Blue Dragon

open my mouth to say something cheeky back when I saw John’s face. It was completely rigid.
    Next time we would be coming without Daddy, and Daddy knew it.
    When we arrived home, Simone went straight into the television room and sat in front of the TV, zoning out. We left her and went into John’s office together.
    ‘Andy didn’t want to stay married to April. He wanted her to have an abortion,’ I said.
    ‘He asked her for a divorce?’
    I suddenly remembered. ‘No, he didn’t. He wanted her to stay married to him, just out of the way. But he did want her to have an abortion.’
    ‘Why wouldn’t they want the baby? The baby was probably the whole point of the exercise.’
    I ran my hands through my hair. ‘It was a boy , John. The ultrasounds showed it was a boy. April told me so herself.’
    He was obviously confused. ‘But if you’re traditional, a boy is better. Why would he want her to abort a boy?’
    ‘Because they wanted a girl.’
    He suddenly understood. ‘Simone.’
    ‘Or me.’
    ‘The copy of you in the dumpster.’
    ‘But I’m thirty years old, John. They couldn’t make a baby into a copy of me. It’s just not possible.’
    ‘You know that demons are hatched fully grown, Emma.’
    ‘But this one is at least half human! How could it be hatched?’
    He rubbed his hands over his face and tied back his hair. ‘I don’t know. I have never encountered anything like this before. I have no idea how they are making these copies. I suspect that April’s baby boy was used in the experimentation and they let her keep the baby when they realised it could be useful. But that is just an educated guess.’
    ‘We have to go in and get her out,’ I said fiercely. ‘She’s my friend .’
    ‘We have no idea where she is.’
    ‘She’s in Causeway Bay. Somewhere. With a lot of big demons.’
    ‘You will go in and face that many powerful demons?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said firmly. ‘To help my friend, I will.’
    ‘Simone needs you, Emma,’ John said. ‘Simone needs both of us. They have not harmed April. She does not appear to be in any danger; in fact, she said that Kitty is caring for her.’
    I couldn’t believe it. ‘You don’t think we should go in?’
    ‘I would love to go in and clean out that nest. But right now we are unable. We must protect Simone.’ His voice softened. ‘We have no choice, Emma. Our first duty is to Simone. She is the one who is in real, immediate danger here.’
    ‘Send in some Disciples.’
    ‘No.’
    I glared at him.
    ‘I will not send my Dark Disciples against a powerful demon on its own turf. That would be a useless waste of life.’
    ‘Send in some Celestials.’
    ‘The Celestials are protecting the human Disciples, Emma.’ He sighed and leaned his elbows on the table. ‘Face it. Right now, there’s nothing we can do.’
    I crossed my arms on the table and dropped my head onto them. He was right.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
    T he next day, while John and Simone were at the theme park in China, I saw Louise for lunch. We met at the atrium that connected Sha Tin station with the shopping mall. Having the baby had made her softer and rounder. She held the baby in a sling strapped in front of her, and was accompanied by a demon, who appeared as a middle-aged Filipina domestic helper, carrying an enormous baby accessories bag. A hefty young bodyguard—one of the Tiger’s sons—stood behind her watching the crowd carefully.
    Louise raced to me and hugged me around the baby, who squirmed at the pressure. Then she stepped back to see me. She studied me carefully, looking me right in the eyes, then smiled broadly.
    I cooed at the baby and took her hand. She grasped my finger, her little rosebud mouth nearly forming a sweet smile, and my heart melted.
    ‘What’s her name?’ I said.
    ‘Four—’ Louise said, then stopped. ‘Oh, her name . Kimberley. Kimmy.’
    ‘She’s gorgeous,’ I said, brushing my hand over the baby’s downy white hair.
    Louise grinned with pride, her bright blue eyes sparkling under her spiky blonde hair. ‘Come on, let’s get some lunch. Let’s go to the Japanese place the Tiger owns. We won’t have to wait, and we can have a private room.’
    She turned and we headed past the fountain, the bodyguard hovering and alert, the demon servant trailing after us lugging the huge bag.
    ‘Lady Emma,’ the bodyguard said, nodding.
    ‘Hi,’ I said. ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘Two Eight Five.’
    ‘Matt,’ Louise said, and the