Blue Dragon Part 34

I slid off the Dragon and gave him a friendly pat to thank him.

You are most welcome, the Dragon said. His voice gained an amused edge. Enjoy. Enjoy.

I turned and looked around. Above was the dark ocean. Below was the bright, glittering multicoloured reef garden. I leaned over the balcony, and John waited patiently for me. The balcony rail was transparent at the edges and milky in the centre; it was made of crystal. I looked out and saw a vibrantly pink, lilac and gold dragon on a balcony directly across from me on the other side of the courtyard. It raised one gold-taloned claw in greeting and I waved back.

Come on, Emma, John said, and I turned to him, wondering why he was so impatient. He led me off the balcony into a room and closed the pearly doors behind us. John said, and I turned to him, wondering why he was so impatient. He led me off the balcony into a room and closed the pearly doors behind us.

There was a s.h.i.+ning mirror in front of us, swirling like quicksilver.

Go through, John said. You will be perfectly safe. You will be perfectly safe.

I walked through without hesitation, trusting him completely.

I stopped dead. I was in air, not water, inside a large, white-walled bedchamber with an enormously high ceiling. The four-poster bed had white gauzy linen and appeared to be made of huge staghorn corals that had grown into the frame's shape.

I looked down: I was dry. John stopped and dried himself completely as well.

'What do you think?' he said.

'This place is truly marvellous,' I said. 'I'm so glad I was able to see it. Where are we going next? I want to see everything!'

'Are you sure?' John said. 'Because that's not the reason I brought you here.'

He moved closer to me and his smile broadened. Before I knew what was happening he swept me into his arms and I buried my face in his bare chest. He kissed the top of my head. I threw my arms around him and tried to squeeze the life from him.

'Hey,' he said softly, and I looked up. He smiled down at me. He held the back of my neck, lowered his face and kissed me. We were lost in each other for a very long time.

His hands moved to my waist and worked at the hem of my top, eventually pulling it free so that he could draw it over my head. He threw it to one side and buried his face in my throat. He bent, scooped me up and carried me, dropping me onto something soft and silken.

He leaned over me. 'We don't have much time,' he whispered. 'It's already two. It will take us an hour or so to return against the tide. We have to make the most of the short time we have.'

I gazed into his wonderful brown eyes without saying a word. I loaded my hands with chi and brushed them over his back. He dropped his head and grimaced.

I moved my hands over his back and down, running them just beneath the top of his pants, over the indentations at either side of the base of his spine.

'I love you,' I whispered, and his whole body went rigid.

The skin of his back was smooth and fine. I moved my loaded hands further up his back and brushed them over his shoulders, feeling the outline of the muscles beneath. He breathed heavily and his face jerked up so that he could look at me. Then he buried his face in my throat, running his lips along my neck and down to my collarbone, sending s.h.i.+vers of response through me.

'You are the only one I will ever love,' I whispered into his ear.

He pulled back to gaze into my eyes. He couldn't speak, his face was rigid with the effort of maintaining control. He kissed the edge of my chin and along the line of my throat.

I pulled him down next to me, added more chi to my hands and lightly floated them over his shoulders, feeling him flex his muscles in response. I held my hands on his shoulders and ran my mouth down the silken side of his throat. He tasted salty, like the sea. He quivered under my lips but still didn't lose it.

'I will wait for you forever.'

I worked my mouth over him until he arched his back and a deep, vibrating sound of pleasure escaped from somewhere inside him. He pulled me up so that my face was level with his, planted his mouth on mine, and pushed into me as I ran my hands along the chiselled muscles of his back.

He pulled away and studied me. He ran his hand through my hair and down the side of my face, tracing my features.

I ran my fingertips over his cheek, feeling the gritty stubble over the silken skin. 'Let go. Let go for me.'

I slid my hand down his throat, lightly running my fingers over his shoulder and down the muscles of his chest. He inhaled sharply and his eyes went very dark, but he still had control.

Not for long.

I smiled gently at him, moved my hand lower, loaded it with even more chi and pushed it right into him.

