Just Like Fire | J. Saltzman - Legacies [2]

T W E L V E

Stella walks through the empty high school, her boots echoing off of the linoleum floor. She holds two large leather-clad books in her hands: one signed AM and one without a signature. Walking into Saltzman's office, she glances down at the books.

"Ok, so I've got one of my mom's old grimoires and one of my grandmother's. There's gotta be something in here," she says as she lays the books out on Alaric's desk. Narrowing her eyes at them, she picks up her mother's first, carefully avoiding the other one.

Kym gets off of the couch and reaches out. "How old are these?"

Stella slaps the girl's hand before she can touch the book. "Be careful what you touch," Stella warns. "There's some bad magic with that book. I only break it out when we're desperate."

"Well, it's not like we're running out of time," MG says as he leans back on the couch.

"Yeah, but..." Stella trails off as she spins around, her gaze landing on the shackled vampire in the corner. "Uh, who's that?"

The boy smirks, his lips curling up. "Hello, darling."

"One, I am not your darling. Only my uncle can call me that," Stella snaps. "Two, you're not getting any blood. And three, who the hell are you?"

MG shoots to his feet, holding out his hands as if Stella would attack. "You weren't supposed to come here," he says. "Look, he's just a problem that I'm fixing."

"A problem involving an old vampire?" Stella arches an eyebrow.

With a sigh, MG steps out from behind the coffee table. "Fine, you know that guy Lizzie was talking about?"

"Her made-up boyfriend?" Stella asks. She glances at the boy, watching his smirk broaden. "The one who's not real."

"Oh, I am very real, darling."

"For the last—" MG holds Stella back before she can punch him.

"That is Sebastian," MG says once Stella backs off. "He's real."

She purses her lips. "Oh, Lizzie's gonna be pissed. She was really upset when he wasn't real." She pauses, glancing down at her hands. "You have to tell her."

"Not until I figure out how to deal with him," MG replies.

Stella grabs ahold of MG's collar, pulling him forward. "I don't think you understand," she hisses as her fists warm. "She thought she was going crazy and wanted us to kill her. So, you tell her, or so help me—"

Sebastian sits up a little straighter. "I'm sorry. Did I hear you correctly? The lack of human blood is messing with my senses. Elizabeth did what?"

"Shut it, grandpa." Stella lets go of a horrified MG. "You tell her or I will."

Kym clears her throat. "MG, you can't keep lying," she says as she holds the book signed AM. "According to these old wives' tales, this monster's like a Venus flytrap or something mixed with an octopus. They stab their food in the throat so their victims can't scream, and then they dissolve them with acid-like saliva until there's nothing left."

MG rubs his neck, the burns from Stella's fingers healing too quickly for her to see. "By food, you mean people."

"More like liars." Stella goes pale as Kym continues. "Legend has it they hunt fools keeping secrets. So, we have to be honest with each other."

"Liars?" Stella repeats. "Like people who lie repeatedly or people who just omit certain truths? Or people who just recline...horizontally?"

Kym frowns as she looks back at the book. "The only other thing it says is that Croatoans can be summoned by powerful witches."