Lisa expected Caleb to look for the old-world Chinatown where dragons were revered, but he seemed to enjoy the tourist version. As they strolled the main streets, he looked curiously into antique shops and junk shops and shops filled with souvenirs. He spent a long time at a table full of tiny plastic replicas of the gate to Chinatown, on which were stamped I LOVE SF. Plastic cable cars, replicas of the Transamerica Pyramid and plastic Golden Gate bridges tumbled about the tables outside the shop. Caleb picked up and examined each one.
"What are you doing?" Lisa asked him after a time.
"I don't have much magic in this world, but I have a little. Anyone who takes these trinkets today will find luck."
He put down the last plastic gate, smiled, slid his arm around her waist, and gestured for her to lead him onward.
The building that housed Ming Ue's Dim Sum in an alley off California Street was a nondescript square block of gray, only the red cloths on the lintel and the Chinese menu hanging outside the door showing that it was a restaurant. But people in the know showed up in droves every day for the best dim sum in the city.
The slender young Chinese woman at the cash register glanced up sharply when Lisa and Caleb ducked through the doorway, then a sunny smile lit her face. She came around the counter to enfold Lisa in a warm hug. "Lisa, I haven't seen you in ages. Where have you been?"
Carol Juan, granddaughter to Ming Ue, grew more beautiful every time Lisa saw her. Behind Carol's beauty, however, lurked a keen businesswoman who ran Ming Ue's chain of restaurants and kept them turning profits even when times were hard, without resorting to laying off the employees, who were mostly family. She was the flower of the extensive Juan clan, and Lisa was proud of her.
"The show keeps me busy," Lisa said, returning the hug. "I've been throwing myself into my work."
Carol glanced at Caleb and raised her perfectly arched brows. "Your work?"
"This is Caleb," Lisa said, flushing.
Carol sent her a knowing smile and extended a hand to Caleb in a businesslike manner. Caleb took Carol's hand and roved an assessing gaze over her that was in no way sexual. "You are a trusted friend."
"I hope so," Carol said. She returned Caleb's gaze, not seeming to find him at all alarming. "Let me take you to your usual table. Grandmother will be so pleased to see you."
She led them into a wider room that was lined on both sides with plain, white-covered tables. This simple room contrasted greatly with the lavishly decorated restaurant Greg had taken Lisa to the night before, but what came out of the kitchen on the carts more than made up for the plainness of the interior.
At this hour, the room was empty except for three elderly Chinese women chattering to each other nonstop in one corner and two Caucasian men in business suits talking quietly over a platter of steamed dumplings. Neither group looked up as Carol led Lisa and Caleb by.
Carol seated them at the table farthest from the others and disappeared with another knowing grin at Lisa.
"She admires you," Caleb said as soon as Carol was out of earshot.
"Me?" Lisa looked at him blankly. "She's the one with an MBA from Stanford. Harvard begged for her, but she wouldn't go—too far from home, she said."
Caleb fingered the glass of water that a busboy had plunked in front of him. "I do not know who these people are who wanted her but she admires you."
"You can read her mind?"
"No, I can tell by the way she watches you. She is not jealous, but she lets you inspire her."
"That could be flattering if I believed it." Lisa sipped the water, letting the flat, cool taste slide over her tongue. "I used to work here, after things went bad with my marriage. I tried to get other jobs, in fact, I roamed up and down the coast looking for them, but nothing seemed to work out. When I came back here, my parents had already moved out to Hawaii for my dad's job, and Grandma Li Na asked her friend if I could waitress here and live in the vacant apartment upstairs. I had two bachelors' degrees, one in culinary arts, the other in communications, and there I was, waiting tables and hoping for tips bigger than a few dollars. But you know…"
She looked around, taking in the diners, Carol in front by the register, the Chinese cut-paper pictures on the white-painted walls. "I was happy here. It was a place where the world couldn't touch me. All the hurt seemed to go away while I was pushing around the dim sum carts and explaining to customers what all the dumplings were. Grandma Li Na would come in when I finished my shift and we'd have tea together at this table. Even though things had completely fallen apart for me, it was one of the happiest times of my life. Does that make sense?"
