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

Eliana realized that Rox did not have a single scar on his massive torso.
    Without waiting for a reply Rox walked around the room inserting all sorts of gems into various slots in the floor and along the walls. A large stone bathtub rose from another section of marked tile, a wide array of women’s clothing sprouted from the adjacent wall and a table bursting with steaming plates of food appeared a few feet away from the bed where Eliana still sat.
    “Eat and refresh yourself.” Rox instructed. “I have some business to attend to in the market before we leave for Rathsmura, our capital, in the morning. I have paid for two attendants to help you with any needs. They will arrive shortly.” He moved to the doorway and Eliana noticed that he took the key with him.
    “I have asked the attendants to choose four or five outfits to take with us, and to leave your slaver’s gown here. Make sure that at least one of your outfits is presentable for formal occasions and another functional for travel.”
    Before Eliana had a chance to respond he had closed door and left her completely alone.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
     
    Eliana climbed down from the bed and decided to explore the room. A bath would be nice, she thought. She had not had a chance to clean herself since prior to her abduction. She did not even want to think about how dreadful she must smell.
    Rox had smelled delicious, her brain provided, like crisp spices mixed with a slightly woody scent. She chastised herself for that traitorous thought. Well, she admitted, just because he was her enemy did not mean that she had to be oblivious to the facts. He did smell good, very good.
    That was just an observation she told herself. Just like it was an observation that he had been surprisingly gentle when tending to her wounds. They could still be enemies even if she recognized, and possibly even appreciated, his tender care.
    She had been unsuccessful in her attempts to turn on what was clearly a bathtub when the two female attendants entered through a hidden door in the wall. They did not appear to speak English but casually gestured for her to browse the edibles while they prepared the bath.
    Eliana lifted the lids of an assortment of steaming trays before settling on the dish that appeared least frightening to her. She would loosely have compared it to a dense muffin except for the meaty taste and the fact that two small servings filled her almost to the point of discomfort. Whatever she had eaten, she could guarantee that it was better than the spaghetti-like dish whose ‘noodles’ were wriggling around at the base of the bowl.
    Eliana watched as the Heptonian women wheeled a small control panel into the room through the hidden door. From their station they entered the codes that prompted the bath basin to fill with lavender perfumed water.
    When the women gestured for her to approach the washbasin Eliana became noticeably agitated. Weren’t they going to leave her to bathe in peace? When one of the women began to release the clasp at the shoulder of the slaver’s gown, as Rox had called it, Eliana clutched the fabric to her breasts and backed away.
    It shocked Eliana when they started laughing and plucking at her gown. Without words the Heptonian females had effectively communicated the futility of a pleasure-slave’s modesty. Eliana realized that it was likely that only hours remained to come to terms with her own nudity before Rox became witness to everything Eliana had so carefully protected.
    With a sigh of resignation Eliana dropped her gown and allowed the women to help her ease into the temperate water. If she had not been aware that she had been purchased as a slave only this afternoon, Eliana would have felt positively pampered.
    The harsh reality was that Rox was probably disgusted with her grungy hair and sweat soaked skin. Of course he would want her properly cleaned and attired before having anything to do with her. She instantly regretted the