Page 11

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M ael drove onto the tiny island ferry and pulled the bike into first position. No one else was onboard, which wasn’t unusual. The island was only populated by orca shifters, most of whom rarely left the island. When they did, it was more often in shifted form than with a vehicle. Outsiders were rare. He parked the bike and climbed off, stretching.

The low-lying fog was still fairly thick even though it was inching toward noon. He’d left Echo’s just before ten, but had taken the long way to the ferry, enjoying a few of the back roads where he could really open up the bike and let off some steam. He’d considered returning to Echo’s place after, but he needed to get back and prep for the following day, as promised.

He pulled off his gloves and helmet as he walked into the small indoor seating space that was little more than a clear, plastic tent with a cold cast iron stove, two old church pews and an ancient, threadbare oriental carpet underneath. Once he’d sat on one of the pews and stretched his legs out, he pulled out his phone to call his brothers. The first thing he noticed was a text from an unknown number, as well as several missed calls from his siblings.

Reading the text, he smiled. He saved Echo’s number and then typed a reply.

Mael

Depends on the form of payment. If it’s this the answer is always yes.

Mael dialed his brother, Havoc, unable to stop grinning.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Havoc asked without preamble.

“Well, hello to you, too, little brother,” Mael said.

“Mom said you went out hunting for those great whites again. When it looked like you hadn’t come back, I went searching. I found a ton of fish feeding on a white’s carcass… but there were no signs of you or the other shark. I’ve been going out of my mind, man, thinking the two of you had it out and you were somewhere hurt.”

Mael chuckled as the ferry’s piercing horn blared. “I’m sorry you were worried, but I’d already returned from the hunt and went back out.”

“Are you on the ferry?”

“Yep.”

“That means you were on the mainland. No wonder I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I’m on my way back,” Mael murmured.

“What were you doing there?”

Mael frowned. His brother wasn’t usually the nosy type. Either way, he sure as fuck wasn’t going to tell Havoc about Echo over the phone. “What’s with the third degree?”

“You don’t make a habit of jumping ship and not telling anyone,” Havoc barked.

Mael sighed. “The next time I go to the mainland, I promise I’ll tell you.”

“Good,” Havoc snapped.

“I need to gather some scuba gear. I’m diving tomorrow afternoon with a friend. Do you have enough equipment that I can take two with backup oxygen tanks?”

“You haven’t dove in years,” Havoc said. “What’re you planning? Who’s the friend?”

“I need to call Storm and Rav. Hopefully one of them will let me borrow their boat,” Mael said, ignoring his brother’s questions.

“Or you could just ask me,” Havoc said.

“I assumed you’d be teaching a class tomorrow. You usually do on Sundays.”

“I postponed it because I thought we might have to go out searching for you. I just got off the phone with my last student about ten minutes ago,” Havoc said. “Plus, Storm and Rav are here. So’s Tempy. We were planning a search for our brother’s remains.”

“I was only gone one night, Havoc. And if you’d bothered to ask around, I’m sure I passed at least a half-dozen people on my way to the ferry yesterday afternoon.”

Havoc sighed.

“I’ll head over to your place as soon as I get on the island and explain everything. See you in a few.”

“Yeah, sure man,” Havoc said before he hung up.

Mael was glad they were all in one spot. He wouldn’t have to repeat his story over and over. A knot formed in his stomach. He hoped they were open-minded. He’d need their support when he told their mother.

Hopefully, he’d have it.

Mael’s phone vibrated, and he lifted it. He grinned like a fool the second he saw it was from Echo.

Echo

You’ve already gotten

Mael grinned, wicked thoughts crossing his mind.

Mael

Ok then

Echo

Umm, didn’t we already?

Mael

Two for one special

Echo

If you mean two in one Hell no

Mael sighed, a little disappointed. Few partners had allowed him to enjoy that special treat but when they had, it had shut his brain down for a few hours after.

Thought bubbles appeared again before he could reply.

Echo

After some careful stretching and prep… MAYBE. Down the road. And I’d want more than my windows cleaned for that.

One of Mael’s brow rose, his smile stretching wider.

Mael

I want you to enjoy it as much or more than I do, otherwise, where’s the fun? Prep is a must.

Echo

God, I wish you were still here.

Mael

I’ve wanted to come back since I left.

Echo

Why didn’t you?

Mael

Don’t make this harder. I need to get us ready for tomorrow.

