Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

N I N E T E E N

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The gymnasium is full of dream warriors dedicated to bringing down the false Night Hag. MG and Kaleb talk in the corner as they set up beds; Hope and Landon whisper conspiratorially about their quest. Stella and Rafael move around the room, neither able to stay still.

Stella's arm is held in a sling, her head stitched up. Hope promised to heal her fully after they kill the Oneiroi, but both had agreed that their magic should be saved to kill the monster, much to Alaric's dismay.

Hope kisses Landon on the cheek before she pulls Stella to the side. "You hid the urn, right?" She asks quietly.

Stella nods. "No one can find it. I cast a blood spell to protect it from the Oneiroi. Don't tell my mom, she would kill me."

Hope sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "I don't like this. I don't want Landon stuck in a nightmare."

"Then send me in," Stella says. "I'll pull it out and kill it."

Hope shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I'm not sending you in there again. You almost died when you drifted off."

"Did I, though?" Stella raises an eyebrow. "I know what I'm dealing with; I can do it."

"No," Hope says. "You know too much anyway. We can't risk the Oneiroi getting in your head again and finding the urn."

With a sigh, Stella relents. "You going to let me kill it?" She asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hope glances down at her as a sliver of fear flickers in her eyes. "Yes."

A small smirk spreads over Stella's lips.

It only takes a few minutes for all four boys to be situated in their beds. The stench of nerves wafts through the room as Stella prepares a sleeping tonic. Handing a glass to each of the boys, she wishes them luck.

They fall asleep within seconds of drinking.

"Now, we wait," Hope says as she sighs. She stands next to Landon as Stella paces the length of the gym, her eyes never leaving the boys' tensed faces.

As Stella walks, her mind wanders. She thinks of her nightmares and her lost first love. She thinks about the fire that threatens to consume her entire being. She thinks about her family.

Her mind drifts to Josie in Paris, having fun with her sister and mother. She wonders if the siphoner thinks about her as much as she thinks about the siphoner. She wonders if the dull ache she feels whenever she pictures Josie will go away.

After a few hours of waiting, Stella stands straight up, looking at the ceiling. Hope stands with her as growls fill their ears. "I think someone brought our demon out," Stella says.

Both witches run to the upper levels and head for the secret Mikaelson safe hidden in the walls. They pause in the hallways, watching as a winged demon tears the safe out of the wall and searches the empty container.

"Did I tell Landon the wrong hiding place for the urn?" Hope asks as the demon turns to them. "Oops."

Stella runs at the growling monster. Muttering spells at rapid fire, she slams the winged beast against the walls of the school. The foundation of the building shakes with every punch and slam.

Soon enough, Stella throws the beast through the doors of the gym. The monster had managed to slice her broken arm, but she does not feel the pain, only numbness. She feels the rage coursing through her veins as she stomps after the beast. The boys scatter out of the way as Hope runs in behind them.

The beast stands at its full height, the light from the windows shining through its singed wings. Stella narrows her eyes as fire appears in her fists. She sees the boys start forward, but her magic propels them back. "I got this, boys," she says with a smirk.

She throws her hand out and fire shoots into the beast. It cries out in pain as Stella leaps through the air, tackling it to the ground. She punches it repeatedly until its hand snakes up to her throat.

The fire coating her fist winks out as she gasps for breath. She hits its hand, hoping for a reprieve, but the rage simmers below the surface.

A sudden surge of power allows her to bat the clawed hand out of the way. The monster growls as Stella creates fire daggers in her hands. She slams them into the Oneiroi's eyes.

It screams beneath her before it disintegrates into nothing.

Stella pants as she straightens her back. The rage in her veins melts away as relief floods her body.

"Badass and sexy as hell," she hears Kaleb say. "Damn, girl."

With a smirk, she raises her eyes to meet Hope's in the doorway. This time, Hope can't write off the change in color as a trick of the light.

Stella's silver eyes fade back into blue.

~~~~~

Hope and Stella walk into Alaric's office. He does not sit up from his chair as they settle in front of him: Hope leans against his desk while Stella sits on the couch. Hope sets the urn on the desk with a smile. "Tweaked your shoulder?" She asks, motioning to the ice pack pressed against his arm.

"Tweaked my body driving it into a tree, and I think I have a concussion," Alaric replies with a groan. "Where did you end up hiding that thing? In my dreams, you have a safe tucked away under the floorboards in your closet."

Hope shrugs her shoulders. "I knew I wasn't going to be able to think of a good enough hiding spot, so I handed it off to Stella."

Alaric turns to Stella with a raised eyebrow. The witch sighs. "There are loose floorboards under my bed. No safe, but I spelled it with blood magic. Only someone with blood similar to mine could get it."

Alaric begins to chuckle, holding his bruised side. Stella smiles but refrains from joining the laughter: every time she moves, her neck hurts from the phantom grip of the Oneiroi. "Well, you two were very smart today, while I fell asleep on the job," he says.

"You drove halfway across the country in three days," Hope replies with a smile. "Cut yourself some slack." She pauses, glancing back at Stella as the girl curls into the couch, snuggling with a throw pillow. "We need a new plan. We can't have 80% of the students living at the Lockwood mansion."

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something," Alaric sighs.

Both pause as heavy breathing fills the air. The two adults look over to see Stella fast asleep on the couch, her face relaxed. Her soft snores echo through the office.

Hope lets her expression harden as she whispers, "Has Lexi found anything?"

Alaric shakes his head. "She and Derek have been trying to find something, but they haven't told me much. I heard they're in Norway looking for ancient ruins."

"It's getting worse," Hope says. "I definitely saw it this time. Her eyes turned silver."

Alaric leans back in his chair with a soft groan. "Caroline called after we killed the monster. She said Josie was upset all day, woke up from a terrible nightmare but refused to talk about it. She swore her eyes turned silver."

Hope clenches her jaw as she looks back at her cousin. "We need to fix them. Fast."

Getting juicy :). Next few chapters are my favorite!!!

Hope you enjoyed!

-L