A Heart of Ice (Araneae Nation)

by Hailey Edwards

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” As if I couldn’t guess.

  “Your mother warned me you were resistant to the idea.” He rubbed my knuckles.

  I hated asking, “What were you offered?”

  “Your clan will renew its generational alliance with mine. The Theridiidae remain the guardians of Erania for another hundred years.” He shrugged. “Life here will continue for our people as usual.”

  “Are there other Theridiidae suitors?” Had Father reached out to other friends to better his chances at keeping his birth clan in power?

  “I don’t know.”

  I bobbed my head.

  “There is a spark between us, Reine.” Ennis linked our fingers. “You can’t deny that.”

  “No.” I flushed. “I can’t.”

  “Would you forgive me faster if I let you stab me with your venom ring again?” he teased.

  I almost smiled. “I do like you.”

  “I like you too.”

  “Do we like one another enough?” I wasn’t sure.

  “Love can be earned one gesture at a time, built one smile upon another, throughout a lifetime.” Ennis pulled me into his arms, and I was content to rest against his chest. “I will be good to you. You can trust me to protect you and any children we might have. What I offer you is the hope for more. I want a wife. I want a partner. I can love you if you let me, in time. You will not regret choosing me.”

  “What about my other suitors?”

  “What about them?” he growled. “Your mother invited them, let her uninvite them.”

  “Some will have come from far away to see me.” I sighed. “I owe them that.” Withdrawing from his arms, I straightened my clothing. “I will meet them and then decide.”

  Ennis opened his mouth then snapped it shut. “That sounds…fair.”

  He took my arm and led me to my room.

  In the name of fairness, I even kissed him good night.

  Chapter Five

  True to his word, Ennis gave me space to meet with the other suitors and time to know my own mind. On the whole, they struck me as good matches. The problem was I held them to a standard I previously lacked. Eyes, voices, mouths were all compared to Ennis and all found lacking.

  The male strolling through the courtyard beside me coughed into his fist. “Reine?”

  Petals from the green rose he brought me showered my feet as I plucked them. “Hmm?”

  “Forgive me.” He took the stem from my hands with a frown. “Your thoughts seem elsewhere.”

  “I’m sorry.” I winced at the tattered remnant of his gift. “What were you saying?”

  He stopped walking and linked his hands at the small of his back. “May I be blunt?”

  Dusting petals off my skirts, I set myself to rights. “Of course.”

  “If it’s not too forward to ask…” he cleared his throat, “…have your affections been engaged?”

  “I…” I paused with a shredded leaf between my fingers. “Is it so obvious?”

  “A female gets a look about her when she’s infatuated.” He stroked my cheek. “You’re aglow.”

  Heat rose to meet his fingertips. “It was my duty to meet each of my suitors.”

  His hand slid across my jaw. “But you’ve made up your mind.”

  “Yes.” The word startled me with its sincerity. “I have.”

  His fingers trailed down my throat. “Is there nothing I can do to convince you?”

  “No.” A step back set me out of his reach. “I’m certain of my choice.”

  “Reine.” His hand clenched then fell to his side. “Don’t make a choice you may regret.”

  My gaze touched on the gate, where my guards waited. “What are you saying?”

  He caught my jaw, turned my head to him and squeezed. “I’m cautioning you to choose wisely.”

  “Unhand me, sir.” My hand went to my ring, ready to twist its stone. “Or you will regret it.”

  “Tell me.” His lip curled. “Do you enjoy playing with the fortunes of others?”

  I told him the truth. “The only fortune in play is mine.”

  “I am the Sicariidae paladin,” he snarled. “I have debts. Wed me or I will be overthrown.”

  “Then you will be deposed.” I extended the needle. “Now leave. This meeting is over.”

  The male drew a short ax from his belt and pinned me against the wall with his blade at my throat. He bared his sharp teeth, fangs gleaming. “It will be over after you’ve agreed to be my bride.”

  “I saw her first.”

  The familiar voice made my knees wobble.

