CHAPTER 8

      When I got home from the Academy the next day, I could hear the yelling from the lift lobby. I hesitated at the apartment’s front door, then opened it and went in. The yelling was louder: two male voices, probably in the dining room. I kicked my shoes off and hurried in. The Tiger and Michael both stopped shouting and glared at me. Simone was there as well. She shook her head and sighed with exasperation.

      The Tiger thrust his hand towards Michael. ‘Stupid bastard wants to go with you.’

      I leaned on the back of one of the dining chairs. ‘You can’t, Michael, you’re not Immortal.’

      ‘Neither are you. And neither is she,’ Michael said, gesturing towards Simone. He dropped his arm and spoke with force. ‘I want to help Leo out. Let me come along and talk to him.’ He glared at the Tiger. ‘He was like a father to me. I think he’d listen to me.’

      ‘Oh, thank you very much.’ The Tiger pulled a chair out and flopped to sit. ‘What does that make me?’

      ‘Irrelevant,’ Michael said.

      ‘Big words,’ the Tiger shot back. ‘Harvard must agree with you, preppy boy.’ He leaned over the table. ‘Rhonda’s ready to move back into the Palace, boy, you know that? If she remarries me, then I’ll really be your fucking father, not just this “biological” business that you keep carrying on about. You’ll be obeying me, not some fucking black gay-lo.’

      ‘Tiger,’ Simone said mildly, ‘I’ve had about enough of this. You’ve been swearing far too much the last few days, and it shows a lack of respect for both me and Emma. And lately you’ve been very insulting to Leo, who isn’t here to defend himself. If you say the f-word one more time, or insult Leo one more time, you will be banned from this household. Is that understood?’

      The Tiger’s mouth flopped open and he stared at her.

      Her voice became sharp. ‘Is that understood, Bai Hu?’

      He rose, leaned on the table and glared at her. ‘Until you reach majority, Miss So-Fucking-Clever, I have precedence over you, and don’t you forget it.’

      ‘Emma?’ Simone said.

      ‘Bai Hu, take yourself out of this household and don’t come back until called. That’s an order,’ I said.

      The Tiger opened and closed his mouth a few times, then slammed his fist into his hand in the salute and disappeared.

      At twenty-four, Michael’s muscular frame had filled out and his intelligent face was stunningly good-looking under his short blond hair. He towered over me, as tall as his father, slightly under two metres. He fell to one knee in front of me. ‘Lady Emma, permission to assist you on your sortie to Hell.’

      ‘We can’t risk it, Michael. You may never be able to come out again.’

      He looked up at me, full of hope. ‘You’re not Immortal, you’re an ordinary human. If you can come out, I can come out.’

      I sighed. ‘Michael, you know that I’m not an ordinary human, far from it. Only Immortals and demons can come out again. Simone’s so powerful it doesn’t really apply to her, and you know she’s done it before. I’m a demon. You? I don’t know.’

      ‘Is there a way of finding out?’ he said, still on one knee.

      Simone and I shared a look.

      ‘I’ll ask around,’ I said.

      ‘Promise me, Emma, you will ask.’

      ‘I promise, Michael. I know you love Leo as much as we do. I’ll see if you can come.’

      ‘Thanks, Emma.’ He smiled shyly and stood. ‘It’s good to see you looking so well.’

      I rose and quickly embraced him, then pulled back to smile up at him. ‘Thanks, Michael. Is your mother really going back to your father?’

      ‘Not if I have anything to say about it,’ he said grimly.

      ‘It’s possible she could be happy as Empress of the West,’ Simone said. ‘And she’d become Immortal, Michael.’

      ‘He’d treat her like …’ He shrugged. ‘You know how he treats his women.’ He gestured towards where the Tiger had been sitting. ‘You heard how he talked about Leo. How could he be like that? Leo’s one of the noblest people I’ve ever met. I’d be proud to call him father, not that beast.’

      ‘How long did it take you to come from Harvard, Michael? It’s a long way,’ I said. ‘I hope you didn’t miss any classes.’

      ‘It’s about eight hours; I stop over in Honolulu and rest on the way. I’ve just about finished for the term, Emma, my papers are in and the exams are finished. Can I stay in one of the student rooms until we hear whether I can come to Hell? Do you have room for me?’

      ‘Of course we do — you can have your old room back. You’re part of the family. How long are you planning to stay?’

      ‘I wasn’t planning to come for another couple of weeks, until after I had my results,’ he said. ‘But I heard about you two going to Hell and I wanted to be in on it. Let me stay until we know whether I can come, then I’ll go back to the States and collect my gear.’ He paused. ‘Can I spend the summer brushing up with the Masters at the Academy?’

      ‘I thought you were supposed to go to the Palace,’ Isaid.

      ‘I’m staying here,’ he said firmly. He winced. ‘I’m sorry, my Lady, I didn’t ask you before. Is that okay with you?’

      ‘Sure, spend the summer here. We’d be delighted to have you.’ I had a sudden idea. ‘How about you take one of the small apartments at the New Folly? I think we have two or three free. You’d have more privacy.’

      He smiled shyly. ‘Really?’

      ‘Sure. Teleport down there, report to Lok, the building manager. He’s the big German shepherd on the first floor, Flat B. Tell him you’re taking one of the empty apartments.’

      ‘The building manager’s a dog?’

      ‘Yep. I think he’s really