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

Nameless started a bit, but Milly wrapped her arms around his back, securing him in place.

“He is comfy.” She said with an almost haughty tone.

Realizing that he wasn’t going anywhere until Milly allowed him to, Nameless settled in once again.

But he had come to learn that Ginger was never one to take a hint, and he stifled a groan when he felt the couch shift slightly as she sat down beside Milly.

“I just spoke to Theo, and he let it slip that we might be looking at field training soon.”

That got Nameless’s attention.

“Which one is Theo?” Milly asked with her arms still wrapped around her bond-mate.

“Instructor Theo Holbrook, Criminal Law.” Nameless answered; “I don’t know that you ever met. He’s the one that pounded the shifty bits of the Aegis charter into our heads so bad I still can’t walk right.”

Silence greeted his lame joke and Milly felt his face begin to heat up in embarrassment until Ginger snickered at him.

“Hey I won’t judge if Theo is what gets your boat floatin’.” She teased.

He was glad that his face was still hidden by his doting Minotaur’s breasts so that Ginger couldn’t see his blush deepening.

“They can’t all be zingers. Whatever, back to what you were saying. Field training?”

But before Ginger could answer he felt his Valkyrie’s presence as she came into the room.

“Ah, Husband, I have found you. Erica would like a word, in private.”

She ducked low before the couch to give him an unabashed smack on the ass to get him moving, making him yelp into Milly’s tits.

“Alright! Alright, just… none of that. That’s Erica’s thing.”

With Milly’s grip relenting, he pulled himself out of her shirt, the pair of them looking more than a little rumpled.

The Minotaur’s hands came up to either side of his head.

“Your hair is a mess.” She fussed.

But the angel all but yanked him to his feet.

“A problem for a comb and mirror later. For now, Milly, we should all return to our quarters.”

Something in the emphasis of her tone told him that she and Milly knew something he didn’t, and Nameless could feel impatient anticipation practically radiating out from her.

“Volka what is-”

“No!” She said, drawing close and tilting his face up to meet her gaze; “Do not think, do not feel, just come along! Right now!”

His thoughts scattered by her outburst, he could only do as she said, Milly following close behind wearing a knowing smirk.

“Okay, I’ll just be here then!” Ginger called after them sourly.

Not a one of them had even said goodbye.

Within a few minutes Nameless was standing in their dormitory, all of the girls on the bed save Erica, who stood before him looking oddly bashful.

“Hold out your hands.” She spoke just as he was cottoning on to what was happening.

He was somewhat embarrassed to realize that she had swiped her heartstone from him weeks ago, and that he had been too focused on his training to dwell on what she might be doing with it, but now that he was reminded of it he too shared in the girls’ excitement.

Who doesn’t like presents?

He did as she asked and without ceremony she plopped something across his palms.

It was a knife, locked in place into a black and hardened leather sheath.

It took him a second to figure out how to free the blade, a pair of metal tabs on the rim of the sheath holding it firmly in place.

The hilt was the same black colour as the cover and had a wavy texture to it, with Erica’s emerald green heartstone set in the pommel and glinting beautifully.

Just like Nina’s braclet, more than half of the precious gem was set into the pommel, making it impossible to remove.

Once he drew it, he examined the wicked sharpness of the curved purple blade and marveled at the way iridescent sparkles came from the light reflecting off of the metal.

The Katje shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still uncharacteristically bashful as she fiddled with her long purple hair, done up in twin tails just below her ears and a match for the blade of the knife.

“It’s my heart, obviously, but it’s also my claw for you. It will never dull, never rust and never fail to fuck up anyone that needs to be fucked up.” She looked away blinking rapidly: “I originally wanted to give you something beautiful, but I opted for something practical instead.”

“Erica... this is beautiful. But I think you missed an obvious use for it.”

He secured it in its sheath and, once he was satisfied that it wouldn’t come loose without pressing the tabs in the side of it, gripped it by the sheath and deliberately pressed her heartstone up between her legs.

Her hand gripped his shoulder to steady herself and her eyes widened as she gasped at the intimate pressure through her underwear.

“How the- why the fuck didn’t I think of that!”

Watching from the bed with the others, Nina scratched her head.

“Huh, I thought that was the whole point. You know, when you talked about fucking people up? Why do you think I made the sheath lock, not to mention the wavy bits on the hilt?”

“You made this Nina?” Nameless asked.

The Gigas nodded, looking as smug as she ever had.

“Used the workshop where you humans play with your lost-tech. Almost killed that Kavanaugh guy a couple times though, he’s annoying.”

By that point Erica wasn’t really listening, instead leaning into their master and purring loudly.

“Don’t stop.” She whispered.

Her face was resting on his shoulder with one hand gripping the back of his head, her constant purr almost deafening in his ear.

Having some free time, and with nothing else in the world that he’d