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White Tiger
Kylie Chan
Dark Heavens, Book One.Emma went to Hong Kong to become a nanny to John Chen’s daughter. But John’s world is different, and he is no ordinary businessman – all the gods, demons and dragons in hell want him dead. And though she doesn’t know it, Emma holds the power to save them all…Kylie Chan's Dark Heavens trilogy is the most exciting Urban Fantasy debut of 2010. Already a smash-hit in the author's native Australia it brings a world of Oriental Gods, martial arts action and romance to the genre.
KYLIE CHAN
White Tiger
DARK HEAVENS
BOOK I
For my sister, Fiona, my best friend, Alana, and most of all my fantastic kids, William and Madeleine.
Table of Contents
Cover (#ucdc7207b-5aa7-591d-8a8e-9dfacbee369c)
Title Page (#u51a262cf-61f7-506c-96c7-8c639fcc2125)
Dedication (#u8db52836-7a64-5655-9446-edcee535a9e3)
CHAPTER ONE (#u25b310ed-139b-5c95-b5fb-45e3f13e201a)
CHAPTER TWO (#u604fecf3-34bd-5bba-bb51-61e1e31f5a9a)
CHAPTER THREE (#u47375f90-6055-573e-929b-4dae82a19de0)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u34bef9ed-5dcf-557b-8ebe-6d60e4f90b5b)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u7228fe37-5cc9-5fec-8b0b-c17f7baaf253)
CHAPTER SIX (#u48d875ba-7326-5845-afbc-d473004e4af7)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#u5ba7f08e-47ea-5f76-9070-aea715d9af25)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#u18912c24-4160-5917-8bf5-7979e70bb305)
CHAPTER NINE (#u3d7ef128-b543-5e20-af4f-2ad39a08f59b)
CHAPTER TEN (#u20e85949-295d-5b0e-ab6c-51f0c4f17621)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#u474ee66a-9196-5e74-968a-4c792ad6e085)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#u4d3011c7-6bd8-56de-97cb-992777693e59)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
E-book Extra (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)
The Dark Heavens Trilogy (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ud15e178b-55da-58d7-83d3-070620fa7604)
‘Emma, this is your final warning. If you do not wear a suit to my kindergarten, I will dock your pay.’ Miss Kwok glared at me over her expensive reading glasses. ‘Jeans are not acceptable at any of my kindergartens. More smartly dressed. Remember.’
I didn’t say anything. I just wanted to be out of her office and up to Mr Chen’s place.
‘Your hair is unacceptable as well. You should come with me to the salon. Your hair is messy, you don’t wear make-up – really, Emma, your whole appearance is just not good enough. You should work harder to make yourself more presentable.’
A flood of words hit the back of my throat. I swallowed them all.
‘I have had some complaints from the parents.’ She shuffled the papers on the desk. Her face suggested she was in her early forties – the work of an excellent plastic surgeon – but her hands showed her true age. ‘The parents say you are spending too much time talking with the children and not enough time teaching them the ABCs.’
‘Talking is the best way to learn English,’ I said.
‘Well, make sure they learn their ABCs. They need to be able to recite the alphabet and spell some words to pass the examinations for first grade. They’re here to cram for the best schools, you know that.’
I tried to control my expression as I thought about what I’d like to do to a school that had examinations for entry into first grade.
‘Well?’
I shrugged. ‘It’s your school, Miss Kwok. I’ll do more ABC’s.’
‘I do not like your attitude sometimes, Emma.’ She became more fierce. ‘Oh, and stop wasting the drawing materials. I only budget for one set a year and they’re using them too much.’
I glanced at my watch. ‘Is that all? I’m supposed to be at Mr Chen’s in less than an hour.’
‘How is the work going with Mr Chen?’
‘He’s taken every private spot I have. He’s my only private client now.’
This caught her attention. ‘He is the only client you have outside the kindergarten?’
I nodded.
‘But I gave your number to quite a few people I know. Don’t tell me you’re so lazy you have stopped working for them. You should work until 11 p.m., you make good money. Don’t waste your evenings doing nothing.’
‘As people left Hong Kong and private teaching slots freed up, he took the times. I think he even negotiated with some of the parents to release me so I could look after Simone. Which suits me just fine, really, because she’s the most delightful child I’ve ever worked with.’
She studied me intently. ‘Do you like working for him?’
‘Sure. He’s very nice.’
‘How would you like to earn a little more money?’
‘You already pay me very well, Miss Kwok.’
Her eyes rested heavily on mine. ‘If you tell me about some of his business dealings, the names of the people who go in and out of his house while you’re working there, you could earn even more.’
I stared at her.
‘I could make it very good for you.’
‘No.’
She lifted her head slightly. ‘You will do this for me, Emma.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I resign.’
‘You can’t resign. You will stay with me.’
‘I’ll have a resignation letter on your desk tomorrow morning.’
She grimaced with exasperation.
I met her eyes and held them. ‘I resign.’
‘Nobody in Hong Kong will pay you as well as I do.’
‘I don’t care,’ I said. ‘I’ll find something.’
‘You have to give me two weeks’ notice,’ she said. ‘You have to continue to work for me for two weeks, Emma.’