Dark Empathy Archibald Bradford (best books to read in your 20s TXT) 📖

with a quick lick to her cheek from behind, her head resting on her shoulder as she embraced her wounded bond-mate.

“I know right. I don’t know if it’s her ass, her tits, or her balls. But I’m digging her hard!”

Miranda sighed as she leaned back into Jan’s arms and flicked her in the nose with one finger.

“Down girl.”

A moment later Jan released her, though not because of the nose flick, but rather when she felt Miranda wince from the pain in her side.

“You need to get someone to look at that properly.” She whined.

“I’ll live. The medics have worse injuries to deal with. No Dryads in Algrade, too much tech, interferes with their nature mojo.”

Another whine started low in Jan’s throat as she once again sensed her mistress’s pain through their bond.

Before the inevitable argument could start, a rush of air surrounded them as Volka landed at their side, stirring up dust before her wings settled at her back.

“Oldeera’s Hornets have ensured that none have escaped our perimeter.” She reported, then looked to the blood on Miranda’s side; “And now we must see to your injuries, Aegis Holt.”

“I’m fine really-”

“You are not.” The Valkyrie overrode her objections; “Erica told me of your wound, but she said you believed it wasn’t serious. Seeing you for myself I can tell you’ve lost a concerning amount of blood. We need to get you off of your feet.”

Despite Miranda’s protests the Valkyrie, with the help of Jan and Jez, all but carried her out of the scrap-yard and into the warehouse they had set up for triage, there they helped her get settled onto a cot.

With Jan holding Mirada’s arm over her head to keep it clear, the Valkyrie set to work.

“This is ridiculous.” She muttered as Volka took up some scissors from a first aid kit and cut through her bloody uniform to expose the wound on her side; “Do you even know what you’re doing?”

With deft fingers the Valkyrie cleaned the wound and carefully examined the severity of it.

“You mean do I have any experience with battlefield injuries?” The veteran angel spoke drily as she quirked one eyebrow; “I might have seen one or two.”

Miranda squirmed on the cot for a moment, a slight flush in her cheeks.

“Right. Stupid question I suppose. You’re bonded to a kid, so it’s easy to forget that you’re probably the most qualified person here for this kind of shit.”

Volka clicked her tongue and nodded in satisfaction at the state of Miranda injury.

“Worry not, I do not offend so easily. And you were right, you will live. The wound was merely a graze. Ugly, but no internal damage.”

While Miranda hissed in pain she cleared away more oozing blood before applying a tight bandage, with Jan helping her bond-mate to sit up so she could wrap it all the way around her naked waist.

“Good to know, I still have work to-”

Once more Volka cut her off.

“Any tasks you think you must perform are already being seen to. I have spoken with Benjamin and find him, and his elfin bond-mates, to be more than capable to take command of this endeavour. Your only job now is to recover. The injury itself may be relatively minor but as I said before, you have lost a fair amount of blood.”

Sitting cross legged on the cot with her, the tiny Jezebel nodded her head vigorously.

“Yeah! What she said!”

Miranda let out a dissatisfied noise from her throat, then turned her head down and to one side as a question she had been dreading bubbled to the surface of her mind.

“How many did we lose?” She asked quietly.

She could hear the urgent voices of the medics around them, but she couldn’t bring herself to look.

The Valkyrie was silent as she finished the final knot in the bandage, only opening her mouth to speak once Jan had helped Miranda into a fresh shirt.

“Five. And one more who is not likely to survive past the hour.”

Miranda drew in a shuddering breath as her eyes closed in a bid to keep her stinging tears from falling.

“Six, then.”

Before her, the ancient angel stood to her full height, her own eyes distant.

“A terrible price, but one that had to be paid to stop this woman’s machinations. I did not know them personally, but I am sure the fallen would agree.”

With her ears flat to her head, Jan let out another whine as she carefully hugged her mistress from her uninjured side.

Volka extended her hand down and stroked the Wolfen’s ears.

“We will remember their sacrifice. That is all we can do for them now. I must return to my husband. Despite his past misadventures and his recent training, he is not overly accustomed to this life.”

“Of course.” Miranda spoke gruffly as she looked up into the radiant being’s eyes; “Make sure the kid keeps it together eh?”

Volka smiled a sad smile.

“I shall.”

Not far away, Nameless was dealing with his own crisis.

As his angelic bond-mate had predicted, the other wounded operative had succumbed to her injuries and he was now holding her bereft bond-mate in his arms as he did everything he could to blunt the overwhelming pain of her loss.

Standing around him in a loose circle were several of the dead woman’s comrades, as well as Ophelia and the other medics that could not save her.

Where before the Aegis members looked on him with skepticism, now they watched with nothing but respect: without his powerful bond-mates many more would have died, and seeing him now using his own power to help the poor girl was enough for him to earn their admiration.

Though her love was dead, the grief-stricken monster was in no danger of turning into a Tenebrae, but she was a flickering candle