3013: CLAIMED (3013: The Series)

by Roma, Laurie

  Jax waved her on. “So what happened before you got there?”

  “Oh, well…there was a Helios male that grabbed me and wanted to scent me—”

  “Son of a bitch!”

  “Jax,” she chided in a tone that seemed to calm him…marginally. “Troy was with me, as were two of my guards. Before my guards even knew what was happening, Troy had done something to the Helios to get him to release me, and I found myself behind his back without even knowing how I got there.”

  “You could have been hurt,” Dom said. “The Helios seek out companions based on scent and if he wanted to smell you then—”

  “I know,” she said. “But Troy got me away from him. Before the Helios could retaliate, Alexis and her mates arrived and they poofed the Helios male to the other side of the space station, so I didn’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  Dom blinked. “They…what do you mean they poofed him?”

  Surprised, Archer asked, “Didn’t you know? Those dragon warriors can use magic.”

  “But they can poof people? That’s just not right.” Dom glared. “And now you have me saying poofed, damn it. Can we get back to talking about killing people?”

  Serra studied the director her bonded called a close friend, and saw that he was a severe man, with an edge of unhappiness all but clinging to him. “I think you need sex.”

  Dom sputtered, coughing on the coffee he’d just drank. He gawked at her as the rest of the men tried to hold back their laughter. His astonishment turned into a dark glower. “I have sex.”

  She shook her head, ignoring the other men. “Then perhaps you need to do it more often. Sex released endorphins into the system that elevates stress and enhances mood.”

  Dom glanced over at Jax. “Is she for real?”

  “What?” Serra said, blinking at the table as the other men lost the fight to hold back their hilarity. “From your gruff demeanor, I believe you would benefit from a steady increase of sexual release to improve your disposition. Factoring in that you are also descended from the Tarin in your familial history, you should know that you might need the additional boost to maintain optimal levels of energy.”

  “I’m fine. Sex is not an issue,” Dom gritted out through clenched teeth.

  She gave him a thoughtful glance. “Hmm…perhaps the sex you’re having isn’t the right kind of intercourse you need then.”

  “Oh, for the love of…will you guys shut the hell up!”

  Archer wiped at the tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. “Stars! I haven’t laughed like that in ages. What do you mean, by the right kind, baby? I didn’t know there was a wrong kind.”

  “You need lessons or something, Dom?” Jax asked, trying to keep a straight face.

  “Fuck all of you.”

  “Wish we could help you out, but no thanks,” Archer said with another laugh.

  Serra frowned at them. “I didn’t mean it to be malicious. There have been rumors that the Tarin receive higher levels of energy that sustain them longer if they engage in sexual activity with a partner they are emotionally connected to. That’s all.”

  “This conversation is over.”

  She wanted to say more, but sensed that she had already overstepped a line of propriety that she rarely recognized. Serra was getting ready to apologize when Jax’s wrist unit beeped with an incoming call. He looked down then winced as he saw the readout.

  “It’s my mother.”

  “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

  He shook his head, but sighed as the beeping stopped and Archer’s wrist unit immediately started beeping. “Shit.”

  “She knows.”

  “We don’t know that,” Jax snapped.

  “The hell we don’t. You know she knows. She knows everything,” Archer responded. He let out a sigh of relief when his wrist unit stopped beeping, then tensed as the home communications console began beeping. “Shit, you have to answer that. She’ll kill us if you don’t.”

  “Hell…” Jax picked up the tablet on the table and hit a button. “Answer, voice only. Block outgoing video.”

  On the wall monitor, Donna Spartan-Rollins’ image popped up on screen, her beautiful face marred by the fierce frown she was wearing. “What in the seven hells is this? Why are you blocking me? Jax? Sullivan?”

  “We’re in a meeting, Mother.” Jax said lightly, then winced as the frown on his mother’s face darkened.

  “A meeting about what? That business with Serra?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  Donna waved her hand on screen. “You should know better than to ask that question. Your father is still smarting from the tongue lashing I gave him for consenting to have that poor girl taken into custody. Speaking of, the reason I’m contacting you is because we are throwing you a claiming ceremony this evening at the estate.”

