Virgin Tribute: A Dark Sci-Fi Romance Read online

  The elder who had been examining Raegan continued, “The Protector killed the marauder’s leader in the blink of an eye. We were told that should tribute ever be withheld or not be to his specifications that he would eradicate us himself. You have been heard to say that you wish to be among those who protect the Sanctuary. If you are chosen, you will be able to fulfill that desire.”

  “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “That too is immaterial.” He turned to the group of warriors present. “Take her to the examination room and help her to prepare.”

  One of the men stepped forward. As he grasped Raegan’s upper arm, she stomped on his instep, causing him to bend forward. She head-butted him hard enough so that he staggered backwards. She turned to sprint away but was quickly brought down by two other warriors who between them subdued her.

  Elder Stanley looked at her with disgust. “You ungrateful, stupid girl. It is a high honor to be the Chosen One.”

  “Then you be the Chosen One! You offer yourself up as tribute and concubine.”

  “Take her!”

  The others watched as Raegan was forcibly removed from the room to be subjected to further testing. They knew she would not return to their ranks. Either she would be given to the Protector or she would be offered to one of the warriors.

  The two warriors half carried/half dragged Raegan down the hallway to a small medical examination room. A woman Raegan knew to be among those once given as tribute entered the room.

  “Leave us, but remain outside the door in case I need your assistance. I’m hoping that won’t be necessary. It won’t be, will it, Raegan?”

  “Depends entirely on what you think you’re going to do,” Raegan responded.

  The woman nodded her head toward the door and the brace of warriors removed themselves from the room.

  “I am Millicent Denny. I am the doctor for those of us of the Sisterhood.”

  “Sisterhood? You mean the despoiled and exiled.”

  “We choose to live separate lives as those who have not been tribute will never understand.”

  “What you mean is we’re removed from our homes and families, forced to live in isolation, and then handed off to some monster or to one of the warriors as his personal fuck toy or broodmare. And those who never make the cut to be the Chosen One end up warming the bed of some schmuck. Why is that?”

  Millicent shook her head. “You do not understand.”

  “And I never will. If you people think I’m going to let that ogre take me off to do whatever it is he does with his tribute,” she spat the last word, “for three or four months, you are sadly mistaken. I will not go willingly; you’ll have to drag me from the Sanctuary kicking and screaming. The damn chains you use to bind me to those crumbling arches better be in good shape because I will find a way to escape...”

  “And then what?” demanded Millicent. “Subject the Sanctuary to either being attacked by roving bands of mutants or decimated by the Protector himself?”

  “We should have been coming up with better ways to protect ourselves. What happens when your precious Protector can no longer ensure your safety? Then what? Will you find some other beast to offer a virgin sacrifice to?”

  “We are not sacrificed. We are given as tribute and concubine. We are returned to our home and what we give to the Protector ensures the survival of the rest at the Sanctuary.”

  “I’m not inclined to be brutalized by some mutant freak for a bunch of people who not only willingly allow this to happen every year, but try to tell those who are being ruined for any kind of happy future that we should feel honored. Bullshit in its finest form.”

  “If you are found to be the best of what we have to offer him, you will be given no choice. You can either submit to the testing in privacy between us or I will recall the guards and they will force your compliance.”

  “So, he returns you as depraved as he is. I see now what it is that those of you who are chosen as tribute sacrifice.”

  “Will you submit?”

  “Fuck you.”

  Millicent stepped away as Raegan took a defensive stance. The two warriors stepped back into the room, locking the door behind them.

  The larger of the two, an enormous blond called Karl, smiled.

  “I was hoping you’d need to be subdued. I was hoping to get my hands on you before that fiend has his way with that beautiful body of yours. Or perhaps they won’t choose you at all and you’ll be given to me.”

  “That is enough, Karl,” scolded Millicent. “You are to leave and are to send another. I will not have Raegan subjected to your leering. You will be dismissed from those who look after the Sisterhood. Remove yourself at once.”

  Karl thought to say something more when the other guard stepped between him and Millicent. “That’s enough. Go now and you will retain your place as a warrior. One more word and I will have you cashiered from the guard.”

  Karl turned and left the room.

  The other guard turned to Raegan.

  “Do I need to get another to help me subdue you or can you submit to Dr. Denny’s examination?” he asked gently.

  “How can you call yourself a warrior when you will stand by and do nothing to stop this? And how do you, as a woman and one who was sacrificed, participate in helping them do this to another?” asked Raegan softly, addressing both the warrior and Millicent.

  “Because I saw what the Protector did that night. I saw him tear an opponent limb from limb. An opponent who meant to see every man in our Sanctuary dead and every woman raped. We don’t stand a chance against those things that rule the land above us. He is the only thing that keeps us safe,” said the warrior, clearly still haunted by what he had seen so long ago.

  “That was more than twenty years ago and you and your kind have done nothing to improve the situation. You’re more than willing to hand over some woman so that you don’t have to be bothered. You’re no better than those that you say we need protection from. Do any of you even know if the mutants still exist?”

  “We cannot afford to find out,” he admitted. “Will you submit?”

