Page 28 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

Maelstrom Marino wore it well.

Maelstrom Marino… the deadly killer.

A whisper of uncertainty slipped through Echo’s mind. The man who’d shown him such tenderness and acceptance didn’t seem the same as the stories he’d heard growing up. The evil killer. Yet he’d witnessed Maelstrom’s deadly abilities firsthand, so his ability to cause harm was in no doubt. He struggled to mesh the rumors he’d heard with the man in his bed.

The two just didn’t fit.

Echo’s bladder screamed for attention, dragging his thoughts away from the striking differences rolled into one man. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to extract himself from Mael’s grip nor did he want to wake the man up. Very carefully, he slid his leg off Mael’s and then slithered lower down the bed until he was free. The first thing his foot hit on the floor was something incredibly soft. He looked down and saw Mael’s black t-shirt. Grinning, he snatched it and pulled it over his head as he walked to the bathroom. It fell almost to his knees.

Lifting the collar to his nose, he inhaled Mael’s woodsy, clean scent. He noticed, too, that it wasn’t a t-shirt but an incredibly thin sweater softer than anything he’d ever owned in his life. Echo had only planned to steal it long enough to take care of his business and start a pot of coffee before sneaking back into bed, but Mael might not be so lucky. After emptying his bladder, washing his hands and face, and brushing his teeth—in case he’d get more of Mael’s kisses—he hit the stairs.

And took them as slowly as possible not to wake his houseguest. The creaking was terrible. He’d needed to get them fixed since he’d bought the house, but given that he lived alone, it hadn’t seemed much of a priority. The only one he usually bothered was Tilly, who’d been strangely silent all night. When he finally made it down, he breathed a sigh of relief and padded barefoot to the kitchen to start a pot.

Tilly raced up to her food bowl the second he appeared. He refilled her bowls and gave her some love before moving on to the coffee maker. Echo had just finished filling the beans and water when two arms wrapped around his waist, crisscrossing his stomach. He startled, nearly screaming. He wasn’t sure how Mael had made it downstairs without him hearing the stairs creaking.

Must be some kind of ninja.

Mael pressed his front against Echo’s back and squeezed him tight. Echo leaned into the embrace, closing his eyes.

“I don’t like waking up alone,” Mael murmured against Echo’s ear, his sexy baritone deepened by lingering sleep.

Echo fought a smile when he noticed the aroma of his cinnamon toothpaste. It could only mean Mael had snuck some before coming to find him. The thoughtfulness was appreciated. So was the confirmation he’d likely get more kisses.

“I didn’t intend for you to wake up alone,” Echo replied. “I was coming back in a minute.”

Mael rubbed his nose against Echo’s earlobe. “Already stealing my clothing, hmm?”

Echo grinned to himself. “Sorry… I just grabbed the closest thing before I came downstairs. I’ll take it off if you need it back.”

“Nope. I like you in my clothes, wrapped in my scent,” Mael growled. “Don’t you dare take it off.”

Echo fought a shiver. “I made us some coffee. Would you like a cup?”

Mael nibbled at his neck, just behind his ear.“Us.I like the sound of that.”

A sense of panic hit Echo squarely in the chest. They were looking at an uphill battle. One he wasn’t sure they’d win. They were the orca and dolphin version of Romeo and Juliet—and everyone knew how that tragedy ended.

While his heart screamed the battle would be worth it, his logical brain kept getting in the way. If he and/or Mael were exiled from their pods, what would they do? They could lose their homes, their livelihoods, their friends, their families…their everything… and only have a practical stranger to cling to for support.

A man who’d, by his own admission, killed his very own brother. Howthe fuckcould he trust Maelstrom Marino to be his protector—no matter what his heart screamed.

“You and me…”Mael murmured, biting his earlobe.“My mate.”

Echo’s hands shook as he reached for the kitchen counter to steady himself. He trembled against Mael at the wordmate.He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact they were fated mates.

Mael was his alpha.

His forever.

There was no way his pod would accept them, especially with Mael’s past. He’d be exiled, for sure. He’d been born in Dolphin Bay, and other than his cloistered years in college and grad school, he’d spent his entire life there. His parents lived there, when they weren’t vacationing half a planet away.

Oh god, his parents… what in the hell were they going to say about Mael when they finally got home? His mother flipped out every single time he barely stepped out of line as it was. An orca mate? Particularlythatorca?

She was going to lose it.

“We’ll find a way through,” Mael said, voice low against his ear. “Wecanbe together. Our pods can’t fight nature. We can demand they accept this and allow us to marry.”

“Marry?”Echo’s eyes widened. “I think it’s too soon to consider that.”

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