I stepped out of the ensuite into the hotel bedroom and stopped. It was completely quiet; the room was empty. Our suitcases stood unopened where we’d dropped them next to the bed.
I sent my senses out and found John, Simone and Frankie on the beach.
The water here is clean and alive and it was calling him, John said.
I teleported onto the beach. Freddo had joined them, and was standing next to Simone on the sand.
Frankie watched the sea, mesmerised. ‘I can feel it.’
‘We can all feel it,’ Simone said. ‘Our daddy is the God of the Sea. That’s our element.’
‘John is?’ Frankie said.
‘Please don’t call me John,’ John said. ‘Call me Ba Ba. Or Daddy, like Simone does. Or Father. Or even my true name, Xuan Wu. I’d prefer any of them to John.’
‘Emma calls you John.’
‘It’s my name in her language,’ John said. ‘You are our son, and you should call her Mother and me Father.’
‘I don’t want to,’ Frankie said, and lowered his head. ‘Father was . . .’
The water hissed, and pulled away from the shore. I watched with alarm as it receded from us, building into a massive wave ten metres high half a kilometre away. The wave continued to grow and I had a moment of panic — it would destroy everything.
Don’t be concerned, I have it, John said.
‘Si Shu,’ he said to Frankie, ‘you are my son and I am the element of water. The beauty of the sea calls to us, but it also has immense destructive power. If you were to release that wave, it would engulf all the buildings behind us and drown everyone in them.’
‘Buffy and Mattie, and Nanna and Poppy, and Little Jade and Richie would all die,’ I said.
Freddo snorted loudly and shook his head.
Simone squealed. ‘All over me! Really? Did you have to? That is so gross!’
‘Sorry, Simone,’ Freddo said, full of remorse.
‘Simone’s been slimed,’ I said with amusement.
Frankie laughed, and the wave collapsed on itself. The water rushed towards the shore, but John controlled it and it didn’t touch us.
‘It calls to me, Daddy,’ Frankie said.
John stiffened beside me and I patted his back.
‘Would you like to go out and see?’ John said. ‘I can take you.’
Frankie hesitated.
‘It’s very beautiful,’ John said softly. ‘There are fish that glow in the deep water. Points of light like Simone’s stars.’
‘Will we be safe?’ Frankie said.
‘The water is me, and you will always be safe with me.’
‘I’ll come too,’ Simone said. ‘We can go together and see the things I described to you.’
‘The big fish?’
‘Better than that, there’s a pod of dolphins out there playing. Can you hear them?’ she said.
Frankie concentrated, then raised his head. ‘Let’s go.’
John turned to me, his eyes full of the sea. ‘Come with us, Emma.’
‘No, you three go,’ I said. ‘I have to help set up the wedding.’
‘You don’t need us?’ Simone said.
I gestured towards Frankie. ‘Don’t make him wait to connect with his element. Just be back by four.’
‘I don’t have a watch,’ John said. ‘You’ll have to call me.’
‘Leave me a scale or a piece of your shell then, so I can contact you.’
‘Use your sword,’ he said. ‘It is linked to me.’
‘Oh. Okay.’
He kissed me, then took Frankie’s hand and guided him into the water, with Simone beside them. They walked out until the water was waist deep, then dived into it and disappeared.
I sighed gently.
‘They are so awesome,’ Freddo said.
‘I know.’
* * *
A lusciously warm breeze, full of the scent of tropical flowers, lifted the pale green, tan and black silken swags over the bower. Leo and Martin had only invited twenty of their closest friends and family, and they sat on chairs on a raised wooden platform above the sand. Leo’s sister, Elise, and her husband, Max, were in the front row, obviously deeply uncomfortable.
The Jade Emperor wore a bright gold tuxedo and managed to look dignified in the intense colour, particularly since he’d left his hair long and in a topknot, and kept his short neat beard. He stood under the bower waiting for the grooms, holding the wedding program in front of him with a satisfied smile.