Echo

*heavy sigh* Fine

He’d gone from Echo running from him to asking him to come back in a matter of a day. That brought a smile to his face.

Echo

Are you okay?

Mael winced, wishing Echo hadn’t asked. The ride and their text chat had taken his mind off that morning, and he didn’t need the reminder.

Mael

I’ll be okay. I promise.

Mael

BTW I plan on asking my brother Havoc to come with us in case of trouble. My other siblings might jump on, invited or not—fair warning.

Echo

Do you expect trouble? The other shark?

Mael

I doubt we’ll see that other shark again anytime soon, but it couldn’t hurt to have help close for that as well, just in case.

Mael

I was more concerned with issues with the gear, etc. I haven’t dove in a while. Havoc is a certified specialty dive instructor. He runs a small shop and teaches classes.

Echo

Ah. How many siblings do you have?

Mael

Four living. Three brothers and a sister. Havoc, Storm, Ravage, and Tempest. Storm and Rav are twins.

Echo

Your mother has unique taste in kid’s names.

Mael

She claims she wanted to raise hellions. She succeeded.

Echo

She figured you’d live up to your names, hmm?

Mael

Pretty much.

Echo

What about your dad? Was he okay with hellions?

Mael cringed. He was so accustomed to everyone on the island knowing their story and not having to dig into his troubled past.

Mael

He left when we were young. His opinion doesn’t matter.

Echo

I’m so sorry.

Mael

Don’t be. We’ve been more than fine without him. My mother is tough.

Echo

Well, I can’t wait to meet them. Hopefully not all at one time, though.

Mael

Why not all at one time? Might as well get it over with.

Echo

Being surrounded by a bunch of predators might be a bit much. You alone are pretty overwhelming.

Mael

You got over that fast

Echo

Who said I am?

Mael

You asked me to come back. I doubt I’d get that invite if I was still overwhelming.

Echo

It’s harder to find someone overwhelming after you’ve seen their come face.

Mael barked with laughter.

Mael

Is mine bad?

Echo

Mael

Sucks to be you. You get to suffer my ugly come face for the rest of your life…

As soon as he hit send, he reread the rest of your life part, and his mouth went a little dry. Suddenly it hit him that he’d really found his one and only. The last person he’d ever fuck. While most of him was elated, there was a tiny part of him that was freaking out. That part took over for a few seconds, whispering doubts when he’d felt absolutely sure just moments before.

Was he really ready to commit to one person for the rest of his life?

If he’d been asked that before he’d first spied Echo on that boat, the answer would’ve been a resounding ‘hell, no.’

But they were mates. Committing was what they were supposed to do. He felt the innate urge to draw Echo close and make the man his. It was the way of things.

They were ruled by their shifter nature.

When had he ever followed the rules, though?

Echo

You’re lucky. It’s actually really sexy. I can’t wait to see it again.

Echo

So you can’t scare me off with that for the rest of our lives.

The rest of our lives.

Mael stared at those words, too. It had been easier to imagine a forever when Echo was sitting right in front of him, making all the blood in his body travel south, but it was another thing when he was returning to the real world. He was about to face his hellion siblings and tell them he was mated to a dolphin.

He had no idea how they’d react.

The ferry sputtered and vibrated—the telltale sign it was close to docking.

Mael

The ferry just pulled in. I’m headed to Havoc’s to prep our gear and might not be right by my phone for the next few hours. I’ll text you later tonight.

Echo

Or you could call. We could have phone sex.

Mael

You wear Dockers and sweater vests to throw people off the bad boy scent, I see. Smart.

Echo

Nerds like sex, too. Maybe even more than other folks because we don’t get it as often.

Mael

Those days are over. I’m gonna wear that ass out.

Echo

The door to the interior room opened, and one of his distant cousins who worked the ferry peeked his head in. “Come on, Maelstrom. Let’s get it moving. We’re on a schedule.”

Mael grabbed his helmet and gloves. On the way to his bike, he sent one last text.

Mael

Getting yelled at to get off ferry. Gotta run

Mael shoved his phone and gloves into his pockets and then pulled on his helmet, waving his apologies to the lone car stuck behind him. He revved up the engine and took off toward Havoc’s. Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at his brother’s place and found his siblings waiting impatiently in the garage Havoc had repurposed for scuba gear storage.

“This is an interesting fashion choice,” Tempest said when Mael unzipped his leather jacket.

He’d already forgotten he’d left his shirt behind. He peeled out of the jacket and snagged one of the t-shirts printed with Havoc’s business logo stacked near the door.

