3013: CLAIMED (3013: The Series)

by Roma, Laurie

  3013: CLAIMED

  3013: THE SERIES

  Laurie Roma

  3013: CLAIMED

  As one of Earth’s greatest leaders, Commander Jax Spartan lives his life by a strict code. Dedicated and alpha to the core, he is the epitome of what every Elite solider aspires to be. Second-in-command Sullivan Archer rules by his best friend’s side, and together they form an unstoppable force that few are foolish enough to challenge. Jax and Archer have always known they’d share their chosen, but their hearts have already been claimed by the woman they’ve vowed will belong to them.

  Alliance scientist Serra Lysander is a genius who has kept the planet safe with her inventions. She’s lived a sheltered life, separated from society by her brilliant mind and her overprotective mother. The only time Serra has truly ever felt accepted is with the two men that will cost her everything…

  When danger leads Serra straight into the arms of Jax and Archer, they will do anything to keep her safe, even claiming her despite the fact she is off limits. With the future of the Alliance on the line, will their love and dedication be enough to save them, or will they be too late to stop the growing threat from destroying them all?

  An Erotic Romance Novel.

  3013: CLAIMED by Laurie Roma

  First E-book Publication: April 2014

  Kindle Edition

  Cover design by Sloan Winters

  Editing by S.L. Whitcomb

  Copyright © 2014 by Laurie Roma

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental. It is fiction so facts and events may not be accurate except to the current world the book takes place in.

  DEDICATION

  To all the readers and fans of the 3013 Series,

  Thank you for embracing the 3013 world, and allowing us to entertain you. We are so pleased to share our world with you, if only for a little while. Until the next book…

  ***

  Prologue

  The year is 3013.

  Earth barely survived the Alien Wars that have ravaged the planet, and an unknown virus had nearly wiped out the entire population. On the brink of extinction, humans struggle to rebuild their civilization, although nothing would ever bring back what once was.

  Enforcing martial law, a new age of mankind is born, where warriors rule and women are the ultimate prize. Only the elite earn breeding rights and are granted leave to claim a woman in pairs. Men dream of the day that they will be able to claim a woman to love, but for those chosen being claimed means the end of their freedom and a beginning to a lifelong bond with two strangers. The warriors may have the choice, but the battle for their woman's heart has only begun…

  ***

  Chapter One

  “She’s even more beautiful than I remember.”

  Commander Jax Spartan didn’t turn as his best friend and second-in-command, Sullivan Archer, spoke upon entering the dark viewing room. Jax silently agreed, but didn’t feel the need to say anything in response.

  There was no need.

  Jax’s body was rigid with tension as he stared through the double-sided mirror at the woman seated in the adjacent interrogation room. The room was dark, and had been made so with the purpose of unnerving a suspect. The walls were made of a dark-gray, foam-like substance to deter someone from hurting themselves by slamming against it. God knew that some of the suspects they’d interrogated would have rather killed themselves then face Alliance law, but they weren’t given that option. There were three spotlights shining down from the ceiling, all pointed toward the chair designated for the suspect.

  The woman currently highlighted under the glaring lights didn’t belong in there.

  Serra Lysander’s beautiful face was paler than usual against the austere backdrop of the room. Her dark-brown hair was ruthlessly pulled back into a chignon, leaving her heart-shaped face clear to Jax’s view. He knew that once that thick mass of hair was let loose, it would cascade over her shoulders in a sleek waterfall of dark silk. His hands fisted at his sides and his fucking heart actually ached seeing the stark terror mixed with confusion in her pale-green eyes.

  Serra was the most beautiful woman they’d ever seen, and both he and Archer knew it.

  In contrast to the interrogation chamber, the viewing room had been decorated with comfort in mind. The walls were painted a dark gold color, and there were several chairs and a couch at the far side of the room all made of a rich, brown leather that was both comfortable and stylish. Off to the side of the room was a standard food console that could replicate drinks and basic fare upon command. It felt fucking wrong to be surrounded by such a lavish setting when Serra was left in shadows.

  Jax saw Archer standing next to him out of the corner of his eye, and knew that his friend had taken up a similar stance. Both of them were battle ready. Rage swept through Jax as he watched Regent Marie Wyland-Ross and High Commander Roman Newgate talking to Serra on the other side of the glass.

  No, not talking.

  Interrogating.

  Unlike Jax and Archer, who both wore the standard uniform of a steel-gray jacket with off-center zipper, black sleeves and regulation black pants and boots, Regent Wyland-Ross wore the black uniform with red sleeves that designated her Regent status, while High Commander Newgate wore the black uniform with white sleeves that signified his position with high command. Both of them looked severe compared to Serra, who was dressed in light grey pants and a pretty lilac colored blouse that seemed to make her innocent green eyes look even brighter.

