by Roma, Laurie
“I think there is,” Cal said quietly. All eyes turned to Officer Cal Ryans, making him fidget in his seat.
“Explain.”
Cal cleared his throat that had suddenly gone as dry as the badlands. “You’ve overlooked the one person up there that has both the access and a foundation in electronics.”
Serra followed his gaze back to the board, where he was looking at the smiling face of Eloise Greer, her mother’s assistant. She battled back her first instinctive denial, and thought it through. Eloise had come to her three years ago as a potential assistant for her own work. Even though she had a basic knowledge of electronics, Eloise hadn’t been able to grasp the work fast enough for Serra to continue using her. Eloise had seemed happy enough staying with them as Tania’s assistant, enjoying the travel and exposure to other cultures.
It all made a terrible kind of sense.
“I think Cal is right,” she said softly. “She’s around enough to know what I’ve been working on and has the access to my mother’s accounts since Eloise pays her bills.”
“Which means she’s had access to yours.” Jax’s jaw clenched.
“Yes. I found she lacked the skills to be useful as my own assistant, but she’d know enough to put that block on my unit. I don’t think she would be capable of creating it, but she’d know enough to install it.”
“And maybe by installing it, she got a look at the data you had on your unit and thought about how she could profit from it,” Archer said thoughtfully.
“This is good. Let’s dig into this woman’s life. Accounts, contacts, the works.” Jax turned fierce eyes on Officer Cal Ryans. “Damn good work, Cal.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“If it’s her, we’ll take her down.” Jax turned to Serra. “How close are you to finishing that program?”
“I think we almost have it. This was a good place to stop, actually. I need to think a few things over before we run a sim on the cloned unit.”
“We need to make sure we don’t ping any security on the end-user’s unit when they upload the altered schematics we tag.” Takeshi agreed after he swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “What if we put some sort of timer on the tag so that it doesn’t activate until the unit idles—”
“No, I’ve got it set so it burrows deep upon upload,” Serra responded.
“I think my eyes just glazed over,” Dom said to no one in particular.
“We don’t need to understand what they’re talking about, as long as they do,” Andrew said, patting Dom on the shoulder.
“Sorry. Basically, yes. We’ll be ready to run the tests later.”
“You mean tomorrow,” Archer said. “We have the gala tonight.”
Serra barely held back a groan. How could she have forgotten about that? She had to bite her lip to hold back her apology, but sensed that Jax and Sully knew what she was thinking by the way they were looking at her. She’d gotten so used to apologizing for her behavior over the years that it was a knee-jerk reaction now whenever she forgot something because of her work.
Her mother had been the ultimate at laying on the heavy guilt trip whenever Serra screwed up. She’d gotten used to hearing how selfish she was to make her mother drop everything to make sure Serra ate or slept. Serra knew she often lost herself in her projects, and had tried changing that, but it was no use. At least Jax and Sully didn’t seem too bothered by it.
“We can do the tests tomorrow,” she said after taking a sip of her coffee. “I’ll have to start getting ready soon anyways.”
“I am always fascinated by the female rituals one goes through before an event,” Arik said.
“And you’ll keep wondering until you find your keeper,” Jax warned.
Arik smiled in response. Amused, Serra watched their exchange, then was distracted as her wrist unit beeped. She looked down at the data scrolling on the screen and smiled. “Ah. Troy, I forgot to tell you. I signed a licensing agreement for the nano-cleanser with G-Mex Robotics. You should be getting…there it is.”
Takeshi looked at his own wrist unit, checking the message, then the usually taciturn man’s eyes widened comically. “Holy shit! What the hell is this?”
“That’s your half of the sale. We should also be receiving royalty percentages each month from now on. I think I got us a pretty good deal. I may not particularly care for the owners of the company, but they do have good market shares.”
“I can’t accept this. I only tweaked some of the code—”
Serra held up a hand. “I told you, if I took the concept to the private sector I would split it with you. You helped me complete the project, so you deserve half.”
“I could retire on this now,” he whispered with a baffled laugh.
“I really hope you won’t,” Serra said, honestly. “I sincerely enjoy working with you, and hope to continue doing so well into the future.”
“I wouldn’t give up my position for worlds,” Takeshi swore with fervor. “Plus, I love the travel and all the places we get to go to.”
“Guess you’re going to miss that now,” Jax said absently as he continued to eat.
Serra paused with her sandwich in her hand. She slowly lowered it back to her plate, staring at him. “Miss what?”
“The traveling. It’s not like you can bounce around planets now that we’re a bonded unit. You belong here with me and Archer now, not gallivanting around space.”
Temper flashed bright and hot inside of her, obliterating everything else that she had been thinking about. Who the hell did he think he was making that decision for her without even discussing it? Turning to Sully, she asked, “Is that how you both feel?”
Archer opened his mouth to respond, but seeing the fury on her face had him pausing. That seemed enough to set her off, though.
“How dare you,” she said softly. Finally sensing her anger, Jax finally turned and looked at her, and the surprise on his face made her want to smack him.
“You’re angry.”
