3013: CLAIMED (13 page)

She stomped off, muttering to herself as Mya flashed him a grin. “She’s like, my hero.”

“Stars, save us.”

Mya hurried after Skylar, leaving Serra alone with him and Jax. Archer couldn’t help but reach out to stroke his hand down Serra’s bare arm after Jax stopped kissing her. She looked breathtaking in her dress, with diamonds glittering from around her neck.

“The device you’ll use to place the bonding mark on both of us is waiting where the ceremony will be held. It’s already been programmed with the tattoo we created, using your initials, along with ours to make up the scroll design,” Jax explained. “The tattoo will cover the left side of our torso, neck, shoulder and chest, and it will mark us as yours.”

“I like that part.”

Archer smiled at her. “I know that we’ve rushed you into all of this, but you’ve been ours since we were young. I think it’s time you get to
show the world that we belong to you.”

Serra felt a brief moment of sadness as they walked over to a set of closed double doors, leading to the back of the house. It should have been her fathers walking with her to her claiming ceremony, handing her over to her bonded, but that was not to be. As if knowing something was bothering her, both Jax and Sully squeezed her hands as they paused in front of the closed doors.

“Ready?”

She nodded, then sucked in a breath as they opened the doors.

***

Chapter Eight

Pure shock had Serra freezing in place.

There before her, waiting on the back terrace were her two fathers, dressed in their formal black uniforms. Cade Lysander and Andrew Dobbs were handsome men, their dark hair marred with a scattering of gray that only made them look more distinguished. She was so caught off guard at the sight of them, she barely noticed the large white tent in the center of the back yard.

“Serra?” Cade Lysander took a tentative step forward, his light-green eyes shining with emotion.

“Dads.” Her voice sounded formal, even cold to her own ears, but she couldn’t seem to get over the shock enough to react any other way. She watched as both of her fathered flinched, and she clung to Jax and Sully’s hands like lifelines as confusion, guilt and pain swamped her. “I’m…shocked to see you here.”

“We deserve that,” Andrew said, his own brown eyes filled with sorrow. “Oh, baby. We’re so very sorry. All this time…”

“When Commander Spartan and Archer contacted us and demanded our presence today, we took the shuttle they sent and arrived, not knowing what to think.” Cade’s face hardened until it was like stone. “When they told us what your mother did…we
never
knew. I swear it, Serra. All these years, we’ve begged you to come home and visit, but after we got your last letter, we wanted to respect your wishes. Now, we know it was all a lie to keep you from us. A vicious, hateful lie.”

“What letter?” Serra’s head was swimming as she tried to understand.

“We received a letter from you two years ago, telling us not to contact you again. That you were happy and there was no place for us in your life anymore. Since you’ve rarely answered any of our other communications over the years, we thought it was what you wanted.”

“I never sent anything like that…” Her throat grew thick with pain. “I did send you a letter two years ago, asking if I could come visit, asking to come home, but your response said you had no place for me and you were too busy. That it wasn’t my home anymore.”

“We never said that!” Cade whispered harshly. “No matter what has happened over the years, nothing has been more important to us than you.”

“You thought I was a freak.”

“Never! You were our little girl! Our genius! We were, are, so damn proud of you, but we knew you needed so much more than we could give you. Your mother,” Andrew spat out. “That bloody bitch lied and kept you from us. We saved every message, every letter telling us that you were too busy to speak to us or visit. I swear it on my life, Serra. If we knew you wanted us, nothing could have stopped us from coming for you.”

A single tear escaped to trail down her pale cheek as she turned to look up at Archer with shattered eyes. “How could she do this to me? To us?”

“I don’t know, baby,” Archer said softly as he reached out to wipe the tear away. “But they are telling the truth. They both allowed Arik to mind scan them after we told them what your mother had done. In fact, they insisted on it.”

“We’ll make her pay,” Jax vowed.

“Leave Tania to us,” Andrew said with deadly conviction. “We have so damn much to pay her back for.”

Jax shook his head. “It’s not that simple. She broke several Alliance laws by taking Serra to Tartarus, not to mention we need to find out her contact for the drug she used.”

“We want in on the investigation.”

“Done, but we have to keep your involvement quiet for the time being.”

Andrew cleared his throat as he looked back at Serra. “I know we have a lot to talk about and work through, but we would be honored to escort you in to your claiming ceremony right now. It’s a day we’ve dreamed about for a very long time.”

