White Tiger

demon strolled in and sat on the sofa.
    ‘I’m really thirsty, Ah Yat,’ Simone said. ‘Do you have any lemon tea?’
    Ah Yat dropped to hug Simone and held her close. Her voice trembled. ‘Yes, my darling.’ She glanced at me. ‘My Lady?’
    ‘Cold filtered water, please, Ah Yat.’
    ‘Me too,’ the demon said.
    ‘Wait here.’ Ah Yat released Simone and went out of the room.
    Ah Yee, Ah Sum and Ah Say sidled into the room. They saw the demon and froze.
    The demon gestured. ‘Come in.’
    They crept further into the room.
    The demon leaned his arms on the back of the seat. ‘Tamed, eh?’
    The three house demons didn’t move or speak.
    ‘How many of them do you need to escort you home, Simone?’ the demon said.
    ‘Ah Yat can take me home,’ Simone said.
    ‘Good.’ The demon waved one hand. The three house demons exploded into black streamers and disappeared.
    ‘Bye, girls, see you later.’ The demon disappeared too.
    Simone flopped to her knees and put her head in her hands. I went to her, wrapped my arms around her and rocked her as she cried with huge gasping sobs. We stayed like that until Ah Yat returned with the drinks on a tray.
    When Ah Yat realised what had happened, she fell onto the sofa and wept as well.

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
    T he taxi driver tried to rip us off when we reached the gates to the house. Ah Yat had a protracted argument with him, but eventually I couldn’t wait any longer and gave him a hundred yuan extra to shut him up and send him away.
    The gates hung open. It was a long walk up the hill to the house. The sun was setting behind us, casting an eerie red glow over everything. The blood on the grass was black and shining. It was like a scene from an old war movie. There were bodies everywhere.
    ‘ Daddy !’ Simone shrieked and raced to John. He lay face down on the grass. Bai Hu lay next to him in True Form, his white fur stained with blood.
    Black Jade lay near them. She had been disembowelled and her white and blue entrails glistened on the grass. Her mane was matted with blood, her eyes wide and unseeing. One of the grooms lay dead next to her, his arm thrown over her neck.
    I fell onto my knees next to Simone and John. The grass was slick with blood.
    The Tiger moved slightly and I grabbed his shaggy head and raised it. ‘Bai Hu! Bai Hu!’ ‘What the fuck happened?’ he growled.
    ‘Quickly. Some of them may still be alive.’
    He pulled himself to his feet, groggy, and shook his head. When he saw John next to him he quickly changed to human form. ‘Ah Wu! Ah Wu!’ He shook John’s shoulder. ‘Wake up!’ He dropped his voice. ‘Stupid goddamn Turtle.’
    ‘I should call you out for that,’ John said into the grass.
    Both Simone and I sighed with relief. ‘Can I help anyone else?’ I said.
    Bai Hu turned John onto his back and knelt next to him. ‘Let me see. Nope. Leo.’ He shook his head, his white hair stained with blood. ‘Leo’s alive. Nobody else but Ah Wu made it. That was a strong one.’ His eyes unfocused and he took both of John’s hands in his. ‘Shen or chi?’
    ‘Anything but ching. I have enough of that as it is,’ John said without moving. ‘Simone?’ ‘I’m okay, Daddy.’ ‘Emma?’
    ‘I’m here, John. Will he be okay, Tiger?’
    ‘He’ll be fine.’ Bai Hu raised his hands, still holding John’s, and a silver glow appeared around both of them.
    ‘What about Leo?’ I asked. ‘He took a demon fireball to the back of the head.’
    ‘How long has he had that demon stuff on him?’
    I checked my watch. ‘Oh dear Lord, nearly three hours.’
    Bai Hu lowered his head, still holding John’s hands. ‘I’ve put him in the upstairs bathroom. Strip him down, wash him off and then we’ll deal with the burns.’
    ‘Show-off,’ John growled. ‘Two at once.’
    ‘Always,’ the Tiger said, his eyes unseeing. ‘Go, Emma. Take Simone with you.’
    ‘I’m staying here with my daddy!’ Simone said.
    ‘Go inside, sweetheart,’ John said without moving. ‘Take Ah Yat too, please.’
    ‘Okay, Daddy.’ Simone rose and took Ah Yat’s hand. ‘Come on, Emma, you need to give Leo a bath. He’s going to be really embarrassed.’
    ‘You okay to do that, Emma?’ John said, concerned.
    ‘I don’t think he’ll care too much,’ I said.
    We went inside, leaving John and Bai Hu with their grim companions on the grass.
    Simone stopped at the bottom of the stairs and put her hand over her mouth. ‘I need to use the