Taken: Original Sin Book 1

by Hart, Stella

  “Take me in every way, Mr. Devillier.” I barely choked out my next line as Mason pulled his lips away and straightened his posture, staring down at me with dark, heavily-lidded eyes.

  His heart was beating fast. I could feel it against me. He was hard, too; that part of men I was only allowed to see during Joining rituals. I could feel the thick bar of it pressed right up on my belly. It made me squirm and clench around nothing as if there was a great emptiness within me, needy and desperate for him to fill it.

  “Oh, I will,” he said, voice low and thick with unfamiliar emotion. “You can’t stop me, Ms. Chastain.”

  I was starting to think he wasn’t forgetting the lines. He was calling me by my real name on purpose.

  One of the girls who was acting as a performance assistant raced onto the stage and stood in front of us with a large piece of cardboard. I couldn’t see it from here, but I knew it had ‘six months later’ written on it in huge black letters.

  Mason pulled away from me and moved to the far right side of the stage. I felt the cold absence of his touch immediately, right down to my bones, and for a few seconds, I actually wanted to cry.

  The stage assistant finally walked away, back into the wings.

  A whirlwind of errant thoughts whipped through my mind as I stared over at Mason. I couldn’t remember the rest of the play. It was like every line had vanished from my mind, replaced with these sinful thoughts of possession and all-consuming need.

  Mason must’ve realized I’d forgotten my next line, because he strode forward and spoke out of turn and off-script, as if trying to help me recall my part.

  “Hello, Mrs. Smith,” he said. “You invited me over to your house to ask me a question, did you not?”

  The play material flooded back to me in an instant. I puffed out my stomach as much as I could and nodded, clasping my hands across my pretend belly. “Yes, Mr. Devillier. I wanted to tell you that I am pregnant. My husband was away when the baby was conceived, so it must be yours.”

  “Mine?”

  I nodded vigorously. “Yes. We can be together now. I will leave my husband for you. I did not choose him, anyway. He was chosen for me by the Elders, which I have always resented.”

  Mason let out a loud chuckle and stepped over to me. He pulled a large gleaming knife from his pocket. “Did you not realize who sent me to you all those months ago?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Think of my name.”

  My hand flew to my mouth. “Devillier… Devil!”

  The children in the audience let out another loud collective gasp.

  Mason nodded and held the knife high in the air. “That’s right. I was sent to test you, and you failed. You committed terrible acts of lust. The consequences of that are clear. You and the abomination growing inside you must be wiped from the face of this Earth.”

  He pulled me close to him again. With his right arm, he pretended to stab me on the side facing away from the stage.

  Despite the horrifying message of the play, the same pleasurable thoughts and feelings from earlier immediately returned to me. Mason’s body next to mine was enough to make that happen.

  In the back of my mind, I heard my father telling me that I was a nasty, dirty, sinful girl who would bring hellfire and doom upon this planet. Somehow, I didn’t care anymore. Those threats and insults seemed distant. Irrelevant. The Jolie who would have run from this situation and tried her best to be good had vanished, and instead, all I felt was power and heat. Passion and need. Mason made me want to break all my vows, even if it wound up damning us all. He made me want to throw away everything I knew and sin, sin, sin…

  The performance ended with me crumpled on the floor, playing dead. Then I got up and bowed with Mason. I tried to ignore Martha Chase’s pursed lips as she watched us leave the stage.

  I felt as if I were walking on air the rest of the night. I kept stealing glances at Mason as we sat and watched the rest of the plays, and every so often, I caught him looking at me too.

  When it was all over, I returned to my room and crossed over to the small table where my vitamins were held. I was supposed to take one every night before bed and another one every morning before breakfast. One of the men came around once a week to replenish the supply and ensure all the other pills had been taken.

  Usually I put the little beige tablet straight in my mouth and swallowed it right away, but tonight, I held it in my palm, hesitating as I stared over at the dull gray wall. I was thinking of the scratched message I found on Elena’s bedroom wall earlier.

