Araneae Nation: The Complete Collection Read online

  “Mother,” a deep voice came from over my shoulder, “let her be.”

  My head whipped toward the sound as I snatched soaked covers to shield my nudity. Rhys’s eyes dipped to the level of my breasts, his focus so absolute my nipples hardened in response. Clutching my sheet, I willed my body under control. Or at least I made the attempt.

  “There’s no use covering up now.” Isolde gave a playful tug on my hand. “Who do you think undressed you?” She cackled as my cheeks burned, then patted them. “Look at all that red.”

  For the first time since we’d met, Rhys’s lips hinted at a smile. His gaze met mine, unapologetic for his starring role in my nudity. If anything, stripping me to my undergarments seemed to have lightened his mood. It figured. Scowling at him, I glared until he glanced away.

  “He saved you from modern fashion,” Isolde chided. “Your corset cut off your air, but slicing through Araneidae silk is impossible.” She winked at her son. “So I had him strip you.”

  I spluttered. “Yes, but he’s—”

  “Your partisan?” she supplied. “That’s what I gathered from the ceremony earlier.”

  “That doesn’t give him the right to—”

  “He has all the rights to you.” Her tone stiffened. “Make no mistake, I understand our bargain, and I’m willing to abide by it, but until our terms are met, you’re his and he’s yours.”

  Heat came rushing back into my face. I bit my cheek to keep a civil tongue.

  Sensing his focus on me, I snapped at Rhys. “Must you gawk at my breasts?”

  His gaze had drifted back to the soaked sheet crumpled in my fist. “I’m not gawking.”

  “You’re staring at them as if you’ve never seen a naked female before, and I—” I broke off with a growl of frustration as my insecurities reared their ugly heads. Fury sparked my nerve endings alight. I shouldn’t care how my breasts or anything else measured up to others he’d seen.

  “You what?” he asked, eyes gleaming with challenge.

  I gritted my teeth. “I’d like you to leave, that’s what.”

  “As you wish, Lourdes.” His voice transformed my name into carnal syllables I barely recognized. Glancing pointedly at my sheet, he executed a curt bow. “Mother, I’ll wait outside.”

  He turned on his heel, all but snapping them together.

  “Huh.” Isolde turned an assessing look on me. “I guess he likes you. I didn’t expect that.” She shrugged as though his preference didn’t matter. “That will make things easier on you both.”

  Ignoring the parts of me tingling at the thought of such an uncouth male liking me, I scanned the room to make sure we were alone. Assured of our solitude, I changed into dry clothes and claimed the seat still warm from Rhys’s heat. Even his scent lingered here.

  Not that I enjoyed either.

  As I began the arduous task of brushing the tangles from my hair while ignoring my absent partisan, I asked the questions I’d been reluctant to pose to Rhys. “How fares the city?”

  Her expression smoothed as she leaned back and crossed her legs. “It’s holding.”

  I nodded. “My people?”

  “There were casualties.” She didn’t elaborate, but then she didn’t need to. I’d seen the carnage firsthand. Our gates hadn’t fallen. They had been opened from the inside.

  Funeral pyres would light up the night sky as soon as mourning topside was deemed safe.

  “What happens next?” I hated the quaver in my voice.

  She pinched my chin between her thumb and finger, turning my face toward her.

  “Reine chose her partisan, as you would have had things turned out differently.” She chuckled. “Me, though? My birth clan was dirt poor. They made the Mimetidae holdings seem lavish by comparison.” Another laugh came, a sadder one. “I feared what they were, child, sure as you fear what Rhys is. Remember…he’s everything you’ve heard, but he’s much more you haven’t.”

  I searched her face. “Why tell me this?”

  “I’m telling you so you’ll give Rhys a chance he’s never gotten at home. His life has not been the one he deserves.” She raised her hand when my lips parted. “Don’t ask. His secrets are his to tell or not as he sees fit. I spill only mine. You asked what comes next, and he’s it.”

  While I absorbed her untoward confidence, I asked, “If you were such good friends with my mother, why didn’t you protect us out of that friendship?” My gaze slid toward the door and the male I knew stood beyond it. “Why refuse to lift a hand until I’d bound myself to your son?”

  “Now I begin to see what attracts Rhys.” She shook her head. “Such an innocent for a female of your age. Only riches can buy such oblivion.” She spoke slowly. “My clan is poor. We’re better swordsmen, more mercenary than any other Araneae clan, and that I promise you. We’re also at a distinct disadvantage. The Theridiidae reaped the benefits of Ennis’s union with Reine. They have full Araneidae armor, making them nigh impossible to kill. I want the same.

  “I loved your mother. Believe what you will, but I love you as well.” Her hand and voice dropped. “I think we both know under better circumstances, Reine would have never let you wed a son of mine. She set her heart aside for her duty.” When our eyes met, her expression was determined. “I did the same, what any maven worthy of her title would do, and I put my clan first.”

  My fingernails bit into my palms. “My people were dying.”

  “Mine are starving.” She made no excuses. “You can’t weigh my woes against yours.”

  I glared at her. “If you think this grants you access to our coffers, you are mistaken.”

  Now she brayed, a deep belly laugh. “If you think you can stop me, you are sadly mistaken. Rhys is loyal. He will provide a fresh start for our clan. One I will gladly accept.”

