I rested my head on Christian's chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow beneath my ear. My body hummed with satisfaction, muscles pleasantly sore in ways that reminded me of exactly how thoroughly I'd been claimed. Sierra, however, was far from settled. She paced restlessly in my mind, projecting images and urges that made my breath catch. *Mark him,* she insisted, her presence more demanding than I'd ever felt her. *Mark our mate. Claim him. Be claimed.*
Christian's fingers traced lazy patterns along my spine, his touch both soothing and electrifying. I closed my eyes, trying to quiet Sierra's increasingly insistent demands, but she wouldn't be silenced. For perhaps the first time since she'd manifested in my adolescence, she and I were in perfect alignment. The wanting, the cer
