Page 35 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

“Another straight answer I never got.”

Diego’s brows furrowed. He shook his head and turned back to the maps. “Well, if he drew this in the fifties, bathymetric maps were much less detailed,” Diego murmured, eyeing the two maps side by side. He placed the modern one on top of the sketch and lifted the page to the light. “There’s no way he could’ve used those old maps and been this accurate.”

“All of his maps are this accurate. Which leads me to believe he reallydidtravel to all these places. If he was there, then his tales might not have been so tall after all.” Echo waved to the journal. “The cave he mentioned was the closest one to test my theory. I didn’t have to leave home to find it. If I could prove it was real, I’d show the pod he wasn’t lying and he wasn’t insane.” He cringed. “I loved those old stories when I was a kid, but then I grew up and I heard what people said about him. Even his daughter—my mother—called him an old fool. I stopped believing in him.” Pain struck Echo’s chest. “He died with no one believing in him.” Echo fought a wave of grief threatening to knock him to his knees. “I found his journals when we cleared out his house, and I read them. Nostalgia, maybe. Grief. I don’t know. But there was something in his words that rung true and when I compared his maps to real ones, I got the feeling he’d been right all along. But I wanted proof.”

“So you crossed into enemy territory and Maelstrom Marino, of all orcas, caught you.”

“Actually, a couple of great whites caught me,” Echo said. He lifted his foot to show off the fading scar still barely visible. “One bit my fluke and dragged me down. I ran out of air. I was sure I was going to drown.”

Diego’s eyes widened.

“Mael fought them off so I could get away,” Echo said. “He saved my life.”

Diego eyed him, silent.

“He came to the bar last night to find me—and find out why I’d crossed into orca territory. I’d broken the treaty. He had every right to be angry with me.”

“So all of thisjusthappened? You learned you were mates last night?”

Echo nodded.

“You two looked awful chummy for only having shared one night together.” Diego frowned. “Why didn’t you just tell me that he was your mate last night?”

“I didn’t realize it yet.”

Diego scoffed. “If he was your mate, you would’ve known it immediately.”

“I felt something, but I wasterrifiedof him. As you said, he’s a predator. My fear likely overpowered anything else I felt.”

Diego frowned but said nothing.

“After he saved me, I jumped in my boat and got the fuck out of there. I knew I’d broken the treaty, and I might’ve started a war amongst our pods. When he showed up at the bar, I assumed I was about to be held responsible for what I’d done by an orca I’d watched kill a great white the night before.”

“He took down a great white…alone?”

Echo nodded. “Eviscerated it with ease. Cut its liver out and ate it while the other one swam for its life.”

“Damn,”Diego said. “I’ve heard reports of lone orcas attacking and killing great whites, but I didn’t believe it was possible. Clearly it is.”

“Even in my terror, somewhere deep in my mind, I sensed an attraction. I wanted him… and I couldn’t understand why I wanted him. Then you jumped in and…”

“I cockblocked you.”

Echo chuckled. “I wasn’t angry at you, not really. I was overwhelmed and confused. I was upset our conversation was interrupted before I could see where it led.” Echo lowered his shoulders. “Thankfully, he was here when I got home, and we talked more.”

Diego eyed Mael’s shirt. “And obviously did more than talk.”

Heat warmed Echo’s cheeks.

Diego closed the journal and handed it back. “What happens now?”

“With which part?”

“The cave? Any of it, really,” Diego replied.

“Mael has offered to escort me back and help me search.That’sthe investigation he mentioned. He’s getting scuba gear together, and we’re going for a dive.”

“Scuba? Why not shift?”

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