Caleb placed broad fingers on her wrist. "This is a lucky place, a magic place. Come here when you are frightened and in danger and you will be protected."
Lisa traced the tips of his fingers, which were perfectly human. How was it that these same hands could ripple with serpentine muscle, holding the incredible strength of a beast, and yet touch her so gently, as though he'd die before he hurt her?
"You aren't speaking metaphorically, are you?" she asked.
He shook his head. "It is touched by magic, your grandmother's magic and the magic of someone else. It's similar to what I feel in your apartment, but not quite the same."
Lisa shivered, remembering the raw power that had arced through her body the night before. "But Grandma Li Na is gone."
"Her magic lingers. She gave you her apartment, to protect you." His grin was sinful. "And you have me, the best protection of all."
"I see the transformation to human hasn't robbed you of your ego." Her amusement faded. "The witches hurt you. You hurt for a long time, you even cried out in your sleep."
An expression of pain crossed his face and something like a memory of darker pain from his past. "But when I woke up, I had you." He squeezed her hand. "You slept so soundly, and I wrapped my arms around you and brought your warmth into me."
Lisa again remembered waking up surrounded by his body, his dragon-human skin warm to touch. Even the rumbles of his snores had been soothing.
She'd already slid into a kind of intimacy with him, first with their friendship, second with the fact that they'd now shared a bed. It hadn't been sexual, but there were other types of intimacy.
"Tell me more about dragons," she said as they waited. "You said the jewel-colored ones aren't intelligent?"
"They might be more intelligent than beasts, but not by much. They hunt and eat and mate. Nothing more."
Lisa casually sipped some water. "Whereas you watch Jay Leno."
"I observe human entertainment and learn about you from it."
"And that's why you don't like to miss your soaps?"
He shrugged. "It intrigues me to try to figure out what intrigues you about them."
"I'm teasing you, Caleb."
A smile creased his mouth. "I know."
Lisa squeezed his fingers, her body responding to his smile. "Teasing means I like you. When you're not being a nosy pain in the ass."
Caleb opened his mouth to retort, but the trolley, the one she remembered having a perpetually squeaky wheel, stopped next to them. Ming Ue's nephew Shaiming, an ageless Chinese man with shining black hair and fixed brown eyes who never, ever smiled or spoke if he could help it, made a brief gesture at the filled plates on the cart.
"All that is for us?" Caleb asked, gazing at the food.
"This is dim sum," Lisa explained. "That means you can choose as many little plates of food as you want, then when it comes time to pay, they count the dishes and charge for what you ate."
Mystified, Caleb scanned the array of foods wrapped in wonton noodles and the vast variety of dumplings and egg rolls. Lisa pointed out pork shu mai, Shanghai dumplings, spring rolls, chicken wontons, and marinated chicken on bamboo skewers. Shaiming silently clunked the plates Lisa indicated to the table, then pushed the cart away, the wheel squeaking, his soft shoes swishing on the carpeted floor.
Lisa divided the bits of food and explained to Caleb the variou
s sauces from hot mustard to mild soy. Caleb watched her manipulate chopsticks, then stared at his own thick fingers. "I do not think I can eat as you do."
Lisa signaled the busboy to bring them a fork. She could teach Caleb to at least stab the food on the tines of the fork and lift it to his mouth. Chopsticks did take a bit of skill if you weren't used to them.
The fork was brought by a small Chinese woman dressed in black. She approached the table, fork in hand, face wreathed in a wrinkled smile. Lisa rose and embraced her. "Ming Ue. Let me introduce my friend, Caleb."
Caleb had risen to his feet as well, all six foot six of him, towering over the barely five-foot Ming Ue. Ming Ue looked up at him, took his hand, and lost her smile. She stared at him in awe, lips slightly parted.
"Honored one," she breathed.
"Ming Ue," Caleb replied. "I am pleased to see you."
Ming Ue gave him alow bow, then gestured to the chair. "Please sit. Shaiming, you are so stupid! Come back here and bring more food and the best tea. Lisa has brought us a most revered guest."
Lisa sat down again, a little bewildered. "Do you two know each other?"
