Page 43 of Heart of the Hunted
"I'm sorry if I've upset you," he told her.
"You haven't."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Why the hell did I ask that?
Natalia captivated him in a way no other Human ever had, and it confused the hell out of him. Normally he wouldn’t give a shit about their feelings, but with Natalia it was different…he was different.
One thing was for sure, he really didn't like seeing her upset. He would rather her be pissed off and giving him grief, than quiet and withdrawn.
"What? Talk to you about my personal life? I don't think so," she said.
"Why not me?"
"Because you're probably the reason my mother isn't here anymore, that's why," she said angrily.
"She was killed?"
"Yes, Sherlock, she was. Now can you drop it?"
"I'm sorry for your loss," he said sincerely.
Natalia turned to look at him. He didn't know what she was looking for, but whatever it was she must have found it because she said: "Thank you."
"I'm not the only hunter around, you know." He didn't know why he needed her to know that, but he did. "So, it's quite possible someone else killed her."
"Really? You're not going to drop it, are you?"
That did seem to be the case. For some reason, he wanted to learn more about her. Plus, he was enjoying their conversation. It was completely different from the ones he had with Arun and Dain.
"No, I'm not," he admitted.
"Fine," she said, giving in to him. "One day she went out looking for food and she never came back."
"So, how do you know she's dead?” he asked. “She could have just left."
"No, she wouldn't have just left me," she said adamantly.
"Why not?"
"Because she loved me, that's why," she told him. "You don't leave the people you love."
"I understand," Taredd had a feeling she wasn't telling him everything, but he didn't question her more about it.
"Do you?" she asked sceptically.
"Yes."
"What about you?" she asked after a moment's silence.
"What about me?"
"Do you have a mother?"
"Of course." Taredd laughed, he couldn't help it. "Everyone has a mother at one point in their lives. How else do you think I was born?"
"From an egg?”