“Our baby,” Cade said softly as he took another hesitant step forward. “You are so beautiful. I’ve missed so much watching you grow…”

Serra released Jax and Sully hands to race toward her fathers. Cade met her, sweeping her off her feet as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. Andrew hugged her from behind, so she was surrounded by their love. “Don’t cry, baby. You’re breaking my heart,” Cade whispered, his voice hoarse with his own tears.

“Enough of this for now,” Andrew said gruffly as he pulled back and wiped at his own eyes with his sleeves. Turning to Jax and Archer, he nodded to them. “Go inside. We’ll bring our girl to you.”

Archer nodded, but Jax waited until Serra turned her drenched eyes to him. “Is that alright with you, sweetheart?”

“Yes. My fathers will walk me in.” She gave a light laugh. “Just give me a few minutes to fix my make-up.”

Jax walked forward until he was standing right in front of her. Tilting her chin up with his fist, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “You are, and always will be, the most beautiful woman in the universe.”

He stepped back then shot Cade and Andrew a severe look as Archer kissed her as well. “Guard her well. Even if it is for only a few minutes.” With that, Jax turned and walked down the few steps heading toward the white tent with Archer.

“Your bonded are very intense men,” Andrew said.

“They are,” she agreed with a little chuckle.

Cade and Andrew shared a look over her head, then smiled down at her. “We will never really let you go, Serra. Never. We’ve loved you all your life, and we will continue to love you until the day we die. You’ll always be our little girl.”

A mischievous gleam sparkled in Andrews eyes. “And we aren’t losing a daughter. They are gaining two more fathers to deal with.”

She was still laughing when the escorted her down to the front of the white tent. The sky was a brilliant cascade of colors as the sun began sinking into the horizon, turning the water into sparkling red and gold glass. She took a moment to remember spending time down on the beach when she visited during her breaks from the Academy.

The memory made her smile.

“Are you ready, Serra?” Cade asked.

“I am.” Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm the riot of emotions swirling around inside of her belly before they lifted the opening and walked inside.

The interior of the tent was dark, but the glow of a thousand candles filled the space with a soft, amber light, giving it an almost magical feel. There were dozens of people inside, all sitting in chairs fashioned into a large circle around a raised platform in the center. She knew they had tried to keep the celebration small—so Serra’s mother wouldn’t hear about the claiming—but that didn’t seem to stop Jax’s mother from putting together a top-tier list of guests.

Among the crowd, she could see several formal red uniforms worn by the members of the Council of Regents, along with the white uniforms of two high commanders. Serra also saw her friends Troy and Skylar, as well as
Officers Meyers and Rhine, her two guards that had been cleared of suspicion.

Serra held onto her fathers’ arms as they guided her forward to the center of the room, where Jax and Sully were waiting for her. Her gaze locked with theirs, and she felt her nerves disappear as her love for them washed through her. She went to them, with the scent of spring kissing her skin and warmth in her heart. When she was standing in front of them, she placed her hands in theirs, smiling up into their serious faces. She barely heard Regent Ian Spartan and Jack Rollins as they spoke to the crowd, welcoming everyone and thanking them for coming to celebrate with them. Donna stepped forward and handed the marking device to Serra.

“Welcome to our family,” Donna whispered as she squeezed Serra’s hand, then the older woman took Ian and Jack’s hands and they left the platform.

Serra looked down at the device in her hand then back up at her men as they stripped off their shirts, displaying their bare muscular chests. The moment felt so solemn, so enormous with what it meant for them. Don’t screw this up, she told herself.

“Serra Spartan-Archer, we have claimed you as our chosen,” Jax said in a loud, clear voice. “We pledge ourselves to you, and ask to wear your mark to show the world we are a bonded unit. Serra, I loved you as a boy, and now I love you as a man. As you wear my mark, I will wear yours. There will never be another for me. I promise to honor, love and care for you, until I take my very last breath.”

Tears stung her eyes at his words. Jax was such a tough, commanding man, but had spoken from his heart, not hesitating to tell the entire room what she meant to him. He was her warrior, and he was her shield. Jax would always stand in front of her if she were in danger, but he would stand by her side and be her partner, too. There was passion and fire between them, but there was also love. She took a step toward him, and he held his arms slightly away from his body to allow her to run the device along his neck and torso. He’s mine, she thought after the mercurial black design covered the left side of his body.

Serra gasped as Jax gripped her by the back of the neck and hauled her close enough for his mouth to capture hers. His kiss was deep, hot and possessive, instantly setting her body on fire as lust slammed into her.

“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.”