I stood next to him in a black tuxedo that Mr Li had cut to fit my shape, and John stood on the other side of the Emperor in his black and silver silk robes.
Smooth jazz started somewhere nearby and everybody hushed and turned.
Buffy came up the aisle, her face full of concentration as she held a small bouquet of green, brown and black flowers in front of her similarly coloured dress. Mr Li had done wonders with the livery and the dress looked innocently pretty despite the bold colours. Frankie came behind her, wearing a tiny black tux and holding the rings on a green and brown tortoise-shaped silk cushion. The children walked slowly up the aisle, their little faces serious, and Leo and Martin followed them arm in arm, their expressions full of quiet joy.
Martin wore traditional Tang-style multi-layered robes in green and brown, with a wide belt and a rope over-belt, and they drifted around him in the warm breeze. He had part of his long hair tied in a topknot encased in a gold filigree crown and the rest fell to his waist. Leo wore a Western tuxedo, all in black, with a green bow tie and a brown cummerbund.
Elise’s expression softened when she saw Leo and Martin together, and she opened her bag, pulled out tissues and wiped her eyes. Max patted her leg.
Frankie stood next to me, and Buffy stood next to John. She smiled up at him and he returned the grin.
Leo and Martin stood in front of the Jade Emperor and held hands. The warm breeze lifted the silk around us again.
The Jade Emperor opened the portfolio containing the service. ‘Never, in my long reign, have I been happier to rescind an Imperial Edict,’ he said.
* * *
John eyed the wedding cake suspiciously as the waiter placed it in front of him.
‘You don’t like fruit cake?’ I said.
‘I could never understand it; it’s very strange,’ he said. ‘I wonder if they have sliced orange or something a little more normal.’ He looked around. ‘Maybe one of the children want it.’
Frankie, Buffy, Little Jade and Richie ran up to us, and all four of them hit the table with a bump.
‘Yeh Yeh,’ Buffy said, ‘can I stay with Uncle Gold and Aunty Amy tonight, instead of with you and Aunty Emma?’
‘Me too!’ Frankie said. ‘We want to play with Jade and Richie.’
‘Did your fathers say it was okay?’ John said.
‘And did you ask Gold and Amy first?’ I added.
‘Yes!’ all four of them said in unison.
‘They said it’s okay,’ Buffy said.
‘Let me see,’ John said. He nodded. ‘Just for tonight. We’re heading back home tomorrow.’
‘Thank you, Yeh Yeh,’ Buffy said, serious.
‘Thank you, Daddy!’ Frankie said, and grinned at me.
‘Do you know,’ Buffy said conspiratorially to John, ‘when I’m grown up, I’ll have a big wedding with lots of flowers and cake, just like my daddies.’
Both Frankie and Richie went very still, listening to her.
‘Who will you marry?’ Richie said.
‘Me!’ Little Jade shouted, and kissed Buffy on the cheek.
‘Yes!’ Buffy yelled, and hugged Little Jade so hard she nearly lifted her off her feet. Little Jade hugged her back, and both girls held each other with huge grins.
‘Can we stay more than one day?’ Frankie said. ‘I want to play with my friends!’
‘Would you all like to spend a few days at the Peak with us?’ I said. ‘You can, if your parents say it’s okay. We have room.’
‘Yes!’ Little Jade and Richie said.
‘Go ask your parents then.’
‘Yay!’ Frankie said, and they ran off to find Gold and Amy.
Yi Hao, I said.
Ma’am?
Make up the spare rooms for tomorrow. Gold and Amy’s children are staying with us for a few days as well as Buffy.
She was silent.
Yi Hao?
No reply.
Er Hao.
Ma’am?
I just asked Yi Hao something and she went quiet. Is she all right?
Let me check. I’m going up the stairs, here she is . . . Ma’am, what did you say to her? She’s sitting on the kitchen floor crying her eyes out!
I said that Gold and Amy’s children are staying with us —
REALLY? She sounded breathless in my head. Buffy and Little Jade and Richie will be with us, as well as Frankie? All four children?
