Noble Monster: A Scifi Alien Abduction Romance Standalone (Jannan Raiders Book 1) (3 page)

He let her go, his eyes widening. After several moments of simply staring at her, though, he seemed to recover. Expression closing, he sighed through his nose and looked up the stairs.

“Your quarters are up one level, first door on the right. Go and clean up. You may have a nap after that. It's fairly obvious that you need one.”

Yeah, a dirt nap. If death is my only way out of this hellhole, that I really hope it comes soon. And I hope I can take you with me.

She looked back once on her way up the stairs, and saw him watching her, still wearing that strange look of almost worry on his face.

Noble Monsters

A week later, Irina stood in front of the mirror in her small, Spartan bedchamber and turned a few times to check out the party dress she has been given to wear.
Not bad,
she thought. If there was one thing that she had to admit, it was that Kaelon had taste. The sleek, pale blue sleeveless gown sparkled as she moved, but felt smooth against her skin.

It had been a very strange first week. Despite the sharp cadence of orders that he had greeted her with, Kaelon had backed off after their first conversation, and had never actually gotten around to summoning her to his chambers.

She was almost disappointed that he was making things easier on her. She wasn't supposed to be comfortable here. Though he still forced her into certain tasks, such as acting as his cupbearer when he was conducting business or receiving guests, he had done nothing to her sexually. He had barely even touched her.

Now and again, she had noticed him staring at her with open desire. But he had done nothing about it at all, past a few abortive attempts at seduction. After his complete attitude of entitlement when they had first met, this was even more confusing than anything else he did.

A tap on the door told her that Miriam was waiting for her outside. Miriam was the head of the house servants, a tall, older Jewish woman with black and white hair pulled back into a braid, and shrewd, dark brown eyes.

She came in a moment later, looking as neat as always in her black livery. The only member of the servants who did not wear that simple trouser uniform was Irina herself. The matronly woman stopped in the doorway, and took a good look at her. “That's not half bad.”

“I was just thinking that. Any pointers on handling tonight?” She was very nervous at the prospect of wandering around in a slave's collar at some party of Kaelon’s, surrounded by the rich and powerful among the beast-men.

“Since you're Kaelon's property, you should be protected from any of the rowdier guests. Attempting to use a slave such as you is a grave insult to the host. Kaelon is respected and feared by almost everyone. Chances are, none of them will even try it. So don't worry.”

“That's not very comforting.”

Miriam offered a sad smile. She had told Irina a bit of her story. She had been captured twenty years ago. A former Merchant spacer, Miriam had instead ended up the sex slave of Kaelon's father, Morven. He had kept her as entertainment for a few years, before discovering that she was infertile and could not be used as breeding stock.

After that, she had been demoted to an ordinary servant. She admitted to Irina in private that this was an arrangement she could actually live with a lot better. “Well, I certainly understand your concern. However, you have to admit that our Lord has been unusually kind to you.”

“Sure, for a damn slave owner.”

“Be careful! If you're overheard talking like that--”

Irina smirked. “They’ll what? Kill me? Good.”

Miriam stared at her, her expression troubled. “I understand that you're unhappy over your captivity. But you really could be doing worse. Kaelon has been kind to all of us.”

“
K
aelon keeps other thinking beings as slaves like a fucking monster, Miriam. This entire planet is inhabited by monsters, who have a savage culture. Don't talk about his kindness to me.

I don't believe it for a moment, because I haven't been stuck here long enough that I have had to rationalize this crap in order to save my sanity. And I don't plan to live long enough to see myself have to do that.”

“That's ridiculous. You need to stop talking about killing yourself and start talking sense. Once you’re dead, you're dead. Then there's no hope at all.” Miriam stepped inside to help her put her hair up with gold pins that just matched the gilding on her collar.

“What hope exactly do we have, Miriam? Hope that that nasty boys club that runs Earth Command might actually stage a rescue or negotiate a release of prisoners? Hope that the beast-men will suddenly grow souls and consciences and decide to let us go? I'm not going to criticize you for wanting to hold out hope for something, but you need to back off of me.”

