Page 26 of Savage Daddies
“I must confess, we expected you to be more reluctant,” Daddy Gage says.
“Trust me, she was plenty reluctant when we first took her. Defiant, even. She escaped us in the middle of the night at one point, too. But a couple of spankings have helped her learn how to better behave.” Daddy Axel enters the room holding a tray of cheese and fruit. “We’ve reddened your bottom quite a bit these last few days, haven’t we, little girl?”
Heat pummels through me, causing the aching in my privates to deepen. Will I always feel this way around these four savages? Desperately throbbing and eager for their touch?
“Yes, Daddy Axel,” I reply, flushing hotter. “But I don’t think I could ever return to Emerald. Not knowing what I now know about the Wise Leaders’ methods of population control, anyway. Perhaps some residents of the techno-cities could overlook it, but I’ve had my doubts before about other things in Emerald. For example, I was manufactured as a Manager, but in my heart, I’ve always wanted to be a Ranger or a Diplomat.” I don’t mention the loneliness I’m happy to leave behind, because I’m worried I might start crying if I talk about it. For some reason, that part of my life feels fragile and private. I want to tuck it away and hide it forever.
“Ah, I see you’ve met Henrietta and her mates.” Daddy Gage squeezes my thigh and shoots me a knowing look. The cheese and fruit tray is placed on the coffee table in front of us.
“Yes,” I reply with another flush as I recall the painful and embarrassing bath time punishment I received at the Lamberts’ Inn. To my relief, Daddies Axel and Nash don’t bring it up. “I’m still shocked after learning the truth, and I wish there was some way to warn the innocent residents of the techno-cities. Or at least a way to warn my roommate, Sheena.” Though I’ve never felt especially close to her, Sheena has always been kind to me.
Daddy Gage picks up a grape and feeds it to me, his fingers lingering long enough to trace my lips as I’m gingerly chewing. His twin soon does the same, this time with a piece of cheese. They alternate feeding me pieces of fruit and cheese for several minutes, a caring gleam in Daddy Erik’s gaze and a mischievous glint in Daddy Gage’s.
“How old is Sheena?” Daddy Nash eventually asks, and I turn to see him standing just inside the living room. I wonder how long he’s been there.
“My age,” I say after swallowing a bite of cheese.
“A lot can happen in forty-two years. Perhaps she’ll learn the truth on her own, or perhaps the techno-cities will start falling before then. Even a society as rigid and controlled as the one you grew up in cannot last forever.”
I take comfort in his words. Maybe he’s right. A lot could happen in forty-two years.
“In about forty years, if Emerald still hasn’t fallen, I intend to somehow get a message to Sheena. To warn her.” I lift my chin in determination, though I’m already second-guessing my announcement. Sheena deserves to know the truth sooner than that.
Daddy Erik straightens beside me and I worry he’s about to scold me. His next words, however, take me by surprise. “If you would like to get a message to your friend sooner, that could be arranged. The next time a man from Misty Falls goes near Emerald, we can see that a message is passed along. Certain Rangers are known to pass messages back and forth between the wildlands and the techno-cities. However, in your message you won’t be permitted to divulge the location of our village. Also, keep in mind that we’ve tried to warn the people in the techno-cities before, but to no avail, as they have been so effectively brainwashed. Nevertheless, we will still help you get a message to your friend soon.”
“That would be wonderful. Thank you.” Joy and relief mingle in my chest. I smile at Daddy Erik, already composing what I might say to Sheena in my head.I was taken by savages. I’m never coming back. You should try to leave Emerald, too. No one lives past sixty-two in the techno-cities because they are poisoned, but people in the wildlands can live much longer. People in the wildlands are free, and it’s so gloriously beautiful here.
“It’s finally dark,” Daddy Axel says in a strange tone that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise up. “Have you had enough to eat, little girl?”
“Yes, Daddy Axel.” Wariness fills me. It’s dark, but I’m not dressed for bed. Daddy Nash intentionally dressed me up, as if we’re about to go somewhere. He even styled my hair.
“Josie, for you to belong to us in the eyes of our people, we must bring you before the adult residents of our village for a public mating ceremony. The ceremony is a tradition in the wildlands, one that will bind you to us until death.”
Most of the nervousness leaves me and I feel silly for worrying something bad was about to happen. Of course. We’re about to get married. Back in the Old Days, people got married, usually in front of their friends and family members. And while the savages have continually referred to me as their mate, it makes sense that language would change over time. The wordswifeandmatemust mean the same thing to them. I glance down at my attire, grateful Daddy Nash had dressed me in the pretty blue gown. At least I’ll look my best when I meet the other villagers for the first time. “I understand completely,” I reply, my heart quickening at the realization that soon I’ll be bound to all four handsome savages forever.
Though I can’t imagine returning to Emerald, part of me wants to run as far away from this village as I can get. The idea of a wedding, or mating, ceremony brings with it a sense of finality, the knowledge that no matter what, I’ll belong to the brothers for life. I still can’t imagine having real sex with these four savages, but I also know if I attempt to run, I won’t get far and I’ll only earn a punishment for my efforts.You don’t have a choice. Might as well make the best of it.
I glance from daddy to daddy, wondering if I can truly find happiness so far from everything I’ve ever known.
The brothers all exchange odd looks, but soon I’m ushered to my feet and led out the door, into the cool darkness of a late spring night. The stars and the crescent-shaped moon shine overhead, and the crickets and locusts and other nocturnal insects play the familiar tune I’ve come to love hearing after the sun goes down. In the distance, I can also hear the rush of the waterfall for which the village of Misty Falls is named.
Daddy Nash holds my hand while Daddy Axel walks ahead and the twins flank us. We pass several houses, all with lanterns hung across the porches, illuminating the night with a soft yellow glow. Once we emerge onto the widest street in the village, I notice there are poles containing the same kind of lantern, which I realize must be powered by solar energy, just like the savages’ truck.
Daddy Nash catches me staring at the lights and says, “Yes, those are solar powered. No, they were not stolen from a techno-city. They are restored relics from the days before the fall of the Old World and the rise of the Wise Leaders. You might be surprised by how much ancient technology we are still able to scavenge from the Old Cities.”
“That’s incredible,” I say. “How many Old Cities have you visited?”
“About a dozen. The nearest large one was once called New York City. My brothers and I first went there about ten years ago. It was our first time seeing the ocean.”
My heart nearly stops. “The ocean? You actually saw the ocean?”
“We did,” Daddy Axel says. “We even stood in the water and let the waves crash against us.”
“That’s extraordinary. I’ve only seen the ocean in VR stories, but that’s not real, of course.” Longing reverberates through me. I would love to see the ocean, love to feel the real salty breeze against my face and dip my toes in the cool water.
Daddy Nash tightens his grip on my hand as we approach a gathering of people. My pulse spikes and I glance around nervously. The crowd is silent and all eyes are on us. I only count five women. The rest are all rough-looking men, men like my daddies. There must be hundreds of them standing around, here to witness our mating ceremony.
There’s a platform in the middle of a clearing, and the crowd parts for us as we approach it. The brothers usher me up the steps and a sense of foreboding grows inside me the longer the villagers remain quiet. I’d expected friendly faces and well wishes spoken aloud. The crowd appears as if they’ve come to witness an execution. Every face I glimpse is as solemn as can be. The urge to run away from the village falls over me anew, but Daddy Nash still has a tight grip on me and his brothers remain close by, their focus solely on me.
