Araneae Nation: The Complete Collection Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  The Complete Araneae Nation Collection

  Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  A Heart of Ice

  Copyright © 2014 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Hint of Frost

  Copyright © 2012 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Feast of Souls

  Copyright © 2013 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Cast of Shadows

  Copyright © 2013 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Time of Dying

  Copyright © 2013 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Kiss of Venom

  Copyright © 2014 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Breath of Winter

  Copyright © 2013 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Veil of Secrets

  Copyright © 2014 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  A Solstice of Mischief

  Copyright © 2013 by Hailey Edwards

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Sasha Knight

  Covers by Kanaxa

  This series was originally released by Samhain Publishing.

  Contents

  Araneae Nation Reading Order

  Pronunciation Key

  A Heart of Ice

  A Heart of Ice Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  A Hint of Frost

  A Hint of Frost Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  A Feast of Souls

  A Feast of Souls Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  A Cast of Shadows

  A Cast of Shadows Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  A Time of Dying

  A Time of Dying Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  A Kiss of Venom

  A Kiss of Venom Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  A Breath of Winter

  A Breath of Winter Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  A Veil of Secrets

  A Veil of Secrets Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  A Solstice of Mischief

  A Solstice of Mischief

  Try Dog with a Bone FREE!

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  About the Author

  Also by Hailey Edwards

  Araneae Nation Reading Order

  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

  A Solstice of Mischief

  Pronunciation Key

  Pronunciations and anecdotes provided by

  Kari McWest of the American Tarantula Society

  Araneae, is pronounced “ah-RAIN-eee” kind of draw out the -ee a bit, some people put two syllables of -ee together like “ah-RAINY-ee”, either is fine, I say it like the last.

  Araneidae, the same, but -idae is pronounced like putting “id” and “dee” together: “ah-RAIN-KNEE-id-dee”, and in all examples that follow, -idae is putting id and dee, “iddee”.

  Mimetidae, all depends on who you learned it from, or where you learned Greek. I say it like the first part is like a little girl that’s a mime, a “mimette” or “mime-ett” and add your -idae, which raises the accent to the second syllable: “mime-ETT-id-dee”.

  Theridiidae, hard “Th-” like in breath (not soft like in breathe or that or these): THAIR-rid-DEE-id-dee, now I bet you’re getting the hang of it. Actually it should be like in “Thailand”, with a hard T, but most people say it this way. “e” as its own vowel, almost sounds like a long “A”, or more like when a Canadian says “Eh”, Good-day, eh? Or “Ehhhh… What’s up, Doc?”

  Salticidae, easy: salt iss idae, accent the second syllable, “sal-TISS-id-dee”, the “c” here is soft, but not in every case you see it. C it… get it?… nevermind =)

  Deinopidae, is a tough one because it too is Greek and it all depends on where you learned your learned your Greek. People say “day-NOP-idae” others “day-NOPE-idae”, but in true Greek, the two vowels are separate, so it SHOULD sound like “DEH-in-NOPE-idae”, and only purists say it that way. So say it like that if you want to impress a linguist, and I know a few who would be really impressed! Make the DEE almost but not quite like DAY, then their heads will spin, because you nailed it.

  Ctenidae, ct is always just the T, but not in the middle of the word. There is debate about this, but you’ll be fine saying either “TEN-id-dee” or TEE-nid-dee”.

  Segestriidae, the “g”here is supposed to be hard, like “gate” but a lot of people say it soft, like “gerbil”, accent the second syllable, but again, some accent the first AND second! So, you can have “SEE-jess-TREE-id-dee” or “suh-JEST-tree-id-dee” or “SEE-JESS-tree-id-dee”, and the “g” to “j” sound is interchangeable, but most make it soft like j. The TRUE purist pronunciation is “seh-GESS-tree-id-dee”, again, the “e” is almost like “AY” in hay.

