Taken: Original Sin Book 1

by Hart, Stella

  “You look shocked, Mason,” Jacob said.

  I shook my head. “I’m just… I’m surprised you teach the girls to read, that’s all,” I said, scrambling to recover my wits. “Seems to me that denying them an education would give you a greater level of control over them.”

  “We thought of that, but we need them to be able to read so they can learn to cook for us, among other things.”

  “Ah, of course. You said they were allowed to read cookbooks.” I nodded slowly, as if it all made perfect sense. “What about education in general? How do you teach them?”

  “A few of the members were teachers before we started this place. They teach lessons to the boys and girls. Separately, of course. The boys are taught much more, for obvious reasons, and they’re also taught different things.”

  “Do you ever tell them the truth?”

  Jacob frowned. “The boys? Yes, of course. When a young man reaches the age of fourteen, he is let in on our secrets.”

  I shuddered to think of what this place would be like in twenty years if no one did anything about it. The second generation of any fundamentalist religion was always the most dangerous, because they were the ones who’d been raised within it from day one.

  The young men of New Eden were being raised to genuinely believe they were above women, rather than this older generation who knew it wasn’t true and had to force their domination and control via lies, so they would probably wind up treating women even worse than the current generation.

  The Elders spent the next half-hour telling me about the usual goings-on in the shelter. This covered everything from meal times to mass weddings in April.

  Apparently, like Jacob mentioned earlier, there was one day in spring where all the unmarried young women were paired off with single men. It didn’t seem like any of the girls had a choice in who they married.

  Fuck that.

  There were also strict rules regarding these marriages. If a married woman was caught sleeping with a man other than her husband, she would be harshly punished (they didn’t tell me how—apparently that was just one of the many things I would simply have to learn by living here) and the man she cheated with would be banished from the commune.

  Apparently that was why a few male members had left over the years. They couldn’t keep their dicks in their pants when it came to married women and were subsequently thrown out on their asses. They never spoke about what they experienced during their time at the commune, because they were too scared of retaliation from the church.

  No wonder no one knew anything about the place. Fear works.

  “Lastly, we have the Joining rituals,” Jacob said. “These happen every Friday night from nine o’clock onwards.”

  “What’s a Joining ritual?”

  Elder Landry leaned forward. “Something we realized from the start was that there would always be far more men than women here at New Eden, even once all of the original girls had grown up. We also knew that societies can go bad when there are lots of frustrated men, so we invented the ritual as a way of keeping all the single men satisfied. See, unlike many religious groups out there, we understand how important carnal pleasure is for men.”

  Fontenot interrupted him. “The Joining is a weekly event that all the women attend in order to sexually please the men.”

  My brows shot up. They had mandated weekly orgies?

  Christ.

  Fontenot went on. “This doesn’t just satisfy the men sexually. It also teaches the young women how to pleasure men and how to endure the pains of intercourse.”

  I pressed my lips together. The pains of intercourse? It sounded like these guys were doing it wrong.

  “We teach the women here that sexual pleasure is a sin for females,” Jacob explained. “If we didn’t do so, we’d probably have far more affairs happening, and things would go off-track quite fast.”

  “I see. I think I remember reading something about that in my copy of His Word, actually. Lust and pleasure being a terrible sin for women and all.”

  “Yes. Anyway, the best way to explain the Joining ritual is to simply take you to see one. Luckily, it’s Friday today, so one will be starting down here very soon, once everyone has come in from the bonfire.”

  My heart began to thud. Something Fontenot said a few seconds ago was just registering with me. “You said all the women attend these events? Even the unmarried ones?”

  He nodded. “Yes, of course. There are different rules for different women, but they are simple enough. We can go through them now,” he replied. “Firstly, married women are only to be used by their husbands, or by us—the Elders and the Prophet.”

  Jacob smiled smugly at that.

  “Prophet Jacob created this whole place, and we helped him along the way, so God has rewarded us with this gift,” Fontenot explained. “You understand, I’m sure.”

  Yeah, sure.

  I swallowed. “And the unmarried women?”

  “They are the ones who satisfy all the single men. They can be used orally or anally, but never vaginally. We’re similar to you in that we believe that certain parts of a woman are for her husband only. If a man takes an unmarried woman’s virginity, he will be banished from the commune.”

  Right, because fucking a woman in the ass doesn’t count as taking her virginity in any way…

  I pictured a man using Jolie like that, and my insides felt like they were shriveling from the chill that immediately shot through me. It was fucked up that they’d treat any woman like that, but she was the one I felt the strongest connection with. The thought of anyone touching her made me want to punch a hole through a fucking stone wall.

  “You let Jolie attend these rituals?” I asked, looking at Jacob. I hoped my question sounded casual rather than judgmental.

  He nodded. “Yes. She must learn alongside the others, so she has been attending them for several months now.” He hesitated for a second. “I must admit, though, it is difficult for me to stomach the thought of the men taking her anally, given that she is my daughter, so thus far I have only permitted them to take her orally.”

  Some of the Elders looked slightly annoyed at that—most likely because they wanted to fuck her in the ass—but they didn’t say anything. They probably couldn’t, because Jacob was the one in charge.

