Natalie nodded softly, sympathetically, as she listened to Jeff's confession. Maybe that was what had drawn her to him, rather than his vicarious and preturnatural 'charisma.' Not that she would go so far as to say they were kindred souls, but that he dis understand some of the things that she had struggled with. He was a caretaker, after all.
She thought of the succubus that Keleios had destroyed, after absorbing the nature of another, and the spell that the half-elven sorcerer had worked to do it. The bitter cold of being alone, of rejection, of never being loved for who you are--instead of what you are. And then she tamped down the memory, locking it away with all the mental shileding she could muster as she realized that she might possibly be able to kill Thomas--and Jeff--just as easily without ever touching him.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, resisting the urge to hug herself. It still scared her sometimes, how easily her thoughts could shift from that of a veterinarian and healer to that of a sorceress and warrior. "Thank you," she added, "For telling me. It helps. Knowing I'm not the only one. I mean, I know we all have struggles. It's good to be reminded."