Pairing with the Protector: A Kindred Tales Novel (Brides of the Kindred) Read online

  “There is a way, warrior—if you will but take it.” The strong, feminine voice startled him so much, Rafe fell off the gray plastic log he was sitting on.

  “What…who…?” He looked around wildly but couldn’t see anyone near.

  “It is I, the Goddess—the Mother of All Life,” the voice informed him. “I have come to say that you must do as Whitney tells you. All who follow her lead will be saved. Those who do not, will be left to their fate.”

  Then the voice and the presence was gone. Rafe felt stunned—as though some long-held belief had been suddenly shattered. As though his life had been turned upside down in an instant.

  Follow Whitney? What did that mean? Follow her where?

  And then he heard her voice, singing high and sweet and clear, filling the air around him.

  But he wasn’t the one she was singing to.

  * * * * *

  “Hello, Lovely—I came to bring you breakfast. Mama said I could.” Zhu-zhu grinned at her as she began pushing slices of some blue alien fruit through the bars of all the tweedles’ cages. “She said two for each tweedle. So here you go!”

  As she pushed the fruit through the bars of the cage, Whitney leaned over and grasped one huge, chubby finger in both her hands.

  “Zhu-zhu, Zhu-zhu, Zhu-zhu,” she sang sweetly.

  “Oh!” The alien child’s eyes grew wide. “That sounded exactly like my name!”

  “Zhu-zhu, Zhu-zhu, I know your name! Zhu-zhu, Zhu-zhu, let’s play a game!” Whitney sang, making sure she was using the Tusker language, not English.

  Zhu-zhu’s eyes got even wider.

  “Oh no! The Speaking Disease! You’ve got the Speaking Disease!”

  Thinking quickly, Whitney sang, “No, no, I don’t. Because singing isn’t saying. Singing is just playing!”

  “Oh…” Zhu-zhu took a moment to think this over. It seemed to make sense to her because she nodded. “Okay,” she said at last. “Then sing some more.”

  “Let’s play a game, now that I know your name,” Whitney sang.

  Zhu-zhu nodded excitedly. “I would love to play a game!” She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Mama went out for the morning and Papa is still snoring in bed. So you can even come out of your cage, if you want.”

  Whitney’s heart leapt but she knew she had to keep her head. This was the chance she and Rafe had been waiting for and they might not ever get another one.

  She nodded and sang, “Of course I want to play! I want to play all day! But I’ll be blue, unless he can come too.”

  She nodded at Rafe, who had come to stand silently beside her. She was a little surprised that he wasn’t trying to pull her back or shield her from the inquisitive alien child, but she was determined to keep going and hoped he would play along.

  Zhu-zhu got an uncertain look on her lumpish face.

  “Uh, him too? I’m not sure about that, Lovely.”

  Whitney mimed crying and sang,

  “But I’ll cry all day, unless he can come and play!”

  “Well…” Zhu-zhu seemed to consider it, then she nodded. “You know what? I just got a brand-new toy hover cycle for my dolly.” She held up the doll she’d tucked under her arm while she pushed food into the cages. “Would you like a ride in it? Both of you?”

  Whitney nodded enthusiastically.

  “Yes, yes, yes! And can I wear your dolly’s dress?”

  Which was a rhyme she’d made up on the spot, but it would be nice to have clothes on again.

  “Sure you can!” Zhu-zhu took a minute to strip it off the doll and push it through the bars of the cage. “I’ll be right back!” she promised, and thundered up the ramp, presumably to get the toy vehicle they were going to take a ride in.

  The minute she was gone, Whitney turned to Rafe.

  “I don’t want to hear a word,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “I’m going and if you’re smart, you’ll come with me. This might be our last chance.”

  “I’m with you,” he said simply, nodding. “You’ll get no argument from me.”

  “I won’t?” She looked at him, so surprised for a moment she couldn’t think what to say next. She’d been prepared to argue in order to get him to go and now he was just agreeing. Whitney wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “Whitney? Whitney!” The urgent voice from the side of the cage caught her attention and she turned to see Yancy and Yarrow standing there. Yancy was gripping the bars so hard her knuckles were white.

  “Yes?” Whitney ran over to them, kicking the greenish-purple grass aside in her haste. “What is it, Yancy?”

  “Take us with you.” Yancy reached through the bars and grabbed her hand. “Please—please try,” she begged urgently. “I don’t want my babies to be taken away from me again. Please, Whitney!”

  “I’ll try,” Whitney promised. She looked through the bars of their cage to the one beyond it. “What about you, Dood?” she called. “Should I try to get Zhu-zhu to take you too?”

  The auburn-haired tweedle appeared to think about it for a moment but then he shook his head.

  “Nah—I’m pretty happy here with my little Beauty.” He laughed. “Finally found a female who doesn’t speak back and she’s always in the mood for mating. What else can a tweedle ask for?”

  Whitney wrinkled her nose. No great loss there. But she was going to try her damndest to get Yancy and Yarrow free.

  “All right,” she said to the two of them. Go to the door of your cage when Zhu-zhu comes back and hold out your arms, like you want to play. I’ll do my best to get her to let you out.”

  They nodded eagerly and just then, the thundering footsteps of the youngest Tusker could be heard on the ramp once more.

  “Okay—show time!” Whitney whispered and ran back to the door of her own cage. She still had the big bunch of wadded fabric which was the doll’s dress clutched in her hands and now she took a minute to pull it over her head. It was way too big and the fabric was scratchy but it was clothing. Whitney hugged it to herself, savoring the feeling of not being nude anymore. If she got out of this, she was never taking off her clothes again, she swore to herself. She would take baths and showers fully clothed. She would—

  Zhu-zhu came into sight, a bright pink vehicle that looked not unlike the Barbie jeep Whitney had owned as a little girl clutched in her chubby seven-fingered hands.

  “Here it is—my hover-cycle!” she exclaimed proudly, displaying it. To Whitney’s relief, there were four molded plastic seats in the toy, which was about the size of an SUV with its roof cut off.

  “Take us for a ride! I want to go outside!” she sang, clapping her hands.

  “Okay!” Opening the cage door with her trunk, Zhu-zhu held the toy hover-cycle carefully, just outside the high platform the cages were located on to allow Whitney and Rafe to climb in. Before they could “blast off” in the toy vehicle though, Whitney sang quickly,

  “Oh look, Zhu-zhu—they want to come too!”

  She pointed to Yancy and Yarrow, who were holding their arms out beseechingly and begging with their eyes as hard as they could.

  “Oh!” For a moment, the alien child looked uncertain. But, as Whitney had hoped, the lure of having her toy car full of passengers was too much to resist. “Okay!” she said at last. And, opening Yancy and Yarrow’s cage, she held the bright pink vehicle steady and let them climb aboard as well.

  Once everyone was settled, Whitney sang to the little girl, “Let’s go out in the sun and have a little fun!”

  “Outside the house?” Zhu-zhu looked doubtful but Whitney sang,

  “Think of all the fun, out in the sun! Your hover-cycle can fly, up in the sky!”

  This seemed to decide Zhu-zhu because she nodded again and took them up the ramp, making “Zooming” noises all the way.

  It was a bit of a bumpy ride and Whitney felt her gorge try to rise but luckily she had thrown up everything earlier so she was able to keep from puking now. Even so, it was like the scariest roller