“I lost my shirt,” he muttered, dragging a tee on.

“That’ll be twenty-five dollars,” Havoc said.

“Bill me,” Mael said.

“Let’s skip the entertainment portion of the evening and go straight to the heart of the matter,” Tempest said. “Was that white one of the two who hurt Livvy?”

“Yep,” Mael said. “I found them attacking someone else and I g?—”

“Who?” several of his siblings asked in unison, cutting him off.

“No one from our pod,” Mael murmured.

“Who else would be in our waters? Was it a human?” Tempest asked.

All eyes turned toward Mael. He wasn’t even sure where to start. “It was a dolphin shifter.”

“Were they in our waters when they were attacked?” Rav asked.

“They were,” Mael said.

“Chased there by the sharks… or out where they didn’t belong?” Tempest asked.

“Where they didn’t belong,” Mael said. “Which is why I went to the mainland last night. While I was handling one of the whites, the second and the dolphin got away. I went into Dolphin Bay to get some answers as to why he was out there.”

“Have you told Mom yet?” Rav asked.

“No,” Mael said. “And I don’t plan on telling her immediately. I need to ask you all to do the same.”

“Why are we hiding this from Mom?” Havoc asked, brow deeply furrowed.

“Because… this dolphin…” Mael paused, scratching his beard. He sighed. “The dolphin’s my mate.”

All four of his siblings stared at him wide-eyed and silent.

“A dolphin?” Storm asked no one in particular.

“We don’t mix with their kind,” Tempest said.

“I thought the very same thing at first. I fought it. But there’s no denying fate,” Mael murmured, searching their faces. “I just… want a little time to figure some things out. Before I tell Mom and this blows up.”

“What’s her name?” Havoc asked.

“His name is Echo,” Mael replied.

His siblings froze, their eyes growing wider.

“A man?” Tempest asked. “Are you kidding me? Not only a dolphin, but a male dolphin?”

Mael swept a hand toward them all. “Come on. Get it all out of your system now.”

“You’re what? Gay? Bisexual?” Tempest asked, eyes bright. Her smile was so wide it looked painful.

Mael shrugged. “I’m Echosexual.”

“What the hell is an Echosexual?” Havoc asked.

“His name is Echo.”

“Talk about on the nose. Lemme guess, he’s got a brother named Flipper,” Tempest said.

“I suppose this means Mom’s rainbow womb didn’t birth a straight,” Havoc said to the room, grinning. “She’s five for five on the queer kid meter now.”

“Six for six,” Tempest murmured softly.

Mael closed his eyes at the reminder rearing up again.

“One gay, one lesbian, and now four bisexuals,” Havoc said. “That has to be a record for one family, I’d think.”

“I never said I was bisexual,” Mael murmured.

“Whatever you are, you’re not straight,” Storm said.

“He is an omega, isn’t he?” Tempest asked.

“Of course,” Mael murmured.

“Good. Mom’s going to hate him being a dolphin, but if there’s a chance for grandbabies, maybe you can convince her,” Tempest said before a frown furrowed her brow. “Can an orca and dolphin have babies?”

Mael shrugged again. “No idea. They don’t in the wild but… who knows?”

“Is this the friend you’re diving with tomorrow?” Havoc asked.

“He is,” Mael said.

“Does this have something to do with why he was in our waters?” Tempest asked, all signs of humor gone. His deputy was back on the job.

“He was searching for a cave his grandfather claimed was out there, filled with dolphinkind artifacts. I’m going to escort him there, help him search for it, and supervise the whole thing.”

“He could’ve come and asked permission, but instead, he crossed our boundary illegally. Now you’re going to reward his bad behavior?” Tempest asked.

“He was afraid to ask, and I can’t exactly blame him. I doubt Mom would’ve approved his request,” Mael said. “So yes, I’m going to allow him back in, under my supervision and protection.”

“Why?” Tempest demanded.

“Because he’s my mate,” Mael replied. “This is important to him, therefore, it’s important to me. I want an opportunity to connect with him more and…”

“And what?” Havoc asked.

Mael considered what he’d planned to say next and wasn’t completely sure. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t like lying to Mom, and a lie of omission is just that,” Tempest said. She eyed their brothers before focusing on him again. “But we can give you a little time, I suppose.”

“Thank you,” Mael said.

