Page 50 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

“I should’ve realized sooner. I was slow on the uptake there. Sorry.”

“There’s no reason to be sorry,” Echo whispered. “We should’ve grabbed the bottoms before we hid down here, though.”

“Why do you need bottoms?” Mael asked, frowning.

“So my legs don’t freeze.”

Mael’s frown deepened. “Use what nature gave you. Shift your lower body.”

Echo blinked a few times. “You can shift half of your body—and leave the other half human?”

Mael nodded. “I assume this means you can’t?”

Echo shook his head. “No.”

“Well, shit…” Mael’s eyes widened. He spun to walk up the stairs. “Let me see if Havoc has some swim bottoms.”

“And fins!” Echo yelled behind him.

Mael returned a couple of minutes later with a full wetsuit. “No bottoms, but we have a single.”

Echo slipped his shoes, shorts, and underwear off while Mael unzipped the top. In a matter of minutes, he was covered.

“I appreciate you being my shield.”

Mael leaned in for a quick kiss. “That’s what alphas are for, right? Protection.” He grasped Echo’s hand and led him back toward Havoc.

Havoc stood frowning, with his hands on his waist. “You two done making out? I don’t have all day.”

Mael laid Echo’s clothing on one of the seats before spinning to Havoc. “Don’t be an asshole.”

Havoc ignored Mael and eyed Echo. “How long’s it been since your last dive?”

“It’s been about a year. Maybe a little more. And it wasn’t very deep,” Echo said. “It’s probably been three or four years since I’ve gone at any depth—but I used to do open water dives all the time.”

“I usually suggest a refresher course for anyone who hasn’t dived within the past year,” Havoc said, lifting a scuba set. “I’ll give you a quick, dirty one to make sure everything’s fresh in your mind.”

“Great, thanks,” Echo murmured.

Havoc reviewed all the gear before he put it on Echo and made sure they were both comfortable with the dive to come.

Only wearing the top half of her wetsuit, Tempest spun away from them. She pulled off her shorts, baring her ass for the world to see, and tossed the shorts to the deck before jumping over the edge half naked. Mael did the same.

Echo walked to the side of the boat and glanced down. Both Tempest and Mael had human upper bodies—and orca lower bodies. “I’msojealous right now.”

Mael smiled up at him.

Havoc brought over a pair of flippers and helped Echo slide into them. Once the fit was adjusted, Havoc rose. “Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Echo replied, sitting down on the back edge of the boat.

Havoc gave him a thumbs up.

Echo fell backward into the water. Mael rechecked all of Echo’s gear once he bobbed back up to the surface.

“You don’t you trust me to check his gear?” Havoc asked from his perch over the edge of the boat.

“I trust you,” Mael murmured. “But… he’s…” Mael turned his gaze on Echo. “Nothing’s going to happen to him in my company.”

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