After failing as a vampire hunter, 17-year-old Cleo is sent to an academy full of vampires as a false peace treaty. Her true objective is supposed to be finding the hidden heir to the dark world while befriending the current one, but the current hei...
HEADS UP: This chapter is a special chapter and has absolutely nothing to do with the plot whatsoever and should not be considered canon unless I mention it when we get to Christmas in the actual book lol. Merry Christmas! Enjoy!
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"Uh, what's that?"
San let go of the giant plant they were dragging through my door to throw out his arms in a grand gesture, causing Kaz to squawk and nearly buckle under its weight. I stared at them, not sure why they decided to bring a whole ass tree into my room.
"A Christmas tree!" San said cheerily.
The smell of pine assaulted my nostrils and I wrinkled my nose. Was that what an actual Christmas tree looked like? And smelled like? "It stinks."
"Cleo! That's the smell of Christmas!" San said, looking stricken.
Kaz's face contorted as he tried to drag the tree further in. "San, a little help, please."
San eyed me for a moment longer before lifting the tree back up and sparing Kaz's back. He carried it to the area with the bay windows with ease, propping it up against the window panes. "Here will be nice."
"You're leaving it here?" I asked in disbelief.
"A little birdy told me that you've never celebrated Christmas before and I've come to be your own personal Santa Claus," San responded, coming over to me and throwing an arm over my shoulder, squeezing me to his side. "So.... Do you want me to be naughty or nice?"
Kaz ran a hand over his face and sighed.
"Is that little birdy Adora? It's not really a big deal," I said, trying not to be crushed in San's grip.
"It is a big deal. You have to experience it!"
"There's no use in fighting it, Cleo," Kaz told me. "San will always get his way when it comes to celebrating his favorite holidays. Look at what happened on Halloween." He paused. "Not the part with the Leecher."
I grimaced at the memory. "Yeah, I think I'm understanding it's impossible to go against San."
San grinned in triumph. "Glad you've figured that out so quickly. So, first, we decorate the Christmas tree!"
"With what?"
The door opened again and a short figure came in with a huge cardboard box in their arms, obscuring their face from view. I still knew it was Adora. She closed the door with her foot and came to a stop in front of San and me, turning to her side so she could see us. A red Santa hat sat on her head, flopping around as she rotated. She beamed at me. "Decoration delivery!"
"Nice hat," I said as she unceremoniously dropped the box on the ground.
"I brought one for you, too."
"Uh..."
She reached into the box and produced another saggy hat and placed it on my head, pulling it down over my ears, and making my bangs flatten to my forehead and fall in my eyes. I adjusted it so I could see again, leaning over to inspect the other contents of the box. Colorful ornaments, tinsel, lights...