“You think? You have no right to dictate to me like your word is law as to whether or not I continue my work. Just because you’re the commander of the Capital, that doesn’t make your job more important than mine. You may run this city, but you don’t run me, not even as my bonded.”
“Serra, listen—”
“No, you listen,” she said, rising to her feet. “What I do isn’t just gallivanting around the damn universe. I might not hold your rank, but what I do saves lives.”
“He didn’t mean—”
She rounded on Sully, burning him with the heat of her rage as well. “Don’t you defend him. What he said was clear enough. Both of you just assumed that you would go on with your own duties, without a single thought for what that would mean to me the work I do. Perhaps you should have considered this before you claimed me. Now, I have a gala to get ready for and I would like to do so alone.” With that, she stomped off, leaving the room as she muttered about the stupidity of men.
“Stupid,” Cade said in agreement, once she was gone. “You two are dumb as rocks.”
“Hell, I’m not even bonded and I know better,” Dom retorted with a shake of his head. “That was fucking painful to watch.”
“What the fuck?” Jax exploded, on the defensive now. He could feel shame curl in his gut, and that only made him more furious. “It’s not like we haven’t had to adjust our lives as well. This isn’t easy for any of us, but what the hell are we supposed to do? We can’t just leave the Capital for months at a time.”
“But we just assumed she would stay here with us,” Archer explained. “It’s not enough that we fixed up our suite to suit her. What she does saves lives, and we never even considered that.”
“Not just for the Alliance,” Arik added softly. “What she does ensures the safety of all our worlds.”
“Fuck.”
Regent Spartan sent his son a sympathetic glance. “Don’t worry. Over the years to come you’ll get used to it. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of practice.”
Jax glared at him. “Get used to what?”
“Groveling. I’d say you have some pretty fucking epic groveling to do.”
***
Chapter Eleven
The tension was so thick it could be cut with a blade.
Serra stared out of the window of their vehicle as they headed toward the Hall of Regents, where the Freedom Day Gala was taking place. She completely ignored the two men watching her with cautious eyes, like she was a bomb that was about to go off at any moment. She’d asked them not to speak to her until she had better control of her anger, and was grateful when they’d complied. She was still exceptionally irritated with both her bonded, although her ire had lessened a fraction since that afternoon.
She’d taken her time getting ready for the event, using the distance from Jax and Sully to consider exactly what she wanted to say to them. In truth, they each had a vital role to play within the Alliance. She had been blind to the consequences of her claiming, so focused on the joy of being with them again that she hadn’t thought about what it meant for their future. It had probably been the same for the men, but that still didn’t excuse their assumptions that she would be the one to give up her travels just because they declared it.
Her work—at least the creation part of it—could be done anywhere, and she’d be happy to move her lab and headquarters to the Capital to be with them. But she would still need to travel. No, it wasn’t just a need…she loved the quiet of space, the rush of being able to visit different planets and interact with other races.
However, the reality was that this decision was bigger than just what her preference was.
Serra was tasked with protecting millions of lives, not only within the Alliance territories spread throughout the universe, but also the races that Earth called allies. No one knew her creations the way she did, and it wasn’t something she could train someone to do. The shield components changed when it was merged with whatever system it was installed in, meaning each mainframe had to be calibrated differently.
She’d never forgive herself if someone was hurt because she didn’t do her job.
“Serra, this is killing me. You have to talk to us, damn it!”
Somehow she knew Jax would be the one to break first. He was an action man, and the silence had to have been setting his teeth on edge. Serra finally turned to look at her bonded. Jax and Sully both looked mighty tasty dressed all in black in their dress uniforms, the only color were the metal bars on their collars signifying their rank as commanders.
She was new to having a relationship, and having one with two men was even more confusing, but there was some comfort in knowing that she still wanted them even though she was pissed. Both men were looking at her with a mixture of anger and sadness. The anger she could deal with, but their sadness affected her. “I’m still angry with you.”
“We understand that, but nothing will get better if we don’t talk about this,” Archer pressed.
“True, but my question is this then. Can we talk about this, or will it just be the two of you telling me that you’ve already decided how things are going to be.” She held up a hand to stop them from speaking. “I understand that you’ve integrated me into your lives, and I appreciate all the changes you’ve made to help me adapt, but this isn’t something you can just dictate, then declare everything is settled.”
“We didn’t mean to do that, and I know it came out that way,” Jax hurried to explain. “What you want is important to us, Serra. We didn’t enslave you when we claimed you.”
“We’ll work this out. That’s a promise,” Archer said.
The conversation was put on hold when the vehicle came to a stop in front of the Hall of Regents. Archer got out first, then Jax, who turned to help Serra out. She took his arm and Archer’s as they walked toward the building, filing into the crowd of people also heading inside.
There was a sense of pride that filled Serra when she noticed how many people wanted Jax and Sully’s attention, and the respectful way other elites treated them. The Freedom Day Gala was the event of the season, and anyone who was anyone attended. The usually austere interior of the hall had been decorated in honor of Freedom Day with streams of red material and banners highlighting the red and black symbol of the United Federation Command Alliance. Large banners with the Dragon Warrior, D’Aire and Krytos emblems also hung as tribute to the allies that helped Earth defeat the Zyphir.
