Page 21 of The Prince of Demons

I let out a sigh of relief. No worries there.

Aubrey:Meet at 5 at the Andromeda Observatory?

Luna:Sounds good!

I threw my eyeliner onto my cluttered desk and careened out the door. Shoving the door open, I hurtled across campus with vigor. In minutes, I’d arrived at the Andromeda.

“You look amazing!” I told Aubrey.

She’d dressed in a flower crown and sage-green dress. It brought out the shiny blonde of her hair, making her look like a delicate forest sprite.

Her face froze. “You too!” She smiled, quickly recovering. “The wings look great! How’d you make them?”

“Gaksi helped me!”

“Ah.” She nodded, almost to herself. “Shall we get going then?”

We walked toward the mountains on the far side of campus. Gangs of freshmen moved in chaotic huddles around us. Between halos, glittering scales, and witch hats, there were enough costumes that I could barely stay focused on the walkway in front of us.

The alcohol I was draining in sips probably didn’t help with that, either. I snuck some of the soju Dad packed for me into a flask to carry along. It was legal to drink at eighteen in Aether University since it was technically its own ancient country. I was too nervous to show up sober, so it felt necessary.

Boys in a sleek blue car decked with a trident whistled at us. “Looking good, angel wannabe!” I flipped them off. “Love the catcalling, Siren House!”

Audrey cackled next to me. “They act so superior for such a mid-house.”

“Mid?” I glanced back at the car, which honked once before driving off. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a house ranking system. Have you read The Oracle? She goes into it every year.”

“Yeah, but what do the rankings mean?”

“It means who’s invited to what!” Aubrey exclaimed. “The best houses, the most successful alumni, the craziest parties, everything!” She pushed me playfully. “That’s why we need to get into Fae or Angel house!” She leaned in closer. “I heard they even have answer banks for exams.”

“Shouldn’t the school ban those?”

“Principal Consta is Fae. Everyone important is. That’s just how it is. They don’t have to worry about consequences.”

Something clicked in my brain. Maybe that was where my mother’s entitlement came from. The attitude that she was better than everyone else. But if we got into Fae House, were we, too?

“Your mom was Fae, right?” Aubrey asked. “I saw her in one of the fae composite photos in the library while researching. Your mom is in it—you look just like her!”

I’d heard that before. Everyone said I looked just like my mom. Maybe that was why I was so resistant to focusing on just her House.

I looked like my mom. Did cheerleading growing up, like my mom. Worked diligently at school, enough to get into Aether, just like mommy dearest.

Which was why I decided not to audition for the cheer squad here. And not to tell people about my legacy connection unless they explicitly asked. I even left my mom’s vintage hoodies at home.

Forget being in her shadow. I was ready to step out into my light.

We reached the entrance to the massive cave on the west side of campus. Two vigilant, identical fae men guarded the door as we approached.

“An angel costume to a fae party? Bold,” the one to the right commented.

“I figured you must have gotten sick of the options already here.” The alcohol had hit, and it made me brazen.

A wicked smile greeted his face. “Who do you know here?”

“Flora,” Aubrey answered.

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