Yes.
For how long?
A few days, that’s all.
That is so wonderful! Oh, ma’am, I’m crying too now. Thank you! We cannot wait. Oh, oh . . . Her voice disappeared for a moment. Yi Hao is hugging me. We need to go shopping, and make up the rooms, and . . . so many things to be done!
I’ll see you tomorrow, dear ladies, I said.
‘All organised?’ John said.
I nodded. ‘My demons are thrilled to bits.’
‘They adore children.’
‘They may not be as enthusiastic after a few days,’ I said.
‘Even worse — they won’t want to say goodbye.’ John went thoughtful. ‘I wonder if Amy and Gold would like to live in the other downstairs flat while Amy’s doing her law degree.’
I smiled at him. ‘I am so glad you are back, Serpent. That is the best idea ever.’
When the speeches were done and the grooms had been sent on their way, we wandered out of the hotel’s ballroom and onto the beach. The chairs and bower were still there, the silk flapping in the evening breeze, and the stars were beginning to show in the violet sky.
We removed our shoes and left them on the platform, then held hands and stepped onto the sand together. We walked along the shoreline, enjoying the closeness, then stopped and held each other around the waist as we looked out over the water. I rubbed my hand over his back, enjoying the feeling of his silk robes sliding over his skin.
‘Frankie’s with Amy and Gold,’ he said. ‘We have the whole evening to ourselves. Would you like to go out with me?’
‘I would love to.’
Hoofbeats sounded on the beach — a galloping horse was approaching. We turned, alarmed, to see Simone and Frankie riding Freddo bareback, still in their wedding outfits.
‘Woohoo!’ Frankie yelled, his arms in the air, as they thundered past us.
‘You will fall off!’ I shouted at them as Freddo splashed through the shallow water, making Frankie squeal.
‘Hold on!’ Freddo shouted. He made a wide turn and cantered back, then stopped in front of us, his sides heaving. ‘I am so out of shape,’ he said ruefully. ‘Definitely need more cardio.’
‘Watch this, watch this!’ Frankie shouted. ‘Do it, Freddo, do it!’
‘You holding on tight, squirt?’ Simone said.
Frankie grabbed Freddo’s mane. ‘I got it!’
‘Okay, ready?’ Freddo said. ‘Go!’
He made a small half-rear and Frankie yelled with delight. ‘Higher! Higher!’
‘That is incredibly dangerous!’ I said. ‘What if you lose your balance and fall backwards? You’d land on them!’
‘Only on a non-sentient horse. Please give me some credit, Emma,’ Freddo said. He reared again.
‘Yay!’ Frankie yelled. ‘Now run!’
‘Will you be all right if your father and I go into the ocean together for a while?’ I asked them.
‘Go,’ Simone said. ‘Little Jade and Richie are waiting for us, they want a ride.’
‘Buffy too,’ Frankie said. ‘Everybody wants rides.’
‘Pony rides two dollars,’ Freddo said. ‘I wish I could change into a cranky Shetland.’
‘Be careful,’ I said.
‘It’s okay, I hold them,’ Simone said.
‘I always am, ma’am,’ Freddo said. He made another small rear, spun on his hindquarters and cantered back towards the hotel.
* * *
I was wrapped around the Serpent on top of the Turtle’s shell as we sped through the water. I rubbed my tail against his, then extended the stroking to the rest of him. My scent filled the water and the Turtle stopped.
‘You know how I said I’m always interested?’
‘Oh.’ I pulled myself upright on his shell. ‘You’re taking me to see the Dragon King to pay our respects. I should have realised.’
The Turtle started swimming again, thrusting through the water beneath me. ‘You ruined the surprise.’
‘I’ve been dying to see his Palace,’ I said. ‘Ever since you mentioned that it’s the finest underwater one in existence.’ I pulled myself tighter around him. ‘Cannot wait.’
‘He’s not as close as the Dragon is, so no private room for us when we get there,’ he said ruefully.
