3013: CLAIMED (3013: The Series)

by Roma, Laurie

  “For the love of…”

  She heard one of her father’s muttering and a smatter of laughter from the crowd, reminding her they were not alone. She pushed at Jax’s chest until he released her, and tried to hold back a smile. “Behave,” she whispered.

  “Not bloody likely.”

  A little snicker escaped before she got control of herself again. Turning to Sully, she saw he was waiting for her with love shining in his light-brown eyes. Moving closer, she trailed a hand lightly over his bare chest and watched his muscles flex at her touch.

  “You are my soul mate, my other half. Serra, you are mine, as I’ve always been yours, and I’ll wear your mark with pride. I promise to honor, love and care for you…until forever and a day.”

  He was right. Sully was her soul mate. He was her comfort, and he was her protector. He would always put her first, and give her what she needed. They had affection and tenderness between them that burned hot from the intensity of devotion they felt for one another. She held up the device and ran it along his neck and torso, marking him as her bonded. When the tattoo was complete, she stepped into his kiss, parting her lips to stroke her tongue against his.

  With the blood in her veins singing with excitement, she stepped back in order to look at both of her men. Seeing their combined initials worn on their skin filled her with joy. She thought it was a powerful statement…and she also found the marks surprisingly arousing.

  They were hers...every delicious inch of them.

  A thought flickered through her mind, and going with impulse, she held up her hand before Jax could speak again. “I know this isn’t normally done, but I’d also like to wear our mark on my arm so we match,” she said, lowering her voice so only they would hear.

  Surprised had both men’s eyes widening. “Are you sure, Serra?”

  “I am. I don’t want it on my neck, just my arm. Would that be all right?”

  Jax’s eyes narrowed as his gaze skimmed over her bare left arm, as if trying to imagine the mark on her skin. “Archer, can you switch the initials so ours are bigger on her, and decrease the lines so they’re more delicate?”

  “Sure can,” Archer said, taking the marking device from her.

  “Does it hurt?” she asked softly. She didn’t remember since she hadn’t been conscious the first time they used the device to claim her.

  Jax reached up and stroked a fingertip lightly against their mark near her eye as if he were remembering it as well. “You’ll feel a little tingle, but it shouldn’t hurt you. You really want to do this for us? You already wear our mark on your face.”

  “I do. I like knowing that when people see it they will know we are truly a unit with matching marks.” Then going with complete honesty, she added, “But I also find the marks on you quite arousing, and figured you might have the same reaction seeing it on me.”

  “Hell fucking yes we will,” Jax growled.

  “Done,” Archer said after he’d recalibrated the device. Ignoring the murmurs in the crowd, he focused hot eyes on Serra. “Just thinking about seeing this on you is making me hard.”

  “You always seem to be hard,” she whispered back, smiling.

  “Only when I’m around you,” he said with a wink, then he handed the device to Jax.

  It was like this had somehow been meant to be. The dress she wore left her arm and shoulder completely bare on left side. Serra took both of Sully’s hands in hers, gripping them tight as Jax moved to her side holding the device.

  “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

  “First, let me say something. I’ve loved both of you before I even knew what love truly was. You have been my constants, my tethers to a world I don’t really understand. With you, I don’t feel lost anymore. I’m glad that you claimed me, and I’m proud to be your chosen. Okay, I’m ready now.”

  Jax stared at her intensely for a moment before he held the marking device up to her skin and they heard the crowd gasp in surprise. Serra felt her arm tingle with the pressure of the marking. It didn’t hurt, but it did feel strange. Sully squeezed her hands harder, as if to stop her from pulling away. She smiled up at him. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re better than fine. You’re perfect.”

  “And you belong to us,” Jax whispered as he finished the tattoo.

  She looked down to see the tattoo design was similar to theirs, but it wasn’t exactly the same. The scrolling lines were not as thick as they were on their arms, and instead of her large initials in the center of the mark, Sully had somehow created a new design that almost looked as if their initials were surrounding and protecting hers. The symbolism wasn’t lost on her.

  The tattoo was beautiful, and she loved it.

  Archer put down the marking device and took one of Serra’s hands, while Jax took hold of the other. As a unit, the three of them stood, sharing the moment.

  “It’s done,” Archer said, his voice rough with emotion.

  “No,” Serra whispered back. “It’s only just beginning.”

  ****

  Two hours later, Jax was out of patience.

  After the ceremony, the guests had been escorted back into the main house where an elaborate dinner was to be held. It had brought him a sort of primal satisfaction to see their claim on her, and it had been a struggle not to pick her up and carry her away so the three of them could be alone. He’d wanted to say fuck the dinner, but the way Serra’s face lit up when she had learned what his mother had planned for them had made him bite back his impatience.

  He and Archer had put their shirts back on, resigned to the fact they would have to wait to get Serra alone. Forced to be social, Jax had been pleased to watch Serra enjoy herself throughout the meal, and talking to the guests after they were done eating. He knew she was usually uneasy around strangers and in large crowds, but she seemed to do well enough as long as he or Archer remained by her side.