  “That’s very kind of you, Mother, but we’re busy and—”

  “Jax, I think you owe that sweet woman a proper ceremony after the pitiful way you claimed her. Yes, I know about that, too. And don’t think we won’t be having words about that later.”

  Jax winced again, then glowered at Dom as the other man chuckled. Jax’s mother raised a brow. “Is that Sullivan laughing? I’ll be having words with you as well, Sullivan Archer.”

  “No, ma’am. I wasn’t laughing. That was Dom. Dominic Stryker,” Archer informed her, not hesitating to throw his friend under the proverbial freight-shuttle.

  “Well, then. Isn’t this convenient. Make sure you bring Dominic and Arik with you when you come.”

  “Oh, well. Ma’am, we—”

  Donna quickly cut Dom off with a smile that could only be described as lethal. “Since your mother and fathers will also be in attendance, I would hate to tell them that you disregarded my invitation.”

  “Shit.”

  “I heard that,” she said with a cheerful laugh. “Anyways, it’s all been arranged. Everything will be perfect by the time you arrive. Is Serra there?”

  Serra shot Jax a slightly terrified glance. “Umm, yes, ma’am.”

  Donna’s smile softened until Serra could all but feel the acceptance and affection coming through the screen. “Serra, dear. We are so very pleased to welcome you into the family. Thank you for putting up with my sons, and I do consider Sullivan a son, just like we consider you our daughter now.”

  “Thank you,” Serra said, her throat tight with emotion. Both Jax and Sully reached out to take her hands in theirs. “And thank you for throwing us a party. I haven’t even thought of it since everything has been happening so quickly.”

  “Leave everything to me, dear. Jax, Sullivan, I want you to bring Serra here in a few hours. We need time to prep.”

  “Ma, we—”

  “Jax, you really don’t want to fight me on this. I will see you in a few hours. Love you.” The entire room was left staring at the blank screen as Donna Spartan-Rollins cut communications.

  “People fear me all over the damn universe, and yet my mother just fucking rolls right over me,” Jax muttered as he scowled at the blank screen.

  “You aren’t the only one,” Dom said in commiseration. “I can make grown men cry in interrogation, but my own mother has the power to make me feel like I’m fucking four years old when she uses that tone on me.”

  Jax sighed as Archer, Serra and Arik laughed. “Well, I guess we can discuss this more on the way to my parents’ estate. Looks like we have a party to attend.”

  ***

  Chapter Seven

  The Spartan-Rollins’ estate was a huge piece of property located on the outskirts of the Capital, where the hustle and bustle of the city gave way to the lush greenery of the coast.

  In this section of the city, the wealthy lived lavishly in a facsimile of the years on Earth before the Alien Wars. The shuttle touched down onto the ground right outside of the electric gate, and was instantly cleared by the guards once they saw who was in the vehicle. They opened the gates to the estate and the shuttle con
tinued down the long driveway by road as the pilot switched the sky-to-air vehicle into driving mode.

  Serra stared out of the window with nervous anticipation. The Spartan-Rollins’ estate was more like a compound than an actual home. The center building was made up of glass and white-stone, set off by a riot of flowers that had been planted surrounding the outside of the main structure. To the right was a large greenhouse, created from glass solar panels and shining steel beams. To the left of the main house were several smaller structures, or what could be considered guest houses, lining the beach-front property.

  She remembered being a guest in one of those houses during the years she had been at the training facility. When the recruits had been given leave from the Academy, those who had nowhere to go were welcomed onto the Spartan-Rollins property. Although Serra’s family would have allowed her to come home, she had been happier staying close to Jax and Sully whenever it was possible.

  They had made a stop at one of the medical centers to deactivate her birth control implant before heading out of the city. She had been nervous about being back in medical, but Jax and Sully had stayed by her side and the procedure only took a matter of minutes to perform. When it was done, they had met Dom and Arik at the shuttle bay and they had gotten into the back while Jax’s personal pilot flew them outside the city limits.

