Page 91 of Hummingbird and Kraken

Taking care of him sounded right. But the rest of it he wasn’t so sure about. “You’re good all the time. I don’t want to punish you. I just want you to be happy.”

Declan’s brow furrowed, and he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. That was so different for his little chatterbox that this had to be important. “I know this doesn’t make sense, but I want to be punished. No, that’s not quite right. I don’t want to be bad and I don’t want to disappoint you. But I like the idea of being punished. Or I mean, I like punishments, but not in the same way as like… God, I’m doing a terrible job of explaining this.” Declan hid his face in Geir’s shoulder. “This must sound really weird.”

Geir just waited, but after a long pause, Declan didn’t seem to be any closer to figuring it out. “Little hummingbird, you chased me into a lake, saw me turn into a sea monster, and begged me to fuck you. It can’t be that weird.”

That got Declan to laugh. It was so rare that he saw Declan when he wasn’t bubbly and confident. Or even pouty and dramatic. This topic seemed like it was a lot closer to his core.

Declan tried again, his voice showing a little more confidence. “Maybe this doesn’t make sense, but I would feel more… secure, I think? I would be happier if you set up some guidelines and then… made sure I followed them.”

The more Declan talked, the more nervous he seemed to get. Asking for this, Geir realized, took a lot of bravery. Throughout their whole relationship, Declan had always been the one taking the lead. He only wished he could have picked up on all of this sooner.

“If this was what you wanted, why didn’t you tell me before?”

Declan shrugged. “It’s a lot to ask of someone. It’s not what everyone wants. And everything with you has been so much better than any relationship I’ve been in before. I was happy with whatever I could get.”

Geir gave him a stern look and felt the shiver that raced through Declan’s body. “You weren’t happy all the time, though. I can’t give you something if I don’t know that you need it. Explain these punishments.”

Declan closed his eyes and rocked against him, cocks and skin rubbing deliciously together. Geir might not understand it, but he understood that Declan wanted it. Maybe that was all that he needed to understand anyway.

But then Declan stilled and took a few deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, he didn’t look aroused, he looked contrite. “Listen, yesterday you told me to stay in the van. And I didn’t do it. I felt terrible about breaking my promise, and I still do. I think I did the right thing, but I didn’t want to let you down either.”

“You should have stayed in the van,” Geir agreed, finally giving in to the impulse to wrap him up tightly and pull him closer. “You could have died.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. But I think it would be good for me, good for both of us even, if you punish me to remind me not to do it again. Then we can both let it go.”

Geir could maybe see that. He liked the idea, at least, of putting this fear and frustration behind him. And yes, he liked the idea of reminding Declan never to do it again. “How do I punish you?”

“It depends what you’re going for. You could spank me. Or take away something that I enjoy for a while. Or make me stand in the corner.”

“Which one’s best?”

“Spanking. It’s kind of the best and the worst.” He shrugged. “It can be both.”

“You want me to hit you?”

“You know that I like it when you mark me.” They both looked down at Declan’s chest, which showed only the faintest scratches from a few days ago. It looked incomplete. Empty. “I enjoy it when you hurt me, as long as it’s the right way. But this would be more punishment and less fun. It would be more cathartic. I would get to… cry everything out and start over.”

Geir was just starting to realize how much Declan needed this. He didn’t like the idea of making him cry, but as with so many things with Declan, he would just have to trust him.

He was starting to maybe understand this Daddy thing, too. It wasn’t so much about the name. It was about taking care of his hummingbird. It was about being in control, not because it was hot, but because Declan needed it.

Geir’s kraken side and his human side both agreed that this was what he needed, too.

Without another word, he flipped Declan over his knees, knowing that he liked being tossed around. He straightened out Declan’s arms and legs, securing each with his tentacles. Declan wriggled around for a moment, testing his grip, and then went boneless. Geir was clearly doing something right.

He took a moment to savor him like this. Declan who still wanted him after everything that had happened. Declan who wanted him to take even more control. To punish and reward and own every bit of him. It was a heady feeling.

And then there was that smooth skin on display, those lithe muscles trapped completely by Geir’s strength. The bruise that the kidnappers had left on Declan’s face made him see red.

But the little scratch by Declan’s shoulder and the faint chain of bruises along his ribs were his. They were supposed to be there, and Declan wanted them, too. It was almost like a promise that he wouldn’t leave Declan again. He wouldn’t let those marks fade. And spanking, he supposed, was just a different kind of mark.

He wasn’t sure if he should feel so turned on by it, though. He was unexpectedly aroused at the thought of all the power Declan was giving him. At the idea of Declan looking to him for guidance and punishment, like it was some gift he could bestow.

He hoped he could be worthy of Declan’s trust. “Red for stop, right?”

“Yep. I knew you’d be good at this.”

That made him feel a little better. He could do this, because Declan would let him know what he needed.