Echoes of the Tide (Deep Waters #3)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

“ W hy are women like this?” he muttered as he ripped yet another piece of metal free from the wall. “They’re always rushing off into danger. I don’t want to save them, but here I am, rushing to save yet another achromo.”

That was his experience, at least. Both Mira and Anya had been gravely injured in the first few months that he’d known them. In his experience, female achromos were crazy. They had no sense of self preservation, nor did they care that they were risking their lives. They sought out dangerous situations. That was all he could surmise. They sought them out, they wanted to be in danger, and that must be because they all were insane.

“Ridiculous achromos,” he said again, tearing at another loose metallic piece. “This is why I haven’t been involved with any of them. Achromos are worse than the People of Water. Stupid, fragile little monsters with absolutely no way to protect themselves.”

Finally, the wall gave. There was enough room for him to ride the waterfall into the area where she was helpless. He’d watched her move. She wasn’t a fighter, that much he was certain of. Those blunt little nails and shortened teeth could do nothing against an attacker. He doubted she even had a weapon on her.

He dove face first through the waterfall, riding it down onto the floor with a wet slap that echoed through the room. Immediately, he looked around. His eyes noted the strange stone sculpture, the rotting furniture, the view that was just as pretty even though he was outside of this achromo home. But then his eyes found her. Her leg was awkwardly raised, but he watched with rapt attention as that leg flexed.

Had any other of his people realized how strong the achromos were? Her legs strained with the effort she put on whatever she was holding. He could see the tension in her body and how swiftly her back arched into the movement. Veins popped out on her forehead and it was the most impressive act he’d ever seen in his life. For someone so small, so delicate, and so out of her element, she was capable of such strength.

Then the metal groaned. Whatever she was holding made a noise like a shriek and suddenly she dropped to the ground. A giant clanging accompanied her fall.

He’d never moved so fast in his life.

Using his arms and tail, he shoved himself across the room. Far beyond the water where he was safe. All the way to her side, where he loomed over her, looking down into her red features.

Her eyes were a little unfocused when she looked up at him and wheezed, “Ow.”

“Where are you hurt?” He ran his hands up and down her sides, trying to find the wound that pained her. He skimmed his fingers down her sides, finding more of that softness that was so intriguing, but right now, he had to focus on the injuries that she’d thrust upon herself. Foolish female. Foolish achromo taking risks like that.

“I’m fine!” she insisted, slapping at his hands.

But she was still making that awful wheezing sound. It didn’t sound like it was coming from her throat, but he didn’t know what else would make that noise. She made a few coughing sounds, and he wondered if she’d broken her ribs. He could feel them when he squeezed her hard, so he knew she had them just like he did.

Leaning down, he pressed his head against her sternum. Right between the rather full, interesting breasts that he definitely wasn’t looking at because he needed to listen to her heart beat. Perhaps it was her heart that was struggling.

The moment he pressed his head down, he knew what the problem was. She had seriously injured herself because there was only one beat in her chest. One thud. Steady and even, but it was still only the one.

He left his head against her skin, not wanting her to see his expression as he realized she was dying. “Oh, Ace. This is grave indeed.”

“I knocked the wind out of myself, you moron! Get off of me.”

He leaned into her harder, ignoring how she put her hands on his head to push him away. “No, kefi. You only have one heartbeat. It will not be long now. I will hold you until the end.”

Why did it hurt so badly to think he had lost her this early? She had said they were friends. That is what she wanted from him, and therefore, that was what he would be. He’d never wanted to be someone’s friend so badly. Perhaps more, of course. He would have been very happy with more, but he would take what he could get.

And if that meant holding her until the end, guiding her soul into the deep where the sea mother would watch over her, then that was exactly what he would do.

“Maketes—”

“Shh, kefi. I am sorry I failed you. I should have kept you safer.”

If he had been here, prepared to enter the room with her, perhaps she wouldn’t have made such a mistake. Perhaps she wouldn’t have risked her life. This was his fault. This was all his fault, and how was he going to live with this guilt? He was usually so good at thrusting aside his emotions, but right now, it was almost impossible to do.

Then her fingers carded through his hair. Those talented, thin fingers brushed through the coiled tangles on his head and gently rubbed at his scalp. The same way he’d done to her.

He waited. Listening to her heart beat while her grip made its way down to the back of his neck, massaging tense muscles that couldn’t release. No matter how hard she worked at them. No matter how wonderful it felt for her to touch him.

It set in that her heart wasn’t slowing. She was still here. Touching him. Breathing. And her heart was still beating.

Slowly, he lifted his head from the comfortable pillows of her breasts and looked at her.

She gave him the smallest smile, and it was the first time he’d seen any expression on her face other than sullen seriousness. “Humans only have one heart.”

“One heart?” he repeated.

“One heart.”

Well. He felt silly.

And then he realized he was pressed against every inch of her. His tail had somehow looped around her ankles, holding her legs together while he was still on top of her. While he did that, her hips were pressed into his belly. His arms were on either side of her body and he’d had his head nestled between her breasts.

He was screaming the word “friends” in his mind and somehow, that wasn’t helping. He was still here. Still leaning against her. Still staring down at her as he realized just how close he was to her.

“You have small flecks of gold in your eyes,” he mumbled. The gills on the sides of his neck stood up, fluttering slowly for her.

It wasn’t much of a display. But he’d never been one for big displays of affection. He’d tried before, he’d just never been able to do it. And yet right now, with this little achromo, he wanted to make those gills shake so hard she’d feel the wind of them on her face.

“Do I?” she asked, her tone amused and her gaze never moving from his. “Yours are entirely black.”

“I know.”

“I thought there would be some color in them.”