She submitted to the assistance regardless, sighing as she saw that she actually looked quite good. It was dangerous to look too attractive around beast-men. Kaelon might not have touched her yet, for whatever reason, but she didn't trust his guests.

Miriam made a low noise of frustration in her throat. “You are far too young to be considering suicide.”

“It's my right to choose to die free rather than live as a slave. If dying is the only act of free will that I can make, then you bet your ass I'm going to make it.”

“I'm starting to think that I should bring this up with Kaelon. I don't want you ending up dead because you're adjusting badly. You need to be more optimistic. It does get better, over time.” Miriam finished putting the pins in place and stepped back to take a look at her.

“Yes, that will do nicely. Now, you should get downstairs and start attending to our Lord.”

Irina looked back at Miriam, and then shrugged. “Will I see you at the party?”

“Not likely. I will be directing the preparation and distribution of refreshments mostly, and running the seraglio.” Her smile went tight and thin as she saw Irina flinch at the mention of the seraglio.

Kaelon's orgy room was two floors above. He had taken Irina there twice. It was a huge room, draped in silky fabrics, indirectly lit, with tinkling fountains and a heavily padded floor. Cushions and padded benches were scattered around it, to aid in achieving various sexual positions.

Both times, he had tried to seduce her, moving up behind her and nuzzling her hair, then brushing his hands over her shoulders. It wouldn't have been unpleasant, if she had been there of her own free will and he had been an ordinary man who was courting her.

But he was one of those disgusting beast-men, who kept her captive and fancied that he owned her, right down to the right to her body.

Each time, she has stiffened up and pulled away from him. Finally, frustrated but apparently refusing to use force on her, he had sent her back to her chamber.

“Well that's a disgusting job, and I don't envy you.”

“Yes, well, fortunately at my age very few of the guests will actually try to paw at me anymore.” Miriam stepped back, heading for the door.

“So what, is that when it gets better? When the beast-men decide that we’re too old to screw?”

Miriam's answering smile was so sad that Irina shivered with horror as she made her way downstairs.

The party sprawled across several floors of the palace, but Kaelon held court here, in his lounge. A band played various sizes and tones of wind instrument over near the windows on one side of the room, and figures in finery danced in the clear space at its center. As she descended the spiral staircase, Irina couldn't help but admire the sheer pageantry of it all.

Yes, they were monsters, but they were monsters with style. Shimmering gowns and flowing capes, polished armor and gleaming jewels, and faces painted up elaborately like masks.

Some of the party-goers had assumed their beast forms. Bright-winged tropical birds chattered away, a gigantic golden snake slithered amongst the dancers, and something like a silver antelope pranced through with an empty wine goblet held in its teeth.

A few of the beast-men looked up as she descended, and she saw them sweep their eyes over her lasciviously. One of them was the big, yellow-eyed man who had entered a bidding war for her with Kaelon.

Dressed in a velvety black tunic and breeches, his golden hair spilling around his face in a mane, he kept his eyes on her as she paused on the stairs to look around for Kaelon.

She finally found her would-be owner in the midst of a knot of admirers and yes-men at the far end of the room. She would have to go through the crowd to get to him.
Damn it.

She gamely went down, and walked around the edge of the room, trying to get to him without cutting through the dance floor. Hopefully, the big idiot wouldn't have anything more for her to do tonight besides make sure that his wine-cup stayed full.

She didn't realize that the yellow-eyed man was following her until a huge hand closed on her arm and yanked her to a stop. “Why so unfriendly?” a raspy voice hissed mockingly in her ear.

She turned, struggling to pull her arm away and getting nowhere. “I must join my master,” she said in a loud voice that she hoped would embarrass the stranger. Instead, as she turned to him, she saw him smirking in a predatory way as he stared straight into her cleavage.

