow of his scar flowing out from under his bedroom door, but today the room was dull and dim.

Sebastian pulled out Theo's old, tattered shirt that he had been curling up with in bed. He pressed it to his face and breathed in the familiar smell of fresh cut flowers.

The image of Theo haunted him every time he closed his eyes. His black wavy hair, his pretty green eyes the color of lily pads, his sand dune skin, and the faint spray of freckles on his cheeks that looked like stars dotting a clear sky invaded all his thoughts.

He swore if he listened hard enough, he could hear Theo's laugh up the hall and feel his gentle calloused hands holding his tail.

He sank to the floor and buried his face in the shirt as hot tears rolled down his cheeks.

It can't feel this for him.His four canines lengthened further, feeling awkward in his mouth.It can't be him. It doesn't make sense.His claws extended, tearing more holes in the fragile fabric. It's not fair.His skin itched as fur sprouted on the surface, and the bones in his wrist bent and curved, forcing him to drop Theo's shirt to the floor. His sobs shifted to huffs and growls. Eventually, he couldn't think of Theo clearly, and the feelings of agony were all that remained in his chest.

The smell of flesh, blood, and bone wafted in from up the hall. He wasn’t hungry, but suddenly he had the urge to hunt.

Chapter Thirty

If I ever have to walk through snow again, it'll be too soon,Theo huffed as he stumbled through the castle doors. Two days had passed since his departure and the amount of snow that fell in his absence made his walk back take three times longer than it normally would. Clutching a heavy crate in his hands, he used his back to fight against the wind and shut the doors.

No guards were roaming the halls, and he figured they must still be tucked away in the lounge. Slowly, with aching legs, he made his way up the stairs to try and find Sebastian. Then he heard screams, shouts, and crashes up ahead.

"Sebastian?" he called in a desperate panic. He rushed toward the chaos. He slammed into Oliver. His clothes were tattered as if claws had raked through them. "Are you alright? Where's Sebastian? Is he okay?"

"You're still here?" he said in shock. "We thought you left."

"I did, but I'm here now," he said dismissively as another loud crash rang out. "What's going on?"

"Sebastian shifted and he's not himself. He's been lost since yesterday afternoon," Oliver explained. "You should wait downstairs so he can't accidentally hurt you. We're trying to capture and sedate him, but it hasn't been going well."

Theo ignored the suggestion and rushed up the hall. He found Lyle looking battered and bruised. The rest of the guards looked equally as roughed up as they clutched ropes.

"Every time we try to lasso him, he grows more agitated. I don't want him hurt so we'll have to sedate him from afar and—" Lyle stared dumbfounded at Theo. "What are you doing here?"

A low growl came rolling up the hall and Theo finally spotted Sebastian. His five tails were fanned out like a peacock and his antlers and claws were dripping blood. All his teeth were bared in an angry snarl.

"Sebastian!" Theo ignored Lyle, dropped his crate, and slowly approached. Sebastian growled loudly and stalked towards him. "It's me. I know you're upset, but you're hurting people."

With a loud hiss, Sebastian pounced and knocked Theo to the ground. His snout was wrinkled as he showed all his bloody teeth.

"Theo!" Jacques called. "We need help over here!"

"No. I'm fine," Theo said through clenched teeth as claws pressed into him. He gripped Sebastian's angry leopard face in his hands and fought the urge to cry out in pain. "Sebastian, look at me. It's me."

Sebastian tried to wrench out of his grip, but Theo only held tighter. He lowered his voice, speaking softly. "Kitten, I can't apologize if you eat me."

Sebastian lunged forward and Theo closed his eyes, expecting teeth. Instead, a damp nose moved over his cheek and forehead. Sebastian recoiled and shifted back to his naked nymph form. He looked down at Theo under him in disbelief.

"There you are," Theo said, sitting up. "Look at the trouble you get into when I'm away. I think it's best I stay here."

"I thought you left."

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