  Ennis swaggered around the corner with an eager glint in his eyes.

  “Who are you?” my suitor demanded.

  Ennis bowed with flourish. “I am Ennis of the Theridiidae.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Are you the one she chose?”

  Ennis cut his gaze to my face and read the truth there. “Yes, I am.”

  The paladin released me and aimed the ax at Ennis. “Then you’re the problem.”

  He shrugged. “I think of myself as more of a solution, really.”

  “Wait.” I searched my memory and came up empty. “You don’t have to do this…Paladin.”

  My suitor sneered, “You can’t even recall my name.”

  “Leave her out of this.” Ennis flashed his empty palms. “This is between you and me.”

  “You’re right.” The paladin turned his back on me. “Let’s settle this here and now.”

  “Yes.” I gripped his shoulder with one hand then punched his spine with my ring. “Let’s.”

  The paladin gasped once then dropped to his knees as the poison rushed through his system.

  Ennis sidestepped the wheezing male, bellowing for the guards while I concealed the needle. He ordered the paladin taken to our physician and kept under guard. He swore to update Mother himself.

  Once the courtyard emptied, I linked my fingers to stop their trembling.

  After flicking a glance at my ring, he rubbed his jaw. “You’re a dangerous female.”

  I accepted the compliment. “I am my father’s daughter.”

  “So I see.” He shook his head. “I was about to save you.”

  My brows lifted. “How did you know I was in need of saving?”

  A sheepish grin plastered his face. “I listened at the gate.”

  My ears burned. “What did you hear?”

  He sidled up to me and smoothed the lingering gooseflesh from my arms. “That you had decided.”

  “I have,” I admitted.

  Ennis slid his arms lower, wrapping them around my waist. “That you chose me.”

  His warm mouth descended to mine, his taste welcome and familiar, soothing my taut nerves.

  “Did I say that?” I asked against his lips. “Perhaps you only heard what you wished to hear.”

  “Hmm.” He kissed his way across my jawline. “There is only one solution, then.”

  I arched my neck. “Which is?”

  His teeth scraped the column of my throat. “You must say it again.”

  I inhaled a ragged breath. “Now?”

  “I’m afraid so.” The tips of his teeth stung before he retracted them. “Tell me.”

  I drew back to look in his face. “I choose you.”

  “You will never regret this, regret us.” He cradled my face in his hands. “I swear it.”

  The warmth in his eyes kindled in my chest. “And I will be as good to you as you are to me.”

  His lips kicked up in a wicked grin. “Is that a threat?”

  “Oh no.” I turned my face into his palm and nipped him. “It’s the promise of a lifetime.”

  The End

  Did you enjoy A Heart of Ice?

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  About the Author

  Born in the Deep South, Hailey is a lifelong resident of Alabama. Her
husband works for the local sheriff’s department and her daughter is counting down the days until she’s old enough to audition for American Idol. Her doxie, Black Ilex, helps Hailey write by snoozing in his recliner in her office.

  Her desire to explore without leaving the comforts of home fueled her love of reading and writing. Whenever the itch for adventure strikes, Hailey can be found with her nose glued to her Kindle’s screen or squinting at her monitor as she writes her next happily-ever-after.

  Website: http://haileyedwards.net/

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/HaileyEdwards

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorhaileyedwards

  Titles by Hailey Edwards

  Now Available:

  Araneae Nation

  A Heart of Ice

  A Hint of Frost

  A Feast of Souls

  A Cast of Shadows

  A Time of Dying

  A Kiss of Venom

  A Breath of Winter

  A Veil of Secrets

  Daughters of Askara

  Everlong

  Evermine

  Eversworn

  Black Dog

  Dog with a Bone

  Wicked Kin

  Soul Weaver

  Hope dangles by a silken thread.

