She thanked him quietly, her voice warm and real. Then she gently guided them toward the corner table she had set up earlier. It was tucked away from the big windows where sunlight poured across the floor. The curtains were drawn just enough to soften the light, but not so much that the room felt dark or closed in. She had rembered that vampires preferred it cooler and dimr. She wanted every family here to feel at ho.
Count Vladimir noticed right away. He glanced at the soft light filtering through the curtains, then back at her. Lady Isadora’s lips curved into a small, quiet smile of approval. Alina had been thoughtful without anyone having to ask, and they both recognized that kind of care.
They settled into their seats gracefully. Vlad Jr. sat perfectly straight between his parents, his hands folded neatly on the table like a tiny noble attending a royal court rather than a kindergarten et and greet. He looked so serious and proper that it was almost comical, but Alina managed to keep a straight face.
Alina stepped back and scanned the room. Most parents had arrived by now. Soft conversations filled the air as supernatural parents chatted politely with one another.
Only one person was missing.
Boo. And whoever was supposed to co with him.
She had just turned to check the attendance list when she heard it.
"TEACHERRRRRRRRRR!"
That loud, familiar, absolutely dramatic voice echoed from the hallway and bounced off the classroom walls. A laugh escaped her before she could stop it, warm and automatic. The tightness she had not even realized was in her chest loosened instantly. That ghost. That ridiculous, sparkling, wonderful ghost.
She walked toward the door, already smiling. And then she saw him.
Boo floated forward proudly, and today he looked like he had personally robbed a treasure vault and decided that subtlety was for weak spirits who lacked vision. His glittery silver shirt caught every single light in the hallway, sparkling and shimring with each dramatic movent he made. An oversized gold chain bounced against his chest with a satisfying weight. His translucent tail swished left and right like a banner announcing his royal arrival. He was absolutely extra in every possible way, and he knew it.
He was talking animatedly to soone beside him, gesturing wildly with both hands.
Soone very tall.
Alina slowed her steps.
For a second, the hallway seed to grow quieter around this stranger. The other sounds faded, or maybe she just stopped hearing them.
The man walking beside Boo had hair like molten gold under soft light, long and smooth, falling just past his collar in elegant waves. His skin was pale in a way that looked almost luminous, as if he carried his own soft glow. And his eyes were silver gold, with faint dark streaks threading through the iris like shadows trapped inside sunlight.
His face was striking, almost unfairly so. High cheekbones caught the light. A sharp jawline gave him an air of quiet authority. His mouth was calm, not smiling but not cold either, just resting in a neutral expression that revealed nothing.
Boo was clearly in the middle of explaining sothing with great enthusiasm.
"And then the teacher said we would have a vote, and I only got one vote, which is total betrayal and I am still recovering emotionally from the trauma."
The tall man glanced down at Boo with a subtle smile, the kind that barely moved his lips but reached his eyes just a little.
Then his gaze lifted and landed on Alina.
Sothing unreadable passed through his silver gold eyes, there and gone in an instant, like a ripple on still water. He studied her for just a mont longer than normal.
Boo finally noticed her standing there and brightened instantly, his whole translucent face lighting up like a tiny sun.
"TEACHERRRRRRR!" he shouted again, zooming forward and stopping midair right in front of her face.
"This is my Ghost Tower sponsor I told you about!" Boo announced proudly, pointing at the tall man like he had just revealed the final boss of existence.
Alina blinked once, then quickly straightened her posture and smiled politely. "Hello, sir?"
Behind her, inside the classroom, the atmosphere had changed in a way she had not yet noticed. Several supernatural parents had gone very still. So looked confused. So looked shocked.
The man inclined his head slightly, that calm and unsettling elegance never leaving him for a mont.
"Sir Santo," he said, offering a deep and slow smile that sohow looked both kind and extrely dangerous at the sa ti, like a wolf politely asking to join a flock of sheep for dinner.
"Oh, Sir Santo, please co inside," Alina said warmly, stepping aside and guiding him and Boo toward the tables where the other parents were seated.
As she walked, she slowly started noticing the looks.
Alpha Ryker’s brows were drawn together so tightly they nearly t in the middle. His eyes studied Sir Santo with an intensity usually reserved for threats.
Queen Serafina looked a bit taken aback, her elegant composure cracking just slightly around the edges, like fine porcelain with a hairline fracture.
King Boulder had stopped mid sentence with Queen Granite, his massive stone jaw hanging open just a little.
Lady Isadora’s fingers had paused lightly over Vlad Jr.’s shoulder, frozen mid pat, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
Even Aine, who seed amused by everything, looked deeply interested. Her beautiful eyes tracked Sir Santo with the focus of soone who had just spotted a very expensive tiger wandering into a polite tea party.
Alina frowned slightly in confusion. Why is everyone looking like that? She glanced back at Sir Santo, who smiled pleasantly at her, and she felt a shiver run down her spine for reasons she could not explain.
anwhile, Boo was still floating proudly beside Sir Santo like a personal PR manager, his sparkly shirt catching the light and reflecting it onto the ceiling.
Inside the room, Dante stood up slowly from his chair near the back. His dark eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on the tall man with the golden hair and the silver gold eyes.
Sir Santo. What is this angelic priest doing here with Boo? Sothing is extrely suspicious, he thought, his gaze flicking once toward Boo and then back to Sir Santo with growing wariness.
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