“I hope it’s not long. I can’t wait for Mom’s reaction,” Storm said. He turned to Havoc and Rav. “He’ll be in the doghouse, and we’ll be able to get away with murder for months after that.”

“Thanks for the support,” Mael spat.

“Maybe she’ll even stop hounding me to mate and give her granddaughters for a while,” Tempest said with a sneer. “As if I want a rugrat destroying my beautiful vag.”

“I don’t need to know about your lady parts,” Havoc said.

“Oh, but you can tell fifty-million dick jokes when I’m here?” Tempest asked.

“That’s different,” Havoc said.

“How is it different?” Tempest demanded.

“Because I’m not telling jokes about my dick. It’s a random, fictional dick. If you want to tell lady bit jokes, be my guest. Just don’t tell me about yours.”

“Can you even say the word vagina, Havoc?” Tempest asked, cocking one brow high.

“He sure as hell hasn’t been in one,” Storm said. “He’s a gold star gay.”

“Damned right,” Havoc said, grinning.

“You know, that’s not really a thing,” Tempest told Havoc. “You came out of mom’s vagina, so you’ve been in one.”

“Ugh,” Havoc said, cringing. “Stop.”

“The patriarchy is alive and well in Havoc’s garage,” Tempest said, shaking her head. “We’re supposed to uplift our females, remember?”

“Have you two gotten that all out of your systems now?” Mael asked, lifting a brow.

Both Havoc and Tempest answered ‘yes’ in unison, appearing only the tiniest bit shamed.

“Rav? Do you want to come with me tomorrow?” Mael asked.

“Why Rav?” Havoc asked. “I’m the dive captain. I should go.”

“Rav was the only one that didn’t talk shit just now,” Mael said. “He earned it.”

Storm opened his arms and eyes wide. “I wasn’t talking shit.”

“That doghouse comment wasn’t shit?” Mael asked.

“No. It was simple fact. We all know Mom’s going to lose her mind when she finds out.”

Mael sighed inwardly. Storm was right, of course. Their mother likely wouldn’t handle it well. As the matriarch, she expected a lot out of them. They were to set the example for the pod. A prey animal shifter for a son-in-law wasn’t going to fulfill her high standards.

“Fact or not, it was a dig,” Mael said before looking at Ravage.

“Sorry, Big Brother. I’ve got plans tomorrow, so I can’t,” Rav said.

“Plans doing what?” Havoc asked.

“Why are you suddenly so nosy?” Mael asked Havoc.

“Because Wade broke up with him and he’s lonely,” Tempest answered for Havoc.

“Kiss my ass, Tempy,” Havoc snapped.

“When did you guys break up?” Mael asked Havoc.

“Last week,” Havoc muttered.

Had he been so focused on Echo he’d missed that news? Things rarely got past him in their small town.

“Then I guess you’re the one coming with me,” Mael said to Havoc. “You’ve got nothing better to do.”

Havoc grinned wolfishly. “And I get my way in the end.”

“I want to come, too,” Tempest said. “Check out this mate of yours and make sure I approve.”

“And have the two of you bickering the whole time? No way.” Mael said.

“If you want us quiet, I want to meet your little dolphin,” Tempest said.

“You’ll get your chance soon enough,” Mael said. He turned to Storm. “What are you doing Monday?”

“I was supposed to start on Ama’s porch, but she asked me to push it back to next week,” Storm said.

“Good,” Mael said. “I need some help off the island on Monday.” He nodded at Rav. “You can come, too, if you’re not busy.”

“Shouldn’t one of us stay on the island, Sheriff?” Rav asked. Ravage was a part-time deputy who normally only worked when Mael took a day off, which wasn’t all too often.

“As if either of you do much more than swim, ride around the island, or sit in the office drinking coffee and eating doughnuts all day,” Tempest said. “I can manage things.”

“Thank you,” Mael said.

“As long as I get to come tomorrow and meet your dolphin,” Tempest added, turning to fully face Mael.

Mael groaned.

“Well, if she comes, that means she can dive, too, and help search,” Havoc said. “It might make it go faster.”

“I’m game,” Tempest said before turning her gaze back on Mael.

Mael sighed. “If you two promise to behave and not embarrass the hell out of me…” He sighed. “I guess you can both come.”

“Oh, come on, Maelstrom,” Tempest said. “We were born to embarrass you. That’s what younger brothers and sisters do.”

Mael shook his head. “I’m going to regret this.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Havoc said. He pointed toward some gear. “Let’s get you ready.”