‘Frankie is safe with Gold and Amy, and Simone is with them,’ I said. ‘We have all night, all of the ocean, and a luxury hotel suite.’
The Turtle lowered its head and pushed harder through the water. ‘That is a fine idea.’
John shared his night vision with me and I saw the ocean bed become shallower in front of us. It lifted into a gentle slope covered in a mass of coral, teeming with fish. The Turtle stopped at the edge of the reef, then raised itself and floated above the surface. The sea bed inclined to a sand-covered coral atoll, circular with a central lagoon that was five kilometres across. The shallow lagoon water was almost invisible against the white sandy bottom.
‘When we land, change to your human form,’ he said. ‘No need for a weapon. Here they come to escort us in.’
Two dragons rose out of the lagoon, their scales shimmering in the tropical moonlight. They approached us and lowered their heads. It was Jade, glittering green and gold, and her daughter Jackie, who was sapphire blue with green fins and tail.
‘Xuan Tian Shang Di,’ Jade said. ‘Xuan Tian Nu Huang. Welcome to Longjia, Dragonhome.’
‘We thank you for your hospitality and enter the King’s domain in peace and fraternity,’ John said. The Turtle bobbed its head. ‘Please escort us to the presence of the King of Dragons.’
Jade and Jackie turned away. ‘This way, Highnesses.’
‘Aren’t I just Xuan Tian Huang Hou?’ I said. ‘Nu Huang means “ruler”, not “consort”.’
‘The Dark Lord himself decreed your title, ma’am,’ Jade said.
‘Do you always have to piss off the entire Celestial, John?’ I said.
Jackie hissed with serpent laughter.
I sighed. ‘Yeah, silly question.’
John followed them as they flew over the low sandy atoll and dived into the water. I gripped him tightly, expecting to hit the bottom, but we didn’t; instead we plunged through the water and into air. I made a loud sound of astonishment and the dragons chuckled.
‘No warning, my Lord?’ Jade said. ‘That was cruel.’
‘Worth it to see her face,’ John said.
We flew three hundred metres above the floor of the town inhabiting the bowl-shaped interior of the atoll. The full moon shone through the water as if it wasn’t there; we were still close enough to the surface to see fish swimming above us. We flew over the town through a fresh fragrance-filled breeze towards what was obviously the Dragon King’s own Palace on one side of the bowl-shaped valley.
The bottom of the valley was a deep blue lake, almost perfectly circular with white paved edges. Dragons splashed and played in the water and tumbled through the air above it.
The town spread and rose along the sides of the valley; and streams and waterfalls cascaded down between the houses, reflecting the street and house lights to cause rainbows through the air. The sides of the valley were terraced to hold the whitewashed houses with blue and green tiled upturning roofs, and gleaming white pagodas with large balconies around the top. A riot of tropical plants flourished between the houses: bougainvillea, hibiscus and tall flame-flowered trees in shades of red, purple and orange, reflecting the light of many red and gold lanterns. Dragons flew among the houses, diving through the waterfalls and playing in the air.
The King’s Palace followed the slope up the hillside to a multi-storeyed white pagoda near the surface of the water above. The Palace was mostly single storey, similar to the Celestial Palace and our own Dark North, but water cascaded between the buildings, over the walls and sometimes the roofs, lit from beneath by coloured lights. Trees grew out of the water as well, towering and green, their leaves rustling in the fresh undersea breeze.
Only dragons are permitted in Dragonhome, John said. No other creatures know of its location. He honours us as fellow reptiles.
I’m glad he’s let us visit, I said. It’s lovely.
We landed at the entrance court in front of the Palace, and took human form. An honour guard of six dragons in human form, carrying halberds, approached and bowed to us.
The biggest one spoke. ‘Dark Lord, Dark Lady, welcome to Dragonhome. The King is waiting for you.’ He turned and gestured towards the Palace. ‘This way.’
‘Dear Lord — Silver!’ I hugged him, and he smiled and wrapped his arms around me. ‘You disappeared! What happened to you? I thought you were dead.’
