The Demon and the Princess (Fated Mates and Monster Dates #2)

Chapter 1

Sophia

As much as I would never say it out loud, being the youngest daughter of demon royalty sucks. I have too many siblings to ever have to worry about running our demon court, but I still have to follow all of the rules. All of which translates to never having any fun.

The shimmering blue portal hanging in the middle of the room promises to change that. Once I step through it, I'll be free of the constraints and able to study at Rosewood Academy. For at least four years, I'll be able to do things my way and not the way that everyone else expects me to do them.

The door opens, and my twin brother steps inside with his large purple wings stretched out behind him.

"You can't have those out while we travel through the portal," I remind him.

Archie rolls his eyes. "I'll put them away before we go through."

"You'd better. I don't want our parents to find out that we've made foolish errors even getting to Rosewood and decide that they're going to go back on their promise to let us go and have a normal education."

"Pfft. You really think they're going to stick to that? I wouldn't be surprised if we have bodyguards on us the moment we arrive."

"I hope not," I mutter. They've promised that we'll only have bodyguards when we're outside the academy grounds.

I'm sure they've worked with the headmistress to ensure that the security is strong, but I'm not going to have to deal with someone following me around constantly for the first time in my life.

And I'm not going to let my brother mess it up for me.

"Wings away and let's go," I say, gesturing to the portal.

He retracts them and saunters over, stepping through the portal.

I wrap my tail around my arm, not wanting to risk it running free while I travel through. I take a deep breath and follow my brother through. My skin tingles and my head spins as the magic of portal travel washes over me. It's not the first time I've used a portal, but I'm still not used to it.

The real world rushes back in as soon as I get to the other side and I step out to find a woman with blue horns waiting for me.

"Your Highness," she says, dipping her head to me.

I clear my throat, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Hello."

"Welcome to Rosewood Academy," she says. "I'm Julie. I'm going to be showing you around the academy. I believe Prince Archibald has already been taken on his tour."

"I see," I respond.

"As I'm sure you might have seen in the student handbook, there are some rules that need to be followed. There's no flying inside the building, though there are entrances on the outside of the castle if you want to go about by flying."

"Thank you." I keep quiet about the fact I don't like flying. It doesn't seem like an important thing to share.

Julie gestures for me to walk with her. "The rest of the week is assigned for introductory lessons and getting to know your fellow students. There's a welcome party this evening in the dining hall."

"Where is that?" I ask.

"It's on the ground floor," she responds. "There's a map in your welcome packet, along with your class schedule and a lot of the other details you'll need to know. You've got a room in one of our student flats with three other students."

I nod. My parents tried to convince me to have a flat to myself, but that defeats the point of me being here.

"And we've been informed that you don't wish for anyone to use your title while you're at the academy?" She looks at me with a curious expression on her face.

"I want to have as normal of an experience as I can," I respond. "My siblings have told me a lot about their time at Rosewood, and I'm hoping to be able to have a normal university experience while I'm here."

"Very good. We'll pass your wishes onto your professors while you're here," she says.

"Thank you." Though I have to wonder why that wasn't done ahead of time.

I can understand why they want to double-check that it's correct, especially when I could insist on using my title, but I don't see the point.

Not when it defeats the whole idea of me coming to have a genuine academy experience.

It also means nothing when there are probably hundreds of demon princesses across the various courts.

"We've run the security by the royal team, but if you want us to do a briefing of how things work, then we can set one up for you."

My blood runs cold, which is impressive when I'm able to create fire with a click of my fingers. "I was told there wouldn't be any bodyguards within the grounds of the academy."

"I can assure you that there aren't," Julie says quickly. "But there are still security protocols in place for you and your brother. As well as many of the other high-profile students. And you'll be required to have a bodyguard with you should you decide to leave campus."

"My parents told me as much," I respond. I can't say I'm particularly thrilled about having a babysitter whenever I leave the academy grounds, but it's a small price to pay compared to the alternative. At least within these walls I'll have a chance to be normal.