Page 54 of Heart of the Hunted
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Natalia
The more time that Natalia spent with Taredd, the more she was becoming confused by him. She didn't have a clue what his problem was with her laughing. So what if he enjoyed the sound? It didn’t bother her if he did like the sound, even if she didn’t understand why.
Natalia had never liked her laugh, she thought it sounded stupid. So, for someone to say they enjoyed the sound, it was a complete first for her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think it would be a Demon though. Then again, she never thought she would spend this much time with a Demon and still be alive to talk about it.
Natalia had to admit, she was amazed he hadn't changed his mind about killing her this morning after she bit his head off. She knew it wasn't the wisest idea to piss him off, but she couldn't help herself.
Natalia wasn't a morning person at the best of times, but she was a bitch when she didn’t get enough sleep and she knew it. After spending several nights camping out in freezing cold caves, Natalia was already in a crap mood.
Add in a shitty night’s sleep on top of that because of the sticks and stones that dug into her while she slept, when she could have easily slept on a nice soft mattress. She had been pushed to the limits, so she was bound to let loose at the closest person to her.
Luckily enough for her, Taredd hadn't taken it the wrong way and didn't seem to be holding it against her.
She still wanted to know what his problem was though. She knew he was doing all this for a bet, but that still didn’t explain why was he letting her live when he’d killed so many others of her kind.
She was positive just from looking at the size of him that he could have easily carried her dead body to wherever it was his friends were. He didn't need her to be alive to prove he won the bet, so why hadn't he?
It would have saved him a lot of hassle in the long run. So, what made her so different from the rest that he not only promised that she wouldn't die, but he actively went out of his way to make sure she had plenty of food and rest as well? It didn't make sense... he didn't make sense.
If Natalia was to believe every word he had said, then he would be providing her with a safe and comfy place to stay tonight as well. She didn't know if he was doing it for her benefit or his, but she was grateful either way. She wouldn't blame him if it was for his own benefit. After all, she was just a Human. A tiny insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things where he was concerned.
Sitting with her legs crossed in front of the fire, Natalia watched as Taredd cooked her yet another meal. Another new meal for her to try. She hadn't been paying close attention to how he caught the fish. After the first couple of minutes of watching him stand motionless in the water, Natalia had lost interest in what he was doing. Instead, she leaned back to look at the clouds in the sky.
Natalia knew she would never be able to stand as still as Taredd had done for long enough to catch anything that way. If there was an easier way to catch fish, then she was all for it. That's if it turned out any good, otherwise it would be a complete waste of time trying to find another way to catch them. If it tasted anything like the rabbit did last night, then she was definitely going to enjoy fish as well.
"Here you go," Taredd said, passing her one of the cooked fish.
"Thank you," she said as she accepted it.
It certainly didn't smell as good as the rabbit had done. For such a small thing, it had a very potent smell. Natalia just hoped it tasted better than it smelt. Especially if she was going to stand any chance in getting the others in the group to try it.
She knew without a doubt the others would want her to cook this meal outside of the bunker though, and she couldn't blame them, she wouldn't want the bunker stinking of fish either. It was hard enough keeping the bunker smelling fresh as it was, without adding to the problem. With it being deep underground, it wasn't like they could crack open a window or anything.
At least the rabbit didn't smell as bad as the fish. Natalia didn't think she would have a problem convincing the others to try the rabbit, but the fish? She was going to have a hard time convincing them to give it a try whether it tasted better than it smelt or not.
"Once you've finished, we'll get going again," he told her.
"Okay. Have we got much further to go today?" Natalia asked, trying to postpone eating the smelly fish.
Taredd didn't let the conversation stop him from eating though. He tucked right in, pulling it apart easily using his fingers.
"It should only take us a couple of hours to reach our destination," he told her between mouthfuls.
"Where is it that you're taking me?" she asked.
"There's a town not far from here, that's where we are heading,” he said. "Are you going to eat that or what?"
Natalia didn't like the sound of that. Being in a town surrounded by monsters that wanted to kill her didn't seem like the best of ideas.
Even knowing there would be, Natalia couldn't help but ask: "Are there going to be Demons and other monsters there?"
"Yes, of course there will be others there, it wouldn't be a town otherwise, would it?" he told her. "Now, eat up so we can get going."
Natalia dubiously picked up a small piece of fish, she told him: "This better not taste disgusting."
Shaking his head at her, he didn't say a word, just sat there smiling at her. Pulling a face at the smell, Natalia gingerly placed the piece of fish in her mouth. At first, she wasn't too keen on the taste, but after a moment she realized it was nowhere near as bad as it smelt. In fact, Natalia found that she really liked it.
