Page 8 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

Mr. Leather Jacket tilted his head a fraction of an inch and gave Echo a slow, dangerous grin. The words to the song were forgotten, and a tingling sensation prickled over Echo’s entire body.

Predator.

The sense of recognition hit, and his blood turned cold. There was only one predator he could think of in that moment, and his stomach did a somersault at the idea they might be one and the same.

Diego grabbed his elbow, shocking him out of his trance. He whipped his head and met Diego’s concerned gaze. “Song’s over… we can go sit down now.”

Echo turned back—but the predator was gone. He searched the crowd and saw no signs of bad boys, dark eyes, or leather jackets.Where did he go?

“Are you okay?” Diego asked, pulling the mic from his trembling hand.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Echo fibbed. He pulled his elbow from Diego’s hold. “I’m going to hit the head. Meet you back at the table in a minute.”

Diego frowned but said nothing.

Echo gave the crowd another once over. No sign. Maybe ithadn’tbeen the orca, but a human after all. Orcas didn’t exactly make a habit of walking into Dolphin Bay. He was jumping to wild conclusions without enough data or any facts. Allowing fear and a creative imagination to torment him was going to push him over the edge. Echo had to get ahold of himself.

He climbed down off the stage and headed toward the restroom to splash a little cold water on his face. Before he could make it to the men’s room, Echo was shoved against the back corridor’s wall, a massive forearm banded across his chest. Echo lifted his chin, struggling for breath.

Up close, the predator was even more handsome than Echo had first thought. A hint of fine leather filled his nose, along with a light, woodsy, masculine scent that curled his toes.

I’m in danger and all I can think about is how gorgeous he is? What the hell is wrong with me?

“Who are you?”Echo asked, his mouth going dry as the answer whispered through his mind.

“You know exactly who I am, Echo.”

3

Maelstrom Marino stared down into Echo’s bright blue eyes, pleased to finally get the up-close and personal he’d been craving for weeks. After watching the little dolphin shifter from afar, he’d begun to develop a bit of an obsession. If Echo hadn’t finally crossed their barrier and given him the opportunity to swim in and save the day, he would’ve had to find another means to get close.

Panic shone in Echo’s eyes.“I don’t know you.”

Mael leaned down closer, sensing Echo knew exactly who he was. But then, maybe the little guy hadn’t seen his eyes well enough. Orcas shifters had black irises rimmed with a thin circle and dot of white near the outer edge, so it was hard to hide who and what he was from most other shifters.

The second Echo gasped, Mael’s lips curled into a pleased smile.

Echo drew in a shuddered breath, his pretty, pink lips parted as if awaiting a kiss. Mael stared at them, mouth watering. He could feel Echo shaking against his arm and thighs. Was that fear?

Or was it something else?

“What are you doing here?”Echo asked, his low tenor hard to hear over the next performer on stage.

Mael leaned in even closer, catching Echo’s scent.My god, he smells sweet enough to taste.He clenched his jaw, trying to maintain control. His priority wasn’t getting the guy into bed. That would come after. “I have questions that you’re going to answer.”

Echo’s lower lip quivered. He looked up through his long lashes, much too pretty for his own good. “How do you know my name?”

“That’s not important.”

After finding a dolphin shifter near orca waters, Mael had done his due diligence. As sheriff of Maki Island, the safety of his pod was his responsibility. He’d gotten the basic info—like name, age, and address—but not a whole lot more. Echo had no criminal record, not even a speeding ticket. He was well educated and held a doctorate—and worked as a scientist at a Dolphin Bay lab working with NOAA.

It wasn’t enough.

When it came to Echo Fisher, Mael wanted to knoweverything.

His gut told him Echo posed no danger to his podortheir waters, but he couldn’t count it out, either. Not without learning the truth behind why Echo had been out there. What had been so alluring to bring a man—who appeared to be a fine, upstanding citizen—to the point he'd break the treaty and threaten both their pods?

Echo’s eyes widened. “Youshouldn’tbe here.”

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