Ruthless Fae (2019) is a fantasy romance novel by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. It is the second book in the Zodiac Academy series. The story follows twin Fae princesses, Tory and Darcy Vega, who were raised in the mortal world. Now enrolled at the magical Zodiac Academy, their royal lineage makes them a threat to the four powerful Celestial Heirs who have been groomed to rule the kingdom of Solaria. In the aftermath of a brutal hazing incident, the twins decide to stay and fight for their place, sparking an escalating war of retaliation against the Heirs. The novel explores themes of The Corrupting Influence of Inherited Power, Forging Identity in a Hostile World, and The Cycle of Cruelty and the Morality of Revenge.

Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti are British sisters who co-author dark romance novels. They are #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling authors, and their work gained significant popularity through viral success on TikTok’s BookTok community. The Zodiac Academy series is part of the larger interconnected “World of Solaria,” which also includes the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac and Darkmore Penitentiary series. Ruthless Fae combines conventions of the bully romance and dark academia subgenres.

This guide refers to the 2025 King’s Hollow LLP edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of bullying, graphic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, child abuse, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual content, cursing, and death.

Plot Summary

The novel opens in the aftermath of the Lunar Leisure formal, where the four Celestial Heirs (Darius Acrux, Caleb Altair, Max Rigel, and Seth Capella) brutally hazed the Vega twins (Roxanya “Tory” and Gwendalina “Darcy”). The Heirs nearly drowned Tory, and Seth forcibly cut Darcy’s hair. Soon after, someone discovers the burned body of Professor Astrum. The four Heirs retreat to their secret hideout, King’s Hollow. Caleb feels guilty about Tory’s near-death and is frustrated that his Vampire power is low from not feeding on her, his designated Source, a person from whom he draws magical power. Seth proudly braids a bracelet from Darcy’s hair. Caleb confronts Max with his callousness, leading to a fight where Caleb forcibly drains Max’s power. Darius arrives, having been flying in his Dragon form to cool his anger at Professor Orion for giving them detention. The Heirs discuss the body, which Seth believes was burned by Darius’s Dragon Fire. Caleb questions their group’s cruelty and compares Darius to his abusive father, Lionel, before storming out.

The next morning, Darcy and Tory Vega are traumatized. They discover that Professor Astrum, their ally, left them a Death tarot card with a cryptic message. They decide to leave Zodiac Academy but lack the money to return to their old life. Their humiliation is amplified when Seth posts a video of him cutting Darcy’s hair on the social media platform FaeBook, warning others not to help them. When Principal Nova announces a mandatory assembly about Astrum’s murder, the twins skip it and devise an escape plan. Tory will steal gold from Darius’s room, and Darcy will steal magical stardust from Professor Orion’s office to teleport them back to the mortal world.

During the assembly, Tory breaks into Darius’s empty room. She fills a bag with gold and uses her fire magic to set the room ablaze, melting the rest of his treasure. She finds a mysterious silver dagger and decides to keep it. Meanwhile, Darcy breaks into Orion’s office and finds the stardust just as he returns. In a panic, she uses the stardust, but Orion grabs her, and they are both teleported to the roof of Aer Tower. After a brief fight, Orion challenges her decision to flee, stating that true Fae fight for their place. Inspired, Darcy returns to their room and convinces Tory they must stay. Tory reveals she burned Darius’s room, and they hide the stolen gold under Darcy’s bed. Darcy then receives a cryptic email from “Lance,” who is secretly Orion, directing her to a helpful book in the library.

Tory returns to her dorm, Ignis House, as the fire is discovered. When Darius arrives, he is devastated to find his treasure melted. His rage causes him to lose control and shift into his Dragon form. The next day, Caleb visits Tory, explaining that The Vampire Code forbids him from torturing his Source, which is why he did not participate in the pool attack. He details the political pressure on the Heirs to assert their dominance over the Vega twins to secure the throne.