"No," Caleb said. He helped Ming Ue to sit and seated himself next to her. "We have never met."
"I am ashamed that the honored one has to see such a humble place," Ming Ue said.
"Your humility warms my heart," Caleb answered.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," Lisa broke in. "He's already conceited enough, Ming Ue. If you call him honored one and bring him all the food he wants, he'll be impossible to live with."
Ming Ue did not laugh. "He is an honored one. Do you not understand? He is a golden dragon. A warrior who has chosen to come among us." She switched her gaze to his arm band. "That is powerful magic. Most dragons cannot cross through, except in very thin places, far from humankind, without the help of witch magic. But since humankind has overrun the world, those places are few."
Lisa leaned forward. "You know? How?"
Ming Ue gave her a wise look. "Your grandmother taught me all about dragons, and I come from a family of magicians with strong magic, not like the nonsense young people dabble in these days. His aura is unmistakable. Even if you cannot see it, you must feel it."
"I do feel his power," Lisa said. "But that doesn't mean he isn't conceited about it."
Caleb burst out laughing. She'd never heard him laugh; Caleb the dragon confined himself to sarcastic humor and rumbling chuckles. His laugh was dark and velvet, beautiful and smooth like deep water. "Lisa has lived with me for months and knows me very well."
Ming Ue gave Lisa a look of vast hurt. "You never told me."
"It isn't easy to explain a golden dragon living in your spare bedroom."
"In your bedroom? There is a portal there?" Ming Ue asked. "Li Na should have told me."
"I could only look through for a time," Caleb said. "And touch things that were nearby. Then a witch gave me magic to cross to your world. I have to protect Lisa, you see. A black dragon wants her power."
Ming Ue gasped. She rose to her small height and shouted in Chinese across the dining room. Shaiming, pushing the cart from the other side did not quicken his pace, but his gaze became animated as he trundled toward them. Carol hurried from the alcove in the front, expression worried.
"Grandmother, what is the matter?"
"Come," Ming Ue said, beckoning excitedly. "Come, you must hear."
Shaiming, still unsmiling, plunked a steaming pot of tea onto the table, then sighed because he hadn't brought enough cups. Ming Ue ignored him. "We are doubly blessed. Not only a golden but a black dragon walks among us."
Shaiming stopped, his wiry hands freezing on the cart's handle. He stared at Caleb, his dark eyes glittering, his gaze sharper than Lisa had ever seen it. Carol, on the other hand, took on the patient look the younger generation reserves for their grandparents and their old-fashioned fantasies.
Lisa picked up the teapot and poured a stream of black tea for Ming Ue, pretending that the elderly woman's proclamations didn't make her nervous. "I thought the black dragon was evil."
"Black dragons are not evil," Ming Ue said, eyes soft. "They are ancient and carry the knowledge of the centuries. They are the most magical beings, having the power to both heal and destroy. A black dragon is terrifying and at the same time beautiful. And one is here?"
Caleb's gaze met Lisa's. "They are terrifying. And powerful. And one wants Lisa to lead him to the dragon orb so he can use its magic. Do you know where the dragon orb is?"
Lisa thought she detected a flicker of uneasiness in Ming Ue's eyes, but the old woman's face remained so impassive that she could not decide whether she'd seen it or not.
"If the black dragon uses the orb to create a door to Dragonspace, it could unmake this world," Caleb said.
Ming Ue took that in, troubled. "Then you must not let him use it."
"I hoped that you would know where to find him so I could stop him."
Ming Ue shook her head. "I do not know. I am sorry, honored one."
Caleb put a strong hand on her wizened one. "You are already helping. Lisa has power, of what magnitude, I do not know, and she does not know either."
Ming Ue slid her wise eyes over Lisa and nodded. "Lisa is powerful, as was Li Na. It is in their family."
"I came to protect her and put my mark on her. She is mine now."
Ming Ue patted his arm. "She can have no better protection than a golden dragon. They are the best warriors, the most loyal, and most lucky of all the dragons."
"Ming Ue…" Lisa began, but Caleb broke in, blue eyes amused.
"I will protect her with my life, but I would rather remain alive. Will you help me find the black dragon and the orb?"