  They had introduced Serra to many of the guests she didn’t know, but there were some that she had met before her mother had taken her away from them. Jax’s youngest brother, Connor, had been thrilled to see her again, and it warmed his heart by the way she seemed at ease with his family. He had also introduced her to Connor’s best friend, Simon. It made Jax proud that Connor had befriended the young man he and Archer had helped gain entry into the Academy only months ago.

  Simon and his little sister had been found in the badlands by their friend Alexis and her four Dragon Warrior mates. When they discovered the two teens were being abused by their father, Alexis had sent the teens to Jax and Archer, who had made sure they found a new home within the Alliance. Like it had been with Jax and Archer when they were young, Connor had instantly formed a friendship with Simon, and the two were practically inseparable now. When they came of age, Jax had no doubt that Connor and Simon would make a powerful elite pair.

  Marissa, Simon’s sister, was also a guest, and Jax knew his mother had taken an interest in ensuring the youngster had found happiness after suffering such an awful childhood. The young girl seemed to blossom now that she had gotten over her initial fear of the Alliance. It made Jax angry that so many people in the badlands misunderstood the Alliance and what they stood for. He blamed the rebels for that. They spread their lies and caused problems out in the areas the Alliance didn’t monitor closely.

  But that wasn’t something Jax wanted to think about tonight.

  Now, Jax was sitting back in his chair as both of his fathers’ voices drolled on about something or other. He tuned them out, watching Archer dance with their chosen, loving the way her body moved in that dress that looked like it had been painted on her. She was so fucking beautiful that she stole his breath each time he looked at her. He wanted her, God, how he wanted her.

  And now she truly belonged to them.

  Jax wasn’t a man who allowed himself to get over emotional, but she had almost brought him to his knees when she’d asked to have the bonding marks put on her arm so she matched them. It had stunned him and filled him wit
h pride that she wanted the world to have no doubt about who she belonged to, and his hands had shook a little before he had regained enough control to put the mark on her.

  Serra was a fascinating woman. At times she was so vulnerable. With her little quirks she saw as flaws, he only saw them as things that made her more special. She was brilliant, ranking higher than even most geniuses, but he didn’t mind she was smarter than they were. Hell, the truth was, he was just a soldier at heart, and it amazed him that she could be happy with a couple of elites when she could do so much better. Not that either he or Archer would ever give her up. His chest tightened as he thought about all of the years that had been stolen from them, and he vowed that her mother would pay for every single second they had lost.

  Now, he was done waiting.

  If he didn’t get his dick inside of his woman soon, he thought he might fucking die.

  “Jax, are you listening to me?”

  “No,” Jax said curtly, standing up. “I love you both, but I’m leaving.”

  Regent Ian Spartan and Jack Rollins grinned at each other. “I told you he wouldn’t last another hour.”

  “I take it back. I hate you both,” Jax growled out, then stalked away from the table as both of his fathers started laughing. When Officer Ryans hurried up to him, he simply snarled, and had the poor man running for cover. Jax reached Serra and Archer, and he pressed up against her back, caging her between them. “We have to go. Now.”

  “I was wondering when you would break,” Archer said, his eyes alight with amusement.

  “I fucking mean it. Right now.”

  With a laugh, Serra turned to him and wound her arms around his neck. He lost himself looking down into her light-green eyes, and let out a groan as he took her mouth in a kiss that both teased and tormented him.

  “Yeah, it’s time to go,” Archer said softly.

  As a unit, the three of them quickly made their way outside, barely stopping to say goodbye to anyone before heading to a hover-cart that was parked in front of the house. Jax got behind the wheel and turned it on as Archer snuggled Serra onto his lap in the passenger seat. When the cart lifted into the air, Jax flew them down the path towards the last guest house on the estate, pushing the small vehicle to its limits.

  “Come on, hummingbird,” Archer said as he lifted her in his arms after the hover-cart came to a stop. He waited for Jax to open the door, then carried her into the dark house.

  “Wait right here,” Jax commanded as he turned on the lights, then bounded up the stairs, out of view.

  “He’s so bossy.”

  Smiling at her playful tone, Archer leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. Carrying her over to one of the sofas, he sat down with her in his lap. “You knew making him wait to have you after you marked us would drive him crazy, but you love that, don’t you?”

  “What? Driving you both crazy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Maybe,” she said fluttering her lashes. “But we couldn’t just leave our own party. Not after all the work Donna did to make today so special.”

  “It was special, but now we’re going to have our own little celebration,” Archer murmured as he brushed his lips over hers again. “Are you ready to take us both, Serra? Will you let us both pleasure you tonight?”

  Worry flashed in her pretty green eyes, then he saw the determination set in. “I am. Sully…I know the fundamentals of what it will entail, but I can’t help but be concerned about the actual process.”

  He let out a laugh. “God, woman! You undo me. Don’t worry about the process. We’ll help you through it, and at any time if you’re uncomfortable or want to stop, all you have to do is tell us. You know we would never hurt you. Do you remember when we were here that first summer you were at the Academy with us? That first day on the beach?”

