"Don't be. I'm here now, and I'm going to make the most of it. I'm taking general classes this year, but then I'll specialise."
"What in?" I ask.
"Shouldn't you be able to tell with your magic?"
I laugh. "I'm afraid not. I might learn it in Divination."
"I don't think that's what Divination is about," she counters.
"I'll tell you when I have my first class. But I can foresee something I can help you with." I need to get to know her better before the mate bond becomes too strong to ignore, and that means spending time with her. The only problem is that it already feels stronger than it was before.
"Oh?"
"Well, I know a lot about Art History. Maybe we can sit next to each other in class."
It's almost too small to see, but her wings twitch in response to my suggestion.
"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be a distraction in class, rather than a help?" The expression on her face suggests she's not against the suggestion, even if she's asking the questions.
"Demon's honour. I'll be helpful," I promise, crossing my tail over my heart. Her gaze tracks every movement. I don't know what it is about my tail that's caught her attention, but I like it.
"Is that a real thing?" she asks curiously.
"It is now. And didn't you hear? I'm demon royalty, that puts me in charge of things like this."
"A likely story."
"Ah, you see right through me," I joke.
The way she smiles at me sends my insides into a spin. There's definitely something about her, and I might have to admit that the voice whispering mate in my ear is at least a little right.
Chapter 3
LOTTIE
The room is buzzing as the students of Rosewood Academy get to know one another. I'm sure there are some people here from the older years who already know the lay of the land, but there are lots of first-year students like me. People who have come to the academy with the hope of having a bright future.
I try not to feel too self-conscious about the fact that most of them probably haven't had to fight against their parents in order to come here. I'm sure they'll have had their own challenges, but it won't have come in the form of their parents refusing to help with their applications or to support me coming here. Luckily, I've been able to save thanks to the succession of part-time jobs I had while I was still at school, and then a couple of years of working full-time while perfecting my application.
I should hold my head up high. Not just anyone can come to Rosewood Academy, and I was successful in getting in, the first person in my family to go for further education. It's a rare occurrence for fairies. Something Mum has reminded me of at every turn. She thinks that I can just skate by on my looks and my charm, that I don't need more education than I already have.
But that's not what I want.
"Shall I get some drinks?" Sophia asks, gesturing towards the bar. "I don't think that they're going to have anything fun."
"What would count as fun?" I ask my new roommate curiously.
"Fire rum?" Her lips quirk up as if she's thinking of some kind of memory.
"I've never had it."
"We'll work you up to it," she responds. "Unless you don't drink."
"I do."
"Then I'll make sure to get my parents to send me a good bottle," she promises.
"Will they do that?" I'm surprised to hear that royalty will send her a bottle of anything.
