Page 76 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

“Half shifted and in tanks, he might not realize what we are until he gets closer,” Mael said, narrowing his eyes at Storm. He turned to Echo. “Stick by me, okay?”

Echo nodded. That had been his plan all along anyway.

“Ready?” Mael asked.

He glanced toward Storm as they pulled on their gear. After having the guy in his house for nearly a week working on his stairs, he’d thought they were okay with one another. Suddenly, Echo didn’t feel quite so welcome there anymore.

Storm met his gaze. He sighed but said nothing.

There was most definitely remorse in his eyes, though.

Once everyone had their wetsuits on, Mael helped Echo with his gear and tank and then pulled on his own. They were soon ready to go, with Ravage staying behind as divemaster until Havoc arrived.

The first hour went by quickly, but they found nothing of note. After a tank change they went back down, combing the seabed. When the second hour was nearly up, Tempest swam up close to Echo, waving her hand… and then gestured for him to follow. He trailed her, with Mael right behind. They were well outside the smaller grid they’d set up when she stopped and pointed.

Echo noticed a concave mark in the seabed. He sent a few clicks… and saw the outline of what appeared to be a tunnel. Frantic, Echo dug through the muck with both hands. Mael and Tempest joined in to help. A few minutes later, Echo found a hard edge that appeared to be bedrock. He dug faster, brushing the muck away until he found an old dolphin symbol carved into the rock. There was the tiniest bit of blue glass or gemstone in the dolphin’s eye.

It was a symbol his grandfather had sketched in the journal, he was sure of it.

His heart racing, Echo kept digging.

Mael grabbed his arm and sped to the surface. As soon as they broke through, Echo whipped the breather from his mouth, angry for having been stopped when he’d finally found what they’d been searching for.“Why did you pull me away?”

“You’re almost out of oxygen,” Mael said, tapping Echo’s gauge.

Echo glanced at the pressure gauge and saw it was sitting in the red, pretty much on the zero. He’d been so excited about their find, he hadn’t bothered to check his tank for a few minutes. “Sorry I snapped.”

“It’s okay. You’re excited. I know.” Mael kissed his forehead. “Is it too early to congratulate you?”

“Yes. Don’t jinx it,” Echo murmured. “Save that for later.”

Tempest and Storm popped up alongside them.

“Why don’t we take a lunch break?” Mael asked no one in particular. “After we rest, we can take down some of the digging tools we brought along instead of digging with our hands.”

“Rest?”Echo asked. “Do you really think I’ll be able to rest after what we just found?”

“In human form, you can only take four dives in one day and you’ve already used up two. You need a break. Weallneed a break.” Mael urged him up the boat’s ladder.

Echo didn’t need an overprotective mate in that moment. Even though he knew Maelstrom was right, he still grumbled under his breath as he climbed back into the boat with Ravage’s help. As he took his tank off, he felt as if his entire body was heating up. The sun was warm and then there were the adrenaline and endorphins likely screaming through his veins. As he paced the deck, his mind spinning, the Marinos sat down under the canopy and casually snacked—which would only make it take longer before getting into the water, he speculated.

“If you don’t sit down, relax, and get a little food in your stomach, I’m going to pin you down beside me,” Mael said.

“We might’ve found it, Mael,” Echo said, wiping sweat from his forehead. “You can’t expect me to calmly lounge about like you’re all doing.”

“Ouch,”Tempest said. “It’s not going anywhere, Eck. Pace yourself.”

“And what if your mother finds out before we can get inside?” Echo said. “What if she bans me from coming back?”

“We needed a break,” Mael repeated, jaw tight. He pointed at the padded seat beside him.“Sit down.”

Echo plopped down, folding his arms over his chest.

Mael handed him half a sandwich.

Echo didn’t take it. “Aren’t we supposed to wait a couple of hours after eating to dive? I’m not eating if I have to wait two hours.”

“I’ve never had to wait… but then we half-shift, so that might help us,” Mael said, taking a big bite of the sandwich Echo refused to take. He chewed and swallowed, eyes glittering with humor as he stared at Echo.

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