  Serra’s fingers played with the collar of his shirt. “I remember. I was so scared of everything, and the other students were so mean to me when you, Jax, Sky or Alexis weren’t around. I was crying down on the beach when you found me that day.” She looked up into his eyes, and there was wonder in them now. “You came and sat with me, and told me you would always be there for me if I needed you. And you have been. Even when you weren’t physically there, you were with me.”

  Archer felt he heart swell in his chest at the absolute trust he saw shining back at him. “There you were, such a sad little girl with such old eyes. Eyes that showed the intelligence burning inside of you. People just didn’t understand you then, but I did. It was like my soul recognized yours. I knew you were special, but at the time I didn’t know exactly how special. But that day on the beach, I knew I never wanted to see tears in your eyes again.”

  “I fell in love with you that day. You were my hero,” she said with a smile. “I was too young to understand what I was feeling, but I knew how I felt when I was with you and Jax.”

  “How did you feel?”

  “Safe. Safe and cared for. I’d never felt that way before. Not really.”

  “We will always keep you safe,” he swore. His hand fisted in her hair, dragging her closer so he could plunder her mouth. God, the taste of her. He was like a man dying of hunger, and only she could sate his need. Serra was so fucking precious to him. The way she’d given herself to them today by taking their combined mark on her arm had filled a part of his soul that had been empty before her. The need to belong. To truly belong and be accepted for who he was.

  Jax and his family had taken Archer in when he was young, but there had always been a little part of him that remained on the outside. It was from knowing that he would never come first in someone’s life. But with Serra, he finally had that. What she gave him was equal to what she gave Jax. Although it was slightly different for each, she held nothing back with either of them, and her love completed them both.

  She was the missing piece they had both been looking for.

  ***

  Chapter Nine

  “Okay! Come on up!”

  Archer stood up, still cradling Serra in his arms and made his way slowly up the stairs. “We are going to love on you so hard tonight, you’ll pass out from the pleasure.”

  “I hope not. I’d like to remain conscious for the fun.”

  He was chuckling as they entered the bedroom Jax had prepared for their use. He turned to watch the shocked delight cross over Serra’s face, and gave Jax a silent nod of approval. Since they had seen the way her eyes had all but danced with appreciation when she’d seen the tent lit up with candlelight earlier, Jax had placed candles on every flat surface of the bedroom, creating a romantic ambiance, complete with silky rose petals of red, white and pink he had scattered over the bed.

  “Oh, Jax…”

  Archer lowered her feet to the ground, so she could go to Jax. It always struck him as odd that he didn’t feel the slightest pang of jealously watching his woman go to her other lover. Perhaps it was because he and Jax were so close they were almost like an extension of each other, but he thought the real reason was that having two lovers ensured she would always be protected.

  Serra’s hands brushed up the broad expanse of Jax’s bare chest until she clasped them around his neck, drawing his head down to hers. She kissed him sweetly, thanking him for the care he had put into making the setting perfect for their first night together as a bonded unit. He had taken off his shirt and shoes, but had left his pants on. Feeling the hard, thick column of his rigid cock against her stomach, she pressed closer, and was rewarded as he took their kiss deeper.

  She answered his urgency with her own, wanting more…needing more. Hard hands gripped her arms, pushing her back against Sully’s bare chest. “Slow it down, sweetheart.”

  Both men stroked their hands over her arms and shoulders, soothing her while their light touch stroked the fires of her lust for them with a kind of ruthless tenderness.

  “You did all this for me.” Her statement was filled with wonder. No one had ever made her feel as special as Jax and Sully did, and sh
e knew no one ever would.

  “Don’t you know yet there is nothing we wouldn’t do for you?”

  “Thank you.”

  “You have to learn to stop thanking us. Your love is all we need.”

  “I do love you, Jax,” she whispered.

  She saw the hunger burning in his steel-gray eyes, turning them molten with a mixture of love and passion. He raised a hand, rubbing his thumb over her lower lip, caressing it slowly. “I knew you were meant to be ours. No amount of distance or time could ever change that.”

  Sully trailed a hand down the mark on her arm. “She belongs to us now, Jax.”

  “She does,” Jax said, his voice filled with satisfaction.

  “You belong to me, too,” she reminded them. “Both of you do.”

  “We do, and now we are going to prove it. This is what is going to happen. First, we are going to strip you naked, so I can eat that sweet, little pussy until you come.”

  “Then it’s my turn,” Archer said before nipping lightly at her neck with his teeth. It didn’t hurt, but was just enough to make her shiver. “I’m going to make you come again so you’re nice and soft, and so very wet for us. Once you are, we’re going to take you…together.”

  “You both talk too much,” she panted out, making them both chuckle. She wanted them to shut the hell up and get on with it, but she also enjoyed letting the anticipation build, heightening her arousal.

  “Do we? You like when we talk dirty to you, don’t you, Serra? I bet hearing what we want to do to you has made you wet. Shall we see if I’m right?”

  Jax pushed the single shoulder strap of the dress down her arm as Archer helped tug the material lower until the shimmering fabric fell in a pool at her feet. Both men inhaled sharply, and Jax’s eyes smoldered like a waiting storm. “Are you fucking kidding me? You were naked under that damn dress the entire night?”