Page 60 of Hummingbird and Kraken

Chapter 19

Declan

Declan put down his book on the back of the couch. He was staying near the kitchen because he was making granola and had to keep switching out the batches in the oven. The whole house smelled of cinnamon and honey, and he wished Geir could be there to appreciate it.

But Geir had wandered off again and he was feeling… bored? Lonely? Something.

He looked out the window. The trees were beautiful. The lake was gorgeous. Even the dated cabin he was standing in and the rusty pickup truck had a rustic charm.

But he didn’t feel like drawing them today. The quiet had been a nice vacation for the first few weeks. Now he needed something to do.

And people. He didn’t miss any one person in particular. Certainly not Mike or any of his friends. But he missed people. He knew he was an extrovert, but he hadn’t realized how much he needed the energy of people around him until now.

He thought about looking for Geir, but he wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do. He’d come across him a few other times, just sitting there and “waiting,” or whatever that creepy trance-like state was. Finding him motionless still scared Declan every time, like he might just forget to move ever again.

If he were a robot, it would have made more sense. Declan pondered the idea for a few moments. He imagined Geir pushing an off switch embedded in the back of his own neck.

Then Declan was the only one who could turn him on.

Declan chuckled to himself about the unintentional pun.

It wasn’t quite as funny, though, when there was a grain of truth to it. Geir’s mind worked differently than his. Maybe differently than any human’s. But his humanity was still evident.

What worried him most was the Guide’s story about how involved Geir used to be. Was the “off switch” new?

If it was something Geir needed, that was totally fine. Animals hibernated. Hell, people slept. And he vaguely knew that lizards and things went into a torpor when it got too cold or something.

But that wasn’t the sense Declan got. When Geir left, he looked determined sometimes. Wistful at others. Maybe even a little frustrated. What he didn’t look like was happy or relaxed.

Was it Declan’s place to do something about that? If Declan had the power of the maiden in the legend, maybe he could bring back some sort of metaphorical spring. He didn’t have any magic, though, just being flirty and talking too much.

He thought he’d made it pretty clear that he wanted Geir around, though. All the time, preferably.

If Geir was here right now, they could cuddle on the couch. Maybe he could convince Geir to tell him a story from his endlessly long history. Or just read together. God, maybe one day they could get a TV and watch a show.

No, he had a better idea. One with a lot more tentacles and Declan on his knees. They could have a race to see if he could get Geir to come in the time it took a batch of granola to bake. That would be perfect.

Just then, the timer went off and Declan transferred the cereal to the board to cool and put in a new batch. If Geir came home right now, he could totally make it in the next cycle.

Of course, Geir didn’t come home. He could be gone for another few minutes or the rest of the day. Declan just never knew.

Declan went back to the couch, dreaming up steamy scenes for Geir’s return. He still wanted to introduce Geir to porn. Geir hadn’t backed away from a single one of Declan’s fantasies yet, but there were so many more out there. Maybe starting with tentacles…

A knock came at the door, startling Declan out of his thoughts. He raced to open it. He knew it wasn’t Geir, because he wouldn’t knock, but any company would be awesome.

Right at the doorknob he hesitated, though. What if it was those creepy guys from the grocery store? Or another secret agent from their spy ring? Geir had even told him that people kidnapped shifters. What if they wanted to take Declan away and torture him until he revealed all of his secrets?

“Geir? Declan?” Ro’s deep voice came through the door.

Of course, Declan was being silly again. He welcomed Ro in and sank down to the couch. “Hey! I didn’t hear your truck.”

“Yeah, I came through the woods today.”

Declan would totally walk through the woods if he thought he wouldn’t get lost. He was still a little wary of walking down the highway. It sucked that he wasn’t a shifter. “Were you a bison?” he asked.

“Coyote, today.”

“Man, that is so cool. Can I see you shift sometime? Where do you keep your clothes? What does it feel like? Oh, hey. Do you want some granola? You could have it with milk or yogurt.”