White Tiger

Chen.’
    ‘No way I am! Not until I have that shell of yours safely tied up and nailed down, and a wedding band on your scaly little claw.’
    He roared with laughter.
    ‘What?’
    ‘It’s not that little. And sometimes it’s a flipper.’ ‘Whatever. Nobody else cares for Simone. It’s either you, me or Leo. I wouldn’t trust anybody else with her.’ ‘As you please. But you are my partner now.’ ‘I wish.’
    Some of my feelings came out in my voice, and he changed the subject; probably a good idea in such a small space.
    ‘Any suggestions on punishment for Jade?’
    ‘Yeah. I’ve been thinking about that. She feels tremendously guilty, John, she really didn’t think. Don’t be too hard on her.’
    ‘I won’t be. Because you will be the one to punish her.’
    ‘Oh, thank you very much. What is this: good god, bad god?’
    ‘Precisely. You want to send her back to the Jade Emperor?’
    ‘ Back to the Jade Emperor?’
    ‘The Celestial has been exceptionally generous in providing her and Gold to help me in my current situation.’
    ‘Don’t throw her out,’ I said. ‘She loves us both. She’s a dear friend.’
    ‘Okay, then you’ll need to think of something suitable to allow her to work off the guilt. Shame her slightly, Emma, but not too much. Probably something along the lines of unpleasant physical labour—she’s not used to that, she regards it as beneath her.’
    ‘Washing windows?’
    ‘Perfect.’ He smiled slightly. ‘In True Form.’ ‘Oh, now that’s mean. She can clean out the gutters as well.’
    ‘Perfect! She’ll have to get her precious golden claws dirty.’
    We laughed together.
    ‘And no conjuring rain to make the job easier,’ I said, still laughing.
    ‘By the Heavens, you are wonderful, Emma. I do love you,’ he said, and froze.
    He quickly pulled the car to the side of the road, opened the door and threw himself out.
    I rested my head on the dashboard, full of joy and anguish. ‘We are both such idiots!’
    It took him a long time to regain control. I moved to the back seat of the car. We didn’t speak to each other at all the rest of the way back up the hill.
    Dawn was painting the sky a dusky pink as we arrived at the front of the house.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
    B oth of us wandered out very late the next morning and met in the kitchen. He looked as exhausted as I felt. We both wore ratty clothes and both stopped to tie our hair back.
    Ah Yat had made some vegetarian noodles and presented them to us triumphantly, pushing us into the dining room out of the way. She could see that we’d had a great time.
    ‘Where’s Leo?’ John said.
    ‘Outside with Simone, sir. They have spent the whole morning together.’ ‘Good.’
    We tucked into the noodles without needing to say a word to each other.
    Ms Kwan appeared on the other side of the table.
    ‘Ah Yat!’ John shouted. ‘Another teacup!’
    His voice became softer as he spoke to Ms Kwan. He used his chopsticks to point at the noodles. ‘Would you like some, Mercy?’
    ‘No, thank you, Ah Wu. But you two eat. I can see you had a tiring evening.’
    Ah Yat brought another teacup and John filled it forKwan Yin. She smiled sadly. ‘Have you spoken to the Jade Emperor recently, Ah Wu?’
    John shook his head. Then he put his chopsticks down and placed his hands on either side of the bowl of noodles. ‘Oh, shit.’
    ‘Ah Wu, really! You have been around that Tiger altogether too much!’
    He picked his chopsticks up again. ‘Tell us the worst.’
    ‘What, John?’
    ‘Emma. Dear Emma.’ Ms Kwan sighed. ‘Let me tell you a story.’
    John opened his mouth but she waved him down. ‘Let me, Ah Wu.
    ‘Once there was a very foolish Shen who fell in love with a human woman. He married her, and had a child with her. He gave up his duties and dominion to be with her. It was a scandal throughout the Celestial. He was warned by the mighty Jade Emperor that such a dereliction of his duty was not acceptable.’
    ‘I told the Jade Emperor where to go.’ John’s eyes sparkled over the noodles. ‘You should have seen his face. He nearly had me executed on the spot.’
    ‘The Jade Emperor decided that if the Shen was in love to such a degree—if it made him insane enough to show such open defiance—then Heaven should not stand in the way.’
    ‘I still can’t believe I got away with it. Nobody in the history of the world has ever done such a thing. Nobody, I think, ever will.’
    ‘His Celestial