Page 86 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

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Echo awoke in a big,unfamiliar bed alone. Mael’s scent and that of sex was everywhere around him. The memory of his heat and themanysex sessions they’d had through the night filled his memory. He sat up, sensing the gentle motion of water and assumed they were on a boat.

Where were they?

He barely remembered getting out of the underwater cave.

Echo didn’t hear movement or sounds above. Sliding out of bed, he grabbed a throw blanket from the foot of it and wrapped it around his shoulders, tugging it tightly around him. He climbed to the main deck where sunrise neared. The sky was gray, a tiny hint of pink suggesting the sun was ready to peek over the horizon.

It was light enough to view the scenery. In the distance, a small coastal town and fishing village appeared amid craggy, seaside cliffs. He assumed it was Maki Island. He’d never been before but had seen a few old photos from before the war tucked into his grandfather’s journal.

In those early hours, boats moved out to sea, filled with watermen prepared to begin their day. And yet the harbor was still bursting with boats, both working and recreational, even with the large parade of ones heading out. He could see bright crimson warehouses to one side of the harbor, some of them extending over the water itself. On the other was a boardwalk and pier with a long row of quaint-looking shops and a restaurant.

Behind all of that, homes dotted the cliffs amid tall pines, all of them brightly colored in rainbow hues. He wondered which one was Maelstrom’s. Labyrinths of white staircases zigzagged along the cliffside to reach the homes from the harbor. It was picturesque, reminding him of a lovely puzzle he’d once put together on a rainy day with his parents many, many years ago.

Mael appeared at his side, cradling a cup of coffee. His alpha handed it over before slipping behind Echo and wrapping both arms around him tight.

“I don’t like waking up alone,” Echo chastised, fighting a smile as he repeated Mael’s words.

Mael snickered and kissed the back of his head.

He melted back against mate.

Mael grazed his lips and teeth along Echo’s neck. “I didn’t expect you up for hours, so I snuck out to grab a little breakfast. I burned through a lot of calories last night and needed to eat. You got such little sleep between rounds last night that I let you sleep.” He pressed a kiss to Echo’s neck. “Hungry?”

“Not right this second.” He took a sip from the cup. He was rarely hungry after a heat, even though he knew he needed food. “You know, you didn’t sleep much yourself last night.”

“I didn’t,” Mael replied. “But I woke up feeling… energized. I feel like I’ve had the best night of sleep in my life, and I was awake more than I was asleep. How about you?”

“Oddly, I don’t feel very tired myself. And I should.”

“You were so pale last night. You scared me.” He squeezed Echo tight. “But you looked rosy cheeked when I slipped out of bed this morning, thankfully.” He kissed Echo’s earlobe. “Are you sure you’re not hungry? You didn’t eat lunch, and we skipped dinner—on top of having a very active day and night.”

“I’ll eat something, but I’m not ready for you to let go of me just yet.” After a sip from the cup, he rested his head against Mael’s chest. “Is this Maki Island?”

“It is,” Mael said, his tone changed. A hint of anger was in it, Echo was almost certain.

“Is something wrong?”

“I didn’t think my brothers would bring us here with you in your condition,” Mael said. “I’m upset they did.”

“Why? You’ve come to my home. Why can’t I come to yours?”

“Your town is larger. There are humans there. You occasionally get tourists and visitors. It’s a bit easier to blend in and go unnoticed. Here? That’s not the case. Everyone seeseverything.There’s probably someone looking at us right now. Only a matter of time before it gets across the island that I have a tiny stranger in my arms here on Storm’s boat with a laundry list of guesses as to who you are—and likely none of them good.”

“Should we go inside?” Echo asked, nervous.

“No,” Mael replied. “They’ll find out eventually. If it’s now, so be it.” He ran a hand over Echo’s stomach. “Given that we just shared a heat, there’s a chance you’re carrying our child. A part of me hopes you are. It’ll make it harder for our pods to refuse this match if there’s a baby involved.”

“Only a part?”

“Well, we’ve only just met,” Mael murmured against his ear. “I’d hoped we’d have more time alone before babies came along.” He spun Echo and smiled down. “But if they come, they come.”

Echo agreed that he wasn’t quite ready to be a papa yet, but the thought of being pregnant with Mael’s calves warmed him inside. It was likely the lingering heat hormones, though. By the following day, he’d see reason. They weren’t ready yet.

“Although, we’d have eighteen months before we’d become three.”

“Eighteen months?”Echo asked, frowning.

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