  A gentle hand took hers, and she looked down to see that Jax had stopped her from tapping her fingers in her nervous habit. “Don’t worry, hummingbird. Everything will be fine.”

  She tried to smile, but knew she failed when his steel-gray eyes softened and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to his side. “I’m just nervous. I haven’t seen your family in a long time.”

  “They will love you. You know, my mother still invites the recruits to the estate during the breaks from the Academy. Talon is on assignment on Alpha Station: X4, but Connor is still in training. She has her hands full when he and his friends are around.”

  She laughed. “Sort of like you were. What about Mya? Has she been claimed yet?”

  “Hell, no,” Archer said with a laugh from her other side. “She just turned twenty, but Jax’s fathers got her exempt status when she was seventeen. She doesn’t seem like she wants to settle down anytime soon.”

  “That didn’t exactly save me,” she said dryly.

  Dom laughed from where he was sitting on the other side of the shuttle. The dark man was sprawled out in a chair, eyes remaining closed even as he spoke. “You think any man would be stupid enough to claim the sister of Commander Spartan and the daughter of three powerful parents against her will? They’d be dead before they got the marking device out.”

  “Damn right,” Jax muttered.

  “I’ve heard that Mya is doing well at Starlight Designs,” Arik commented. “She seems to have your mother’s talent at creating beautiful clothing. Many of the D’Aire wear her designs.”

  “She is very talented,” Jax said, the pride clear in his voice. “She wants to expand the business…sell more to off-worlders. But I hope someday she finds a good bonding unit.” He tilted Serra’s chin up so he could brush his lips over hers. “I can’t wait to have you mark me.”

  She smiled against his lips. “I like knowing the world will see that you’re mine.”

  “We’ve always been yours,” Archer said as he drew her away from Jax to seal his lips over hers in a heated kiss.

  “For the love of…stop it,” Dom snapped when he opened his eyes and saw the couple. “If I have to be stuck in here with you, no more of that.”

  Arik looked at his friend with amusement shining from his iridescent eyes. “Perhaps Serra was right. You do need sex.”

  “Don’t you start with me, you winged bastard,” Dom growled. He looked out of the window as the shuttle pulled to a stop in front of the main house right behind another vehicle. “Thank God, we’re here.”

  “Come on, sweetheart,” Jax said, grabbing her hand. “Let’s go say hello to your new in-laws.”

  The back door to the shuttle lifted and they walked out to see the occupant of the other vehicle was waiting for them. Troy Takeshi was a handsome man with dark features, short, cropped hair, and a lean body packed with muscle. With a talent for hacking, Troy was a man that Serra trusted and respected, despite the fact he was a few years younger than her. He smiled as he waited for the group to approach at the bottom of the steps.

  “Hi, boss,” he said to Serra. “I was at my place in Zion, when this primo shuttle pulls up in front of my building, and an officer comes to my door to say my presence is requested for your claiming celebration. Congratulations, Serra, Commander Spartan, Commander Archer.”

  She smiled affectionately at the other man. “Thank you, Troy. I’m so glad you could come. Actually, I was going to contact you later today about a new project I need your help on.”

  “Oh?” His dark eyes lit up with interest.

  “None of that until tomorrow, after the ceremony is over,” Archer chided, then he narrowed his eyes on Takeshi. “But we have something else we want to talk to you about right now.”

  “Murder is not allowed on your claiming celebration day,” Dom warned from where he and Arik waited off to the side.

  Ignoring him, Jax growled in anger. “What the hell is this I hear about bar hopping and Helios sniffing at our woman?” His furious display lost a little of its edge when Serra’s elbow connected with his solar plexus.

  “Sir?”

  Takeshi was good, Jax had to admit. The younger man didn’t give a hint that he knew what he was being asked. “Serra knows we had you assigned to her, but what I want to know is why we never heard about these little excursions she was taking into dangerous places?”

  Takeshi’s posture stiffened as he went to attention, even as he shot an apologetic glance at Serra. “Sir, as I told you when I was assigned, I would do my duty and keep her safe. But as I also told you, I would not take the position if you were looking for a spy. I work with and respect Serra, and I wouldn’t betray her trust like that. Even for you.”

