The desert was a rich tapestry of different shades of red and gold, the colours so intense they were almost dazzling. The sky was a brilliant crystalline blue, bluer than any sky I had ever seen, without a single cloud. Crinkled red mountains lounged on the other side of the wide red and gold plain.
Brightly coloured tents flapped in the breeze. Banners snapped on top of the tents, some of them bearing the
motif of a white tiger. The sun had nearly set and the tents made long shadows over the red desert plain.
The wind chime hanging above the window made a gentle musical sound.
Riders practised manoeuvres on the plain. They rode Arab horses, decked out with colourful blankets and flowing ribbons. The riders tore over the desert with spears and impaled pegs on the ground.
‘That’s tent-pegging,’ I said. ‘I did that in pony club.’
‘At full gallop on a pure-bred Arab?’ the stone said.
‘I wish.’ I began to warm to the stone. It was good company.
I sighed. ‘This is so beautiful.’
‘The Mountain was even more exquisite,’ John said behind me.
I turned. There he was. He still wore the black cotton pants and T-shirt he had worn to the meeting earlier, and appeared uninjured. His hair had come completely loose and fell around his shoulders. He smiled gently, the golden skin of his face glowing. It was all I could do to stop myself racing to him and throwing myself into his arms.
‘Is that really him?’ I asked the stone.
‘Yes, my Lady, it really is,’ the stone said.
I sagged against the window frame with relief.
The Tiger, in True Form, padded out from behind John. He went out the door and it closed softly behind him.
‘What are you doing here?’ I said.
‘The Tiger brought me here. He is a complete fool. It will take him at least a day and a night to recover from the exertion before he can carry us back. He is completely incapacitated. He can’t even take human form.’
‘I’ll have to rearrange the Paris travel plans. What a nuisance.’
‘I think Mercy will understand.’
We sat together on the couch and I poured the tea. He was far too close to me; I could feel the warmth from him. His T-shirt was damp and crumpled from the exertion of battling the demon. Now he was closer I could see tears in the fabric where Wong had made some near misses.
‘Are you hurt? He made it through you a couple of times.’
‘He didn’t touch me.’
‘Will everyone be okay while we’re stuck here for two days? Will Simone be all right?’
‘Monica, Leo and Michael are minding her for us. A Celestial Master is also guarding. It’s a shame Simone can’t travel to the Plane.’ He glanced out the window. ‘But I’m sure she’ll like it when she can come.’
‘How old will she have to be before she can come?’
‘Fully grown.’ He shrugged. ‘I will know, but I will not be here anyway.’ He smiled and I became lost in his eyes. He really was sitting far too close to me. His eyes studied my face, his voice warm and low. ‘But while I am here there’s something I can do.’
More duties to perform. ‘What’s that?’
He reached to take my hand, pulling me closer. ‘I can touch you.’
My heart leapt to my throat. ‘Oh dear Lord, no.’
‘Oh dear Lady, absolutely yes.’ He put his hand gently around the back of my neck, pulled me in and kissed me.
I pressed hard into him. I threw my arms around his neck and dug my fingers into his hair. His hands stroked over my shoulders and down my back. He pulled my shirt free and shoved his hands inside, running them along the bare skin of my back and making me moan into his mouth.
I couldn’t be close enough to him. The blood pounded in my ears. He breathed heavily, his chest heaving against me. His grip tightened, then he pulled away to study me, his face very intense. He glanced down and worked at the buttons on my shirt, making me tremble.
Then he stopped and his face went rigid. A black shutter rolled up over his eyeballs. No whites, no irises, nothing. Just black.
He shoved me backwards on the couch and threw himself on top of me. He held me down by the throat. I nearly panicked but I tried to control it; he wasn’t choking me, he just held me.
‘John. John. What are you doing?’
He didn’t hear me, his face had twisted into a fierce grimace. I didn’t struggle; he could easily snap my neck. I tried to lie very still but my heart raced.