The other dragons in the escort group grinned broadly.
‘I was severely injured at the Northern Heavens, and they brought me back here,’ he said, releasing me and putting his hand on my back to guide me to the Palace. He tapped his left leg. ‘This is gone from the thigh down, and the other one from the calf down. The prosthetics are good, but I can’t do any more Arts.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, that is not a reason to stop,’ John said. ‘We have eleven students and two Masters who are all disabled, not including Master Leo.’
‘Tell them the truth,’ one of the other dragons said.
‘And the King ordered me back to lead the Royal Guard,’ Silver said sheepishly. He bobbed his head. ‘Apologies for not informing the Mountain of my reassignment.’
‘That’s more like it,’ John said with satisfaction.
Jade bowed to John. ‘If I may accompany you, my Lord? My Lady?’
‘Of course,’ John said.
She changed to human form in her green robes, and shooed Jackie away. ‘Meet up with us after.’
‘Okay, Mama,’ Jackie said, and flew into the air.
Our guards guided us to the King’s main audience hall, with Jade walking at our right as Retainer. The ramp was crystalline blue stone, carved in the form of a dragon and inlaid with gold. We walked up the stairs at the right of the ramp to the veranda around the hall, and stopped at the entrance. The honour guard moved to flank the door, and we entered the hall.
Status? I said.
Equal and informal, John said. Once all of the formal stuff is out of the way, he’s a great guy.
I relaxed with relief, and he smiled as he saw it.
The hall’s roof was ten metres above us, and the walls and floor were tiled with white ceramic. Dragon motifs in translucent blue and green enamel were inlaid into the pillars holding up the roof. The Dragon King sat on a wide gold throne at the other end of the hall, in human form with his golden dragon head. We walked up a green carpet to meet him.
John saluted him first. ‘Long Huang Di. Ten thousand years.’
The Dragon King nodded to John. ‘Xuan Tian Shang Di. Ten thousand years.’
He turned his green eyes onto me and I saluted him as well. ‘Long Huang Di. Ten thousand times ten thousand years.’
He nodded to me. ‘Xuan Nu Huang. Welcome to Longjia. Please allow me to show you the hospitality of dragonkind, reptile to reptile.’
‘We are honoured by your welcome,’ John said.
‘May I offer you refreshment? Have you eaten?’
‘We have, my Lord,’ John said. ‘We need for nothing.’
He cocked his head, studying us.
‘No, seriously,’ I said. ‘We’re not insulting you. We just had a massive wedding banquet and couldn’t possibly fit another thing in.’
‘Some grapes or orange would be good though,’ John said. ‘They had that weird wedding cake that Westerners are so fond of.’
‘That dried grape thing? Truly strange.’ The King drew himself to his feet, put his hands behind his back and paced towards us. ‘Come and have some fruit and tea in the gardens with me then. And I’d appreciate it if you could lay a wreath at a memorial to those who lost their lives in the recent conflict.’
John nodded to him. ‘We would be honoured.’
‘Jade, wait for us at the memorial,’ the King said.
Jade hesitated, then bowed to him. ‘Majesty.’ She disappeared.
‘Lady Emma,’ the Dragon King said, gesturing towards me, ‘walk with us, honoured lady, and tell us of your magnificent children.’
‘Only Frankie is mine,’ I said. ‘Simone is the Dark Lord’s.’
‘You helped him to raise her, my Lady.’
I nodded. ‘That I did.’
‘They’re right,’ he said with wonder. ‘You do sound like him.’
He led us through a courtyard that held a formal garden with a pond and small flowering shrubs, and was lit by strings of lanterns along the walls and the pavilions.
It’s not like him to be this formal. Normally he’s way more relaxed, John said. I wonder what’s coming.
‘There was much consternation at your choice to remain on the Earthly with your first human wife, my Lord, but none can argue that you made the wrong decision,’ the King said. ‘Si Min, the child you had with her, saved the Heavens. And now there are two of these powerful children.’
