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  "We jump."

  "We'll both die." Xavier's death would mean mine.

  "We might not. Trust me. Don't let go."

  The Wraiths closed in. I was done living the way Thoreau had directed.

  Xavier and I climbed over the railing together and jumped.

  I screamed as the ground spun, then surged closer. Wind blasted against my face and Xavier tightened his grip on mine. I hoped it would be fast. He pulled me closer. I could make out the people walking below, some men coming out of a fancy bar. Ambulances parked around the block, lights flashing. The lines in the sidewalk. These could be the last sights for me. I gave one final thought to Janine, that she would be all right and that she had found--

  Magenta fire exploded around us and we were falling again, through heat and light, and then we landed.

  The sidewalk. We were standing on it now as the light faded, catching our breaths. I was dizzy. Xavier still had his hand in mine, squeezing so much I might never feel it again.

  He had Transposed us to the ground.

  We were alive.

  "Run," he told me. "We're too close."

  I looked behind me. The red letters of the ATC building glowed far overhead. We stood feet from the entrance. A few cars slowed down to gawk at us, at the people who had materialized out of magic fire.

  We ran.

  I carried Xavier again--it was my turn--and bolted around the corner and across the street, weaving around the moving cars. He was bleeding from his shoulder again, right onto my arm. His blood still smelled like wood smoke and something more exotic, but as long as Thoreau wanted to complete the darkness inside of me, it was something I could never taste.

  Chapter Fourteen

  We found Janine and her mother two streets over. Her mother was sitting in an ambulance while a paramedic dressed her wound and told her she'd need to have her blood tested to make sure she didn't have the gene that would make her turn. The paramedic also told her that the chances were only one in five hundred, which helped her mother calm down.

  "Thoreau is a vile man," her mother said, patting the bandage over her neck. "Tell everyone what he really is. He's not trying to get rid of the Abnormals like everyone thinks. He likes them!"

  The paramedic faced us while we stood there, watching her seethe from the pain.

  Xavier and I backed away. It was clear where Janine's mom stood.

  Janine led us to the corner and into a nearby clothing store. We stood surrounded by expensive tops and jeans but at least there was no perfume. No demon was trying to cloak their presence here. "You guys might not want to meet my mom after all. She didn't kill me too badly but I'm going to have to tell her the truth eventually."

  "We have to hide your mother," Xavier said. "She's not going to like the Underground but she needs it. Thoreau will be after her just like the rest of us."

  "Okay," she said. "I take that back. She really will kill me all the way. I haven't even told her about my cousin yet."

  "Don't," I said. "Not yet, anyway."

  "Did you see your parents?" Janine asked.

  I shook my head. "We saw the portal, though. Xavier said it wasn't activated."

  "I don't know how to do that," he said. "Thoreau would know. Maybe we need a demon to open it. Getting back up there, though..."

  He let the silence hang. Another ambulance arrived outside to check out the people who had fled the ATC building. I wondered how Thoreau was going to cover this up. Marissa hadn't found everyone yet.

  "We'll figure it out," I said. "Did you see the fire? Around me?"

  "It should have killed you," Xavier said. "I don't know what that was about or what Thoreau was up to. It made me rage so hard I killed Allunna. I guess Leon's dead too. I'll have to head down and explain that to the Underground. I couldn't let her live. She was going to sell them out if she hasn't already."

  "You did the right thing," I said.

  I hugged Xavier. He was warm and so alive and full of freedom.

  "What's this?" he asked.

  "It's called a hug," I said. "It's what people do when they're showing affection for each other."

  "Oh," he said. "Of course I know that."

  Behind him, Janine smiled.

  And Xavier hugged me back. "Thanks. Really."

  "Is it true that I have to bite you to complete our bond?"

  Xavier nodded against my shoulder. "Yes. Maybe you shouldn't. At least, not right now. We don't want to help Thoreau any more than he's already been helped. I'm not sure what that fire around you did, but I have a feeling it might have brought you closer to whatever he wants you to be." We separated. "Do you feel any different?"

  "No," I said. "I feel fine. You're saying Thoreau might have changed me somehow?"

  "I don't know. But the way that guy you stabbed started dying was not normal. Vampires just crumble into dust when they die. They don't burn like everyone thinks. My magic doesn't cause actual fires, so it wasn't me."

  I shuddered. "So I might have done that. That guy was the one who bit me, by the way."

  "Or Thoreau was putting him out of his misery," Xavier said. "He was doomed either way."

  "What happened up there?" Janine asked.

  "We'll give you all the juicy details later," I said. "Right now, we need to go find some answers. And we need to get your mother to the Underground. You'll love it down there, Janine."

  * * * * *

  Later, after we had convinced Janine's mother to follow us underground, gotten a chew-out session from Trish and wound up back in her infirmary for a check-up, Xavier, Janine and I stood before Elsina's little booth in the torchlight. Elsina first took Xavier's arm and rolled up his sleeve.

  He had a magenta slash on his skin right above the crossed swords. It was his trophy for killing his first demon.

  "Very good," she said. "I'm so proud of you, Xavier. Your power has grown a bit stronger." Then the old woman took my arm and rubbed her thumb up and down over my mark. "You have not solidified your bond yet. And...there is something burning inside of you. Something I have never felt before." Elsina raised her eyes to mine. She had blue flecks in them, blue like the deepest summer sky. "I do not know what it is. We will need to seek out the oldest libraries if we are to have any hope of finding out."

  I was a freak. Awesome.

  Xavier slipped his hand back into mine. "I don't care what it is," he told me. "Leon's gone and we're free to stay here. Do you want to stay?"

  I nodded. "Yes. I do."

  And the three of us walked down the corridor, towards where our quarters were waiting.

  Thank you for reading Blood Magic (Abnormals Underground #1). This was my first urban fantasy and it was sure a lot of fun to write. The second book, Fire Magic, will be released on June 15, 2017. To know as soon as it comes out (and to get some free stuff) be sure to sign up for my newsletter at: www.subscribepage.com/e3w3s2 I hope to see you there!

  Holly Hook is the author of several young adult novels that all fall under fantasy, science fiction, adventure and thrillers. She has been writing and publishing since 2010 and shows no signs of slowing down. She lives with four cats, some fish and several tarantulas. You can visit her website and see her other works at www.hollyhookauthor.com.