Grounding has never been just second nature-- to anyone.
It requires anchoring your mind and body to something real while the system pulls.
Galathea Brooks was riding her pleasure as she gyrated straddling Cael Alexander.
Then-- a shift. He recognized the shift instantly.
Her body was still there, still responding in partial alignment, but her presence had fractured. The delays, the misalignment-- he had seen patterns like this before, but never this pronounced.
And --Never here.
His grip tightened at her waist, anchoring her more firmly. His other hand came to her jaw, guiding her face, forcing her attention toward him.
"Look at me." He said, shifting so that their foreheads met.
Her eyes did not fully focus.
That confirmed it.
This was not distraction.
This was displacement.
His thoughts sharpened, precise and immediate. 'This is changing-- and I need to stay ahead of it.'
He adjusted without hesitation.