We sat at a table together, and the Dragon King poured tea for us. John took a slice of orange and watched the King as he ate it. The King’s dragon face made it difficult to see his thoughts.
‘It is a very special feeling when our children surpass us, isn’t it?’ he said.
‘My children fill me with great joy,’ John said, putting the rind down. ‘Emma’s training has made her something unique and powerful, and she has passed that strength to our son. It will be very interesting to see how Si Sha grows.’
‘How old is he?’
‘Nearly three years old, but because of his nature he appears about twelve,’ I said.
‘He appears much older than his true age,’ the Dragon King said grimly. ‘And he has claimed the Murasame.’
‘Yes. It speaks to him,’ I said.
He turned to face the pond, and the koi glided to the surface in hopes of a meal. ‘Truly terrifying.’
John and I shared a look.
‘We will teach him to restrain his power, and he already controls the sword well,’ I said.
‘I have no doubt,’ he said. He hesitated, and we waited for it. He tapped the table. ‘I have a request.’
‘You have but to name it, my Lord,’ John said. ‘The Northern Heavens treasure their close ties with Longjia.’
‘Would you foster one of my children in your household, to grow and learn with yours?’
We relaxed.
‘We already have the Jade Girl,’ John said.
‘Another child of age with your son,’ the King said. ‘To grow in friendship together.’
‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Frankie’s still settling into life as a Celestial, so maybe wait a couple of years and then we can arrange something. We have stacks of room in our apartment on the Peak. I don’t think it would be the best for a child to be with us full-time, but send a kid over every now and then and we’ll be happy to include them in the family.’
‘You really are living on the Earthly?’
‘We shuttle backwards and forwards,’ I said. ‘But since Simone and Buffy are both stuck on the Earthly, we’ve decided to keep the family together.’
‘May I visit and see these exceptional children?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Do you have a fully human form?’
He changed to human form, shrinking in his robes. He lost the dragon head and his human face was youthfully ageless, androgynous and divinely beautiful. His long green and gold hair fell to his waist.
I stared at him for a long moment, and he smiled at my reaction.
‘I think you may need to take a form that is a little less . . .’ I was lost for words.
‘Dragon,’ John growled.
I glanced up at John; his face was rigid with restraint. I took his hand and squeezed it.
Not you, he said. That’s much younger than his usual human form, and if he makes a single move towards Simone I will take his head myself.
I’ll help you, I said. And if he sends a boy of Simone’s age, I’ll send him straight back again.
John nodded without looking away from the Dragon King.
The King regained his dragon head. ‘I’ll work on it.’ He pushed away from the table. ‘Come. Let’s lay these wreaths, and then my daughter wants to show you something.’ We rose as well, and he led us through the garden. ‘Please talk to Jade about marrying Qing Long. She really does love him, and he has renounced his false façade and decided to live true to his own gentle self. They are a fine match.’
‘You just want a daughter of yours as Empress of the East,’ I said.
The Dragon King chuckled. ‘I know, politics politics. But they are still a fine match.’
We went through a small side gate in the Palace’s external wall and arrived on the lawn next to the lake. A three-metre-tall statue of a dragon carved from white marble stood in the centre of the lawn facing the water, and a number of dragons in both human and True Form stood around it, waiting for us. Jade and Jackie stood to one side, both of them with tears running down their faces, as they studied the wall behind the statue that held the names of those who had died in the conflict. The statue was surrounded by funereal wreaths, each a circular flower arrangement composed of white and gold chrysanthemums with the name of the donor written on a card in the centre.
The King gestured towards the statue. ‘My Lord. My Lady.’
John held his hand out and a flowered wreath appeared in it. I held the wreath as well, and we stepped forward together and placed it at the base of the memorial.
Please say something for us, John said. It will cement your seniority.
I nodded, and looked up at the elegant carved dragon.