What was he supposed to say to that? He already felt like an idiot talking about her eyes. But then he leaned forward and he could smell her. The soft scent of her, like the warmth of the sun after a storm. Electric and heated.

“You smell so good,” he muttered, his eyes drifting shut as he told himself not to put his head back down. “I’m sorry I touched your breasts.”

She made a choked sound, and when he looked back at her, she was bright red. Even the tips of her ears seemed to burn with some emotion he couldn’t name. But he was quite certain it was his favorite color on her.

“Get up.” She struggled underneath him, and he released her. “The cabinet I just pulled out should have a directory in it, and then I can get to the office and find that damned key.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“I heard you,” she muttered, those ears somehow turning even deeper red. “Just... Help me find the key.”

He might have teased her further. He wanted to see if he could make her ears so red they turned purple, but then he heard a sound from the door. Frowning, he looked in that direction, only to see a group of people standing there. At least five of them, one with a weapon already raised and pointed at Ace’s head.

Maketes didn’t think. He just moved.

In one moment, he was staring at the achromos he knew he could kill in an instant. And the next, he chose her. He lunged in front of her. His body became a shield, because he was faster than the weapon that struck his shoulder.

He grunted, feeling the sharp edge of what seemed like a harpoon sinking deep into his flesh. The barest hint of the tip came out of the front, hovering right in front of her eyes. A bead of blood welled and then dripped down his chest.

A soft sound came out of her mouth, and he pretended there was no one here but them. Slowly, ignoring the shouts from behind him, he lifted his hand and tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear. Then he nudged her glasses up her nose.

“Get underneath the desk,” he said calmly.

“Maketes—”

“I don’t want you to see what I’m going to do.”

She stared up at him with big brown eyes, swallowed hard, and then nodded. He waited until she ducked beneath the stone that would keep her safe, and then he turned upon the men. Slowly. He controlled every movement so he could glare at them with all the hatred he harbored in his heart.

Achromos were not the women he knew in his life. These were the achromos he knew. The men and women with weapons that bit and tore at all those they did not understand. These were the creatures that were a plague upon his ocean.

Crouching, all the gills on his body flared wide and stiff as he hissed at them. The sound of his rage echoed in the room, filling it until there was nowhere these creatures could run without hearing him.

The shouts turned into anger. A few of the men raced into the room, weapons in their hands that looked like sticks with shards of glass coming out of them. Did they really think that would hurt him?

Maketes might not be as big as his siblings, but he was faster. Even on land, he was not some massive elephant seal who struggled to move on land. No, he was stronger than that. He easily lunged forward and grabbed the arms of the first man, who raised a weapon to him.

Maketes dragged the man forward, staring into his terrified gaze as he snapped the man’s arms backwards. The scream of pain that echoed throughout the room was music to his ears. This was what he was good at. No matter how much he was the funny sibling, the brother who always found humor in every situation, he was also one of the deadliest warriors in his pod.

Coiling his tail, he used it to leap forward onto the next man. He hit the floor hard with the other man in his arms, chewing through his throat as he rolled them both. Another he caught with his tail, wrapping the woman tightly in his scales as blood poured down his throat. She shrieked in pain as he tightened, gripping her harder and harder until her bones cracked through her flesh.

Another bolt when through him. This time, he raised his arm as a shield and it sliced through his forearm, sticking halfway through the skin.

“Ow,” he snarled at the man who couldn’t understand him. “You’re going to pay for that. You’ll be the last to die. Now watch your companions writhe in agony.”

There were only two left, so it would be a brief battle. He let the woman’s limp body drop onto the floor. He released the man in his grip who gurgled as he fell, frantically pressing his hands against a neck so mangled there was no healing it.

Dragging himself through the blood that only made it easier for him to slide toward the last two men, he dodged another bolt and casually lashed out with a claw. The second to last man fell onto his knees, grabbing at his stomach where ropes of innards spilled out. He hadn’t even realized he was hurt until the weight dragged him forward.

And then it was just him and the man with the bolts. Maketes knew their kind. He could see the man was shaking so badly he wouldn’t even be able to pull that trigger on the weapon.

So, as he loomed up to his great height above the man, he reached for the weapon and aimed it between his own jaws. Biting the end of the strange weapon, he stared the man down as he grasped either side of the achromo’s head and twisted hard.

The man’s body fell to the floor. Maketes stared at the head in his grasp for a few moments before tossing it to the side.

Breathing hard, he waited to get himself under control for a few moments. Bloodlust ran through him hard. He’d always had an edge of it from his father and his father’s father. All of them loved the taste of blood a little too much.

Shaking himself, he didn’t look back at the desk where he knew a little achromo hid. Instead, he dropped onto his forearms and crawled over to the waterfall that was hitting the drainage system. Quietly, he moved his body into the water, ripping the bolts out of his body, and cleaning the blood off himself. He even opened his mouth, letting the hard spray of water clear the blood from his teeth so she wouldn’t have to see that either.

Only then did he turn his attention to the desk, sending a prayer to the gods of the sea that she’d remained underneath. But she stood beside the desk with a piece of paper in her hand. That hard expression was back on her face, which was paler than he’d ever seen it.

“You’re hurt,” she said, parroting his words from only a few moments ago.

“Flesh wounds.” But they ached.

She waved the piece of paper at him. “We’re in the medical pavilion. I know where we can get you some help. Follow me?”

He nodded and watched as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her droid. The little silver balls all clicked together a few times before racing out ahead of them, as though they knew where to go.

He had a moment where he wondered if he was really going deeper into the home of the achromos, far from the water where he was safe. But as she walked away from him, not even sparing a glance for the remains of mangled bodies, he knew he would follow her anywhere.