“Oh no, I don't think so. In fact, I think that you're coming with me. He can go without a cup-bearer for an hour or so while I have fun with you.”

God damn it, Miriam said this crap wasn't supposed to happen.
“You are mistaken,
sir
,” she said in a voice with a razor's edge to it, once again, keeping her voice loud so that it could be heard over the music, and would hopefully draw someone's attention.

“It is my duty to be by my Lord's side for the duration of this gathering. Nor would he be particularly happy to see someone else laying hands on his property.” she hated calling herself Kaelon's property, but it was the only defense that she had against this repulsive male.

He let out a laugh. “I don't see him coming to stop me, do you?” Without waiting for her answer, he turned and started dragging her toward the stairs while she cried out a protest.

Nobody was even bothering to do more than glance in their direction. No one was intervening. She tried to look back at where Kaelon was still holding court, but of course, he was oblivious and useless. She started struggling in earnest, losing one of her shoes as he dragged her up the stairs. She knew where the blond was taking her, and she knew what he planned to do to her as soon as he got there. And no one was doing anything.

He laughed as she struggled and fought, shrugging off the blows from her free hand. “Mmm, feisty. I like that. I'm going to enjoy making you bleed. Kaelon has gotten entirely too big for his armor, and it's about time that I cut him down to size by breaking something of his.”

“How about I break something of yours, you piece of shit?” She lunged at him and tried to knee him in the balls.

In response, he shoved her away and then backhanded her hard, bouncing her against the stair railing. The band simply played on. The conversations continued uninterrupted.

Her abduction and his announcement that he planned to rape her went completely without reaction, as if it was normal. “You are all a bunch of fucking savages!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The stranger blinked at her wide-eyed for a moment--and then burst out laughing and started dragging her upward again. “You're not wrong,” he chuckled. “But why be civilized when being a savage is so much more fun?”

She kept fighting him, very aware of the blood running down from the corner of her mouth. “You'll have to kill me before I'll let you rape me.”

“No I won't,” he replied casually. “All I'll have to do is beat you until the fight goes out of you. And that's double fun for me. Yes, a little entertainment, and then I'll empty my balls into you.

Perhaps, I'll put a baby in your belly. Once Kaelon finds out about it, he'll probably discard you. I'll be able to pick you up at a bargain price, and then I'll get to do this to you every night--”

“Torvin!” shouted a familiar voice, icicles of rage dripping off of his tone. She looked down, and saw Kaelon standing at the foot of the stairs, surrounded by four soldiers in his black livery.

All four carried silver pulse rifles, which they aimed straight at the stranger who had her by the arm. “Let her go. Now. Or I will hang your corpse off of my battlements for the scavenger birds.”

Torvin’s response was to yank her back against him, laughing. “You can't have them shoot, or they'll hit her. I'm leaving with her. There's nothing you can do.”

“The hell there isn't!” Irina started struggling again, despite the iron grip on her arm. “Just shoot this piece of shit, Kaelon. Forget about me! You think I want to live in this hellhole? Give the damn order!
Shoot us both!
”

Torvin stiffened, eyes widening in shock at her demand. “Quiet, you!” He struck her in the side of the head, leaving her ears ringing.

Kaelon responded to the attack on her with a thunderous growl. Suddenly, his entire body blurred and expanded. His black armor seemed to creep over his whole body, a pair of leathery wings unfolded from his back, and his form shifted until he stood on four taloned feet and raised a narrow, scaled head on a sinuous neck. He had become a dragon.

Irina stared as he leaped up and latched on to the grillwork stair enclosure bare feet from where they stood. His head snaked inside and darted forward, straight toward the arm that was holding her hostage.

Torvin let her go and ducked back just before Kaelon's fangs could meet in his arm. He snarled himself, light brown fur starting to cover his skin. But before he could complete his transformation, Kaelon inhaled and looked at him very pointedly.

The yellow-eyed man froze, suddenly a thousand times more intimidated than when he had simply had the guns on him. Apparently, he didn't like fire very much.