‘The Demon Kings took advantage of the high principles of the Celestial in an attack without honour. They imprisoned helpless humans and innocent children, and many Celestials died in the fight to protect them. As long as dragons such as those of Dragonhome are willing to give their lives to defend the citizens of the Celestial, it will never fall again. We honour those who died, and those who were injured, those who were physically and mentally traumatised by the conflict, and those who suffered even though they had no part in it. Wudang regathers, and we will rebuild our armies to ensure that the Heavens are never threatened like this again.’
The dragons applauded politely.
‘You have chosen extremely well, my Lord,’ the Dragon King said.
‘I did not choose Lady Emma,’ John said. ‘Fate chose us for each other.’
The King nodded his dragon head. ‘I’ll be in touch about the fostering. I look forward to forging closer ties with the House of the North. Now I believe that my daughter wished to see you. After you have spoken to her, you may depart with our best wishes. She can be our liaison.’ He bowed to John, then to me. ‘Lord Xuan, Lady Emma.’ And he swept away from us, through the gates back into his Palace.
Jade came out of the crowd in human form. ‘There you are. I have something to show you. Come and see.’
‘Are you okay?’ I said. ‘You can stop if you want to.’
‘No, no, it’s fine, she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. ‘Every time I think about Frannie and Hinnie I’m sad, but I have something for you to see. I’m fine.’
She led us around the lake towards the houses. A small temple stood on the lawn next to the lake, and a few dragons were gathered around it in True Form, their bright scales shining in the moonlight.
‘Did my father give you a hard time, Emma?’ Jade said as we walked.
‘He was impeccably polite,’ I said. ‘You’re allowed back home now? He disowned you.’
‘The Blue Dragon revealed his true nature during the conflict, and Father is horrified that the “strong manly” dragon is a . . . what was the word he used? “Pussy”. He has forbidden me from seeing Qing Long ever again.’
‘He’s using reverse psychology,’ I said.
‘I know,’ she said. ‘It’s in this temple. You’ll like this.’
‘What is dragonkind’s reaction to Qing Long revealing his true nature?’ John said with interest. ‘Was there much hilarity at his expense? He has been very quiet.’
‘The other dragons seem more relieved than anything. They’re happy that Qing Long seems to have mellowed after suffering so much during the war.’
‘I’m glad,’ I said. ‘And you? Now that he’s no longer living a lie, will you give him a chance?’
‘I won’t act purely to defy my father, but I’ll think about it. General Ma knows how I feel about Qing Long, and keeps suggesting that I go back to him. But I’m loath to leave Hua Guang. He’s a fine companion and a generous partner, and we have something very good together.’
‘Just marry both of them,’ John said. ‘Talk to them about it. They’re good friends and would probably be happy to share.’
Jade smiled. ‘Now that’s an idea that would really piss my father off. I’ll definitely think about it.’
‘Reptiles,’ I said under my breath.
‘Dragons,’ Jade said with grim pleasure.
We stopped at the entrance to the small temple, and the dragons around us grinned. We went in to find two statues sitting on the altar, each about half life-size. The statue on the right was obviously John: fierce face, wild hair, Seven Stars across his knees, and a snake and turtle under his bare feet. I couldn’t place the one on the left. She was sitting as well, holding a sword vertically in her right hand, and the back of her throne was a black cobra hood. Her skin was pure white, her hair brown and as wild as his, and her eyes were dotted blue . . .
‘Holy shit,’ I said softly. ‘No way.’
Jade collapsed over her knees laughing.
‘Was this your idea?’ John said, obviously delighted.
‘No, my Lord,’ she said through the gasps, wiping her eyes again. ‘It was here when I returned. The dragons placed it after the war ended.’
‘I should not be in here, I’m not a Sh—’ I began, and stopped.
John chuckled.
‘That statue should be of me,’ the stone said. ‘Nobody ever acknowledges my contribution.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘It should be of Simone.’
‘She has her own temple further up the hill,’ Jade said. ‘Would you like to see?’
