Page 4 of Restraint

Except this time, Jamie knew he was awake.

This time, Jamie knew the monster was real.

Chapter 2: Noh

After the wonderful night they’d had, Noh had expected Jamie to get up, get ready, and leave for work like usual. He’d been delighted when instead the morning took a different course. As the rain moved in and the apartment grew dark, Noh’s excitement increased. Jamie didn’t turn on any lights as he moved around, making himself a meal and sitting down at the table in the dim.

Noh, of course, had watched the whole food preparation diligently, memorizing exactly how Jamie had made his breakfast. Then he’d followed Jamie to the table and cuddled in close.

He couldn’t help himself. He’d been wrapped up with Jamie all night, and he just wanted more of that. It was a perfect morning, the rain, the cuddling. Did a Boggë need anything more?

It was still early days of their relationship, so Noh tried not to be hurt when Jamie then took a cup of tea to the living room after and turned on a lamp. Noh had had to shrink back into the darker corners to avoid the light the second he’d seen Jamie reaching for it.

He reminded himself that Humans needed light to see. Jamie probably wasn’t annoyed with him or trying to chase him away, it was just too dim for his Human eyes. Jamie even glanced in his direction, as if checking on him.

It cheered Noh right up.

Over time, as Noh continued feeding Jamie his come, Jamie’s eyesight would grow sharper, better in the dark, but they weren’t there yet. Noh just had to remind himself that Jamie may need the lights now, but someday he wouldn’t.Or maybe they’d meet in the middle–Noh’s tolerance for the light expanding as Jamie’s sight in the dark grew. A thriving symbiosis.

Though the light of the lamp was too bright for Noh to be directly cuddled around Jamie, the rain kept coming and the rest of the apartment was nice and shadowy. Noh instead enjoyed moving about in the daytime for once. He manifested eyes in all directions to watch his beloved.

Jamie got himself cozy on the couch with a blanket and his mug of tea and then pulled out his phone. Noh’s interest perked up.

Last night he’d sat right over Jamie’s shoulder and watched him flip through the device. It had been so enlightening! His mate was so smart, he’d known how to overcome the language barrier by showing Noh what he’d wanted. He’d found dozens and dozens of images that had clearly aroused him, and Noh had to admit the success of last night was all because of Jamie. He’d guided Noh’s hands, showed him exactly how he wanted to be treated.

Was Jamie going to do it again?

He watched Jamie tapping his phone, but from the distance he couldn’t make out what was on the screen.

Noh turned his attention to the lamp. It wasn’t that bright. It was a warm, low luminance in the room. It made him wonder…

Noh had felt the sunlight this morning, had felt the threat of it and had known instantly that it would harm him still. But he’d spent all night suckling at Jamie’s cock, swallowing his spill. He didn’t produce anywhere as much as Noh had given Jamie, but it had still been the most Noh had ever gotten in a single night.

He wondered now if it had made a difference. If it was enough to ward him against a small light like this.

On the far edge of the light ring, Noh manifested a tendril. Slowly, so slowly, he eased it toward the light halo.

There was warmth when it touched him, but it wasn’t a sharp sort of warmth. There was no burning, no smoldering fire, no excruciating pain.

On the other side of the room, where the light was hitting a little brighter, Noh made himself another tentacle and slid it out from beneath the cabinets. The light on his skin was warmer there, but tolerable.

He stared at himself in the light, turning the tentacle this way and that. It was almost unreal to see his form in the warm glow. Even at his strongest, before this cursed apartment, Noh had never managed to tolerate any amount of light. His kind were so light sensitive that any touch could result in permanent damage. Too much light and he’d burn up. Cease to exist.

With his true mate, with enough shared between them, he would no longer have to fear such a death. Eventually he might even tolerate the sunlight itself.

What a wonder that would be!

Focus, he reminded himself, pulling his mind back to the present. One thing at a time.

Next he needed to test something directly in the light where Jamie was sitting. Fringe light was progress, but how close could he get to a bulb?

Forcing himself not to hesitate, Noh slipped beneath the flooring and came up under the couch. He didn’t have a heartbeat, but his whole body was swimming with nerves. He made himself one slithering arm and peeked it out the back of the couch where the full light of the lamp was hitting.

This was a much more intense wave of heat. Noh had come too close to one of the stove burners once, and it was similar to that. The heat of warning, but there was no pain. Being inthe lamp light would likely wear him out, but he seemed to be tolerating it. It wasn’t searing away his being.

Oh!

As always, Jamie had been one step ahead of Noh. Did his little mate know about Boggës? Jamie knew he kept to the shadows, he’d seen Jamie glance in his direction plenty of times, but it seemed he also knew about the exchange.

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