How utterly intoxicating that scent was that cloyed the air around him. He should have be used to the scent of Dorian's skin, to the smell of that delicious blood that flowed through the fae's veins and yet...so very close...and with that distinct perfume that was Matteo emanating from the far corner of the room -- God, were they aware of how they taunted him?! Visibly, Sebastian swallowed, his whole figuring stilled as the vampire simply stopped breathing, as if it might somehow lessen that scent and the desire that clawed so feverishly at him. His attention was thankfully distracted by his husband's apology, though Sebastian brushed it off with a small shake of his head. The Englishman was...more than willing to accept his own part in the evening's affairs. He had...misjudged everything tonight - such a failing rather atypical when the Prince was usually so perceptive. That soft shake of his husband's head caused his lips to press together ever so slightly and yet, he tried to listen as Dorian spoke of his affinity and what laid within William's aura. It was, admittedly, difficult for Sebastian to remain attentive, his thoughts tended to wander as the navy hue of his gaze stared down at his husband. How aware he was of every near imperceptible pulse of Dorian's veins, of the way the turn of his husband's head to glance at his brother only caused them to protrude oh so invitingly. That pale slope of skin near perfect for the taking. His tongue brushed across his bottom lip - though those thoughts were interrupted by his Monarch's inquiry of if he was okay.

His insistence that he was fine fell nearly automatically from the vampire's lips, even if he was anything but. He was hungry and upset and hurt and...sad and confused and everything but fine. Still, his lover's proximity made it so distinctly difficult for the vampire to even begin to process those emotions and thoughts that tumbled rampantly through his mind. Gingerly, his hands reached up to grasp Dorian's shoulders - only to push his King several feet back and away from him. That simple space allowed him some room to think - or at least to feebly attempt some level of the control Matteo had all but demanded of him. His hands folded neatly behind his back, though the action was habitual, it too served as a reminder to, for the moment, keep his hands entirely to himself. His wrist grasped the other, possibly a hint too hard, the pressure simply grounding as he cleared his throat. It was with a hint of..regret that Sebastian informed his lover of how aware he was of William's declining mental health, much less his hopes for his childhood friend's recovery. He had...it seemed...misjudged both of the men within his life. William seemed..in far worse condition than he had anticipated and his lover...well...it would seem he had found the extent of Dorian's generosity in turn.

Whatever words Dorian had intended to speak, however, were cut off by Sebastian himself as the Prince inquired as to his friend's whereabouts....and his fate in turn. He hardly anticipated his Father-in-Law to answer, much less the Frenchman's own chastisement. It was, perhaps, his own upbringing that caused Sebastian to fall to silence. It was, he knew, simply unacceptable to argue with one's betters, even if the vampire found Matteo's words altogether baffling. He had inquired after Dorian's assistance before William officially became a member of their household. Was that not enough? Did he have to defer to his husband upon every hiring he made? His lips pressed together in a small frown of consideration - though Sebastian hardly moved from his position even as Matteo led his brother-in-law from the room. Aiden, however, paused upon the threshold, only for those emerald eyes to turn back towards him. The deep navy hue of Sebastian's gaze shifted at the sound of his name, the Alpha's declaration that William was 'shit', however, prompted a soft sigh from his lips. "So it would seem." He muttered softly, more to himself than anyone else. He returned to silence, however, as his brother-in-law's attention turned to Dorian. The Italian fae was awarded the same level of blunt cursing that Sebastian himself had received, though Dorian had a manner of brushing off those words with a distinct hint of disinterest.

His depthless gaze lingered upon the door as it closed softly within Aiden's wake - leaving Sebastian alone with his husband. The blue of his own irises shifted down towards the side of his bloodstained shirt, that hole altogether prominent within the once crisp material. How hard it was to believe that William had...stabbed him! The Prince's features had deepend in a notable frown as his hands released their once firm grasp if only for his fingers to run over his side once again. It was that audible sigh upon his husband's lips that caused Sebastian to glance upwards towards his lover, altogether aware that Dorian was angry with him - just as he was aware of how very much alone the two were. His favored prey....ripe for the taking. His eyebrows furrow as he tried to push those far more....vampiric thoughts from his mind. God how he abhorred thinking of his own lover as little more than mere prey. It took him a moment to realize his husband had been speaking to him, his attention refocused upon Dorian just as his lover was insisting that he failed to consider Dorian's feelings. He hadn't thought it had mattered. How could he be so naive. It always mattered. How had Sebastian not learned this after all these years?

The vampire had hardly realized his silence, nor how utterly distracted he seemed as his thoughts bounced from one raging extreme to another. It was his lover's step forward that immediately caused his gaze to snap towards the fae. Sebastian's figure stilled at his lover's approach, his every muscle near rigid as Dorian closed the distance between them, his arm lifted to present the Englishman with his wrist. A soft breath left the vampire's lips, the navy of his eyes near trained upon that sensitive skin offered to him. His tongue gingerly caressed his fang before, unexpectedly, Sebastian shook his head. "It's fine.....I'm..fine." He muttered softly, tearing his gaze away from the fae King. The vampire retreated from his husband, purposefully striding towards the window on the literal opposite side of the room from Dorian. The near obsidian hue of his gaze traced the pane of the window, as if something outside had distracted him while he made some vain effort to gather his thoughts. "I'm sorry." He muttered softly after a moment, only to add, "He's just the only thing I have left from --" That sentence, however, was destined to go unfinished as a sudden ringing sound filled the room. Sebastian's hand dug into his pocket, fully intending to silence the device when the name flashing upon the screen made him pause.

That frown once again made its way across his features as he pressed the answer button. The Prince often chose to ignore any and all phone calls during any discussion with Dorian and yet...Buckingham never called his personal number. Any formal requests so often went through Dorian's personal assistant rather then directly to Sebastian himself. "Hello?" His brows furrowed as the woman on the other end apologized for the late phone call, only to inform him of the death of England's Prince. His Prince. He was silent for several moments as the woman extended a polite request to return to England for Prince Phillip's funeral in a mere few days. "...yes...of course. I'll be there. Please extend my apologies to Her Majesty......of course, I would be happy to inform him. Thank you." The Lady-In-Waiting hung up, leaving Sebastian staring at the darkened screen for a moment longer before his gaze slowly shifted upward towards the window once again. His hand rose, gingerly pinching at the bridge of his nose before he muttered softly towards his husband. "I have to go to England." Any explanation was somehow lost in the myriad of thoughts that assaulted him. Tonight had certainly not gone as he planned. In fact, the longer it went on, the longer Sebastian found himself simply wishing it would end.

Sebastian Ellington-Aragona

His Royal Highness, Prince of Italy