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

pattern for his bond-mates: though they all slept together at night, there would be times when one or two of them would have him all to themselves.

It wasn’t something Nameless had any real control over, and privately he almost suspected that the girls had worked out some kind of schedule.

Ophelia measured his expression while he pondered on it, half-asleep.

With a frown the Flutterby traced her finger over his face, considering the dark circles under his eyes.

“Dearheart, you’re not getting enough sleep again. Are you still thinking about that other cadet?” She asked with a frown.

In fact, Baron was the last thing he was thinking about at that moment, but he sighed heavily as her words brought the arrogant man back to the front of his mind.

“He might be kind of an ass, but he and Ginger are so much smarter than me it isn’t funny. Hell, almost everybody I’m in training with has had extra schooling! That guy Wes even used to be a lawkeeper in Greyhaven! Next to them, I’m nowhere near good enough. I feel like I need to work harder than any of them to make the cut.”

“Of course you do.” She rolled her eyes; “You always do that.”

“Do what?”

“Try to take on everything, no matter the cost to you.”

He shifted in place uncomfortably, his head turning to face her.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“No!”

The vehemence in her response made him flinch.

“No.” She repeated with less force; “It’s alright to be selfish, to let someone else take up the slack.”

Without him saying anything she could tell that he didn’t agree with her; she had bonded to him for a reason.

“Okay fine, don’t be selfish, but at least be realistic! You are one man, and you can’t be everywhere. And, and-” Her voice caught and sudden tears blurred her vision; “And we need you too.”

Before she finished he was pulling her close, her naked breasts pressing tight to his chest as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

“Oh Ophie, my Ophie. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Surprised at the sudden display of stressful emotion from her, he tightened his arms around her and felt a gentle tickle as her wings fluttered against his forearms.

On the other side of him Nina sat up, her afterglow spoiled by her bond-sister’s tears.

“Course he’s not. No way could he outrun Erica or Volka, and when they catch him Milly will sit on him while I break his legs.”

The distraught Flutterby chuckled weakly into the nape of his neck, but as usual Nameless couldn’t tell if Nina was joking.

He tilted his head away from Ophelia and looked the naked Gigas up and down, taking in her tiny naked curves.

“You’re scaring me again, mountain girl.”

Her chin bobbed down in a quick nod.

“Good.”

After a short while Ophelia leaned partway out of his arms and pulled Nina into their embrace, the two girls lying on top of him together.

Not that he would ever complain about it.

The Flutterby didn’t say anything, just kissed the giant on the cheek repeatedly.

He half expected the taciturn girl to say something sarcastic or even biting, but instead she turned her lips into the kiss.

Once their mouths broke apart Nina gave the graceful monster girl an appraising look.

“You need to relax too babe.”

She very deliberately cupped Ophelia’s breast, kneading it firmly and causing her dark blue nipple to peak in her palm.

The pitch of the Flutterby’s breathing shifted, deepening with sudden arousal.

“Another round? You’re insatiable! What did you have in mind this time?” She murmured intimately at the continued attention the giant was paying to her breast.

“I dunno. My tongue, his dick? Both? Whatever gets you off.”

Ophelia’s breath tickled Nameless’s neck, her cheek still resting on his collar bone.

Without even needing to look at each other they spoke in unison.

“Both.”

Chapter 16:What is Needed

Unsurprisingly given the dangers that lost-tech posed, Kavanaugh’s lessons became part of their daily routine. And they all soon learned that fear really was the correct response in the vast majority of cases.

As the instructor told them again and again: fear makes you cautious and caution keeps you alive.

Baron’s fit of pique didn’t last long as he wasn’t one to let his emotions govern his behaviour, at least that’s how he told it. So after an awkward exchange of apologies between him and Nameless they were able to work together well enough, but neither one of them much cared for the other so it wasn’t something they relished.

To the young prodigy, Nameless was an anomaly. In his mind he was unqualified to be at the academy, even with the extraordinary collection of monster girls at his side.

Whereas Nameless resented being judged by someone who didn’t even know him, though he was also forced to admit to some insecurity.

Just as he had revealed to Ophelia, a large part of him felt that Baron was right about his qualifications.

Despite Nameless’s intense desire to avoid further drama, it had a knack for finding him.

Such was the case as he was leaving one of Kavanaugh’s lessons a few days after his confrontation with Baron.

“Boy! Er, Cadet Armstrong!”

He looked up to see Aegis Booker sitting on a bench waiting for him, and though he internally sighed at being called ‘boy’ by the older man, he stood at attention as his superior stood and approached.

Booker’s cheek twitched as he glared at a gawking Ginger nearby until she took the hint and left, then he gestured for Nameless to sit.

“At ease Cadet. I’m here on personal business.”

“Yes sir?”

“You know that my girl, that my Juni, was badly burned some years ago?”

Nameless frowned in thought for a moment, remembering the story.

“Yeah, I heard about it when we were searching for Volka. She’s