He exhaled in a huge gasping breath and completely lost it. The dark shutters rolled up over his eyes and his face went rigid. He grabbed my shoulders, rolled me onto my belly and shoved me into the silky white sheets. One of his hands held my shoulder down while the other ripped my shorts away, pulling impatiently as the fabric shredded. He crushed me into the sheets so hard I had to turn my head to one side so that I could breathe.

Then he threw himself on top of me, grabbed me around the middle and tugged me into him. He pulled at his pants, then his arms went around me like a vice. His face was a fierce grimace next to mine, his breath rough in my ear.

'Yes!'

He flopped onto his back next to me.

'You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You tried to hold it back,' I said.

'What did you just call me?' he said, rolling over to face me.

I moved my face right into his. 'A turtle egg.'

He rolled onto his back again and shook with silent laughter. I pulled myself on top and straddled him. He brushed his hands over my back and drifted them over my shoulders.

'I wanted to see how long I could hold out,' he said. 'I think I lasted about twice as long that time. But you were no help at all. You like pus.h.i.+ng me over the edge, despite my best efforts to retain control.'

I leaned my arms on his chest and put my nose right next to his. 'Don't bother.'

He kissed me. I closed my eyes and drifted into him, and then suddenly I knew. I snapped open my eyes and jerked back. He didn't move; he watched me silently, his face expressionless.

Neither of us said anything.

I threw myself on top of him and held him tight. I kissed him frantically, and he returned it just as frantically, because we knew. We both knew. It was perfectly clear. The truth was obvious.

This was our last chance.

I jerked awake. I'd been half asleep in his strong arms, my own wrapped around him, our bare skin touching wherever it could. I had a sudden inspiration. I carefully looked up at him: he was dozing, his n.o.ble face serene. I gave him a tremendous push and completely launched him out of the bed, his long hair flying. He woke before he hit the floor, landed on one hand, somersaulted, and touched down lightly on his feet into a long defensive position.

I didn't give him a chance to do anything. I threw myself at him, both feet aimed straight at his chest.

His face didn't move. He caught my feet and turned me over. I somersaulted with the movement, landed back on the bed, and jumped right over the top of his head. He spun to face me.

I went for him with a series of roundhouse kicks, one after the other, as fast as I could. He easily blocked them all. On about the fifth one he was close to the wall, so he grabbed my foot again and attempted to flip me over.

I wrapped my other foot around his hand and used the energy centres to twist him, trying to take him off his feet. It didn't work; he moved with the force, rolled, flew back upright, and threw my foot away.

I used the energy centres again and this time, instead of moving away, I moved closer to him. I landed in front of him, spun, grabbed his arm, pushed, twisted and threw him onto his back.

'That,' he said, holding out one hand for me to help him up, 'was absolutely pathetic. I've seen first years do better.'

I reached down, took his hand and jerked him right into me.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I put my hands on his back and pulled myself into him. He smiled down at me. 'I made you a promise a long time ago. Want to try?'

'No, of course not,' I said. 'Don't waste your energy. We should take the chance to do some hand-to-hand instead.'

He shrugged. 'Not a problem. Won't take too much energy down here.'

'You sure?' I said, eyeing him suspiciously.

He squeezed me briefly. 'Of course. Move back, give me room.'

I released him and moved away. He lowered his head, concentrated and took Celestial Form.

He was nearly four metres tall, his hair a wild tangle around his head. His face was square and dark and ugly, with a long thin black beard. He wasn't wearing armour; his traditional black robes flowed around him, held at the waist by a wide black belt.

He held his arms out. 'Try.' His voice sounded exactly as it always did.

'This is weird,' I said. 'I've never touched the Celestial Form.' I hesitated. 'It doesn't feel like you.'

He bent so that his face was level with mine. He looked me in the eye and his eyes crinkled up.

'Okay, it's you,' I said. I spun, grabbed his arm and threw him onto his back, the robes flying everywhere as he hit. I didn't give him time to rise; I quickly moved to sit on his chest. It was like sitting on a horse, he was so big.