I pulled out my mobile phone. ‘Hell, yeah. I want to take a photo and show it to her. She’ll probably have the same reaction I just did.’ I checked the phone settings. ‘But she completely deserves it, and I hope many more temples are built with her effigy in them.’
‘I’ll make sure they are,’ John said.
* * *
‘Who won last time?’ he said as we lifted out of the atoll.
‘Me.’
‘You cheated.’
‘Oh, that’s very good coming from you, Mr Fertility God.’
‘So your choice. Where and what?’
‘Back at the hotel room, and I’ll tell you when we get there.’
When we’d been in bed for a while, he pulled back to see me, the room’s lights glowing in his eyes. ‘You have yet to tell me how you want me, my Lady, and if you don’t make a choice soon the decision will be made for you. You are pushing me very hard here.’
‘I thought I was pulling,’ I said, and stroked him again.
He shivered and closed his eyes. ‘Last chance, Emma,’ he growled. ‘Otherwise I’ll let it go.’
‘But I love it when you let it go,’ I breathed into the side of his throat.
‘If that’s what you want, you can have it, but I must warn you: it won’t be gentle.’
‘No,’ I said, and levered myself off the bed to stand next to it. I studied him as he lay there in his human form, completely at my mercy. He reclined, showing himself off. I admired him, then gathered myself and pointed at the bedhead. ‘Serpent, human form, up that end.’
He separated, and the Serpent, in male human form, scooted up to the top of the bed. The Turtle, also in male human form, remained lying in the middle.
‘Female, please, Serpent,’ I said.
The Serpent bobbed his head. ‘As my Lady wishes.’ He changed to female.
I cocked my head. ‘Do you want it male, John?’
‘Tonight is what you want, and I can see what you’re doing in wanting me female. But I will win anyway, and then next time you will do what I want,’ the Serpent said intensely. ‘And my choice will be for you to be the male one.’
‘Uh,’ I said, breathless at the idea, then, ‘No. I know what I want.’ I pointed at the Turtle. ‘True Form.’
The Turtle didn’t argue, it just changed for me. I couldn’t resist the urge to sit on the bed and run my hands over its smooth shell. It raised its head with bliss.
The Serpent threw her head back as well, her face full of rapture. ‘This again. I love this.’ She smiled at me. ‘I will win.’
I climbed onto the bed on all fours between them, enjoying her reaction as she watched me. ‘I’ll make sure you don’t.’
‘Not a chance,’ the Turtle said. ‘The only uncertainty is whether you have eight or nine.’
‘If I have nine, you can choose the next two,’ I said. I rested my cheek against the top of the Serpent’s thigh and smiled up at her.
She stroked my face and her eyes roamed my features. ‘Before we are lost in it: I love you, my Emma. My wife. You have always been my only one.’
‘My only one,’ the Turtle said behind me.
‘And you are —’
I lost the ability to speak when the Turtle touched me without physically making contact. I was unable to move as he slid over me, cool and slick, then gasped as his touch became firmer and more demanding.
‘Oh, you are so ready,’ he said, husky.
The Serpent slid down the bed so she was under me, and kissed me, her hands brushing over my skin. She mouthed my nipples as the Turtle teased me into quivering readiness.
‘Up,’ I said, my voice hoarse. ‘I want you. Both of you.’
The Serpent smiled into my eyes, kissed me, and moved up again. ‘Whatever my Lady wishes.’
I gently pushed her thighs apart and buried my face into her as the Turtle slid into me, and the world lifted into a blinding explosion of pleasure.
Three hours later I was too exhausted to lift my head. ‘You win: I was first. You have the next two,’ I said, muffled by the pillow.
‘Nine?’ he said.
‘No.’ I gasped a few times. ‘Ten.’
I heard a slap and looked up. He was in two human forms and he’d high-fived himself. He slid under the covers on either side of me, then wrapped his arms around me and held me tight between both of him.
‘You are the best,’ the Serpent said, half-asleep.
‘And so are you.’
The Turtle chuckled and his chest shook against my back. ‘I know.’