Pairing with the Protector Read online

  “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 coaster ride ever. She was very aware of the fact that the only thing between all of them and a two or three story fall to the ground was how careful a pre-schooler was with her toys but Zhu-zhu was conscientious enough to keep the toy vehicle level and none of them tipped out.

  They came to the huge front door and Whitney’s heart began to beat even faster. Were they really going to get out? Was Zhu-zhu able to manage the massive door on her own?

  Luckily, she was—although the issue was in doubt for a moment. But with a final twist of her trunk, Zhu-zhu managed to get the door open and then they were out in the open under the turquoise alien sky at last.

  The clock is ticking, Whitney thought to herself as they left the vast, blue-domed Tusker residence behind. Who knew how long Mama Tusker was going to be gone? Had she just run to the store for the Tusker equivalent of a carton of milk, or was she going to be gone all morning doing errands? There was no way to know, but Whitney didn’t intend to take chances.

  “Too much sun—in the forest is more fun,” she sang to Zhu-zhu. “Please can we go and I will thank you so!”

  Now that they were outside and playing, Zhu-zhu seemed amenable to almost any suggestion.

  “Okay, Lovely!” she exclaimed and then went zooming off, into the forest, holding the hover-cycle in front of her.

  Oh God—oh my God! Whitney held on tight, very aware that if Zhu-zhu tripped on a rock and went sprawling, all of them were probably going to crash to the ground and die a terrible death. But the little alien girl was sure-footed and soon she found a track that she seemed to know and started following it.

  Beside her, Rafe gripped Whitney’s hand.

  “I know this area,” he sent urgently through their link. “Our ship should be just a little further on in the clearing up ahead.”

  Sure enough, after just a minute Whitney saw something silver winking in the corner of her eye. When Zhu-zhu took another step, she saw their ship parked just where they had left it, looking small as a toy surrounded by all the vast trees with their green and purple leaves.

  “Here is where to stay! Here is where to play!” she sang-shouted as loudly as she could, trying to get the little girl’s attention.

  “Oh—here?” Zhu-zhu skidded to an abrupt halt, making Whitney wish that the toy hover-cycle was equipped with seatbelts. As it was, only Rafe’s strong grip on her arm kept her from tumbling out of the front of the toy vehicle and falling to the ground, twenty feet below.

  “Put us down, on the ground,” she sang shakily, hoping the little girl would obey.

  Luckily Zhu-zhu seemed perfectly willing to put them down. And, after a moment, they all climbed out on rather shaky legs.

  “You distract her while I get the ship started,” Rafe sent through their link.

  I’ll try!” Whitney sent grimly. Walking over to Zhu-zhu, who was sitting down on the grass, her knees folded, she sang,

  “You’re so sweet, you can’t be beat!”

  Zhu-Zhu grinned down at her.

  “Thanks Lovely! You’re the best tweedle ever!”

  For a minute Whitney felt sorry about letting the little girl take the blame for their escape. Then again, Zhu-zhu was the one who had captured them in the first place, she reminded herself. Also, Mama Tusker didn’t seem to be a mean or abusive parent. She would be upset with Zhu-zhu for letting her prize-winning tweedles get away, but she wouldn’t beat her or hurt her over it.

  And I can’t live my life in a cage just so an alien pre-schooler doesn’t get a time out for playing with mommy’s pets, she told herself firmly. I have to get out of here—all of us do!

  “We’re all aboard,” Rafe’s voice came through their link. “Get back here, Whitney. Find a way to make her look the other direction and run!”

  “I will—give me a minute!” Whitney sent back. She supposed she could send the little girl across the clearing to look at the brightly colored butterfly-like insect she saw fluttering there, but there was something she wanted to try instead.

  Touching Zhu-zhu’s arm, she sang to her, “My friend, Zhu-zhu, did you know tweedles are people too? They don’t belong in a zoo! To put them in a cage is bad and it makes them very sad.”

  Zhu-zhu’s eyes widened.

  “Really, Lovely?”

  “It’s