Noble Monster: A Scifi Alien Abduction Romance Standalone (Jannan Raiders Book 1) by Zena Zion Read Free Book Online

she could smell him again. His scent did not change when he changed.
    Now, at least, she didn't have to feel that strange about the fact that he smelled good. At least now she felt safe enough around him that she could appreciate that he was attractive...at least when he looked like a man. “Alright, I guess I'm about as ready as I'm ever going to be.”
    “ Okay. Deep breath. Here I go….”
    Powerful wings beat the air on either side of her, and suddenly the plaza dropped away and they were in midair. She let out a scream that was half shock and half exultation, and heard him chuckle low in his throat.
    “ Are you all right up there?”
    “I...I...I...um, I'm doing okay, just give me a moment....” She still despised being a captive. She still distrusted this place and its culture. But he at least had proven to be good company, even if he had not yet made good on his promise to one day let her go.
    Her best guess was that he still thought he could not only change her mind about his world and culture, but also win her heart.
    She had no idea how he planned to do all of that, but she had to admit that a retreat to the mountains didn't sound like a bad idea in that direction. It meant getting away from everyone but him.
    Besides Miriam and a few of the servants that she had befriended, there was probably no one on this world that she wanted to see besides him. Now if she could only survive the flight....
    They soared out over the spires of the city, far over the square where he had haggled to buy her like she was a piece of meat. She had all sorts of mixed feelings about that day now. She knew that he wasn't an evil man, but he came from an evil culture.
    There were things about it that were so corrupt that it made human society look like a shining example of morals by comparison. And she knew that even with the High Commander's ear, she wasn't going to be able to do much to improve on the situation from within.
    There was nobody really back home for her. It was something she had realized lying in her bed all those nights, realizing that she didn't miss Earth so much as she missed freedom.
    The only thing she really had back home were a few co-workers and fellow doctoral candidates who had received their laurels at the same time as she. There was something depressing about realizing that there was no one back home who would ever miss her. No one who would notice that she was gone.
    “ What is it? Why are you upset? Am I flying too fast or too high?”
    “No, no. It's beautiful up here. I just...wait a second. How could you tell I was upset?”
    “ I don't entirely know. I can just feel it. I can feel you . I knew you weren't really scared when I took off. You are excited. But then we flew over the city and you got upset. What is it?”
    “We flew over the square where I got sold. it got me thinking about bad things. It's fine, let's just leave the city behind. I really have had enough of it for a while.”
    He was silent for several wing-beats as he headed for the wall that marked the edge of the city. Beyond, dense forest pressed in; in the distance, she could see the mountains rise up to pierce the cloud layer.
    “ I have mixed feelings when you mention that. On the one hand, I know that the whole experience caused you much pain. Yet on the other hand, without it, I would never have met you. How am I to feel about this thing? How am I to feel about the idea that you would rather leave this planet and me forever, if I let you go?”
    She didn't have an answer for him. They flew on in silence for a while, and she wondered what would happen if and when she gained her freedom. Would she miss him? Yes, yes I would.
    “You're the only part of this world that I don't want to leave,” she finally admitted softly.

Ambush
     
     
    His retreat turned out to be a massive stone and timber structure with armored windows and four automated gun turrets outside. She peered at the turrets warily as he came in for a landing in the