Dark Empathy by Archibald Bradford (inspiring books for teens TXT) 📕

“Ginger Bennett. And I know what you’re thinking, how could my parents be so cruel right? But I guess my hair didn’t really start this way, they thought It would be browner, er, more brown.”

He blinked at the rush of words; it was a lot to take in at once.

“Right, okay Ginger-”

“I actually go by Jen though, or Jenny, you know cuz of the hair.” She interrupted him brightly.

He nodded and waited a second to make sure she was done.

“Jen, how can I he-”

“Hey! How come your bed is huge?! The other rooms only have doubles, except Baron’s, but that’s because he has three bond-mates!” She finished in a whisper, as if it was a scandal.

As she spoke she pushed her way past him and flounced down onto the enormous bed that dominated the room.

“Come on in.” He muttered.

The intrusive woman had Nameless completely off guard, and he scratched at the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how best to deal with her.

Fortunately his bond-mates returned from the showers at that point and the redhead’s jaw fell open at the assortment of towel-clad monsters suddenly crowding the place.

“And who’s this?” Ophelia asked politely.

“Get off my bed.” Nina said at almost the same time.

Ginger’s surprise mounted when Volka came in last.

The angel hadn’t been hiding herself at the academy; she stood out too much even from the wide variety of monster girls present to make that feasible, but she still inspired awe to those who had yet to really meet her.

“Holy crap! You’re the guy with the Valkyrie!”

“Why are you still on my bed?” Nina said, again right on top of her words.

But Ginger was too distracted by the legendary monster to heed the giant’s words.

“It’s more of a timeshare thing.” Volka quipped; “I spend winters with him, then summers with this lovely couple up north.”

The redhead seemed to have run out of words at the Valkyrie’s bizarre response, but then the bed underneath her flipped upwards at a crazy angle and she gave a sudden yelp as she rolled off, deftly landing on her feet.

“Hey, nice reflexes. Next time I won’t ask nicely though.” The giant said as she settled the bed back onto the floor.

“Nina! No maiming company!” Ophelia objected as she pulled on a nightgown.

Ginger swallowed as she finally looked at the little red-skinned monster.

“And you! You’re the Gigas who killed that instructor!”

“Huh, I thought she lived. Whatever.” She turned to Nameless who was rubbing his temples at the sudden chaos in the room; “Hey babe, who’s the chatty girl with the death-wish?”

“Her name is Ginger, and now you know as much as me.” He sighed.

“Jen actually, or Jenny. And sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude, but we’ve all picked up our uniforms by now and yet most of the other cadets still don’t know anything about you! Are these all your bond-mates?!”

“No, there are three more in the hall.” Volka lied breezily as she dropped her towel and stepped into a skimpy shift.

“Wow!”

It was unclear whether Ginger was amazed at the notion of someone having eight bond-mates, or the sight of the gloriously naked angel.

Nudity around most any group of monster girls was inevitable, but seeing a Valkyrie’s angelic perfection exposed was something else entirely.

“Volka! Stop fibbing!” Ophelia, ever the arbiter of good taste, protested.

The radiant blonde’s only response was to stick out her tongue at the butterfly girl as she pulled the straps of her shift over her shoulders, concealing her divine breasts.

Erica, uncharacteristically clad in an oversized bathrobe, was fed up with the chaos and grabbed the distractible girl by either shoulder in a bid to force her to concentrate.

“Ginger, Jenny, or whatever your name is, focus! What. Do. You. Want?”

The frizzy haired girl blinked down at the purple-haired Katje, who was only slightly taller than Nameless.

“I just wanted to tell you that we’re having a get together in the common room downstairs, sort of a clothing optional getting-to-know-each-other party. Now that we have time to catch our breath I thought maybe we could socialize a bit.” She answered, her words more subdued now.

“Great, thank you.”

Erica let her go and absently tugged on the belt of her robe as she turned away.

Milly had been as taken aback as any by the girl and hadn’t said anything to that point, but Ginger’s answer to her bond-sister’s question piqued her curiosity.

“Clothing optional?”

The redhead bounced back from the Katje’s stern words and quickly regained her momentum as she nodded enthusiastically at the Minotaur.

“Yeah, it’s not going to be an orgy or anything, but who knows! I wish it would, that guy Tanner is bonded to an Echidna, and I’ve had the hots for her since we first met, those spines are so sexy! Plus Tanner is really cute, in a big and brooding kind of way. Do you think maybe I can convince him and one of the other guys to spit-roast me?”

She tapped her chin in thought while the others adopted pained expressions at the startling over-share.

Nina raised her hammer.

“Yup, I’m killing her.”

“Nina!” Ophelia protested again.

Ginger somehow didn’t notice the giant’s murderous intent and kept on rambling.

“So I guess you’re the star pupil then eh? I mean, five bond-mates! That has to be some kind of record! Actually, what’s your background? Because Baron is some kind of super genius, he’s even smarter than me! Plus...” She leaned in conspiratorially; “He has family on the council.”

In many ways Baron Watts was the star cadet at the academy: he was incredibly athletic and just as intelligent as Ginger claimed. And Margaret Bloom, the councilwoman ultimately in charge of the entire academy, was indeed his maternal grandmother

Even his bond-mates, a trio of strikingly