  A Hint of Frost

  © 2012 Hailey Edwards

  Araneae Nation, Book 1

  When the head of the Araneidae clan is found poisoned in her nest, her eldest daughter, Lourdes, becomes their clan’s new maven. If her clan is to survive, she has but one choice: she must marry before her nest is seized. All she needs is a warrior fierce enough to protect her city and safeguard her clansmen. Such a male is Rhys the Cold.

  Born the youngest son of an impoverished maven, the only things Rhys has to his name are his sword and his mercenary reputation. His clan is starving, but their fondness for the flesh of fellow Araneaeans makes them unwelcome dinner guests. Torn between loyalty to his clan and fascination with his future bride, Rhys’s first taste of Lourdes threatens to melt the cold encasing his heart.

  Amid the chaos of battle, Lourdes’s sister disappears and is feared captured. Lourdes and Rhys pursue their enemies into the southlands, where they discover an odd plague ravaging southern clans as it travels north, to Erania. Determined to survive, Lourdes will discover whether she’s worth her silk or if she’s spun the thread by which her clan will hang.

  Product Warnings

  This book contains one mercenary hero with a biting fetish, one determined heroine who gets nibbled, and an answer to the age-old question, “What does dragon taste like?” Matricide and sibling rivalry are available upon request. The house special is revenge, best served cold.

  Chapter One

  Fear kept my steps nimble. All my life, sentries had guarded these underground tunnels beneath the city of Erania. There was no one now. My clansmen hid in their nests, on my orders.

  Darkness warped my sense of direction as cold shriveled the marrow in my bones.

  Thump. Thump. Thump.

  I froze. Were those…footsteps? Pressing my back against the chilled earth of the tunnel walls, I waited for the intruder to pass. No one materialized from whence I’d come. Yet the pounding stuffed my ears. Slumping, I realized my heart was to blame.

  Another time, I would have laughed at how I leapt at shadows in my own clan home, but not this night. No doubt the one shadow I failed to outmaneuver would belong to an invader, the one footstep I ignored would be the one to crush me, and the one breath I held would be my last.

  The people of my clan, the Araneidae, were gentle silk spinners, artisans without armaments.

  I was one of the few Araneidae who favored weapons. Ironic I was unarmed now. Habit made my fingers creep down my thigh, but my quiver was absent and my bow leaned forgotten in a corner of my room. I’d been dressed for bed, not battle, when I witnessed first blood spilled.

  Those who had been our guardians when my head sank into my pillow, the Theridiidae clan, had attacked during the night. The murderous bastards had betrayed us. Casualties littered the city above. Wounded huddled in the tunnel behind me, lives I had but this chance to save. I’d sent a plea for aid to the one clan cruel enough to stave off the Theridiidae invasion and, I hoped, merciful enough I hadn’t signed my death warrant by exposing my soft underbelly to them.

  Gods, I hoped the Mimetidae weren’t hungry.

  Light burned ahead, marking the tunnel’s end. Creeping to the edge where dark tunnel met lit square, I scanned the cobbled roads for intruders. I saw none. No shadows danced. No sound carried. All was quiet in this forgotten sector where stone statuary stood as silent sentinels to the night.

  Swallowing a bitter lump, I stepped from protection onto the uneven pavers.

  Frigid winds sliced my cheeks raw, and my breath hung in clouds suspended before me.

  Between one frantic beat of my heart and the next, darkness coalesced and Theridiidae warriors bled from the shadows I’d just deemed safe. Their faces were familiar. They’d been employed by my father. Sightless eyes…blackened skin…the stink of rotten flesh…both dead…

  I squeezed my eyes shut, stomach roiling, ready to spill.

  “You’re out past your curfew, aren’t you, Lourdes?” The guard’s concern rang genuine until my eyes opened and I caught the eager gleam in his. “Your father will worry.” He presented his arm to me. This morning I would have accepted it without hesitation. “I’ll take you home.”

  His companions smirked, confirming my suspicions. They were conspirators as well.

  “Thank you.” Winter’s chill kissed my bare shoulders, and I shivered. “I know my way.”

  “Do you now?” He stared where my nipples pebbled so hard they burned. “The city at night is a dangerous place.” He rubbed his jaw. “You’re wearing but a scrap of silk.”