He grabbed the front of my shirt, pulled it upwards and ripped it off me, chafing the skin of my back. He shifted sideways slightly and did the same to my jeans; grabbed, pulled, ripped them away. His black eyes didn’t focus on me.
He released my throat but I didn’t move; I didn’t risk fighting back.
I touched his cheek, trying to snap him out of it. He grabbed my wrist, thrust it over my head and pinned it to the couch. He held it, grabbed my other hand, and put it over my head as well. He pinned both of my hands in one of his, his grip like steel. He breathed heavily, his eyes hard and black and glittering above mine. His hair hung like a curtain around our faces.
He shifted on top of me and pinned me with his body. He tugged at his pants using his free hand.
He pushed himself hard onto me and forced his knee between my legs. He moved his forearm across my throat to hold me down. His other hand held my hands
above my head. I was unable to move and barely able to breathe as he forced himself on me, black eyes glittering, face fierce and terrible.
I didn’t try to move. I didn’t try to fight him. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I was completely defenceless. He had me.
When his eyes returned to normal he pulled back to study me, his face expressionless. He threw himself off me, fixed his clothes, and stalked to the window. He brushed his hair out of his face to watch the desert.
I rose as well. I didn’t bother with my clothes; they were ruined. I shrugged off the remains and went to him. I stood behind and slightly to one side of him, leaned into him and put my arm around his waist.
He silently leaned on the window frame, looking at the desert for a long time. I held him and waited.
Finally he spoke, his voice very soft. ‘Did I hurt you? Are you injured?’
‘I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me at all.’
He banged his palms on the stone of the window ledge, stalked back to the couch and threw himself to sit on it. He bent forward and put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. I followed and stood over him, waiting. He rubbed his hands over his face and looked up at me. He saw me without my clothes and his face went intense again. He looked away.
I sat next to him and took one of his hands in both of mine. ‘You completely lost control, didn’t you? Both you and Ms Kwan said that could happen.’
He studied his hand where I held it. ‘It’s been more than three years.’ His face went fierce. ‘I should have better control than that!’ He looked into my eyes. ‘I am so sorry, Emma. I could have hurt you.’
I squeezed his hand. ‘Will it be like that every time?’
‘No, not every time. But sometimes…’ He hesitated. ‘Perhaps. I don’t want to hurt you. This is such a bad idea; having a human wife has always been a bad idea.’ His voice gained a very slight edge of despair. ‘I would understand if you were to change your mind now.’
‘So it won’t be like that every time?’
‘No. But sometimes it may be.’
‘Good,’ I said firmly. ‘Because if it was like that every single time, it would definitely be too much of a good thing.’
His face went blank. Then he heard what I’d said and it filled with wonder. ‘You really are amazing sometimes.’
‘You’re pretty damn amazing yourself.’
I levered myself over him so that I straddled his lap, and threw my arms around his neck. I moved my face very close to his and looked him in the eyes. ‘I want to see your eyes go black again. That was cool.’
He wrapped his strong hands around my bare waist and his face became intense. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’
‘So soon?’
He just smiled.
I woke with a start. Someone lay next to me, facing away. Long, black shining hair. Smooth, muscular golden shoulders. I vaulted out of the bed and nearly brushed the ceiling as I somersaulted and landed lightly on the carpet nearly seven metres away. What the hell?
He rolled over to see me. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he smiled. ‘That move needs some work, Emma. You have been concentrating far too much on the energy work lately and letting the physical training fall beside the way. You are even becoming slightly soft in the middle.’
I looked down at myself. He was right.
He threw the covers open. ‘Come back to bed.’
He was teasing me. He’d deliberately thrown the covers off so that I could see him. He was magnificent. His long black hair had come completely loose and fell over his shoulders and neck in wonderful disarray. He was solid muscle under smooth golden skin, shining in the moonlight.
‘You really need to go to Paris,’ I said. ‘You look nearly fifty years old yourself.’
