The first thing Dean noticed was that the field worked.
The second was how badly they would have been affected if it had not.
The inner door sealed behind them with a soft hydraulic hiss, separating the airlock from the security corridor ahead. For one uneasy second, nothing changed. Then the ventilation system opened automatically, and the atmosphere beyond the threshold seemed to acquire weight.
Dean felt the synthetic pheromones strike the edge of his neutralizing field and disappear.
He released a breath he had not realized he was holding and looked at Arion.
His husband stood close enough that their shoulders nearly touched, golden eyes fixed on the corridor ahead. There was no change in his breathing, no tightening through his jaw, nothing to suggest the artificial output had reached him.
"It works," Dean said quietly.
Arion's gaze shifted to him. "Completely?"
"As long as you stay inside the meter."
"That will not be difficult."
Dean almost smiled.
