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

her warriors found out about his behaviour behind the bakery.

That time she actually had to order them to spare the ignorant oaf’s life.

Before Christine could state her own opinion of the young man, the butt of a Hornet’s lance struck the floor with a sharp rap, making her jump.

“The queen returns!” She pronounced.

Moments later Oldeera and several of her girls flew into the hive from an entrance hidden above, setting down gracefully on the floor.

Cordelia leapt to her feet to waddle over to them after they landed, trying to keep from messing up her freshly painted toes.

A bit recklessly she tossed herself the last few feet, her hands going over Oldeera’s shoulders as the buxom monster pulled her close, more than up to the task of catching her enthusiastic bond-mate despite the cast on her arm.

Her wing had since healed from her recent tribulations, but broken bones took longer.

They shared a long, but relatively chaste, kiss while Christine studiously avoided looking at them.

“Am I the only one in the family who still likes dick?” She muttered under her breath.

But the ardent couple didn’t seem to hear her as they carried on with their intimate greeting.

“Mmmm, hello to you too. What time is your shift tomorrow?” Oldeera asked after they finally broke apart.

“Six! But Renny wants me to do more loaves this time because they sold so well, so I should go in a bit early.”

Christine smirked.

“I bet that you are the only queen in the land who works in a kitchen!”

Oldeera buzzed over and gave Christine a quick peck on the cheek by way of greeting and a hug with one arm, the chitinous armour covering her massive breasts pressing into Christine’s own formidable mounds for a moment.

But although the Hornet had bonded to her little sister, Christine still wasn’t quite sure where she stood with the regal queen.

“Your sister is very special.” The Hornet confided with a smile: “Though I certainly offered for her to remain here, to grow fat and happy as my sweets lavished her with chocolate and the finest delicacies in the world.”

She opened her mouth and one of the other Hornets immediately popped one of the little hazelnuts between her lips.

As her teeth crunched the sweet in her mouth she brought her shoulders up, wriggling them slightly in apparent delight.

“Mmm, scrumptious. But alas, my Queen would have none of it and insisted on... what did she call it?” She tapped her chin for a moment before snapping her fingers; “Ah yes, ‘earning her own way in the world’, whatever that means.”

“It means I don’t want to get fat.” Cordelia pointed out in a wry voice.

She had one arm around one of the returning Hornets who’s Antennae wiggled and wings buzzed at the attention and with the monster’s help she waddled back to recline on the plush divan.

Once more they settled in, this time with Oldeera taking over painting the toes of Christine’s remaining foot, despite her protestations.

It was one thing for her little sister to handle her bare feet, something else entirely for monster girl royalty.

But Oldeera merely poo-pooed her objections, and soon her tongue was in the corner of her mouth as she focused on making the older sister’s toes perfect.

Christine watched the queen work, Cordelia was sitting again, with her knees spread as the same Hornet as before likewise sat on the floor in front of her, blushing slightly while Cordelia happily took a brush to her wind-swept hair.

With the exception of their queen, the Hornets usually kept their hair short, but they had been letting it grow out at Cordelia’s insistence.

The entire hive relaxed a great deal with both of their queens safe and sound inside, though several of them still stood guard at each point of entry into the amber-like structure, particularly the ground floor one.

Christine didn’t know who would be crazy enough to storm a Hornet hive, but she wasn’t an idiot.

When Cordelia had properly introduced Oldeera to her family, none of them failed to notice the queen’s broken arm and wing, nor had they missed the bruises on Cordelia’s neck.

And while her father and Helen had both bought into her story of an ‘aerial mishap’, she knew something else was going on.

But for probably the first time in their lives, Cordelia would tell her nothing about it.

It was somewhat upsetting for Christine to have her volatile little sister confide in someone other than her. But she pushed such thoughts down: they were both growing up, and while she may often act like sex-incarnate, Queen Oldeera would always have her little sister’s best interest at heart.

Such was the nature of the bond.

Nonetheless it didn’t make it less awkward for Christine to have her sister’s pet tending to her toes, so she strived to find something to talk about.

“Hey, I feel kind of stupid for having to ask, but, how many Hornets are there in your hive anyways?”

Cordelia perked up at the question, her hand going still in brushing the Hornet’s hair.

“Yeah, I’ve wondered that myself, seemed a bit silly to ask at this point though. I’ve tried to count them but they’re always coming and going.”

Oldeera smiled.

“If you don’t know, then neither will our enemies.”

“But, I’m your bond-mate!” Cordelia protested with a hint of petulance in her voice.

“Yes, and someday you might be in danger, someone might try to make you tell them my numbers. But you can’t tell them what you don’t know honey.”

Both humans felt that the grave look on her face was undercut by her actions as the Hornet queen put the finishing touches on Christine’s last toe with a satisfied noise.

“There! All done! Now you look the part of a princess, though we really should get you a tiara...”

She winked at