The moment Kendrick's hand left Damian's face, the room felt different.
Charged.
Like the air itself had shifted.
Damian stepped back first.
Fast.
Almost stumbling as he put distance between them.
"That—" he started, then stopped.
His voice failed him.
The words refused to form.
Kendrick didn't move from where he stood.
His hand remained half lifted, as if he had not fully realized what he had done.
"That shouldn't have happened," Damian finished finally.
Kendrick ran a hand through his hair slowly.
"I know."
But the problem was not the action.
The problem was the reaction.
Both of them had felt it.
That brief touch had triggered the bond again.
Stronger than anything before.
More immediate.
More impossible to ignore.
Damian could still feel the warmth lingering along his jaw.
It pulsed faintly beneath his skin.
His heart was racing.
Too fast.
Too loud.
And the scent in the room had not settled yet.
It clung to the air between them.
Heavy.
Unstable.
