Page 26 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

His little dolphin was biologically both maleandfemale. Ancient Polynesians—whose people became the first orca and dolphin shifters—called those born of both gendersmahu.Before colonization, mahu were venerated and treated like royalty.

After, they were demonized by Europeans, and eventually, by some Polynesians, too.

He caressed Echo’s cheek. “You’re a gift from the gods.”

Echo shivered against him, lower lip trembling. Tears shone in his eyes.

“Do youidentify as male?”

Echo frowned, his gaze drifting for a moment. “I was raised a boy. My family, my friends, and my pod see me as a man.”

“But?”

Echo met his stare. “Male is comfortable. Maybe that’s only because of how I was raised and it’s my lived experience, but it feels right to me. While I have a strong attachment to my femininity, I’ve always felt more male than female. Even when I wear lacy things or put on makeup or women’s clothing, underneath it all, I still feel like I’m a man. A man wearing pretty things. I identify as a femme man.”

“Okay,” Mael said, smiling softly.

Mael trailed his fingers over the shoulder strap of Echo’s bra, recapturing his dolphin’s gaze. His heart beat so hard he feared it would beat right out of his chest. Echo truly was extraordinary—and the perfect fit for him. Something clenched inside his chest. Learning his little dolphin’s secret only cemented their bond in his mind.

“You’rebreathtaking.”Mael kissed Echo softly. “And not the only one here with differences.”

Echo frowned.

Mael slid from the bed and undid the buttons on his jeans, his breathing shallow. He’d not taken them off to hide his own secret. As he pushed the denim down his hips, Echo slowly sat up, eyes widening, his mouth dropping open.

“Oh…”Echo whispered.

Mael kicked off his jeans and stroked a hard penis, and then the second penis hanging just below. “I have diphallia.”

“Is that an orca shifter thing?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Mael replied, allowing one of his penises to lengthen and coil around the other.

“Now you’re just showing off,” Echo said, fighting a smile.

Mael moved closer to the bed and cupped Echo’s cheek. “As shifters, our people are rare. You and I are rarer still.” He rubbed his thumb over Echo’s lower lip. “It seems to me we’re well suited for one another.”

Echo leaned into Mael’s hand. All traces of shame seemed to disappear, replaced once more with longing. Mael swallowed a lump in his throat. That hint of surrender rocked him to his core. He pushed Echo back onto the bed and crawled in himself, their gazes locked. Taking possession of Echo’s lips, he sensed their night had changed somehow. The heat and desire were still there, multiplied in fact, but there was also a sense of acceptance in Echo’s arms.

Not only were they bound by fate but also their uniqueness.

At least that’s how it felt for him.

They both understood the fear of being rejected by a partner. The fear of being called a freak. The hesitancy of that first time, the vulnerability it took in bearing their soulsandbodies. They’d weathered that storm, and he’d found a similar soul to seek absolution within.

For the first time in his life, he felt seen and fully accepted. In time, he sensed that same acceptance might spread to other parts of their lives. Anticipation filled him at the thought of sharing himself with his mate.

Echo’s kisses grew hungrier, more insistent. He writhed against Mael with renewed enthusiasm. The tentativeness Mael had sensed in the beginning had vanished, leaving behind a raw, sensual animal who’d been freed.

Mael broke their kiss for only seconds. “Have the boundaries changed now that I know your secret?”

“You can touch me anywhere,” Echo whispered between kisses along Mael’s cheek. “Is there anything off limits for you?”

“No,” Mael said, barely dragging his lips from Echo’s to speak.

He sank two fingers past the protective slit and under Echo’s shaft. The pink folds opened up around his fingers, the wet heat welcoming. Echo’s back arched as Mael fingerfucked him, his mate’s moans of pleasure music to his ears. He slid down to eye level and pulled his fingers out. Spreading the slit wide, Mael licked the entrance to Echo’s pussy before sliding all the way up the underside of his cock.

Echo rose from under him and climbed down the bed.

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