  Please help me.

  When I first saw it, I’d come to the conclusion that she wrote it while under possession by the Devil. At the same time, I hadn’t felt entirely satisfied with that answer. Deep down, I knew there had to be something more to it.

  So maybe she hadn’t written it while possessed at all. Maybe she’d actually felt the same stirrings and cravings that I was feeling now, and she’d really believed there was more to the world. Maybe she wanted to leave New Eden so that she could experience these things without any fear or judgment from the others here. Maybe, after feeling this way for so long, she’d written the message in the hope that a man would eventually love her enough to find it and help her leave this place. Or maybe it was simply a message for her eyes only, a way of dealing with the fear that sprang from these new feelings. Not a yearning to be heard by anyone inside or outside the commune. More like the venting of a thought too petrifying to keep inside.

  Did that really make her insane? Possessed? I felt all those things right now, and I knew I wasn’t insane or possessed.

  Or was I?

  I hoped not, but right now, I couldn’t be sure. The only thing I could be sure of was that Elena was smart, and she’d always encouraged me to think as hard as I could about things. If she were here right now, I knew she would tell me to think of ways to spend more time with Mason so that I could explore whatever was happening in my mind and body. If our God had thrown us together all these times, it had to be for a reason, and she would want me to find out what that reason was. She would want me to think hard about everything.

  I looked at the vitamin pill again. Then I threw it to the ground, crushed it with my feet, and swept the remains under the bed.

  12

  Mason

  “Mr. Ashwood?”

  I looked up from my seat to see a young man standing by me, a hesitant expression on his face.

  “Yes?” I said, stifling a yawn.

  “Prophet Chastain would like to see you. Now, please.”

  “Did he say what it’s about?” I asked, immediately on high alert. Fuck. What if he’d discovered the true nature of my stay?

  The young man shook his head. “No. Follow me, please.”

  He led me to some sort of meeting room in the men’s section, not far from my suite. Jacob was inside, sitting by a small table. Jolie was there too, a downcast expression on her face. She didn’t meet my eyes when I entered the room.

  “You wanted to see me, Prophet Chastain?” I said.

  Jacob smiled up at me. “Mason! Thank you for coming.”

  I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever was in trouble here, it wasn’t me. But that meant…

  Shit. Jolie.

  I cast a worried glance her way, but she didn’t look back at me.

  “Take a seat,” Jacob said, patting the table. “We have some things to discuss.”

  “Okay. Shoot.”

  Jacob flashed Jolie a dirty look before returning his attention to me. “My daughter came to me this morning to admit her latest round of sins.” He sneered over at her again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her. Every time I think she’s finally trying to be good, she finds a new way to disappoint me.”

  “I’m sorry, Father,” Jolie murmured.

  Jacob slammed a hand down on the table, making her jump. “I did not grant you permission to speak!”

  Fuck, I wanted to knock this fucking prick’s teeth out so badly.

  H
e looked back at me. “I’m not sure you know this, given you’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, but I’ve been set on marrying Jolie to Danny Miller for a while. Unfortunately, I’ve had some disappointing news.”

  I lifted a brow. “What’s that?”

  “Jolie has informed me she has been having immoral thoughts about Danny. Lustful thoughts.”

  Oh, really? I stared over at Jolie again, both brows raised now. Her cheeks were pink, and she still wouldn’t meet my gaze.

  Jealousy trickled like poison through my veins as I pictured her fantasizing about this other man. I knew who he was now. Met him at breakfast this morning. He was about Jolie’s age. Tall blond string-bean of a guy with a long hawk nose. Apparently he was the son of Thomas Miller, a former Elder who died of a heart attack a few years ago.

  “She has also admitted to having sinful thoughts about you, Mason,” Jacob went on. “But not of lust. Of loathing. Most likely because of how you got her in trouble as soon as you arrived here. While I can understand that, it is still unacceptable for a woman to view a man in such a negative way. Women must love and worship men as they love and worship God.”

