Chapter Text
Eloise
The room she had been assigned to was beneath her usual standards. Coming from royalty, she had grown used to excessive comforts that she was now realising didn’t exist at the academy.
“El, you’re twenty-three,” Daphne uttered. “You’re attending the magic academy a year early because Mother felt as if you could handle it, and you were advanced enough in your studies that the board here agreed. But life here isn’t like back home or our private schooling. People from all walks of life will attend, and you need to get used to not being spoiled at every turn.”
Shaking her head, Eloise looked at the place. “There are two beds!”
“Yes. Royalty gets roommates, too. Like I said, this academy, unlike others, doesn’t do favours because of who you were born to. Get used to it.”
As her sister left her to unpack, Eloise knew she was right. She didn’t deserve anything more simply because she held a title, and she had attended the academy because she hoped that she might break away from the coddling of her life elsewhere. However, one thing Eloise liked was her space. Her routine. And now, she had neither of those things.
Someone pushed through the door then, and as soon as her eyes fell on Eloise, she stilled. “No.”
“No?” Eloise replied, confused.
“I know exactly who you are,” she continued. “And I’m not being roomed with you.” Her eyes dropped down to her phone as she began to text someone.
“Well, that may be your wish, but I have heard that they do not change room arrangements easily here. So, I fear you’re stuck with me. Not keen on succubi?”
“Not keen on pompous asses who think that a red carpet should be rolled out for them anytime they enter a room,” she countered, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. It was somewhat pink, although Eloise knew she was a blonde with a questionable dye job that appeared half washed out, leaving it a more subtle pastel tone.
There was something about the girl that set Eloise’s blood alight and not in a good way. Her blood thrummed in her veins as she took her in. She was taller than Eloise, but only fractionally. She wore a black sleeved dress with a leather jacket and had a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. As Eloise’s eyes trailed to the bag, she frowned at the runes drawn on the side.
Whilst it was obvious why Eloise was here – the horns weren’t exactly subtle – figuring others out usually proved a more complex task. “Are you done? Or do you have more you wish to get off your chest?” She had expected her to argue in reply, but the girl simply shoved past Eloise and then threw her bag on the free bed. “Can I get a name with the insults?”
“Cressida.”
“I’m-”
“Eloise,” Cressida finished. “Yes, I know. Every magazine seemed to be running stories about how you’re a gift to this academy, attending a year before they usually allow, as if your mother didn’t conveniently make a bloody donation that swayed that.”
“I had the grades already,” Eloise countered. “I was an advanced student.” She had studied her ass off to gain her qualifications, and she wasn’t about to let some whiny roommate question that. “I worked hard to get here.”
“Didn’t we all,” Cressida uttered under her breath. “Now, if you could keep to your side of the room, I’d appreciate it.”
“Scared I’ll bite?” Eloise taunted. Usually, she tried not to be a prize-winning asshole, but something about her roommate drew the demonic side out of her. As she leaned against the post, her eyes glowed red, and she tilted her head.
“Try to feed on me, and I will end you,” Cressida replied, grabbing a book from her bag. And with that, she left.
Okay, so they were off to a stellar start.
Sulking, Eloise took her time looking around the castle. She ended up throwing on some jeans and a band shirt and then headed through the corridors as she tried to ascertain where her classes would be.
The academy was beautiful. It was thousands of years old now, and Eloise could feel the protective magic running through the walls as she dragged her fingers across the stone. Sconces dimly lit the hallways, and moss peeked out from slight cracks running through the building, the slight burst of green livening up the dreariness.
“Princess Eloise!”
Turning her attention up to the men in the library, Eloise fought the urge to roll her eyes. “It’s just Eloise here.”
“Would you like a seat?” an orc asked her, shifting his butt to the side in order to free up a tiny sliver of space beside them all.
“No, that’s quite all right. I’m trying to figure out where everything is. The place is huge.”
“Figured you wouldn’t need a map,” a guy called out, walking to join the other men. Eloise scoffed as he took a seat. She hadn’t seen him in a few years now, but the guy was just as irritating. “A beautiful face like that, everyone would be escorting you.”
“Still an eternal flirt, I see,” Eloise groaned. “You know, Dean, if you flirt with anything that moves, the charm kind of starts to lose its impact.”
The words did not deter him; if anything, he moved closer to Eloise and pouted as he dusted one of his wings off. Angels always were insufferably cocky. “Sue me for taking a shot at a princess. You know I’d take great care of you if you let me. I would worship the ground you walked on.”
“Gross,” a voice uttered beside them, and then she said, “Can I get past, or do you wish to shag in the doorway?”
Cressida.
Moving back a step, Eloise watched as she pushed through them. “In a rush?”
“To get away from you,” Cressida added.
“If that was true, you could have gone another way,” Eloise commented. She felt her magic responding to Cressida for some reason, tugging in the most unusual way. “Something tells me you wanted an excuse to speak to me.”
“You’re so bloody full of yourself.”
That night, Eloise headed home late after befriending some people at the pub off campus. The people here seemed lovely, other than one. So now, as Eloise quietly slipped in the door and unlaced her boots, she was met with more anger.
“Could you be any louder?”