"We would be honored to help," Ming Ue answered. "But I do not know how I can. I am a humble and weak old woman with little knowledge of the honored ones."
Lisa wanted to laugh but held it in check, realizing that Ming Ue spoke almost ritualistically. Ming Ue was by no stretch of imagination humble, weak, and old. She ran the dim sum shop with an iron fist and drove her nephew Shaiming to distraction, which was probably why he never smiled. The women in Ming Ue's family were all powerful, and the men scrambled to get out of the way.
"Your help will be invaluable, Ming Ue," Caleb said, as though he, too, were following a ritual. "You humble me with your offer. Your house will be blessed."
"Thank you, honored one."
Caleb touched Ming Ue's forehead with his broad fingers. Lisa felt the brush of his magic, the musical threads of his dragon thoughts, though not as strong as when he'd touched her. Ming Ue relaxed into a smile, her wrinkled face serene.
Lisa and Carol exchanged a look. Carol obviously still did not buy into the dragon discussion and was not sure what Caleb was doing but didn't want to interrupt her grandmother. Lisa gave her a reassuring nod, and Carol raised her brows, resigned.
"Now," Ming Ue said, her businesslike demeanor reasserting itself. "What can I do? I know Chinatown inside and out, and Carol knows about the rest of San Francisco. We'll help you find the black dragon's lair."
"And when you do, you will keep well out of his way," Caleb said. "You might admire him, but he will use you for his purpose. Li Na made you promise to protect Lisa, didn't she?"
Ming Ue nodded. "That is so. I watch over the granddaughter of Li Na."
Lisa looked at her in surprise, having never heard this before, but neither Ming Ue nor Caleb noticed or answered. Caleb glanced around the dining room. "This is a good place. You have made it strong."
Ming Ue ducked her head, pleased. "The little spells I have are of the humblest nature compared to your magic, honored one."
"His head is swelling," Lisa said. "I can see it."
"Leave her alone, Lisa. She is enjoying this."
Ming Ue burst out laughing and slapped Caleb's huge arm. "This is true. I like exchanging words with you, honored one. This is a blessed day. My spells do keep this house lucky, but it is nothing compared to t
he might of a dragon."
"You do not always need spells where you have wisdom," Caleb said. "The black dragon will put his mark on as many people as he can, to raise an army to help him. That is the way of the black dragon. Do you know of anyone who has begun to show signs of a dragon mark? Or heard of gatherings around a new leader?"
Ming Ue frowned. Shaiming still hung onto the cart, listening avidly. "I do not leave the shop much, honored one," Ming Ue confessed. "I see few people but my family and the regular customers."
"Lumi might know," Carol broke in.
Caleb and Ming Ue looked up at her as though they'd forgotten her presence. "Ah, Lumi," Ming Ue said. "He is a good boy now."
"Lumi is my cousin," Carol explained. "He used to be involved in gangs and drugs, I'm sorry to say. He has rehabilitated now, gone straight, and runs a bicycle shop off Sacramento Street. But if anything strange was going on in the Chinese underworld, Lumi would know. He has many friends; he knows everyone."
Caleb looked at Lisa. "Can we visit this Lumi?"
"I don't see why not. I haven't talked to him in a while and should say hello to him."
"Thank you," Caleb said gravely to Carol and Ming Ue.
Ming Ue smiled again. "But first, you must have your dim sum. Shaiming has brought the best and some tea." She broke off, putting her hands on the teapot. "Which is cold. Shaiming, is that the way to treat an honored guest? Bring more hot water, you foolish man."
Shaiming slammed the teapot back to the tray and pushed it sullenly away, the wheel squeaking. The show over, Carol strode back to her alcove to usher in more diners.
Ming Ue stayed with Caleb while he and Lisa ate their early lunch, patiently showing him how to use chopsticks. Caleb caught on and managed to eat everything in front of him, pausing after every bite to tell Ming Ue how wonderful the food was. Ming Ue glowed under his praise, and Caleb played along, coming up with compliments each more flowery than the last. Lisa sat back and watched them, mystified by the dance of courtesy that they both seemed to perform so well.
Dragon Heat Page 7
