Estrella gave a wordless sigh and collapsed on his chest, breathing hard.

They lay there for long moments, the woods quiet about them, the only sound the symphony of their harsh, ragged breaths. Vic's hands slid to her thighs, and she felt his fingers lightly trace her skin, over and over, a soothing motion. She didn't move, though. She just laid on his chest, eyes closed, and tried to catch her breath.

Eventually, she cracked an eye open and surveyed her surroundings. Snow was falling in a thick blanket now, the snowflakes large and fluffy as they descended to the ground. Around them, the blanket of snow was patchy, the brown grass underneath exposed. And on the snow itself were dots of blood.

She flared her nostrils, alarmed. The scent of the woods touched her, along with the smell of her body and Vic, sex, and...blood. Warily, she lifted a hand and winced at the sight of the blood lining the beds of her fingernails.

Vic chuckled. "You play rough, 'Strella."

She sat up, pushing back on his chest, alarmed. Sure enough, the chest she'd been resting on was covered in scratches and gouges from her claws. Traces of blood dotted his skin and the snow around him. And Vic was smiling like he was pleased. "Oh my god," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm not." His hand continued to stroke her thigh as she straddled him. "How are you feeling? Better?"

She shifted slightly, testing her body. Vic was still seated inside her, and that felt good. Her muscles weren't sore, but the heat didn't seem to be gone quite yet. Sated for the moment, but still lurking in the background. She grimaced. "I think we're going to have to do this again."

He chuckled. "Don't sound quite so pleased."

"It's not that," she began hastily. "It's that I want to have sex with you and just enjoy you. I don't want to feel like I'm going to flay you alive with my claws simply because the heat's driving me wild. It doesn't feel normal."

"Normal's overrated," Vic told her. "Are you better right now, at least?"

She stretched, working out her muscles. "I am. I feel pretty good, actually." Amazing, really, but she'd feel weird telling him that. "Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" His voice sounded funny.

A flush crept up her cheeks. "For, you know. Volunteering in my time of need."

His eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he moved, and she went from sitting atop him to being flipped onto her back in the space of a moment.

Her eyes widened at the sudden movement -- and the surge of desire it sent through her. Vic loomed over her, pinning her to the snow. "Estrella. Let's clear one thing up right now," he told her in a hard voice. "I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart or because I'm your alpha. I'm doing this because I've wanted you for years. Me. Vic. It has nothing to do with free sex and everything to do with you."

Tears blurred her vision. "Good. I just didn't want you to feel...obligated."

He snarled. "Fuck obligation. I'm doing this because you're mine. And now that I know you want me too, there's nothing that's going to stop me from putting my mate mark on your throat. Understand?"

A surge of liquid desire rolled through her at the thought of Vic's mouth on her neck, teeth biting into her skin, and her hips flexed in response. "So what's stopping you right now?"

"Absolutely nothing," he growled, and leaned in. His tongue lightly moved along her throat, and she moaned at the sensation. "Ah, 'Strella, I can smell your desire. Smells fucking amazing."

She felt his cock, already hard, against her inner thighs and rocked up against him again. The heat was returning, but this time, she welcomed it. Relief was only inches away. "Need you, Vic."

"My 'Strella," he said softly, and she felt his tongue trace along her collarbone, making her shiver with need, her nipples hard.

Then, he bit down on her skin, at the spot where her neck met her shoulder. She felt his teeth sink in, ever so slightly. Another orgasm ripped through her, and she cried out, clenching his body close against hers. "Oh, yes. Vic. Vic. Vic."

He growled low against her throat, not pulling away, his mouth anchored there. She felt him shove her thighs forward, until they pressed backward on her chest and she was bent in half, knees almost to her shoulders. And then he sank deep again, and she cried out. Her claws popped again and she sank them into his back, clutching him to her.

"My 'Strella," he repeated in a hoarse voice, pounding into her.

"Vic," she cried out, and oh God, his rough strokes were driving her wild. She couldn't hold his body close enough to her. He sank so deep inside her that every thrust made her quiver with the orgasm that seemingly wouldn't stop. It kept building and building, her body quaking and muscles tight with the sensation, but it kept going and going, the fires stoked hotter with every thrust of his cock deep into her.

Too soon, he bit out her name against her throat, biting down on her again. And that made the orgasm skyrocket, until she was nearly passed out from bliss. She felt him come again, and then he collapsed on top of her.

After a few moments of panting, he moved away from her neck and leaned in to kiss her. In contrast to their rough, wild lovemaking, his kiss was tender and sweet. "Love you," he said gruffly.

Tears pricked her eyes and she ran her fingers along his hard jaw. "Love you, too."

"Your heat?"

"Still there," she admitted. "We might have to do this a few more times."

He grunted. "I see you plan on wearing your mate out."

Estrella grinned. "Are you telling me that I mated with a man with no stamina? That's disappointing."

"No stamina?" He gave her a mock-offended look, and then rolled his hips against hers in a seductive manner. "You want me to show you 'no stamina'?"

She moaned. "Yes, please."

They rolled in the snow and made love for hours on end, oblivious to everything but their own desires. Afternoon faded into dark, the moon came up and went away again, and sometime toward morning, they fell into an exhausted sleep in each other's arms.

When Estrella woke, the skies were orange and purple with the coming dawn, a blanket of snow was thick around them, and she was shivering from the cold.

Finally. Her heat was quenched. She gave a loud sigh of relief. Marathon sex was fun, but she was ready for the heat to be gone. Thank goodness shifter women only went into heat a few times in their lives. The intense craving -- and hormonal craziness -- was not something she wanted to experience on a regular basis.

A hard arm tightened around her hips, and she felt Vic nuzzle her shoulder. "You feel cold."

She burrowed closer to his warm body. "I am cold," she admitted, and couldn't keep the happiness from her voice. "Heat's gone."

His hand slid lower, to her belly. "So that means..."

"Yes." When he was silent, she began to worry. "What are you thinking?"

He kissed her shoulder again. "I was thinking about names. What do you think about Vic Junior?"

A happy giggle escaped her throat. "Uh, I think that's the worst name ever."

He gave her a mock growl. "That's my name."

"I didn't say your name was a good name. It's simply tolerable because it's yours."

He pulled her closer to him. "I see my mate is full of sass in the mornings."

"And afternoons. And nights," she told him happily. "Get used to it. You mated a woman who’s not going to let you walk all over her."