He laughed softly. ‘I’m an old man.’
I climbed back into bed and he pulled the covers over us; the desert night was cold. I snuggled next to him and ran my hands over his strong back. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt the muscles of his back move beneath my fingers. His hands were cool, but his chest was warm. I stuck my face under his chin and he nuzzled the top of my head.
‘Not where it counts.’
It became very warm under the covers. One of his hands trailed up my back and buried itself in my hair. He gently rolled me so that I was on my back and he was above me. He lowered his face to mine.
I could tell his eyes didn’t go black, even though I couldn’t see them. He took his time.
W
e didn’t shift our eyes from each other as we ate our noodles in the shade of the pavilion. The Tiger lounged under the table and noisily tore apart the haunch of a large ungulate. The fountain splashed next to us and the breeze wafted cool, moist air off the water.
The clothes the Tiger had given me were much too elaborate for me to be at ease. The flowing golden yellow cotton pants and Indian-style long top with black embroidery had been in the way when John and I had practised some hand-to-hand that morning. But the silk slippers were delightfully comfortable, and I wondered if he could bring me some to Hong Kong later.
The Tiger had provided John with his usual black training gear: a pair of cotton pants and jacket similar to what the Tiger himself wore in human form.
‘Did you destroy Wong?’ I asked John. ‘Tell me it’s gone.’
‘It ran, as it usually does, as soon as it saw I was winning,’ John said. ‘It really is the most tremendous coward.’
‘Damn,’ I said quietly into my food.
The Tiger crunched the bones under the table.
‘Must you do that, Bai Hu?’ I said patiently. ‘It sounds revolting, and I’m trying to eat here.’
‘Sorry, my Lady.’ He picked up the remains of his meal in his mouth and carried it, exactly as a cat would, a short distance away from us. He dropped it and lounged next to it. ‘Is this okay?’
‘Whatever,’ John said. ‘As long as we don’t have to look at you.’
‘Good coming from you,’ Bai Hu said, amused. ‘You should see him eat in True Form, Lady Emma, it is a sight to behold.’
‘Turtles are cute when they eat,’ I said, smiling into John’s eyes. ‘I would love to see that.’
‘I’m not talking about the Turtle, I’m talking about the Serpent,’ the Tiger said. ‘It eats pigs whole, and takes its sweet delicious time about it.’
John’s head shot up. ‘Have you seen it?’
‘No, my friend, and nobody else has either. I wonder what happened to it.’ The Tiger glanced up from the carnage of his meal. ‘It has been gone for a very long time. Does it answer when you call?’
‘No,’ John said quietly.
‘You are a very strange creature, Xuan Wu.’
‘I know,’ John said, still very quietly.
Bai Hu returned to crunching the bones.
‘We need to go back tomorrow,’ John said. ‘There are things we need to do, and I don’t want to leave Simone alone for too long.’
‘I understand, John. This was more than I could have asked for. It’s more than I ever expected.’ I took his hand. He put his other hand on top. I became lost in his eyes. ‘Thank you so much, Tiger.’
The Tiger said something unintelligible through the meat.
‘Charlie wasn’t too upset?’ I said.
John stiffened and his face went expressionless. The Tiger stopped crunching the bones.
I ripped my hands away. ‘That
bastard
! You said the word of a Demon Prince was
good
!
‘That demon is one of the most disgusting pieces of scum it has ever been my misfortune to encounter,’ John said evenly, ‘and I have seen some fine pieces of work over the past two thousand years or so. He killed her the minute he knew he would lose.’
I clutched the table. ‘She’s dead?’
John nodded, his face still expressionless.
‘I am going to rip the arms and legs off that bastard, tear out his innards and feed them to him,’ the Tiger said with quiet menace.
‘No you aren’t, because I am,’ I said.
The Tiger made a soft sound and I turned to look at him; he studied me intently, his tawny eyes glowing.
I crossed my arms on the table and dropped my head onto them. ‘No. Charlie.’
