Forbidden Lineage

Chapter 24

Hey guys.  Thank you all for the awesome comments, the votes and the support.  This is my gift to you...a dedication to all the loyal fans of Forbidden Lineage :)  You know who you are ;)  I hope this one doesn't suck too bad, but still, feedback is welcomed :D  I know it's late, but I hope it keeps you going until the weekend :)  Go on...read and enjoy...or not :P  (PS* Mind the errors....i had no time to edit)

Nik:

Thinking about Medea brought a small smile to his lips at the oddest moments, but there was no way he was going to get any proper privacy from these guys.  Dante and Yesinia had blatantly flaunted their pastime, the after scent of it in their minds infuriating them all through their link.  There was little else to do but block them out, and since he was still partly linked with Caleb and Ulrica, he couldn’t see himself make contact anytime soon.  They’d been all over town, even heading out further than they decided upon and now they were in pursuit of one mindless youngling who’d decided to make a run for it.  They tracked his scent to the seaside, where they lost it completely.  Seemed the kid could teleport.   

“Bloody hell!”  Ulrica growled.  Caleb crouched in the soft white sand and rubbed his hands together slowly.

“Why would he run?”  He frowned in thought.

“Maybe because he knows something he doesn’t want to share.”  Ulrica turned, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.   “Why didn’t you go after him?”  She asked Nik accusingly.  The mid-afternoon sun peeped out from behind fluffy white clouds, making her look delicate, despite the leather getup she wore. Her short cropped caramel hair stayed stubbornly in place, heedless of the wind that ruffled her jacket.

“I’m done running around.  He was probably just scared at the way you cornered him.  With all the killing, I don’t think it’s uncalled for behavior from a young one.”

“You could be right.”  Caleb picked up a sand washed piece of glass and lifted it to the sunlight.  Holding it between thumb and forefinger, he squinted through the object and smiled. 

“Quit playing Caleb.  Where to next?”  Ulrica inquired roughly.  “We’ve had a mixed batch to deal with these last few hours and we have yet to get a proper answer.”

Some of the Crimson had no idea what they were talking about when they questioned them, and the others had either lied that they knew or knew denied it.  They didn’t want to resort to making them submit unless it was absolutely necessary.  He’d lost interest in the chase the moment it began because he knew for certain that it would lead nowhere.  The tainted had nothing to do with this.  He had no idea what Dante was trying to gain from making them do this, but he’d bet his right arm that he was hiding something big.  He needed to find out what that was before they went into the meeting blindly.  They couldn’t afford that at this point in time.  He’d decided to leave them here and go at it by himself.  He knew just how to find out what Dante was up to without getting caught, but he had to ask his father first. 

“I have a few things to do on my own.”  He told them, releasing the backpack on his shoulders and holding it out to Caleb.

“No, we are to stick together.  We have a better chance at tracking if we are closing in from all sides.”  She reminded him, knocking the bag from his hand.

“Like we did with this kid?”  Nik waved his hand in the general direction of the disappearing youngling.  “Actually, I think I’m done with this bull.  I’ll see you guys at the meeting.”

Ulrica glared at him, but it was cut short when Dante forced his way into their minds, almost shouting his thoughts at the top of his lungs. 

“There’s a live one.  I found her myself.”  He declared proudly.  Their mind link broadened, enabling all of them to converse privately in there.