  She didn’t belong there, Jax thought again, and it infuriated him that he hadn’t known she had been taken into custody before he could stop it. Oh, he was damn sure they were being gentle with her. Jax had made it clear before this farce began that he would have their asses if they treated her with anything less than respect while they questioned her.

  There weren’t too many men on planet that would ever dare threaten a regent or high commander, but Jax wasn’t just any man. He was a commander under the rule of the United Federation Command Alliance and was in charge of the Capital, Earth’s largest and most prosperous city. Although most commanders reported to high command, Jax had been given leave to report directly to the Alliance Council of Regents. The Regents were made up of retired military commanders from all of the territories, and acted as the governing body of the Alliance. Jax held the entire Council in high regard, but there was no one he wouldn’t challenge to keep Serra safe.

  “The two of you shouldn’t be in here.”

  Jax’s body stiffened even more as he heard the voice behind him, and the fury he felt threatened to break free. Slowly turning his head, he focused his eyes on the man who had spoken, like a predator would his prey. “If she’s here then so are we, but I’ve had enough. This ends now.”

  Archer grunted in agreement as Jax finally turned away from the viewing window. He’d seen enough. Now it was time to end whatever game the regents were playing. He braced his feet apart and crossed his arms over his massive chest. At six-foot-seven he knew he was a large, intimidating man, but the two male regents glaring at him were not impressed.

  Like all elite soldiers in the Alliance, he’d been genetically enhanced. The enhancements gave males additional muscle mass, making them larger and more adept at fighting. At the age of ten, all children under Alliance rule were tested. For the girls it was to determine if they were to receive the scroll tattoo near their eye, marking them as one of the rare fer
tile females, and for the boys it was to determine if they would be taken for military service.

  Only the strongest and brightest males were chosen for the biological enhancements to become elite soldiers. The elites were bigger and stronger than normal humans, with increased reflexes and heightened senses. These enhancements were encoded into their genes, and would be passed onto their children.

  Their enhanced genetics were the future of the human race.

  When Jax had undergone the enhancements, he had been given an extra bonus—or curse— depending how one looked at it. He’d gotten the increased strength that all elites received, only he’d developed…more. The enhancement process tended to amplify attributes individuals already possessed. Jax had already been a natural leader, but he’d also been born with character traits that made him more alpha than most. With the genetic enhancements, those traits were increased to the point that Jax had to keep a tight leash on his dominant nature and focus on reining in his need to control everything around him. At times he felt more animal than man, especially when he was really angry.

  And this was definitely one of those moments…

  Sullivan Archer was the luckier of the two. With the elite enhancements, Archer’s observation skills had been heightened to an incredible degree. He could tell if someone was lying just from watching the pulse on their neck, and there was little he couldn’t see with the barest glance around a room. As the quieter one of the pair, it gave Archer the added advantage of standing back while most people reacted to Jax, giving him time to assess a situation before both of them struck out with their combined force.

  No one stood a chance against them.

  And now it was time to settle this before both of them lost control of their tempers.

  Regent Everett Marks sighed as he eyed both Jax and Archer warily. “You know there is a need to question Ms. Lysander. This matter is too important to just let her walk away. When I received word about the potential sale of the new stealth technology Ms. Lysander has been working on, I didn’t want to believe it either. She’s been instrumental in protecting Earth and the Alliance. Why, her creation of the new shield that guards Earth and all of our sub-stations has saved countless of lives. But we have to consider how many unsanctioned sales of that shield tech have been discovered in the last year. It’s extremely troubling.”

  “Serra would never sell any technology to outsiders, sanctioned or unsanctioned. She knows the ramifications too well to do that,” Archer snapped, his control fraying at the edges. “Besides, she has never had anything to do with sales of any of her tech. She hands everything she does over to the Alliance. If there is a problem then that’s where we should be looking. The other people working on this project.”

  “We are, but she isn’t that girl you once knew. Not anymore,” the other regent said softly.

  Jax held up his hand for silence, his fury radiating off him in waves. “We know her. She didn’t do this.”

  “You can’t be sure of that.”

  “I am.”

  “By God, are you stubborn!”

  “I wonder where I came by that trait…father.” Jax eyed Regent Spartan with a hint of amusement, despite his anger.

  Regent Ian Spartan glared at his son. “Don’t you start with me. As I said before, you two shouldn’t even be here. You may have known Serra Lysander when you were young, but you don’t know her any longer. Things change.”

  Jax was done arguing about this.

  No one knew the extent of Jax and Archer’s history with Serra. They had made sure of it. The truth was that they knew Serra better than any other person on the planet, or off. She had only been twelve years old when they had met her back when both he and Archer were teens, barely more than children themselves. He and Archer had already developed a kick-ass reputation in the Academy when Serra had been moved into training with the older teens…and nothing had ever been the same.

  For any of them.

