3013: CLAIMED (6 page)

“I am. This has to be done.”

Pain surged through her as Serra recognized her mother’s voice. Tania moved into view and Serra’s blood ran cold at the sight of her. She was wearing a blood-red dressing gown, tied at the waist. Tania Lysander-Dobbs was a beautiful woman, and her hair was disheveled as if she had just gotten out of bed. Serra watched as Tania went to the Tarin male and felt her stomach roll as he gripped her mother hard by the hair.

“You are one sick female. I think I like that about you. It is not often I have come across a mother who would scar her offspring with such a memory simply to keep you in coins.”

“It’s not just that. I’m doing this for her.”

“Do not lie to me, human. You have paid with both your coin and your body, so I will uphold my part of the bargain.”

“Did you give her the drug?”

“Aye, she is tainted with the
xili
. Now that she is fully awakened, you may implant what you need into her head. I will bring in my slaves.”

Serra felt more than saw Arik next to her. “
Try to calm yourself. This is but a memory, and cannot hurt you.
”

But he was wrong. Memories could hurt. She tried to do what he suggested and could sense him lending her his strength as she watched her mother—her one family member she had trusted— lean down near her younger self’s ear and lie.

“You’ll see what bonding can do to you. How horrible, how painful it is. You’ll be afraid. Learn to fear it. There is no room in your life for Jax Spartan and Sullivan Archer. No room for any man. Claiming will only bring you pain.”

The Tarin male came back with two others who held a young woman by the arms. The woman struggled, crying and begging to be set free. The Tarin male walked over to join Tania, gripping her hard by her hair again. “They will put on a show that will program your offspring to never seek a consort. Now, come. I have another use for you.”

“I paid you already.”

“You will pay again.”

Thankfully, the Tarin male pulled Serra’s mother out of view as he jerked on the tie to her robe. Horror filled Serra as she watched the other two Tarin males throw the young woman on the bed, ripping at her clothes as they attacked her. The sound of her screams filled the room and Serra’s head.

The scene disappeared in an instant, but the disturbing images haunted Serra. Arik turned her into him, shielding her from the terrible memory. “
That is enough. You know why you fear it now. It is over.
”

“
How could she? How could anyone do something like that?
”

She was sobbing inside, weeping for the loss of all she had known. The mother she’d thought loved her, and the time that had been lost with Jax and Archer. Both had been taken from her with a betrayal so grievous she might never fully recover.

Arik was a small comfort as he was still joined in her head. She could feel the fatigue dragging her down, but he stirred in her mind, silently asking her to hold on.

“
I know that this is difficult for you, but perhaps I can give you something that will help ease your pain.
”

She couldn’t imagine what could possibly help her after witnessing the monstrous treachery her mother had committed, but she mentally blinked in surprise as Arik began sharing some of his own memories with her. It was a collection of the years she’d been kept away from Jax and Sully. Arik had been friends with them for a long time, and he generously shared each time either Jax or Sully had spoken of her over the years. Each snippet was short, but there were many, and seeing them did help heal her heart that felt as if it had been ripped into pieces.

When the show was over, she felt exhausted. “
Thank you for that.
”

“
Rest now, little one. All will be well when you awaken. There will be no pain to keep you from Jax and Archer.
”

No, pain in her head had disappeared, but the ache in her heart remained. She would have to deal with that later, though. She gave herself over to the black abyss, needing the escape, and prayed that dreams wouldn’t follow her into sleep.

***

Chapter Four

Archer stared down at Serra as she slept in their bed.

It had been almost twenty-four hours since she had passed out in the medical center, but Arik had assured them that she was physically unharmed by the mind scan he’d done. Both Archer and Jax had been adamant about taking her out of the medical center and bringing her home so she could rest properly, wanting her to wake in comfort rather than the clinical setting of medical. Since she had accepted them as her bonded, they had every right to make that call.

Fury filled Archer at the thought of what they’d discovered in the mind scan that Arik had performed. Tania Lysander-Dobbs would pay for her treachery, and she would pay dearly. Archer’s heart had ached when he’d listened to Arik’s recounting of the memory Serra had repressed due to the
xili
she’d been drugged with. So many years had been stolen from them, but they would make up for them.

It was a vow that Archer and Jax were determined to fulfill.

He and Jax had luxurious quarters in one of the most secure buildings in the heart of the Capital. When they’d moved in, they had each claimed a wing of the top floor in the large, multi-tiered suite for their own use, with common areas they shared on the middle floor of the residence. The lower floor housed the gym and a large pool that they both used religiously.

In the center of the top floor, they’d had a large bedroom built they knew would one day belong to their chosen. Serra. The room had always been meant for her, and seeing her in it brought a lightness to Archer’s heart that he hadn’t felt in years.

She was truly theirs now.

With her needs in mind, they had decorated the room with muted shades of lavender and black, knowing that she did better in environments with soft, basic colors. The pale shade of purple was her favorite color, and the light beige matting on the floor was soft to walk on and also gave the added benefit of muffling any sounds that may disturb her in her sanctuary.

Archer sat on the side of the bed, then he pulled back the covers so he could lie down next to Serra. She barely stirred as he pulled her gently into his arms and tucked the gravity blanket around her more securely. For so many years Archer had dreamed about her, wondering if she had forgotten the bond they’d had, but she had accepted them without hesitation, even with her head throbbing from the insidious programming her mother had tried to force on her. He was content feeling her against him, and he smiled as she snuggled closer.

It was where she belonged.

“Sully…”

He glanced down at Serra’s face to see a small smile creased her lips even though her eyes were still closed. “How did you know it was me?”

Her thick lashes fluttered before they opened, and her light-green eyes met his. “Who else besides you or Jax would be in bed with me?”