High command elites and their families mingled with D’Aire, Krytos and visiting dignitaries from other worlds, and elaborate chandeliers created soft spotlights on all the magnificently dressed individuals filling the hall. Most of the elites wore the black dress uniforms, but women wore gowns in every color imaginable.
Once inside the main hall, Serra turned to give Sully her back so he could remove her cloak, and heard the harsh breath both he and Jax sucked in when her dress was revealed. The gown she had chosen to wear was a halter style that left her back completely bare, made of a dark crimson fabric that looked like shiny, wet plastic, but was as soft as silk. The dress showed off her tattooed arm, the deep red highlighting the mercurial black lines on her skin. The plunging neckline ended in a deep V between her breasts, and the small heart necklace made of xithradite Sully had given her was her only adornment.
Tonight she had decided to make her own sort of statement as this was their first official outing since they had claimed her. She wanted everyone to see that together, they were a united force…a powerful force that represented the Alliance.
“Holy god,” Jax breathed out reverently as he looked at her. A tingle of excitement whipping through her blood stream as his eyes went to molten silver, searing through her with his heated stare.
Archer reached out a hand, stroking it over her hip as if to see if the fabric was as slick as it looked. “You look like a wet dream.”
She smiled, pleased with their reactions, then had to hold back her laughter as Jax growled at a group of elites that were eying her in appreciation. The flash of jealousy she saw in his dark eyes had an answering lust curling in her belly. The soldiers snapped to attention and quickly fled the area, a few of them even breaking out into a slight run to get away from Jax’s wrath.
“Ah, there you are,” High Commander Newgate said as he joined them. “Serra, you look absolutely ravishing.” She thanked him, then shook her head as both Jax and Sully maneuvered their bodies to block her from view. Roman Newgate coughed to cover his laugh. “Commander Archer. I’m sorry to pull you away from your chosen, but there is something that needs your attention.”
“Of course there is,” Archer said with a sigh. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss against Serra’s lip. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“All right.” She was going to suggest she and Jax get something to drink after they left, but was distracted when Jax gripped her hand in his and began pulling her through the crowd. “Jax, what are you doing?”
“We need to finish our conversation, and we can’t do it in here when all I want to do is punch every fucking man staring at you.”
She didn’t know whether to be pleased or annoyed by the way he dragged her out onto one of the terraces, into the cool night air. Jax started to move to the left, but quickly turned the other way as they heard voices coming from a group of people that had also escaped the crowd inside. She let him pull her into a dark corner at the far end of the terrace, behind a row of potted plants that shielded them from view.
Excitement whipped through her when her back hit the smooth surface of the wall as he pressed her back into the shadows against the side of the building. It felt like they were in their own little world even though the faint sound of voices and laughter from the other people on the balcony danced lightly on the breeze.
Serra was unsurprised by his caveman behavior. Jax always reminded her of a wild beast. He held that part of himself under tight control most of the time, but it was always there, just beneath the surface. She watched a myriad of expressions flicker ov
er his face as she waited for him to speak, and simply admired the sharp angles of his handsome face in the silence. There was an intensity about him that excited her, but she couldn’t give into her desire.
Not yet.
Anger, confusion, lust and a healthy dose of regret warred inside of Jax as he stared down at Serra. Cast in shadows, her beautiful face looked even more arresting. He hated knowing she was angry with him, no matter how much he deserved her ire. She made him feel…too much, and those unfamiliar emotions had him riding the thin edge of his control.
Earlier, he had wanted to go after her when she’d left the room, to try and explain why they had to stay in the Capital. When he’d become the commander of the Capital, he’d taken an oath, made a commitment that he had never faltered to execute to the best of his abilities.
But that had been before claiming Serra.
He was glad he’d heeded the advice of the other men, and given Serra the space she had asked for. Needing time to think himself, Jax had retreated to the gym on the lower level so he could work off some of his own anger and frustration. After a few minutes of hitting the bags, Jax felt his annoyance dissipate under the weight of his shame. So what that they had changed the colors of the suite or reminded her to eat a few meals? They’d fucking claimed her while she had been passed out, and at what cost? She had been free to choose for herself, and they had taken that choice away from her.
She loved them, he knew it. Just as he knew they could make her happy, but not if they asked her to give up her purpose and her pride. When he’d finished his workout, he’d turned to see Archer sitting on the bench, waiting for him. Together, they discussed what Jax had figured out while he had been working out.
Nothing mattered more than Serra.
Jax knew that the gala wasn’t the right place to discuss this, but he couldn’t stand the distance between them any longer. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Serra.”
Shit, he didn’t mean to just blurt it out like that, but when she looked up at him like that, with those gorgeous green eyes so bright and clear, he lost his fucking mind. She was so fucking precious to him. Her lips twitched, and he felt some of his tension ease. He could deal with her amusement better than her disappointment. And she had been disappointed in him. In both him and Archer, but the majority of the blame rested on Jax’s shoulders.