  “No,” Raegan said, shaking her head slowly. “I will not give you even the slightest reason to believe that this is anything that I’m agreeing to.”

  The warrior shook his head and stepped outside. A few minutes later he returned with another. Once again, they locked the door behind them and Raegan took a defensive stance.

  “Raegan,” said Millicent pleadingly, “you cannot win. They will force you into the restraints and will have to remain while I examine you.”

  “Jesus, you’re a sick bitch,” snarled Raegan.

  The next few minutes moved too swiftly for Raegan to remember exactly what took place. She knew from later observation that she had bloodied both of the warriors but it had been in vain. In the end she was forced onto a medical examining table with her feet placed in obstetrical stirrups with her legs spread. The two warriors had held her down while she was placed in full body restraints. When she had begun screaming, she was gagged so that her protests were muffled.

  Before she was gagged, one of the warriors had pried open her mouth. He wedged her jaw open so that Millicent was able to examine it. The doctor grasped her tongue to move it out of her way. Once that was done, the gag had been put in place. Millicent had drawn several vials of her blood and handed them to someone outside the exam room.

  Millicent’s knowing hands then moved down the column of her neck along the tops of her shoulders and down each arm. She probed and prodded, feeling for what Raegan was not sure. After her arms, Millicent began to examine Raegan’s breasts; she used the pads of two fingers to gently push on the tissue of each one. She started at the place where the flesh connected with her frame and then lightly pushed in a circular pattern, moving closer and closer toward Raegan’s areola and nipple. The exam room was chilly and Raegan’s nipples had stiffened in reaction to the cold. Millicent probed the areola thoroughly before pulling gently on Raegan’s
nipple and then giving it a sharp pinch, causing Raegan to gasp at the sudden pain.

  “That was for misbehaving. The Protector will not be as gentle should you displease him.”

  Millicent then examined the other breast with equal interest and again squeezed Raegan’s beaded nipple hard as she tugged on it.

  Once she was satisfied with everything above the waist, Millicent moved to the soles of Raegan’s feet and examined them as well. Finding calluses, she used a cooling gel to soften them before scraping the rough skin away with what looked to be an old-fashioned cheese grater. Once her feet were smooth, Millicent warmed some lotion smelling of mint in her hands before rubbing it into Raegan’s feet, making Raegan moan in pleasure. Millicent smiled.

  “It’s good to see you respond positively to pleasurable stimuli.”

  Millicent began examining Raegan’s calves and thighs. Restrained as she was, Raegan hadn’t tried to fight overly much. It wasn’t until Raegan felt the table onto which she had been strapped down begin to elevate her legs and pelvis that she renewed her struggles.

  “Calm down, Raegan. No one is going to hurt you. I need to examine you more thoroughly and confirm conclusively that your maidenhead is intact and that you are capable of conceiving.”

  Raegan could feel the blush start at the tips of her toes and move all the way up her body. It wasn’t that she hadn’t explored her nether regions with her hands, finding pleasure at rubbing her clitoris, but to have someone else do it—a woman—while two men watched was mortifying.

  Millicent focused first on finding her clit and moving its hood out of the way to expose it for her gaze and her touch. What little resistance Raegan could offer, she did by trying to buck her hips and twist away from the soft probing touch.

  To her shame, Raegan could feel the first signs of arousal beginning to pool between her legs. It seemed to her that Millicent was taking far more time examining her clit than she needed to. Either it was there or not and given the sensations Millicent was forcing on her, it was definitely there. Millicent did a cursory visual review of Raegan’s entire body.

  “This is very good. Even though she doesn’t want any part of this, her body is responding to stimuli. Her nipples are remaining hard and I suspect are beginning to be desirous of attention,” she said to no one in particular. “All right, Raegan, let’s see what we’ve got down here.”

  Raegan’s legs were pulled wider apart, causing Raegan to fight that much harder. Millicent stroked one finger down from her clit to her private channel and smiled.

  “Very good,” she chuckled. “I won’t have any need of artificial lubricants to finish the examination. It seems Raegan is producing more than enough of her own to make the last portion of her examination as pleasant as it can be under the circumstances.”

  Millicent donned a pair of sterile gloves, plunged one finger inside of Raegan, and then pulled it out to insert two. With her other hand, she pressed down on Raegan’s abdomen so that she could fully assess the status of Raegan’s reproductive organs. She smiled as she found the thin membrane she had been seeking. Raegan would have gladly died at that moment as her body reacted to the gentle probing and stroking in the only way it knew how—by producing more of her thick moisture and beginning to move toward a climax.

  Raegan closed her eyes and prayed that the examination would be over before she completely shamed herself by coming all over Millicent’s fingers. She felt the support from under her bottom being withdrawn. Her eyes flew open as one of Millicent’s fingers probed her darkest hole. Raegan clenched her butt cheeks.

  “Easy, Raegan, normally he only uses that hole when he is in rut or as a form of punishment. I must make sure that it too is healthy enough to provide him with what he needs and desires.”

  Millicent pushed her digit through the tight ring of muscle, making Raegan’s anus sting and begin to burn.

  “Relax and breathe. Quit fighting and this will be easier.”

  Raegan continued to struggle.

