Triton's Destiny

Part Thirty

He tugged at the leather brim of his cap nervously, worried about what Tristan would say about his hair. As much as he didn't want to tell Anaru or Hana or any of his fellow tritons about what was happening to him, he knew he needed to tell Tristan. His mate wouldn't like it; he knew that for certain. But it was a reality they needed to face and Maki would much rather face it with his partner. They'd figure something out. They had to. The answer was there; they just had to find it. Gods, he needed to see Tristan. Now.

Maki worried for a second that Tristan was still out when he approached the lighthouse and saw no indication of occupancy. But the sign wasn't on the door. Maybe Tristan was just busy upstairs? He had said he was going to cook something.

Stepping up to the door, he cast his gaze upward, looking to the windows. Then he drew a deep breath and knocked. There was no answer after several seconds and Maki wondered again if Tristan wasn't home and perhaps had forgotten to put out the sign. But that wouldn't be like Tristan at all. He was predictably conscientious and always remembered to do what he needed to do. A horrible thought shot through his mind that maybe Tristan was home but couldn't answer the door. Oh gods...

Tentatively, nervously, his hand went to the doorknob. If Tristan was out, then the door would be locked. And if it wasn't locked... The knob turned and the door opened. He carefully stuck his head inside. "Tristan?"

There was a low groan from the sofa. "M-Maki..."

His worry exploded into full-blown panic and he dashed inside, not bothering to remove his boots as he rushed to the sofa and dropped to his knees beside his shivering mate. Maki covered a gasp with his hand and stared with wide, terrified eyes. Tristan was pale and shaking, curled up under a blanket with his brow deeply furrowed and his eyes puffy and red. He looked gravely ill. Or in a great deal of pain. He was breathing shallowly. Maki's fingers shook as he reached out to feel Tristan's pulse, noting the uncharacteristic warmth of his skin as he touched him. The human's heartbeat was rapid and not as strong as it should be.

"Oh my gods, Tristan. What happened?" Maki wasn't even going to ask if he was all right, because it was clear he wasn't. He just needed to know if Tristan's ailment was physical or psychological. He needed to know what to do.

Tristan's teeth chattered. "A-attacked... In town."

A whimper slipped from Maki's lips. "Are you hurt?"

The human managed a weak nod.

All right, then. Maki immediately yanked off his boots and began tearing off his clothing.

"Wh-what..." Tristan reached for him. "What are you doing?"

Maki's gaze was determined as he looked over his bare shoulder. "You need to be healed. My power won't be strong enough like this. So I need to shift to give you as much as I have."

"M-Maki... No..."

Maki shoved his trousers off and stood back up, shaking his head. "This isn't a debate, Tristan." He bent down and carefully unwrapped the blanket from his lover, slipping his arm under his shoulders to help him up. "Can you walk? Because I'll carry you if I have to."

Tristan lolled his head from side to side. "I can... manage..."

Maki braced all of Tristan's weight against him as they made their way to the door. "It's not far. Can you make it to the patio?"

Breathing noisily, Tristan nodded. But then he pressed his hand against the door before Maki could open it. "Someone will see you."

"I don't care." Maki gave his head a firm shake. "Getting you healthy is more important." He opened the door and guided Tristan down the stairs to the seaside patio, the walk agonizingly slow. As soon as he had Tristan sitting on the patio ledge, Maki dove into the water, cursing every second it took for his body to transform. It felt like it lasted an eternity but then he was breaking the surface, treading water with his tail, and reaching for Tristan. "I'm sorry for this, love." He grabbed his human by the hips and pulled him into the water with him.