  My lips were in a thin line now. What the hell was happening here? Was Jolie seriously that pissed at me over my first day here? Did she really want to screw this other asshole?

  “Anyway,” Jacob went on, leaning forward. “As admirable as it is that Jolie would come forward to admit these sins, rather than let herself get caught for them once they begun to rot her soul, she must still be punished.”

  “Of course.” I nodded.

  “We can kill two birds with one stone here. As a woman is not supposed to feel any thoughts of lust, let alone sexual pleasure, I am nipping this in the bud by changing my marriage plans for Jolie. She will no longer marry Danny in the spring, given her inappropriate feelings toward him. I will pair him with our widow Lauren instead. And you, Mason… you will be paired with Jolie. Provided you want to stay after your trial period is up, of course.”

  “Please, Father, no!” Jolie said, her eyes wide. “Not Mason!”

  Jacob slammed his hand down on the table again, even closer to her. “If you speak again, I will cut out your tongue!” he roared. She cowered away from him. “You must learn that marriages are arranged based on what the Elders and I think would be the best possible pairing to teach the woman in question about her proper place in society. They are not based on filthy feminine lust and desire. So given your apparent disdain for Mason, I believe he is the best candidate for you.”

  Jolie finally met my gaze for the briefest of moments. I barely caught it, but there was a flash of something in those beautiful eyes. Almost a smug gleam. Could it be… triumph?

  Holy shit. She fucking set this up. She wanted this to happen.

  Obviously, she wasn’t as innocent as she looked.

  “I agree that Jolie must be taught some respect. Your decision is fair,” I said, turning my attention back to Jacob.

  “Yes. She must also be punished physically,” he said. “Just because she came and admitted her sin to me doesn’t get her off the hook. Lust is a serious sin for a woman.”

  I stiffened. “How will she be dealt with?”

  He held up his index finger. “Firstly, she will spend some time in the Penance Rooms.”

  My guts lurched at the thought of him taking her in there and hurting her. “As her future husband, I think I should be the one to take her,” I cut in.

  His gaze wavered for a second, and then he nodded. “Yes, of course. You may choose the method.”

  I nodded. “I will see to it she is properly chastised.”

  “Good.” Jacob nodded, then held up another finger. “Secondly, Jolie will now participate properly in the Joining rituals. I have spoiled her for far too long and let her get away with only pleasuring men orally. But no more. From now on, no more favoritism. She will be treated like every other unmarried woman there and used appropriately. As you are going to be her husband, Mason, you can be the first one to do it.”

  Jesus. There was nothing quite like being asked by a fundamentalist to fuck his daughter in the ass next Friday. It made me sick how casually he talked about her, like she was nothing more than a piece of meat. His own fucking daughter.

  “Are we clear?” Jacob asked.

  I gritted my teeth. “Crystal.”

  “Good. Anyway, I must leave. If you aren’t busy, you can take Jolie to the Penance Rooms now.”

  “Oh, believe me, I will.”

  Jacob swept out of the meeting room. Jolie didn’t move. Didn’t look up. She simply sat there, waiting for me to react.

  “Come on,” I said, reaching for her arm. I pulled her through the twisting hive of New Eden until we reached the Penance Rooms, and then I pushed her inside and turned the key in the lock.

  She stood in the center of the room, her eyes on her feet. I stepped closer, reveling in the way she quivered as I approached her. She might have set this up, but she was still innocent in almost every way. A frightened little doe. It was fucking adorable.

  “Look at me,” I commanded.

  Her eyes finally shot up to mine. I wasn’t sure if it was excitement or terror I saw in them.

  “You’ve been a bad girl, haven’t you, Jolie?” I said, stepping over to her.

  She gulped and nodded. “Yes, I have been very sinful. I should not have thought of you and Danny in those ways.”