  Jax admired the younger man’s stance, and his respect for the officer grew as he made it clear that he was indeed the perfect assistant for Serra. Still, he didn’t want to let the officer off that easily. “You are lucky I don’t bust you down to—”

  “Enough, Commander. You will not do anything to this officer. Troy is my friend as well as my assistant and I won’t take any actions against him lightly. In fact, if you don’t drop this right now you may be sleeping alone tonight…and for a long time after this,” Serra added.

  “Damn, that’s cold, baby.”

  Archer took a step toward Takeshi and held out his hand. The other man hesitated before shaking it. “Thank you for keeping her safe for us.”

  “She isn’t just a duty, she is my friend, too.” He turned to look at Serra. “I’m sorry if you feel like I lied to you.”

  She smiled again. “I knew you were working for them after that first week when you offered to train me in self-defense. I’m not mad.”

  The front door to the house burst open and Donna Spartan-Rollins hurried down the steps. Her beauty belied her age. It didn’t seem possible that the beautiful brunette was the mother of a fully grown man like Jax. Warm brown eyes locked on Serra’s a second before she found herself engulfed in a welcoming embrace.

  “Serra, how wonderful to see you again!” Donna pressed a kiss to her cheek before she pulled back and held Serra by the shoulders. “Oh, you’re more lovely than I remember! My sons are very lucky men.”

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Spartan-Rollins.”

  Donna scoffed. “Enough of that, now. You may call me mother just like my boys do, or if it is too soon for that, please just call me Donna.” After receiving a nod from Serra, Donna released her to press quick kisses on Jax and Archer’s cheek. “Good to see you boys. Now, Serra, come with me. We have to get you ready for the ceremony.”

  “Ma, I don’t think—”


  Donna waved off whatever Jax was going to say as Serra found herself being dragged up the stairs by Jax’s mother. She sent a frantic look back towards her men.

  “Really, can we just—”

  At the top of the stairs, Donna turned back to frown down at Archer. “You are going to quit complaining, and go make yourselves useful while I get your chosen ready for the ceremony.”

  With that, Donna whisked Serra through the doorway and the door slammed shut, leaving the men alone outside. Takeshi looked at his commanders with a hint of pity in his eyes. “Your mother is a formidable woman.”

  “Kid, you have no idea...” Jax said just as two young officers rounded the corner of the house.

  “Commander Spartan!” Officer Cal Ryans, Jax’s main assistant, hurried forward. “Sir! The guests you requested have been picked up and are en route. Also, Regent Marks and Regent Wyland-Ross would like a word with you, and so would High Commander Newgate.”

  “And Commander Archer, there are three generals that would like to speak to you if you have a moment,” the other officer added.

  Archer blew out a slow breath and looked over at Jax. “I need a drink.”

  “Make that two.”

  ****

  A little over an hour later, Serra was bathed and dressed in the most gorgeous gown she had ever worn. It was a dress fit for a goddess, made of a shimmering, pale, seafoam green fabric that had one shoulder strap. The garment hugged her body like a second skin, but it was comfortable and allowed her to move easily.

  After she had been taken from Jax and Archer’s side, Donna had brought Serra up to a suite that had been made ready for the preparations for the ceremony. She had been reunited with Jax’s younger sister, Mya, and the young woman had been thrilled that Serra had bonded with Jax and Sully. At Donna’s insistence, Serra had been treated to a relaxing massage by a droid expertly programmed in reflexology. Because it was a machine and not another person touching her, Serra was able to settle down and enjoy its ministrations without feeling panicked.

  When the massage was over, she was then treated to a luxurious bath with the rare treat of calming crystals from D’Aire. She had been touched when she discovered that the crystals had been a gift from Arik V’Dir. The calming crystals were ridiculously expensive on Earth. They were large salt-like crystals that turned into foam when combined with water, releasing fragrance that soaked into the skin and also had healing properties. The calming crystals could be made with a variety of scents, and in a several different colors. These particular crystals had turned the bath water a pale, frothy purple, and had smelled of citrus and a hint of vanilla.