  Pronunciations and translations provided by

  Laura Redish of Native Languages of the Americas

  Kokyangwmana – koh-kyahng-mahn-ah — means “spider maiden”

  Kokyangwuti – “koh-kyang-woo-tee” — means “spider woman at middle age” *

  Kookyangwhoya – “koh-kyahn-hoy-ah” — means “little spider”

  Sikyakookyang – “see-kee-ah-koh-kyahng” — means “yellow spider”

  Masikookyang – “mah-see-koh-kyahng” – means “gray spider”

  Wishövi – “wee-shurr-vee” – means “spiderweb”

  *Reference needed

  *All mistakes in this guide are my own.*

  A Heart of Ice

  An Araneae Nation Prequel

  A Heart of Ice Blurb

  Araneae Nation, Book 0.5

  Reine knows marriage isn’t about love. It’s about making the best bargain you can with what you have and then living with the consequences. Wedding vows are alliances given voice, and I do is on the tip of her tongue.

  Ennis is a man on a mission to woo the future Araneidae maven, whether she wants him or not. Her clan is wealthy, prosperous and in dire need of the one thing his people have to offer—protection. But one look at her and all thought of his obligations vanish. He’ll court Reine, but he wants the feisty heiress all to himself.

  Forced to entertain offers from her bevy of suitors, Reine is torn between duty to her people and loyalty to herself. Ennis is the man she wants, but is he the future paladin her fragile clan needs? She can choose to lead with her head or, for once, she can follow her heart.

  Chapter 1

  Upon entering my bedroom, I spotted my dearest friend leaning out the window with a blowpipe in her hand. Her grin was wider than her cheeks and sharp as the edge of Father’s sword. Her cackles rang hearty and loud. Curses rose from below, and she answered each merrily and with a shaken fist.

  I slammed the door and leaned against it.

  Isolde flung the blowpipe and whirled to face me with a slender sword drawn.

  My eyebrow arched.

  “Don’t give me that look.” She sheathed her blade. “The darts aren’t venom-laced.”

  “Thank the gods for small mercies.” I snorted. “Mother will have cross words with you. Again.”

  “Your mother loves me.” She patted her wild nest of hair. “Besides, I’m not afraid of her.”

  That she wasn’t proved something I had long suspected.

  Isolde had no sense.

  But who was I to judge when I was the fool who gifted her with the blowpipe in the first place?

  “Speaking of your mother—” she narrowed her eyes, “—why did she summon you so early?”

  I crossed my arms to keep from punching something. “She says I must marry.”

  “What?” Her eyes bulged. “She can’t have meant it.”

  I recited her argument by rote. “You are eighteen. I could have forced you to wed two years ago. Now you are all grown up, and our circumstances have changed. You must…” I sighed, “…marry.”

  Her hand wrapped her sword’s hilt. “I won’t let her force you.”

  I grasped her wrist so she couldn’t draw her weapon. “Where did you get that sticker anyway?”

  “It’s not a sticker, it’s a real sword.” She huffed. “If you must know, I won it in a card game.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Who were you playing?”

  She shrugged. “A few guards.”

  “Isolde,” I groaned. “If Mother catches you carousing with them, she’ll send you home.”

  The color leached from her cheeks. “I look forward to these three months the most every year.”

  “As do I.”

  Every summer Isolde’s parents let her visit. We had met in the summer market when I was eight and she was ten. Her parents brought her to Erania to sell, not realizing such practices were illegal in our city. I had been the one who found Isolde, and I had been the one to run to Mother on her behalf.

  In the chaos that followed, Isolde’s parents were arrested. Her mother had bitten a finger off one of our guards. Rather than see Isolde sent away, I begged Mother to let her remain as my companion for the duration of her parents’ incarceration. From that bleak day to this, we were as close as sisters.

  “We can’t explain away the sword.” I grabbed her arm. “Come on. We must return it.”

  Her eyes rounded. “You’re going to venture down to the guards’ quarters?”

  “I don’t see what choice I have.” I yanked her into the hall. “Stop dragging your feet. It’s almost time for my lessons, and the last thing I need is for Mother to catch me in the nest out of season.”

  My clan, the Araneidae, had built this city of black marble above our true home, an underground nest with expansive tunnels and lush appointments able to keep us cozy during bitter winter months. During the brief summer, our people occupied the aboveground city to host trading days and parties.

  Only guards on rotation and invalids were permitted to remain below out of season.

  I was neither.

  Isolde sniffed. “Can’t have her heir messing
around with the riffraff, now can she?”

  My mother was the Araneidae clan’s maven, a title and a responsibility I would inherit one day.

  “It’s not a matter of class.” As Isolde well knew. “It’s a matter of impropriety.”