Groaning, Eloise chucked her boots to the ground with a thump. She had been as quiet as humanly possible, and it was clear that Cressida wasn’t even asleep. “I could. Would you like trumpets to announce my return? I could probably find someone from the music department to assist in that.”
“Because everyone is here to assist you,” Cressida returned. “Some of us need to sleep.”
“I was hardly keeping you from such.”
Groaning, Cressida pulled a pillow over her head, and part of Eloise hoped that she might choose to smother herself. It would buy her some peace.
Come morning, things weren’t faring much better. As Eloise looked at her outfit in the mirror, Cressida said, “Checking if you can woo every man you pass?”
The comment left Eloise pausing due to the absurdity of it. She turned slowly on her heel and looked at her. “You’re wrong.”
“Please. I saw you flirting yesterday.”
“Oh, I am a notorious flirt, I suppose,” Eloise corrected. “Succubi are very relaxed when it comes to that. But you’re wrong about one thing.”
“What?” Cressida fumed.
Stepping closer, she gently tucked the loose hair behind Cressida’s ear and leaned closer, pressing her mouth to her ear. “I don’t like men.” And then she pulled back, eyes burning red as she fought the urge to push Cressida up against a wall. Usually, she had complete control over her powers, but since she arrived, they had been on the fritz, humming whenever Cressida was around. But Eloise was a succubus, and she would use that effortless confidence to win this battle. “Have a good day, princess.”
“What did you just call me?”
“Princess,” Eloise echoed, smiling smugly as Cressida’s cheeks flushed. Walking away, she called out, “A cute one at that.” If she couldn’t win their arguments one way, Eloise would damn well win them another.
To her delight, her first two classes were free of the girl. Yet the third, intro to higher magic, brought all of that crumbling down. As she moved into the lecture hall, she spotted her.
“Light magic users on the left, dark on the right,” the professor called out to her. Thankfully, Cressida was seated on the left. As such, Eloise moved to the right and then leaned forward to shoot a wink at Cressida. Huffing, Cressida quickly looked away.
Okay, so this was how Eloise would win. Usually, Cressida was quick to reply with something scathing when they argued, but like this, she retreated with rosy cheeks, unsure of what to do.
“I will be partnering you. Two light magic users to two dark. In these teams, you will work on protection spells that we will be testing in the blast hall, three weeks from now. A large part of your grade will rely on these spell tests, so I assure you that you do not wish to fail them. The spells will be layered, and we do not expect you to disarm all of them. That is an impossible task for someone of your level. However, you will be aiming for multiple layers; the more you tackle, the more your grade will increase.”
Unfortunately, she heard it then. “Eloise Bridgerton, Maya Edgar, Cressida Cowper and Ethan Hibbart, you are grouped.” Fuck. As they teamed up, Eloise took a seat and kicked her feet up to rest on the chair in front of her. “Cowper,” she said. “Interesting.”
“If you have anything to say, get it out now,” Cressida snapped.
Usually, their joking felt surface-level. But now there was a ripple of something new, and Eloise frowned as the taste of Cressida’s fear met her tongue. It was intense and followed by a sadness that left Eloise immediately regretting her words.
“Cowper,” Ethan chuckled. “Shit. Surprised you didn’t change your name.”
“I think that’s enough,” Eloise said, but it didn’t stop him.
“God, you kind of look like your dad as well. I wonder if the betrayal runs in your blood. Have a sudden need to screw everyone over yet?”
Frank Cowper was renowned. The name made most hiss or scoff, and some would simply see red. He was a head of security for a big firm, one of the leading light witches. Placed in charge of protecting the central city, he had eventually fallen. A sizeable monetary offer had led him to intentionally weaken the defences, leading to an attack from a notorious vampiric community that most people attending this academy feared.
Eventually, the protection spells had been reestablished, but not until after the deaths of several people. And now, he and his family were loathed. It shocked Eloise that Cressida had been accepted here, given her family. Then again, Daphne made it clear to her that the place didn’t care who you were or where you came from, as long as you were talented.
“I said that’s enough,” Eloise snapped, her powers flowing through her until everyone in the room felt the power of it. Tamping it down, she added, “Our grades are dependent on us working together. That means ignoring differences. And I don’t know about you, but I’m not here to fuck around.”
“No,” Ethan debated. “You’re here because Mommy and Daddy paid the way for you.”
She barely restrained the flinch at the mention of her father. “If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have to worry about me outperforming you. What were your test scores in Magic Two?”
Smiling brightly, he said, “Ninety-eight percent. Top of my school.”
“Ninety-Nine,” Eloise countered. “Point seven. Top of mine. Now that we’re done swinging our metaphorical dicks, can we figure out how to disarm this spell layer?” Finally, Ethan opened his book, and Cressida simply stared at her. “Would you like a hand opening your book, princess?”
There was a huff then, and Cressida set to work. Pissed, but no longer fearful. For some reason, Eloise’s powers took pride in that, humming contentedly.
It turned out that Cressida was incredibly strong. A lot of the spell alterations she suggested were things that none of them ever would have thought of. A few they questioned if that was possible, but Cressida seemed sure that she could tackle those parts and that they would work. They would be a strong team, each with different strengths that, when put together, would make quite a skillset.
For once, Eloise was hopeful about being paired with the woman.