  I chuckled and reached a hand out to her face, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Come on, pretty girl. We both know that’s bullshit. You made that whole story up to your father because you knew exactly what he’d do. You didn’t want to marry Danny Miller in the spring, and you wanted to spend more time with me. Am I right?”

  She bit her bottom lip, carefully considering her answer. “If that were true, what would you do?” she finally asked, voice scarcely above a whisper.

  I brushed her lips with the tip of my finger. “Well, to begin with, I’d do what I wish I’d done the second I saw you all those months ago.”

  “And what is that?”

  I leaned even closer, my lips hovering half an inch away from hers. “I can’t tell you. I’d have to show you.”

  A pink stain colored her cheeks, and she sighed with longing. “Please...”

  I raised a brow. “Is it true, Jolie?”

  Her entire body was trembling now. “Y-yes. It’s true,” she said breathlessly. “I lied so I could be around you.”

  I leaned down and brushed my lips over hers, softly and tentatively. I wanted to do it right, make it slow and gentle for her first time. Then she let out a little moan, right in the back of her throat, and it was like someone had thrown fuel on a fire.

  Heady need exploded in me, and I growled and pulled her against me, my arms locking around her in a tight, hard embrace. With one hand, I cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss, wanting… no, needing… more of her. My fingers tangled in her hair and my tongue traced a line around her soft lips before sliding into her mouth, tasting and teasing her. She responded with another desperate moan.

  When I broke the kiss, Jolie’s eyes were sparkling and her face was radiant. She touched one finger to her plump lips, as if she still couldn’t believe what she’d done. Couldn’t believe that my mouth had been on hers only seconds ago.

  “First kiss, right?” I said huskily, moving my mouth to her neck in the way she enjoyed so much during the Faith Formation play. She let out another whimpering moan as I gently traced the shell of her ear with my tongue. “Did you like it?”

  “I think… perhaps I need a second one to get a proper idea of what it’s like,” she replied.

  Fuck, this woman was gonna be the death of me.

  I crushed her lips under mine again, fierce and fervent. This time she matched my passion, quickly learning how to entwine her tongue with mine in a sensual dance.

  As we kissed, my hands roamed over the stiff fabric of her dress, frantically searching f
or the buttons at the back. When I found them, I began to undo them one by one. Jolie helped me, and soon she was standing before me in nothing but her underwear. Her nipples were so hard that I could see the stiff peaks of them through the fabric of her white cotton bra, and there was a shadow on the front of her panties where the wetness appeared to be seeping through.

  “This is so wrong,” she whispered.

  I could tell from her tone and the anxious look in her eyes that there was a serious battle going on in her head. Part of her was desperate for this to keep happening, and the other part was screaming at her to stop, telling her it was a terrible sin.

  I could work with that.

  “It is wrong. Luckily, you were brought here to be punished for being bad, weren’t you?” I said, cocking my head to the side.

  If I was careful and framed my next actions as a punishment, I might be able to swing things in my favor. I needed to make Jolie think she was being chastised for sinning but also make her hot and slick and ready at the same time, until she begged me to touch her. Begged me to take her virginity. Then I could finally take her the way I wanted.

  She deserved that. A proper first fuck. Not some traumatizing experience of getting fucked in the ass in front of a group of perverted old creeps during some bullshit ritual. I couldn’t fucking stand the thought of that being her first proper experience with sex.

  Jolie’s eyes widened, as I knew they would. “You’re going to punish me? I thought…” She trailed off, clearly confused.

  “You thought I would just kiss you?” I smirked, taunting her. “No. I’m going to punish you, but only because it’s what you want. You’re practically begging for it. Why else would you lie just to get me in here with you?”

  She bit her lip, and her eyes darted nervously to the whip rack.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, gently touching her chin. “I’m going to do it a different way. Where I’m from, men used to punish bad women in a way that hurts, but it’s a different kind of pain. I’m going to teach you all about it.”