Following Orion’s clue, Darcy finds a book in the library containing a potion to regrow her hair and a spell to summon Werewolf lice. In Cardinal Magic class, Orion announces that the Fae Investigation Bureau (FIB) has determined a Nymph killed Professor Astrum. The lesson is interrupted by FIB Agent Francesca Sky, who has come to question the twins. While waiting, Seth taunts Darcy, but she stands up to him. Francesca, revealed to be a Cyclops, forcibly extracts Darcy’s memories, which clears the twins of any suspicion.

Darius, needing to replenish his gold supply, travels to his family’s manor with Orion. They are linked by a Guardian Bond, an ancient magic that compels Orion to protect Darius. At the manor, Darius discovers that his younger brother, Xavier, has emerged as a Pegasus, a “weaker” Order. This enrages their father, Lionel, who confines Xavier to the estate. Lionel also brutally beats Darius tor losing control of his Order after the fire. Lionel magically restrains Orion when the bond forces him to intervene. Afterward, Darius and Orion escalate their secret plans against Lionel.

Back at the academy, Max’s Siren song lures Tory into a clearing. He explains they are “Song-Spelled” and must kiss to break the enchantment. During the kiss, their powers are reversed, and Tory sees his memories, learning he was born out of wedlock and his mother was murdered by his stepmother. She agrees to keep his secret.

The twins begin plotting revenge. During her Liaison session, Darcy shows Orion Astrum’s card; he denies knowing its meaning but warns her he is committed to the Heirs’ succession. Tory distracts Caleb while Darcy uses his Atlas to join Pegasus appreciation groups, fueling rumors against him. Darcy then sneaks into Seth’s room during a pack orgy to get a lock of his hair for her spell. He discovers her and explains he accidentally marked her as an Omega. His Alpha instincts now compel him to “initiate” her into his pack, but she escapes with his hair. After she performs the spell, Seth becomes infested with Werewolf lice. His pack avoids him. Tory successfully frames Milton Hubert, Darius’s lackey, for the theft of Darius’s gold, causing Darius to violently and publicly shun his once-loyal follower.

As part of a deal for tutoring, Tory and Darcy attend a party at the Acrux manor. There, they are tricked by a reporter, Gustav “Gus” Vulpecula, who prints a slanderous article portraying Tory as addicted to sex and questioning Darcy’s mental health. They learn from Geraldine Grus’s father, Hamish, that he investigated the disappearance of Orion’s sister, Clara, four years ago, a case that led to the Acrux manor before being covered up. At the party, Tory has a sexual encounter with Caleb. Later, Darcy overhears Lionel discussing a plan for the upcoming lunar eclipse and witnesses Orion comforting a beaten Darius. Orion and Darcy share a passionate kiss in a pool, after which he gives her the braid of her hair he confiscated from Seth. Darcy then finds another of Astrum’s tarot cards hidden in a photo of Clara, that warns of a revelation on the Lunar Eclipse. Orion confirms his fears by eavesdropping on Lionel and his mother, Stella: They plan to repeat the dark ritual that resulted in Clara’s death.

On the day of the big Pitball match, the twins sabotage the Heirs’ uniforms with Griffin excrement. The sabotage works, and the distracted Heirs play poorly, leading to Zodiac Academy’s defeat. After the match, the Heirs confront the twins when they jokingly declare their “birthright” to the throne. A fight ensues, and the twins’ combined power proves immense, but Darius and Seth ultimately trap them in the Pitball Pit with a magical barrier. Suddenly, the stadium is swarmed by dozens of Nymphs. The barrier over the Pit is broken, freeing the twins. Both Darcy and Tory discover they can summon a powerful, winged creature of blue and red fire that is devastatingly effective against the Nymphs. In the ensuing battle, Darcy saves Orion, and Tory saves a gravely wounded Darius. With Tory’s help, Orion heals Darius’s life-threatening injuries. The battle ends with many Fae casualties, and Orion concludes that the Nymphs have declared war.