  “Are there any other rules for these Joining rituals?” I asked.

  “You must not maim the women. Other than that, anything goes.”

  Christ. When the only real rule was that you must not permanently injure a woman during sex, you were at the wrong fucking orgy. Then again, it was hard to call these ‘Joinings’ orgies. More like ritualized rape.

  “I see. And you said one of these is happening here tonight?”

  “Yes.” Jacob glanced at his watch. “Actually, it would’ve already started. I didn’t realize how long we’ve been in here discussing everything with you. Shall we take you to the Great Room so you can see?”

  I gritted my teeth. “Sure.”

  Jacob and the Elders led me down a wide hallway lit by red candles sitting in sconces along the walls. At the end of the hall was a set of stone steps descending even deeper into the ground. Beyond that stood two huge double doors made of thick reddish wood. I took a deep breath as I pictured what lay beyond.

  Jacob pushed one of the doors open. The heavy scent of sex, sweat, cologne and oil immediately filled my nostrils, and my eyes widened at the sight before us.

  The room wasn’t even close to what I’d expected. It was huge and circular with dark crimson walls and a high ceiling covered in intricate paintings. It was like the Sistine Chapel, except every vivid brushstroke portrayed people in sexual acts. Every color of the rainbow was present in the murals, but red, gold, nude, and black were the most commonly used ones. It was all lit by tall black and gold candles which sat around the perimeter of the room.

  Spreading outward from the center of the room was a seething mass of debauchery. Men and young women were embroiled in every hedon
istic act the imagination could conceive, and the erotic sounds of slapping flesh and pleasured masculine groans echoed alongside pained whimpers from the women.

  I stood there for what felt like forever, staring around with a mixture of horror and wonder. To my left was a large metal cage with a woman tied to the bars by her wrists and ankles. Her bare breasts were squashed by the bars as a man thrust into her from behind, making her shriek. Every so often he stopped to lash at her back with a whip, making her scream even louder.

  Not far from that, a group of young women were kneeling with their hands bound behind their backs with thick rope. They were sucking cocks presented to them by men with terrible, lust-filled gazes.

  On my right, an oiled-up woman with pale skin and dark hair was grunting through a gag as a big blond man bent her over and fucked her in the ass. Her ankles were wide apart, trapped in the position by a black spreader bar, and her hands were cuffed in front of her.

  It almost looked like a BDSM sex club in here, only none of the women were willing participants and they wouldn’t have the first clue what BDSM was, let alone what consensual sex was.

  A skinny brunette girl approached me and kneeled. “Hello, sir,” she said. “I am here to service you, if that is what you desire. I am a widow and therefore no longer a virgin, so you may use me in any way you like.”

  She sounded like a fucking robot. Literally.

  I was trying to think of some excuse not to touch her when Jacob shooed her away. “That’s very good of you to offer, but we are simply showing Mr. Ashwood around right now. He has joined us from the outside, and he is weary from his long journey.”

  The young woman darted away without another word, but she threw a few curious glances over her shoulder. I looked at her with a frown, trying to figure out how old she was. That was when I caught sight of Jolie again.

  She was all the way to my right, crouching on the floor. Her pale blue dress had been yanked down to reveal a white cotton bra and the bare skin of her abdomen. Above her was a man with his pants down and his stiff pink dick out, dangling it above her lips.

  She looked terrified.

  No fucking way. I marched over to her and pulled her away from the man. Her eyes widened in shock. “What… what are you doing?”

  “Yes, Mason. What are you doing?” Jacob asked.

  Shit.

  I turned back to face him and the Elders. In my moment of rage, I’d forgotten all about them. I needed to think of a reason for grabbing Jolie, and I needed to think of one fast, or they’d realize I was here under false pretenses and not at all committed to their sordid lifestyle.

  My eyes fell on the girl getting whipped in the cage across the room, and an idea formed in my mind.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, bowing my head in respect. “It’s just that when I was visiting from the Wastelands a few months ago, I didn’t realize how seriously you took your rules here. It’s only now that I’ve come to live at the commune that I’ve fully realized. I feel like I would be disrespecting you and starting off on the wrong foot if I didn’t come clean.”

  “Come clean about what?” Jacob’s eyes narrowed.

  “When I was here last time, I spoke to Jolie. Well, actually, she initiated the conversation, but still… it happened. She didn’t say much—not enough for me to gather any information about your lifestyle, that is—but as I’ve come to understand it, that’s still grounds for punishment, is it not?”

  Jacob glared at Jolie. “You spoke to an outsider?”

  Jolie shivered under his cold gaze and wrapped her thin arms around her middle as if she were hugging herself for protection. She glanced at me, her eyes wide from the shock of my treachery, and then she looked back at her father. “Yes, Father. I’m sorry. I recognized him from before the Great Reckoning, and I wanted to say hello,” she murmured. “I couldn’t help it. Please forgive me.”

  She looked at me for another second after that, her pretty features twisted with hurt. Right now, she thought I was a terrible man who’d deeply betrayed her, but she would realize the truth soon.