  “Can I have one of you steady her hips so I can finish this? I need to get a little deeper and get her to accept something being up inside her ass.”

  The big warrior took hold of her hips and Raegan’s only remaining struggle was within her mind. Millicent’s finger probed deeper and then stopped as she allowed Raegan’s body to accept the foreign invasion. Raegan began to breathe deeply and noticed that the burning sensation had given way to a somewhat more pleasant feeling of being stretched with only a bit of a sting to it. Feeling Raegan relax and accept, Millicent gently moved her finger forward and back, smiling as Raegan’s private hole began to accept the pleasure being given. Satisfied, she removed her finger and took off the gloves, folding them inside out and then tossing them in the garbage.

  “Can you lift her off the table for a moment? One last thing to check.”

  The warrior lifted her by her legs so that the lower portion of her body was completely off the table. Without warning, Millicent delivered two sharp blows, one to each of her bottom cheeks. She cocked her head and smiled as Raegan felt Millicent’s handprints cause a pinkish hue to bloom.

  “Good girl. I think she’ll do very nicely. But I will examine the others. I think one of you had best remain with her.” She came up to Raegan’s head. “If I have them remove the gag, will you promise not to go back to screaming?”

  Raegan nodded and Millicent removed the gag before walking over to the sink and thoroughly washing her hands. The warrior who had lifted Raegan up for examination of her bottom opened the door and they exited.

  Silent tears began to fall down Raegan’s cheeks as she looked at the impassive face of the remaining warrior. “You won’t help me, will you?” she asked quietly.

  The guard regarded her with a sympathetic gaze but said nothing.

  Chapter Two

  Raegan wasn’t sure how much time had lapsed since Millicent had left her strapped naked on the examining table. She hadn’t allowed herself to cry for long. There was no one here who would help her if she was ultimately chosen to be sacrificed to the beast. Instead she had used her time to try to devise some way to save herself. Escaping while still in the Sanctuary was not a good idea as she would be too easily captured. So, she focused on what she knew about the above ground and those who dwelled there.

  Mutant packs had roamed outside of the holy ground since the virus had spread and those not affected had fled and gathered in small clusters of humans. Raegan’s ancestors had gone underground as most of the structure for their survival was already intact and there was only one entrance in or out of the Sanctuary. They had thought that would keep them safe. It had not.

  The mutants were far stronger and far more feral than anyone had believed. Many clusters of humans had been overrun and destroyed. Raegan’s people had survived, at least initially, because of the Protector. He had provided them with safety and with a steady supply of meat and fish so that they did not have to venture outside of their Sanctuary, which had been created using an existing underground expanse that had once been the heart of Seattle in the early nineteenth century.

  What bothered Raegan was that no one had even bothered to try to go above ground within recent memory, except twice annually to offer and then retrieve the Protector’s tribute. What if the mutants had left the area? What if they had become more civilized? No one seemed to care. It seemed easier to simply hand over the Protector’s tribute and get on with their lives. Giving up one virgin a year was a seemingly small price they were willing to pay.

  Millicent reentered the room with three elders in tow. They dismissed the warriors but left her in restraints.

  “The Protector should be pleased,” said Elder Stanley.

  Millicent nodded. “She is strong, intelligent, and responds well to stimuli. Even my examination caused her to become aroused.”

  “And you’re sure she is intact?”

  “Yes. I couldn’t even feel a tear in her maidenhead. I think she may do well. As you pointed out, she has
a body built for childbearing and her bloodwork and other diagnostic tests indicate that she is healthy and capable of conceiving and carrying a child.”

  “Do you people hear yourselves? I’m lying right here, but only because you have me strapped down.”

  Elder Stanley raised his hand as if to slap her but his hand was stayed by Millicent.

  “He will be unhappy if she is marked in any way. I only lightly slap their buttocks to ensure they react appropriately. Remember, no man is to have touched them and he will know.”

  The elder’s lips curled back. “He is welcome to her. She’s a troublemaker. Hopefully whatever he’s working on will have fixed the problem and this time his seed will find fertile ground.”

  “Has he ever explained what would happen if that were the case? Would he still demand annual tribute?” asked one of the other elders, who was salaciously looking at Raegan’s body.

  “No. My father always felt that should the tribute prove capable of providing him with a child that we might be able to negotiate with him to keep the Chosen One and their offspring instead of returning her. My father hoped he would continue to offer us his protection and support without additional tribute being offered. After all, if he could seed her belly once, he should be able to do so again. What do you think, Millicent?”

  “I do not know. I failed to provide him with the child he desperately seeks,” she said, her eyes downcast.

  “Does he want to start his own hybrid horde?”

  Millicent shook her head. “I am unsure of that as well. I know that he has both a personal and scientific interest in any offspring he might produce with a human resistant to the virus.”

  Elder Stanley looked down at Raegan and placed his hand on her belly. “If you find our ways so repugnant, you’d better hope that his seed takes root within you. You will then ensure the Sanctuary’s continued prosperity. It is believed that should that occur there would be no further need for us to pay the fiend his tribute and you would not be returned to us.” He started to trail a finger down from her belly to between her legs.