Triton's Destiny

Part Twenty-Six

Maki skidded to a stop as soon as they entered the sea cave. Panting heavily, he braced his hand on the wall, trying desperately to calm down and get his pulse back under control. Being that close to the man who'd done such horrible things to Tristan terrified him, but also made him furious. By all rights, that miscreant and his cronies should be behind bars for the many illegal things they'd gotten away with. That was the type of human tritons were warned about, not the kind ones like Tristan and Emilie and Owain. Thank the gods there were more people like them in the world than the criminals who considered it their mission to make others miserable.

On instinct, Maki checked the water level and conditions in the cave before he committed to hanging around. Seeing that the floor was dry and the water was low, he heaved a sigh of relief. Closing his eyes, he extended his triton senses to assess the flow of the tide, wincing and then immediately dismissing the bolt of pain that shot through his head. Past low tide, but only just. We have lots of time.

"That's good," Tristan said as he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. At Maki's confused frown, he tapped the side of his head. "Heard you in my mind."

"Damn it." Maki rubbed at his now aching temple. "Idiot Maki..."

Tristan was at his side in an instant. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

Clasping Tristan's hand, Maki looked into his eyes. He wanted to tell him the truth but didn't want Tristan to worry. Still, if they were going to be together... Maki sighed. "Using my triton powers when I'm not in my triton form gives me horrendous headaches. I'm not supposed to be doing it."

"Oh, sweetheart..." Tristan gently lifted the hat off Maki's head and stroked his fingers through his hair. "Is there anything I can do?"

Maki shook his head. "I have to transform for the pain to go away."

Stepping back, Tristan gestured toward the water. "Please, Maki. I don't want you to be hurting."

And Maki didn't want their time together to be interrupted by his infirmity. He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off, setting it on a boulder with his hat. When he turned back around, he found Tristan staring at him with his lip caught between his teeth, his cheeks flushed and his green eyes dark. The cool air in the cave felt charged with energy and suddenly, Maki's headache was the farthest thing from his mind. He carefully removed his boots and padded on bare feet back to Tristan. "I don't want to shift right now."

Tristan swallowed and a rush of breath fell out of his mouth. "What... What do you want?"

With a coy smile, Maki lifted his fingers to Tristan's shirt buttons, hesitating there. He stepped close to him, their foreheads nearly touching. "Can I see you, beautiful Tristan?"

A shiver made Tristan's shoulders twitch and he closed his eyes, drawing a shaky breath. The nod of his head was so slight as to be almost imperceptible, but Maki was so close to him that he did see it. His movements were slow and deliberate as he worked Tristan's shirt open and then his lover stood before him with all of those glorious abdominal muscles on display, looking unsure but with desire shining clearly in his eyes. Tristan hastily yanked off his boots and tossed them over where Maki's laid forgotten in the corner.

Maki took another half step closer until he was pressed against Tristan's solid frame. With a low moan, he rocked his hips forward, pleasure shooting through him as their erections made contact and rubbed together. "Tristan..." He arched into the delicious friction. "Want you."

Tristan grabbed him by the shoulders and claimed his mouth, nipping at Maki's lip and diving in with his tongue until the triton couldn't catch his breath and it felt like he was going to burst into lustful flame. "Maki..." Tristan's lips dragged a molten path down Maki's neck and back up to his ear. "Please... I want to touch you."