  “I forgot my coat.” I forced an embarrassed smile and poised to turn. “I’ll go fetch it.”

  He nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No.” My voice rang brittle with the cold and my fear. “I mean, I can do it myself.”

  “Is there something the matter?” His name came to me. Tyrone. He and his men were Theridiidae and guardians of the wall. They had once been trustworthy. Now they would die.

  A bulky male at Tyrone’s right lumbered forward. “Enough. Look at her eyes. They’re all white. Barely a pinprick of blue is left.” He leered at me, leaning closer. “This one—she knows.”

  “I’d hoped this could be done humanely.” Tyrone sighed. “Forgive me, child, but this battle must be won.” He dipped his chin at Bulky. “Calum, she’s yours. Keep her quiet.”

  My next move would dictate how my life ended. Here and now, or at a more distant hour.

  “I’ve something to occupy her mouth nicely.” Calum reached a meaty hand toward me. I darted aside and he stumbled. A smile tempted my lips. I’m faster. I can wear him down. I can…

  I gasped as thick arms circled my waist from behind. Another of Tyrone’s guards had sneaked behind me. I couldn’t breathe. Dots swarmed my vision. No. I would not die this way.

  “You’ll like this,” he murmured by my ear. “Or not.”

  I struggled in his hold. “I will not speak with traitors.”

  “Don’t worry your pretty head.” He licked my pulse. “Calum’s not much for talking.”

  This night, neither was I. I was not a warrior born, but perhaps a warrior made.

  Icy adrenaline trickled through my veins. I was half Theridiidae, trained by one of their best strategists, my father. The short stature and delicate build I’d inherited from Mother’s clan meant no one suspected the tricks he’d taught me. Araneidae spun silk ten times the strength of the strongest metals, and my fingertips tingled where my spinnerets loosed a single silken thread.

  Prickles coasted along my spine as his hot breath fanned my damp neck.

  This new guard held me steady as Calum approached. Closing my eyes, I said a prayer to the gods as I sank my elbow i
nto the guard’s gut. He was tall. When he gasped and bent forward, he leaned over my shoulder. Ours eyes met. His narrowed with thinly veiled contempt. Perfect.

  I looped my thread behind his head, jerking down hard enough his chin caught my shoulder. While he was stunned, I whirled to his side, out of Calum’s reach, until I stood at his back and my makeshift garrote sliced his throat. My knee at his lower back gave me leverage. Using my weight, I pulled until he gurgled wetly and my thread flossed between his vertebrae.

  As his final breaths clouded the air, I let go and shoved him from me. His cheek bounced off the stone pavers on impact.

  For a moment, quiet reigned as Calum stared at me in disbelief. When his jaw fell open in a roar that shook me to the bone, I used the guards’ momentary shock to slip past them, and I ran.

  Heavy footsteps thundered behind me. I’d lost the element of surprise, and Calum was too hulking and too furious for me to fell him without aid. Pumping my legs as fast as I could, I wished I wore pants rather than my frivolous nightgown to this midnight rendezvous. Lungs ablaze, I savored the burn, let it propel me toward the oblong statuary where I hoped my saviors waited.

  Turning a sharp corner, I skittered across the cobbles. A strong arm plucked me up, held me to a hard, male chest. Anise-scented breath hit my cheek. “Don’t move or I’ll kill you.”

  When his warm chin brushed my icy shoulder, my shivers wracked me into compliance.

  “Hand her here.” A female’s voice I recognized rasped from my right. “Go on, then.”

  With reluctance, my captor shoved me toward Isolde, the maven of the Mimetidae clan and my mother’s dearest friend. I held tight to hope that friendship extended to me and my favor.

  “Be still, child.” She hid me at her back. “They come.”

  Sure enough, voices rose from beyond our hiding place. I picked out Calum and Tyrone, but the others were a mishmash of grunts and shouts. More footsteps fell. They were closer now.