John moved closer and put his arm around me. ‘She didn’t suffer, Emma. He hadn’t laid a hand on her until he saw he was losing. Then he took her head off and ran. I was honestly not expecting it. It is the first time I have ever seen a Demon Prince go back on his word.’
‘We will be ready for him next time,’ I said fiercely into my arms. ‘We will get that bastard.’
‘Call me if you see him,’ the Tiger said. ‘Let me help. I have a score to settle with him as well.’
‘Very well, Tiger, we will get him together.’ John squeezed my shoulders. ‘We can’t go home for another day, love. Try to enjoy this short time we have.’
The Tiger wandered back to us and threw himself to lie beside the table. He proceeded to wash himself, his tongue rasping over his fur. He turned one of his front paws over and licked the pads, then nibbled delicately between the toes.
‘Go and have a screw,’ he said between licks, his eyes half-closed. ‘It will make you feel better. Worry about the rest of the world when you return.’ He stopped licking and twitched one ear. ‘Actually, that’s good advice, and I might take it myself.’ He winked. ‘Later.’ He lazily pulled himself up, stretched like a big cat, flicked his tail and padded away.
John watched the Tiger go with amusement. ‘He is absolutely incorrigible.’
‘And very wise. Up for it?’
‘I am a Turtle.’ He smiled gently. ‘Don’t you know about us?’ ‘What?’
His eyes crinkled up. ‘We always are.’
He brushed his hand over my back as we lay silently side by side. His hair had come completely out and I twisted it through my fingers. The dark purple silken bedcovers were exquisitely comfortable and I dozed in his arms. Despite the warmth of the afternoon, the room was shady and cool. A fountain splashed outside the window and a bird sang some distance away.
‘Tell him about the shen,’ the stone said.
‘You are not supposed to be listening,’ John said. ‘Go back to sleep.’
‘I really will flush this thing down the toilet and ask you for a diamond instead,’ I said. ‘Imagine. A little green voyeur on my finger.’
‘I am not a voyeur,’ the stone said crisply. ‘I am not at all interested in what you animals get up to—’
‘Animals!’ I squawked.
‘I am,’ John said, amused.
‘—but you really should tell him about the shen,’ the stone said, ignoring us. ‘It is quite important.’ ‘Which Shen?’John said.
‘I did a Yang tai chi set while I was waiting for you last night. I thought I was working with chi, but then I saw I was working with shen.’
‘You did shen work?’ John pulled himself up and threw his long legs over the side of the bed. ‘Show me.’
I hesitated; then, what the hell. I went to the middle of the room, moved into position and began.
It happened again about halfway through the set. I didn’t need to see it to know; he went very still. It felt absolutely marvellous. I was one with the universe; all of history stretched before me. His presence shimmered dark and cool behind me. The warmth of the desert smouldered outside the window. It was exquisite.
I finished the set, moved my hands through the final position, and put the shen back. Then I took a deep breath and stood still for a moment, revelling in the wonderful feeling.
‘You should not have been able to do that,’ John said quietly.
I turned to see him. ‘What?’
‘Only Immortals can work with shen, my love.’ His voice went strange. ‘Come here.’ I went to him and sat next to him. He put his hands on my face. ‘Open up, love.’ I relaxed and let him in.
He shuffled through all my feelings. He looked in all my corners. It was much easier this time; I was accustomed to the feeling of him inside my head. I relaxed and enjoyed it.
He sighed when he felt the after-effects of the shen work. ‘That really does feel wonderful, doesn’t it? I haven’t been able to do that in a long time. I miss it. But why can you work with shen?’
I imagined myself holding my hands out. I hadn’t even known ordinary humans couldn’t do it.
He hunted through me. ‘Same as before, nothing
special, ordinary human.’ He hesitated for a moment, then said, ‘Stone.’ ‘Yes, Turtle?’
