Page 17 of Hummingbird and Kraken

On the other hand, he liked that Declan was staking his claim. Rohahen shouldn’t get any wrong ideas.

He took a small bite, letting it settle on his tongue. The eggs that they’d had for lunch were nothing notable, but this was spectacular. It was like his whole sense of taste was coming back to him when Declan was there.

Declan handed him the plate and continued chattering. “Oh, I’m from New York. But my shitty ex-boyfriend was cheating on me, so I tossed everything in my car and set off in search of adventure and romance.” He looked up at Geir. “So far, my trip has exceeded expectations.”

Declan’s voice was heavy with innuendo and Geir found himself smiling back.

Rohahen scrutinized both of them closely. “Did you…?” he started to ask Geir, then fell silent.

It took a moment for Geir to figure out what he was implying. He debated lying. But he knew that only a few hours ago he’d been wondering if Declan had been planted here to deceive him. If he was wrong, and he sincerely hoped that he wasn’t, the People deserved to know. He met Rohahen’s eyes and nodded once.

Rohahen looked shocked. Maybe awed. And a little worried.

He’d thought they were being subtle, but of course Declan’s nimble mind picked up their undertones quickly. “Oh, are we talking about Geir and the lake? I promise I wasn’t trying to spy on him or anything. Please don’t get him into trouble, though, because it wasn’t his fault. I saw him go under without coming up and I thought he was drowning. One thing led to another and then…” He put his hands together and made a wiggly motion with his fingers.

Geir wasn’t sure whether to be enchanted or appalled that Declan was imitating his strong, dangerous tentacles with wiggly fingers. Rohahen had no such compunctions and started laughing.

“Declan, you are really something else,” he finally sighed, making Declan beam. “How long are you planning on staying? I could take you to see the farm. And the Chief would like to meet you.”

Rohahen sounded friendly, but Geir read the undercurrent in the words. The Chief would want to make sure that he wasn’t a threat.

“That’s not…” Geir started to protest.

But of course Declan saw it differently. “Oh, I would love that. When’s good for you? I can help a little bit on the farm, if you tell me what to do. And will you tell me what I need to do when I meet the Chief? I don’t want to disrespect anyone, and I want to follow your customs if I can. Should I bring a gift? I don’t have much money, I don’t think, but I could make something. Oh, and do you have internet? I need to check my bank balance. Or maybe that’s too much. I’ll look forward to meeting your Chief.”

Rohahen blinked but didn’t seem put off by the river of words. “Tomorrow would be good.”

“Hey, um…” Declan looked him up and down. “Are you, like, a shifter or something? Or if you have some other magic? Or is that rude to ask? I won’t tell anyone. But that would be super cool.”

Rohahen looked back at Geir, then Declan, then Geir again.

Geir shrugged. He had no advice. His only concern was Declan, who would likely figure it out anyway.

Rohahen nodded slightly. “I am… something like that.”

Declan clapped his hands. “Ooohhh! I’m so excited. But I won’t ask any questions. Unless you say it’s OK. I ask Geir lots of questions, though.” He glanced up happily. “He hasn’t gotten sick of me yet. He wouldn’t tell me anything about you guys, though, so your secrets are safe. I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

“Tomorrow, then?”

“Absolutely.”

He turned to Geir and added, “we could use your help.”

Geir grunted, unwilling to commit. Other peoples’ concerns seemed distant to him now. Even more so with Declan so warm and sweet in his arms. He had made a pact long ago, but these problems weren’t his problems.

Rohahen nodded to each of them. “Good day, Declan. Grandfather.”

Geir turned, but Declan stood there watching Rohahen drive away. “What are you doing?” Geir finally asked.

“I was trying to figure out what type of animal he was. I was kind of hoping he would shift.”

Geir didn’t know what animal Rohahen was, but he wasn’t interested either. He vaguely remembered someone who looked a bit like Rohahen as an otter. But perhaps that was someone else or some other generation. He snorted. “You wanted him to shift to drive a truck?”

“I guess that doesn’t make sense. But that was so cool!” Declan finally closed the door. “Another shifter. And he’s going to show me around. Did you hear that? I wonder if they have special pet doors in their houses, or if it’s more of an outside, thing. You usually only shift in the lake, right? I wonder if his animal is something big. Maybe he’ll show me sometime.”

Geir said nothing, fighting down a heavy jolt of some burning feeling. His kraken half wanted to bundle Declan up close and not let go.

His human half didn’t want Declan thinking about anyone else. If he was that interested in this newcomer, what did that mean for the promises that he’d made? Was Geir just a novelty?