  Elite soldiers were trained to be the best, in every way, and that training was rigorous in many disciplines. Not only were they regularly tested for physical strength and endurance, they were all tested in a multitude of mental assessments that helped place them for service when they were older. Aptitude for certain subjects allowed each soldier to focus on what department or service they were best suited for, giving them direction and purpose.

  From the moment Jax had been tested, he knew that he was destined for command. All three of his parents had strong leadership qualities. Jax’s natural father, Ian Spartan, had risen through the ranks to the lofty position of regent, becoming one of the youngest members on the ruling council. His other father, Jack Rollins, had retired from service when they had claimed Jax’s mother. It was an old family joke that it was a full-time position keeping their chosen out of trouble, and Jack was more than happy to take on that duty.

  Jax’s mother, Donna Spartan-Rollins, had started a fashion empire called Starlight Designs, catering to some of the wealthiest members of the Alliance before she had been claimed. As a woman with a good heart, she used her position of power to give back through numerous charities, but she also made it her personal mission to look out for the young children in the Academy whenever she could.

  Unlike other mothers within the Alliance who practically handed their children over once they entered the training facilities, Donna refused to stop looking out for Jax or his siblings once they turned ten. As the oldest of four children, Jax considered himself the test case. He often told his younger brothers and sister that their parents had worked out most of their neurosis by the time Jax had graduated from the Academy.

  Back when Jax was young, his parents had changed the conditions of the training facilities in the Capital. Ian and Jack had been used to the barren environment of the Academy, but Donna had been horrified when she’d gone to visit. She would not rest until the facility looked more like a school than a military barracks. Jax’s fathers had tried to protest, but there was nothing they wouldn’t do for their chosen, and Donna was a frightening force to be reckoned with when she wanted something.

  Outraged that some of the other parents had abandoned their own children, Donna had opened the Spartan-Rollins home to Jax’s friends, and to anyone who had nowhere else to go when they were given leave from the training facility. Learning from all three of his parents, Jax had become a champion of those who had no one to fight for them.

  Sullivan Archer had been one of those children.

  Left on the doorstep of one of the Alliance outposts in the outskirts of the badlands, Archer had started his life as an orphan. He’d never known who his mother or father were, and they obviously hadn’t cared about him enough to raise him themselves. He was just another nameless child, another mouth to feed out in a place where resources were scarce.

  Fortunately, he had been taken in by a pair of elite soldiers who had fallen in love with an infertile woman who ran an orphanage located in the outpost. The female children were always taken in by families, but the boys…they were left to fend for themselves until they became old enough to be tested. All of the elites on that particular base had taken turns helping raise the children. They were luckier than other innocents had that been thrown away, but it still didn’t mean they had a place where they truly belonged.

  After Archer turned ten and went through testing, he had been sent to the Capital and enrolled in the Academy. Far from his foster family, he had been scared and alone…until he met Jax. From the moment they had started training together, the two of them had become fast friends. Where Jax had black hair, steel-gray eyes and a quick temper, Archer was his opposite, with burnished gold hair, light-brown eyes and a wicked sense of humor. They were the dark and the light, but they had a similar mindset. They balanced each other and grew stronger together.

  Working with Jax, Archer had finally found his place.

  Several years later, Archer had been the first to recognize a fellow lost soul in Serra. Jax had been concerned when they had seen th
e frightened young girl thrown in among them, but it quickly became clear why the transfer had been made. He and Archer had made an unspoken vow to watch out for her in order to make sure she didn’t get lost in the sea of recruits.

  Before Serra was given the enhancements, she had already shown promise of being extremely intelligent, but after, she surpassed even genius level. She had been lost, terrified by her new surroundings. Her advanced mental capabilities had ensured that she would never fit into normal society, and something in her somber pale-green eyes had touched Jax and Archer. Serra had been almost resigned to the fact that the older recruits resented her for being smarter than them, and her gifts marked her as an oddity who could never fit in.

  From the moment they’d met Serra, Jax and Archer had felt an overwhelming urge to protect the little girl with sad eyes too big for her small face. They had quickly ensured that the other recruits knew that anyone messing with her would have to deal with them.

  No one wanted to face the wrath of Jax…even back then.

  While they were in the Academy, Jax and Archer had taken many recruits under their protection, but there was something special about Serra. Over the two years they had watched over her, she had blossomed out of her shell, but only around them. Whenever she needed comfort, she would run to Archer to wipe away her tears, but she’d always run to Jax to fight her demons. If she were ever scared or worried about anything, Jax was the first person she sought out. His friends used to tease him about his little shadow, but one hard look from him would shut them up.

  When they’d graduated from the Academy and had been sent off on their first official assignment on Alpha Station: X1, it had been difficult to say goodbye to Serra. Because of her age, she’d been kept in the training facility. While they were away, the trainers had chosen to have experts in a variety of fields of science and engineering come to the Academy to tutor Serra privately, but losing her two closest friends had destroyed the fragile cocoon of safety she’d felt when they were around.