‘I looked inside her before, she is an ordinary human being. Something dark emerged when the Demon King saw inside her; it was enough to push him out. It must have been something very powerful, but when I look now, I see nothing. But she just worked with shen, which ordinary humans can’t do. Why is this?’
‘To tell you the truth,’ the stone said in its best BBC voice, ‘I have no idea either. All I know is that you have chosen a most unusual female—’
‘Female!’ I squawked again.
‘—and that she has talents that will only grow with time. There is a great deal of hidden power in this one. Immense destructive capability. It is a shame you will not be around to guide her to full realisation of her potential. When you return, you will be astounded.’
‘Destructive capability?’ I said.
‘Immense. When you realise your potential, I think you will be the most destructive thing the Dark Lord has ever seen, and he is the power of yin himself.’
‘Is she dangerous?’ John said quietly.
The stone hesitated. I heard it hesitate.
‘Answer the question, stone. Am I dangerous?’
The stone didn’t reply.
‘Tell me right now,’ I said. ‘I don’t want to be a danger to Xuan Wu, Simone, or any member of the family.’ The stone still didn’t reply.
I took John’s hands from my face and put them on my throat. ‘Kill me now, John, please.’ I looked straight into his horrified eyes. ‘Kill me!’
‘No!’ the stone shouted. ‘There is absolutely no need for this.’
We sagged against each other.
‘Am. I. Dangerous,’ I said very slowly and clearly.
‘Yes, you are,’ the stone said.
We snapped our heads up and gazed into each other’s eyes.
‘But not to your family, Emma. I should have made myself clearer,’ the stone said.
John visibly relaxed. I put my hands on his shoulders. He brushed his hands over my back. We touched foreheads and sat motionless.
‘What the hell are you talking about, stone?’ I said, quietly exasperated. ‘You make absolutely no sense whatsoever.’
‘Let me elaborate,’ the stone said. ‘You are very unusual. Very talented. Right now you are an ordinary human being. That will change as time passes—’
‘Of course it will. I will Raise her when I return,’ John said.
‘Don’t interrupt me!’ the stone snapped. ‘You may not need to. She is a long way there herself already. Look what she just did. She is extraordinary.’
‘That’s what Ms Kwan is always saying,’ I said.
‘
I will stop talking if you keep interrupting me
,’ the stone said. ‘Lady Emma Donahoe, I don’t know quite what you are or where you’re going, but I would like to come along for the ride. Lord Xuan Wu, Dark Lord, listen to me.’
‘I’m listening,’ John said.
‘Teach her as if she is Immortal. See how far you go. Don’t push her too hard, you could kill her. Until you leave her. When you return, you will be astonished.’
John raised his head to gaze into my eyes. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’
‘And now I think I will stay quiet and watch. Except when you’re doing your animal thing, because then I’ll be asleep. Understood?’
‘I love you, Xuan Wu, and I wish I knew what the stone was talking about here.’
‘I love you too, Emma, and so do I.’
‘Animals!’ the stone snapped, and went quiet.
‘I think you should talk to somebody about this death wish that you seem to have,’ he said.
‘Excuse me, doctor, could you help me, please? When my fiancé, who is a turtle that I can’t touch because it would kill me, went to fight this demon, I offered to fall on my sword rather than into the demon’s hands. And then later, when my engagement ring said that I might be dangerous to my family, I asked the turtle—who, by the way, is missing his snake half—to kill me. Oh, and all of this happened at the house of our best friend, who is a tiger.’
‘I see your point.’
‘Maybe an animal psychologist would be more help.’
‘I think the Tiger has one or two here in the palace,’ he said, perfectly serious. ‘Would you like me to make an appointment for you?’
I giggled and pushed him over. He grinned and pulled me on top.
‘Not again
already.’
‘Emma, I thought you did some research on me. If you knew about the nature of turtles then you would not be surprised.’
‘John Chen Wu, you never cease to surprise me, every day of my life.’
‘Good.’ He ran his hands over my back and his face became intense.