Page 36 of Hummingbird and Kraken

Geir’s cock stirred and he thought about tasting those fingers with his mouth. And maybe his tentacles. Declan sure looked like he’d enjoy it.

All his impulses told him to wrap Declan up and never let him go. To keep him somewhere dark and quiet and solitary, inaccessible to the world. Maybe a cave. Or at least the couch.

But he knew that he couldn’t follow Declan around all the time, no matter what he wanted.

Those were kraken impulses. A way to ensure that mating rights were secure, and offspring were produced.

In a human, it was pointless. And probably irritating. Stifling. He’d had past partners tell him that, over decades and centuries, but he’d never felt the need this strongly before.

He fought down his impulses. He was human. Declan was human.

Declan needed to be free.

He’d seen that the past few days, the way that Declan’s body was always moving, his mind always racing. Declan darted from one thing to another, asking questions and telling stories. When he wasn’t cooking or dancing, he was fixing up pretty little things around the house or pulling Geir down to the lake for a swim.

The only time he was still was when he was drawing or when Geir was holding him.

But Geir couldn’t hold him all the time. He knew that. It was just hard to remember.

He stood abruptly and headed for the door. He needed to get away before giving in to his impulses.

Only Declan was at his side again, tugging at his arm. “Where are you going? Can I come? Maybe we can go swimming?”

Geir shook his head.

He didn’t want to get used to this. Declan kept talking about finding a job. He wanted to see Rohahen and May again. It seemed like he was always talking about being somewhere else. Geir couldn’t give in to his kraken and keep Declan at his side every second.

“Do I get a kiss goodbye, then?” Declan batted his eyes. They were a pale green today, and his skin sparkled with a faint sheen in the light from the window. His lips were plump and pink and shiny. He was like a magical creature, elusive and beautiful.

Geir dropped a kiss to his lips, capturing them hungrily and fighting back the pressure at the base of his spine.

It was hard to leave him when he was whimpering and gripping Geir’s arms. But that urge to wrap him up told him enough. He needed to give Declan space.

“See you later,” he said gruffly, pushing him away.

“Mmmmm… I can’t wait. I’m going to make something with those eggplants today. I still need to figure out getting internet somehow…” He gave Geir a pointed look.

Geir had no response. He didn’t have internet. Probably the People did. Or somewhere in town. It just meant that Declan would leave.

“If I’m ever going to find a job…” Declan looked like he was waiting for Geir to respond, or maybe testing out his reaction, like there was some hidden message in there somewhere. “I mean, do you have any ideas? I’d like to contribute financially.” He looked more nervous now, but Geir didn’t understand why.

What was he supposed to say? He didn’t understand Declan’s hidden messages. He couldn’t tell Declan to never leave his sight. He fought to keep his tentacles in check.

Declan gave him a searching look. “Well, see you later. Have a good day.”

He nodded and strode off into the woods.

He didn’t need to be there. The birds would feed their young without him. The flowers would bud and bloom and die whether he was there or not.

Today, he found himself nearing the edge of the People’s land. He turned before he might get close enough to encounter someone patrolling the borders. The only person he wanted to see was Declan.

So he walked, and then he sat.

A squirrel darted between the trees, gibbering with its mate the way that squirrels always did.

A pair of acorns fell next to his hand, the way acorns always had and always would.

Perhaps one of them would sprout a new tree.