Chapter 87 Splendid Idea

Chapter 87 Splendid Idea
Elroth
Skylar stopped dead in her tracks under the dimly lit stone archway, giving me a sharp, demanding glare.
I pulled up as well, nonchalantly shoving both hands into my trouser pockets. Beside Skylar, Michael immediately shifted into a protective stance.
The angry wolf was breathing heavily, clearly still riled up over that paintbrush joke earlier.
"You heard me loud and clear, Little Wolf," I said smoothly, pacing slowly around the pair of them. "That Katya girl Mr Barnaby just hauled off to the infirmary isn't just some poor, helpless vampire student. She’s the exact same Katya."
"Can't you ever be serious?" Skylar cut in sharply, her brow furrowing. "I really don't have the patience for this tonight. It's been exhausting enough as it is, so explain yourself properly before I just head back to the dorms."
I let out a cynical chuckle, shaking my head at how naive the girl in front of me was. "Those are fake documents someone planted on Headmaster Fischer’s desk. On paper, sure, she’s just a young vampire. But according to Underworld records?"
I leaned in close to Skylar’s face, dropping my voice to a whisper right in her ear, making her eyes go wide. "She was an ordinary human who died two years ago on the Greek coast. Her body vanished straight out of her coffin. She was turned at fifteen, and that’s where her age stopped."
Skylar froze. "B-but... how? Why on earth is she at Equilibrium Academy?"
"Brilliant question," I replied, snapping my fingers.
In my hand, a flat piece of human tech materialized—a handy gadget I'd used to snap everything I found on Katya.
"Take a look at this." I held up the glowing screen for Skylar to see.
Skylar studied it intently, brow furrowed as her eyes scanned the screen. She let out a long sigh and began pacing back and forth.
"How is this possible? But she was definitely injured earlier." Skylar bit her lip, anxious.
"Just get Irlan to keep an eye on her—they're in the same dorm anyway," Michael chimed in quickly. "Or we just report it to your uncle."
"Splendid idea, Banana-pants," I smirked. "Saves us the suspicion of rocking up to the infirmary ourselves and playing detective."
I tutted softly, watching Skylar's face still clouded with doubt. "Told you, didn't I? Never trust crocodile tears from a wet-behind-the-ears vampire. But whatever, at least your uncle’s got half a brain to handle this."
The three of us redirected our steps, heading down the stone corridors towards Professor Henderson’s office.
All along the way, Michael wouldn't stop glaring at me like I was prime suspect number one. Typical muscle-bound Alpha with no tactical variety—always running on raw emotion instead of using his head.
I just flashed him a smirk whenever our eyes locked. Didn't bother me much, though; he hadn't been entirely useless a moment ago, so I wasn't as annoyed with him as usual.
When Skylar pushed open her uncle's door, the sharp stench of alcohol hit us straight away.
The room was a proper mess. A few empty bourbon bottles lay scattered across the thick carpet, clinking softly as I stepped inside.
Over in the corner, Professor Henderson was slumped back in his leather armchair, a crystal glass half-full in his grip.
Skylar winced slightly, a flush of embarrassment creeping up her face at the sight of her uncle looking so utterly pathetic right in front of us.
"Uncle Kai..." Skylar murmured softly, trying to cover her awkwardness.
However, my vision as an Incubus was far sharper than mere appearances. I narrowed my eyes, tracking the way Professor Henderson held his glass.
No trembling whatsoever. He was sitting bolt upright, and his razor-sharp eyes were tracking our every move with terrifying precision.
The man wasn't drunk at all. If anything, the booze had sharpened his senses. Playing wasted was a decent act, but nowhere near smooth enough to fool a demon like me.
"What are you lot doing here at this hour, Skylar? Aren't you supposed to be burning off energy in detention with your boyfriend?" Professor Henderson's voice sounded gravelly, but his tone was completely steady, without a hint of slurred chaos.
Skylar stepped closer, ignoring the empty bottle near her feet. "It’s about Katya, Uncle. We just came from the underground tunnels."
Malachai set his glass down on the desk with a quiet clink. "Go on."
"Katya was badly hurt. Mr Barnaby just carried her off to the infirmary," Skylar explained rapidly, her tone urgent. "There was an attack downstairs. Katya claims she was bitten by venomous bats, but Elroth found something dodgy about her identity. We need someone to keep tabs on her without raising suspicion, and Michael suggested Irlan do it since they share a dorm."
Hearing Skylar's account of the incident downstairs, the relaxed air about Professor Henderson instantly vanished.
His alertness practically charged the air in the room. His gaze hardened into a sharp, undisguised glare of full caution.
"An attack underground?" Malachai muttered slowly.
Before Skylar could answer, Professor Henderson bolted up from his chair with lightning speed, moving like a true bloodsucker.
He grabbed Skylar’s left wrist, yanking her close to inspect the sigil of Katarina etched into her skin.
"Uncle, that hurts..." Skylar winced.
He paid her complaints no mind, running his thumb over the sigil-marked skin. The dark magic symbol was pulsating slightly, radiating an unnatural heat after reacting to Katya's aura downstairs.
"Shit," Professor Henderson cursed under his breath, teeth clenched. He let go of Skylar's wrist and turned sharply back to his desk.
His hands moved deftly, grabbing his smartphone from under a pile of documents.
Without hesitation, he tapped in a number and pressed the device to his ear.
I leaned back against the doorframe, arms crossed, casually enjoying the family drama. "Well, Little Wolf, I reckon your uncle just realized this game is a whole lot bigger than some schoolkid playing injured."
Michael let out a low growl beside me. "Keep your mouth shut, Demon. Just listen to Professor Henderson."
"Pipe down, Banana-pants," I chuckled softly. "I'm watching him fine without your help. He’s just playing his part in this academy."
On the other end of the line, Professor Henderson’s call went through. His cold, authoritative voice cut through the tense silence of the room.
"It’s me," he said bluntly, staring straight out the dark window. "Skylar’s seal is starting to stretch because of the detention she was doing. What are your orders, Seth?"
I smiled faintly. A sharp vampire uncle and the strongest pure Alpha were finally showing their teeth for Skylar's sake.
"Right. Don't tell Edith just yet. She might collapse again."