'Freud would have a field day,' I said, then moved my face into his and kissed him. It wasn't as good with something so huge; he was far too big and the beard felt strange.

He put his enormous hands onto my back and then circled my waist. He gently pushed me so that I slid down his body, moving easily on the silk robes. He raised himself on his elbows to see my reaction, his expression full of amus.e.m.e.nt.

I'd wondered about that, and now I knew. The Celestial Form was complete and he was huge everywhere everywhere.

I grinned wickedly and climbed back up to his face. This was interesting.

'Can you shrink down to about three metres tall?' I whispered.

He became smaller beneath me. Now it was very very interesting. interesting.

'Tell me if it's too much,' he whispered. 'I can change my size.'

'I wonder if Louise knows about the Tiger's Celestial Form,' I wondered out loud.

'They all do,' he said. 'But his Celestial Form requires more than one.'

'One what?'

He smiled gently. 'Wife.'

'What about you?' I said, running my hand through the wild tangle of silken hair around his head.

'I'm sure one of you is more than sufficient,' he said, brus.h.i.+ng his hands up and down my back.

I leaned closer. 'How do I get you out of these robes?' I said, fingering the black silk at his neck.

'You don't,' he said, and the robes were gone. The skin of his Celestial Form was dark all over. Not completely black, like Leo; more a dark silken mahogany colour. It still felt smooth and fine, stretched over the toned muscles, same as his human form. The Celestial Form was as magnificent as the human form, but on a grander scale. Everything Everything was on a grander scale. was on a grander scale.

I traced my finger over the muscles of his chest, enjoying the silken feeling, then sat back and admired him. He watched me with amus.e.m.e.nt.

'John Chen Wu,' I said, throwing my arms around his neck, 'you never cease to amaze me.'

He sat up and towered over me, then bent so that his mouth was next to my ear, his beard tickling my throat. His voice was very soft as he put his hands under my thighs and lifted me. 'Good.'

I cuddled into him and he pulled his arm tighter around my shoulder. I brushed my hand over his chest. He was easier to hold in human form.

'Promise me you'll come back for me,' I said.

'I promise.'

'I wish I knew how long it will take.'

'So do I.' His voice was a low rumble through his chest, and I could feel his heart beating, strong and slow. 'I will return for you.'

'I have a feeling,' I said.

'So do I.'

'What's the line? "I have a very bad feeling about this."'

He laughed softly, his chest moving beneath my head. 'It never ceases to astonish me how perfectly innocent expressions quickly become cliched. With modern media the way it is, very soon all of language will become one huge cliche.'

'There's a lot of stuff waiting for us just around the corner.'

He s.h.i.+fted slightly to look down at me. I twisted my head to see his face. I could tell from his expression that I was right.

He squeezed my shoulders. 'We will make it through this. The greatest prizes require the greatest effort. And I will find you, and Raise you, and marry you, and take you to live on my Mountain. I promise.'

I lowered my head into the side of his chest. 'I want to see the Mountain.'

'I know,' he said with a sigh. 'It is very hard not being able to take you there, not being able to see it myself. The photographs that Gold brings do not capture the true essence of the Celestial Mountain.' He wriggled down to make himself more comfortable and pulled me tighter. 'It drains the household Shen far too much to take humans backwards and forwards. Jade nearly killed herself when the Celestials moved the students to the Western Palace; and, of course, being a dragon all she did was take herself away and hide without telling anybody.'

'Is that what happened to her,' I said. 'I wondered where she'd gone; she was away for a couple of weeks. It must be a very long way.'

'It is about as far as anywhere,' John said. 'It is further than any part of the Celestial. It is a very, very long way so that it is difficult for demons to get there.' He squeezed me. 'You are already too big inside for any but the largest Shen to take you. I doubt if even the Tiger or the Dragon could take you now.'

'You're joking,' I whispered.

'You are the finest human student it has ever been my privilege to teach.'

'You're just saying that because you want to get into my pants,' I said, twisting my fingers in his hair where it fell in a wild tangle over both of us. 'Unethical, you know, studentteacher relations.h.i.+ps.'