  In my tour of the shelter earlier, I’d come to realize how difficult it would be to get her alone so we could speak without fear of interruption. It was almost fucking impossible.

  As a new member, I would be carefully watched by all the other men to make sure I wasn’t doing anything strange, so I couldn’t just grab one of the girls and take her to my suite to chat. Also, women weren’t actually allowed in the men’s section unless they were cleaning, and even then, there was always someone around keeping an eye on them. So I couldn’t just wait for Jolie to get assigned cleaning duties in that section and try to chat to her there. Someone would see us and get suspicious.

  The women’s section was just as bad. It was almost always busy and crowded, from what the Elders had told me, and the doors there had no locks.

  Except the Penance Rooms. It had only just occurred to me now.

  They were the only rooms in the whole shelter where a man could take a woman and lock her in for a ‘valid’ reason, leaving the two of them uninterruptable for however long they were in there. No one could walk in and overhear what they were saying.

  In any other room in the shelter, that wasn’t possible. Even if I somehow sneaked down into Jolie’s room long after midnight, there was always a chance that someone else would wake up and walk in on us. Considering how long I needed to talk to her to explain the truth about everything, I simply couldn’t risk that. Also, knowing how terrified Jolie was in general, she’d probably scream the place down if I showed up in the middle of the night.

  “Prophet Jacob,” I said with a frown. “I know this girl is your daughter, so the thought of her being punished probably isn’t very nice for you, but she broke the rules. You said it yourself: any rule-breaking must be punished. So please… allow me to do it. I would like to demonstrate how seriously I take things now that I understand the rules.”

  The Elders muttered amongst themselves, looking impressed at my supposed dedication to their ways.

  Jacob’s eyes gleamed. “I think that’s a good idea, Mason,” he said, grabbing Jolie’s left arm and squeezing it until she yelped. “And don’t worry. She is my daughter, and I do have a soft spot for her because of that, but that doesn’t mean I will allow lies and sin to fester inside her.”

  I nodded curtly. “Good.”

  Jacob smiled and let go of Jolie’s arm. “Do it,” he said. “Take her and punish her. Now.”

  9

  Jolie

  “Fifteen lashes will do.”

  Father’s words echoed in my ears as Mason pulled me out of the Great Room and forced me through the winding maze of halls which led to the Penance Rooms. My pulse raced faster and faster with each step, and my whole body felt like jelly.

  I couldn’t believe it. When I heard Mason was coming to live with us at New Eden, I stupidly expected some sort of change. I knew I deserved to be punished, and I desperately wanted it, but I honestly didn’t think it would happen this quickly. Not from him. When he visited a couple of months ago, he made himself seem like a nicer man than the others. A reprieve from the usual hardships.

  But apparently he was just like the other men.

  He was right about what I’d done, though. I did talk to him when he was still an outsider. I even initiated it by walking up to him and saying ‘It’s you’, and after he’d offered to walk away because of the rules, I said no and led him to the Museum of the Damned to continue the clandestine conversation.

  Not only had I broken the rules, I’d also lied to my father about it when he saw us together. Lied by omission, that is. I let him listen to Mason and believe that we hadn’t done anything wrong, and the sinful secret had been burning a hole in my chest for weeks now.

  “Thank you for telling the truth,” I murmured to Mason. “I was too weak to do it myself.”

  He didn’t reply. He simply pulled me into the first Penance room and locked the door behind us. Then he turned
and looked back at me. His hard hazel gaze locked on mine, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away as he towered over me. I could barely breathe. Though he was about to hurt me, he was still the most handsome man I had ever seen. The way that made me feel scared me more than any threat of pain.

  I finally turned away and haltingly removed my dress and underwear. I was embarrassed to be naked around him, but it was necessary for the punishment. I only hoped that my nude body was pleasing enough for him to look at while he beat me.

  “Jesus… what have they done to you?”

  I turned my head over my shoulder. Mason wasn’t looking at me with the same gleaming, unashamed expression most of the men had in their eyes when they saw naked women. Instead, his gaze was traveling over the old pink and white stripes on my back, legs, and arms. He reached out and pulled me toward him, one finger rubbing the biggest scar on my shoulder.

  “I have sinned many times in the past,” I murmured, turning back to face him. “My father says I take after my mother. I ask too many questions and conduct myself in a defiant manner far too often. But I have been trying very hard to be better this year.”

  “I remember your mother,” Mason replied, eyes narrowed. “She was a good, smart woman. If she were here today, she’d never stand for this shit.”

  I wasn’t sure what he meant. I remembered my mother too, but my father was right about her. She wasn’t a good woman. She was like me. Naturally sinful.

  I lay down on my stomach on the low wooden trestle table where Mason would lash me. He crouched down and placed his hands on my arms.

  “No, Jolie,” he muttered. “Get up.”

  With shaky legs, I got back to my feet. I understood. He wanted to whip me in a different position. I tried to move to the metal restraints hanging on the stone wall at the back of the room, but Mason prevented me again.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

  I nodded and smiled. “No man ever wants to hurt a woman. It’s just that they must, or else we would never learn.”