Ric hadn't expected it out of himself, really. It was just the need to claim, even temporarily mark, and have Damon had mattered a lot more than he'd expected it to. The realization that he could have lost Damon tonight, the... thing with Kol, the emotional crap... It was what he'd needed to do. He could only be glad that Damon's response to it had been as favorable as it had been.

"Could have?" Ric pulled back enough to be able to look at Damon. "You say that like we're finished, here."