“Good answer. But it could have been Jax.”

Serra smiled at him. “You smell different. Jax has a spicy scent, while you smell clean and earthy.”

“Earthy? Is that a good thing?”

“It is.” Serra could feel her cheeks heat at waking up next to him. She wasn’t used to having a man in her bed. Hell, she really wasn’t used to a man around at all. The only males she was ever around were her assistants or her guards, and they faded into the background most of the time so she barely noticed them. She tried to pull away from Archer, but he held her still. “I need to use the facilities.”

“Of course.” Bounding out of the bed, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. She blushed again as she realized she was no longer wearing the plain white shirt and pants all patients wore in the medical center. Instead, she was wearing a pretty gray nightgown made of a thin, shimmering fabric she knew was only found on the D’Aire home planet. One of them had to have changed her. She wasn’t embarrassed about her body. In fact, she had a very healthy attitude toward nudity, but it was different now knowing they were her bonded.

She looked at him expectantly after he set her down in the lavish bathroom. After a long pause, she shooed him toward the door with one of her hands. He simply crossed his arms and frowned. “I don’t think I should leave you alone. You might still be weak.”

She couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles bulged under his cream-colored shirt, but she wasn’t going to let that sway her. “I’ll be fine. I’d like some privacy please.”

He sighed. “Fine. Take all the time you need. I’ll run downstairs and get you something to eat.” He pointed to a panel on the wall. “Use this intercom if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

Once she was alone, she took care of her more pressing needs, then looked around the bathroom that was perfect for three people living together. What she had seen from the bedroom and now the bathroom, it was apparent that Jax and Sully lived very well as commanders. The bathroom was a huge space, with a black floor and pale, lavender colored walls and three small additional rooms that housed the toilets. At the far end of the room was a large, white tub surrounded by glass walls. There were three steps down into the tub, and she could see from the many showerheads within the space that it was also a shower.

In the main section of the bathroom there were two countertops across from each other with black sinks set into the white counters, two on one side with a single large one on the other. Over the sinks were mirrors with muted lights glowing around the edges. Moving to the side with the single sink, she opened the vanity mirror and saw all of the products she’d had in her bags when she arrived back on Earth.

Obviously, someone had delivered her things when she’d been sleeping.

Her muscles ached from inactivity, telling her she had been sleeping for a long time. Taking out a small rectangular box, she opened the lid of her new nano-cleanser prototype and inserted the nozzle into her mouth. She pressed the button and seconds later, felt much better when her mouth was minty and clean. The nano-cleanser was perfect for space travel, since the nano technology cleaned without the need for water. It was something she had invented on her down time and wasn’t her usual type of experiment, but if she was right—and she usually was—the nano-cleaner would be a big seller. It would be nice to be able to share the profits with her assistant for helping with it. She might not need the credits, but he could use them.

Needing some time to assimilate everything that had happened, she made sure the door to the bathroom was closed before walking further into the room. She pressed the panel to turn on the shower and adjusted the temperature. After getting undressed, she stepped down into the glass enclosure, and let the multiple showerheads beat back some of her fatigue.

It made her smile to see her favorite citrus-scented products lined up on a shelf, and she made use of them while she centered her thoughts. She was a claimed woman now, bonded to the two men she had always dreamed about. It was so freeing being able to think about them without her head exploding with pain.

Just the thought of that made her mouth tighten in anger as she rinsed the cleanser out of her hair. What her mother did to her when she was seventeen was unforgiveable. So many years had been wasted, years that could have been spent with Jax and Sully.

All three of them had been cheated.

With them, she had always been accepted. Normal was whatever she wanted it to be, and they had never made her feel as if she lacked anything. Over the years, she had been missing that, never feeling like she truly belonged anywhere or with anyone. That had been taken from her, and for what? Her mother had stolen her chance for happiness because of her own greed, forcing Serra to remain alone and unloved. It was an unconscionable act, and one that Serra would never forgive.

As she finished her shower, Serra thought about what the future held for her, Jax and Sully. There were so many issues they still had to work through, both personally as well as professionally, and to top it all off, there was the matter of the stealth technology that had to be figured out. She had some ideas about how to handle that, but first she would have to talk it over with Jax and Sully before it went any further.

She turned off the water and made her way to the drying chamber instead of using one of the soft towels that hung on the racks. As the warm air swirled around her, she realized she had something to prove to them before they could move on. She was no longer that shy, scared teen Sully and Jax were used to. She was a strong woman, who was known for being blunt to the point that people often cringed when she spoke whatever was on her mind. But this was all new territory for her. Still, she needed to show them that she was a match for them in every way.

Too much time had been wasted, and she was done being restricted from what she wanted most…to be with Sully and Jax. She wanted a life filled with love and laughter. Needed to feel connected to them in a way she’d only been able to in her dreams, where the pain didn’t follow. She wanted to touch and to be touched.

And she was done waiting.

With nothing holding her back now, she got out of the drying tube and settled on a plan. She picked up the nightgown, fingering it for a moment before deciding to use the soft, gray robe that hung from a peg on the wall. Tying the belt of the robe after she put it on, she then dropped the nightgown into a bin she found for dirty clothes before heading back into the bedroom.

As she knew he would be, Sully sat on the side of the bed, waiting for her. There was a tray of food next to him, but she couldn’t seem to look away from him long enough to see what he’d brought her. He was so beautiful, with his strong body that made her hands ache to touch it. His dark-blond hair was a little longer than what was considered standard for elites, but it was the rebel in him that had never truly been extinguished. She stopped in front of him, just out of reach. Her stomach felt empty, but first she had another hunger to assuage.

“I have some things to say to you,” she began then wanted to wince at how cold her voice sounded.