Chapter 724

• When she saw she had the child's undivided attention, she decided to press for some more information, trying to maintain the build-up of trust that had begun. "Are your Mama and Papa close, little one? Can you tell me your name?"
• The child's face turned sombre at the mention of her parents, sorrow causing tears to well up again, and her voice to drop to a whisper. "He called me that. The monster who could do magic..." Though she named this person monster, there was no fear on her face or in her voice. It was as if she was telling a secret, one she didn't want the others to hear.
• Natalia could sense the instant tenseness within the pack, and knew that she needed to hide hers so as not to spook the child. She put as much wonder into her tone as possible, leaning a little closer, and dropping her voice down to a whisper too. "You met a monster who could do magic? Wow, that sounds amazing! Is the monster still here, sweetie? Did he bring you here? I'd really like to see him if I could."