Page 88 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

Mael released a slow breath. “Why’s Aunt Kekia frantic?”

“Kaiden’s been abducted.”

Echo quietly gasped.

All the air was knocked from Mael’s lungs. Could that child endure much more? “Have they found him?”

“I want to know who you’ve brought to my island before I go into that,” his mother spat.

Mael wanted to strangle his brothers for bringing the boat into the island, but what was done was done. He stepped beside Echo and placed an arm around his mate’s shoulders. “This is Echo. He’s my mate.” Mael glanced at a terrified Echo. “Echo, this is my mother, Amiria Marino, our matriarch.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Echo murmured, his voice small.

His mother was silent a few seconds as she eyed Echo from head to toe. “Awfully little for an orca.”

“Because he’s not.” Mael paused to swallow the lump in his throat. “He’s a dolphin.”

His mother’s eyes widened, her brow furrowing.“Dolphin?”She shook her head, black eyes molten with anger.“No.”

“I’m afraid you don’t get a choice in the matter,” Mael said. “The fates have the final say.”

Her brows rose in a fury. “I’m the leader of this pod, and therewon’tbe a dolphin included in it.”

“He’s mymate.”Mael drew Echo closer.

“No, he’s not. He’s prey!”

“I don’t care,”Mael roared.“Echo is mine. I am his.”

Mael had never been disrespectful to his mother. Never raised his voice. The look of shock on her face almost made him regret raising it. Almost. He glanced down at Echo. He would fight to have his mate in his life. She needed to know that.

“The two of you wouldn’t be able to have children,” she argued, her face growing redder by the second. “And even if you could, you’d dilute your orca strength with the weakness oftheirkind.”

Echo stiffened beside Mael.

“He’s not weak,” Mael argued.

“Compared to humans, no. Compared to us?Yesss,”his mother hissed. She turned her angry stare to Echo. “And you’d allow a predator into your bed? How could you ever trust him?”

“I already do,” Echo replied. “I love him.”

“Youlovehim?” she asked, shaking her head. Her gaze whipped to Mael. “How long have you been hiding this abomination from me?”

“A few weeks,” Mael muttered, clenching his teeth at her use of the word.

“Weeks?”She turned to Echo. “Honey, you haven’t had time enough to know that you love him. You barely know him.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mael snapped. “Time doesn’t matter. Ko ia toku aitua.”He’s my mate.“Our souls are united. I’ve loved him from the first moment I set eyes on him.” Mael glared at her. “He’s mine. He belongs at my side. Either accept that…”

“Or what?”His mother snapped.

“Or we’ll be forced to find a new home,” Mael said.

“Maelstrom?”she asked. Her anger faded, turning into what looked like fear. “You would give up your entire family and podfor one little dolphin?”

“I don’twantto,” Mael replied. “I want to be here with my family. But Echo is also my family now. If you ask me to turn away from him, I won’t.Heis my future.”

“What kind of future is that? One where you can’t have a family of your own? No legacy?”

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