Triton's Destiny

Part Thirty-Seven

"No. No, Maki. Please." Tristan whispered against his mate's skin, begging him not to waste his power. But even he could feel it when the energy faded. Though his pain had lessened greatly, Maki's power hadn't been quite enough to eliminate it and now they were huddled together on the ground, both vulnerable to further attack. Thank the gods that Owain had stepped in to help. Tristan was certain he would have been beaten to death otherwise.

"Tristan..." Maki kissed his temple. "I love you."

"I love you too, but you have to get out of here. They know what you are." Tristan squeezed Maki's arm firmly. "Please, sweetheart. Go right now, before the guards get here. Dive into the water and swim away. Please."

Maki shook his head and Tristan's heart clenched hard when he realized Maki wasn't defying him. There was anguished resignation in his beautiful eyes. "I can't, Tristan. My power is gone. I can't feel it anymore. I don't think I can shift."

Tears gathered in the corners of Tristan's eyes and slipped down his cheeks. "Why, Maki? Why did you give it to me? You could have escaped."

Another shake of Maki's head and this time it was defiant. "There was no way I was letting you suffer, no way I was leaving you. I'm still not leaving you. You're my mate and I'm supposed to protect you."

"I'm supposed to protect you too," Tristan said on a sob.

Maki hugged him against his body, careful not to touch Tristan's lingering injuries. "And you have. You've done a wonderful job of keeping me safe. Now it's my job to do the same for you."

"Maki..."

"Shh." Maki rested his chin atop Tristan's head. "Rest, my love."

"What's going on here?" Vollendale's town guard chief arrived on scene with a handful of guards flanking him.

Owain dragged Zach and the others forward, tossing them at the chief's feet. "Caught these wankers assaulting the lads over there. Looked like they were trying to pummel poor Tristan into the ground."

"Asshole sent 'is demon assassin to kill us!" Alban wailed.

The chief gave the sailor an incredulous look and then frowned at Owain. "What the hell is he on about?"

Owain shook his head. "No clue, mate."

"Him! Right there!" Everett pointed at Maki. "He tried to kill us!"

The chief looked over to where Maki and Tristan were curled up on the boardwalk together. Then he turned back to the sailors and laughed. "Maki? You're joking, right?" The rest of the guards chuckled along with him.

"'Tis true, damn it!" Zach spat in anger. "The bastard's a fish demon!"

"Oh my gods..." The chief rubbed at his temple in apparent exasperation. "How much did you blokes have to drink today?"

"We're tellin' the godsdamn truth!" Zach's eyes were wide with panic. "Tail, fins, tentacles... He's got 'em all!"

"All right," the chief said, his tone patronizing. "Why don't we go up to the office and sort this out?" He motioned to the guards, who stepped forward to take the sailors into custody. "Owain, will you please check on Tristan and Maki and help them to the doctor, if they need it?"

"Will do, sir." The foreman nodded. He came over and crouched down, his concerned gaze looking Tristan over. "Hey, mate. Sorry I didn't get here sooner. Brawls outside the tavern are so common that I didn't think anything of it until I heard Maki yelling."

"It's all right." Tristan offered him a wan smile.

"Do you need the doctor, lad?" A frown crossed Owain's face. "I must admit you don't look quite as bad as I feared."