  “You make it sound as though he serves you and not me.” I ignored the odd jealousy sharpening my tone. “Or was your plan to make me a puppet to your son and your whims?”

  Her laughter died. “I’ll forgive you that, because I know you’re hurting.” She pointed at me. “I won’t let another potshot pass me by without taking one of my own. Now, does our agreement stand? Will you honor your end of the bargain? Whether I battle is your call to make.”

  “I will stand by our agreement.” What choice did I have now that Rhys and I were bound? None until the new moon rose. That gave me four weeks to deal with my partisan, until such time he either found the culprit responsible for my parents’ death, in which case I would wed him properly, tie my life threads to his and name him the Araneidae paladin. Or he’d fail, and the Mimetidae would guard my people until I chose another male, one I could love. I hoped.

  “All right, then.” She reached for the door. “I’m off.”

  “You’re not staying?” I pushed from my seat, suddenly desperate to detain her.

  “Ah, I’m on to you.” She turned the knob. “You were about to tell me not to let the door hit me in the arse on my way out.” When she pulled it open, she revealed Rhys standing stoic in the hallway, guarding my room. “Then you remembered it’s not me you’ll be bedding down with tonight.” She gestured him into the room and crooked her finger so he bent low enough she could reach his cheek to kiss it. “He’s a good male. He’ll take care of you. Have no fear of that.”

  Rhys straightened and bared more teeth than made me comfortable. “You have nothing to fear from me.”

  Oh, but I did. No good would come of that twinkle in his eyes. I was sure of it.

  After Isolde departed, I was left alone with Rhys. When his gaze touched on the bed where he’d stripped me earlier, I said a silent thanks to the two gods that I’d been unconscious for it. Though the way his eyes crinkled at the corners let me know he found my plight amusing. When his head swung toward me, assessing in his quiet way, I fidgeted as my raw nerves frayed.

  “What are you looking at?” I frowned down my front. “Am I indecent?”

  His dark chuckle disarmed me, but I’d been seri
ous. What else could cause his interest? Patting my chest, I checked for missed buttons. No, they were all fastened. Yet when I tugged my shirttails, they mismatched. Rhys pushed aside my hands and undid the bottom three buttons, taking care so his fingers brushed a hot trail across my abdomen as he set my clothing to rights.

  “I won’t apologize for removing your clothes earlier.” He stepped back to admire his handiwork. “Nor will I ask forgiveness for admiring your beauty or your breasts.”

  Tingles rushed to pucker the very area he’d complimented. “You’re a brute.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.” He touched my hip. “You’re wearing pants.”

  For once, I was the one who laughed. “Did you expect me to work in that gown?”

  “Well,” he said, sounding thoughtful, “no. That’s not it.”

  “It’s not like you’ve never seen a female in pants,” I carried on. “Look at your mother.”

  “That’s not it, either.”

  “Then what is it?”

  He twirled his finger. “Turn around.”

  I did as he asked, then choked on my tongue. “What are you doing?”

  His hands molded to my hips, tracing curves no male had ever dared touch. “This will make things easier.” He toyed with my pants buttons. “Your gown was a nightmare to remove.”

  My mouth ran dry. “You say that as though the ease of their removal concerns you.”

  “Oh, but it does.” His chin rested on my shoulder, lips brushing my ear. “Or will, tonight.”

  “You’re serious?” I stiffened. “Shouldn’t we save that for our thread-binding night?”

  “I’m warrior born, Lourdes.” Again, his voice saying my name made my stomach clench. “From birth, I’ve known each day could be my last. I’ve learned to take any pleasure I can where I find it.” He kneaded curves softer than modern fashion dictated they should be, which was no doubt why my corset resisted his attempt at its removal, and my skin flushed. “What the two gods gifted me in you, no matter how short a time, is beyond me to resist.”

  If my heart hadn’t clogged my throat, I might have screamed for guards. Though what I would have said remained a mystery. Help, my partisan wishes to bed me? They would laugh at my naiveté. Grinding my teeth, I reminded myself they obeyed Rhys over me. Help wasn’t coming unless he called for it. Anger gave me strength to step from his reach on steady legs.

  “I’m flattered, but I’ve work to do.”

  He stood between me and the door. “I’m coming with you.”

  “I thought that might be your answer.” I waved him on. “Come on, then. We should hurry. The spinning rooms were closed for the ceremony this morning, and they’ll be eager to begin work.”

  “I admire their dedication.” He sounded surprised there was work to be done on this day.

  I gave him a look. “You saw…my parents. Death shrouds are handwoven.”

  His eyes widened in comprehension.

  “Yes.” My spirit bowed under the burden. “We have many dead, and this is the last honor we can bestow upon them.”

  His hand was a comfortable weight on my shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Pain swelled my throat closed, so I nodded and passed through the door.

  Once down the hall, we entered a sprawling great room. In the far corner, a fire crackled and hissed. Small stools ringed a center seat where our youth gathered for story time in winter. Several chairs lined the walls, along with bookcases and other forms of entertainment.

  This was the heart of our clan home, and it beat with the lives of our people.

  “This is the great room, the center of our nest.” I indicated a series of low doorways. “Those lead to the spinning rooms, the nurseries, the council chamber and all other common rooms. They’re a bit of a walk, but individual clan homes fan from this central hub. They’re connected by underground tunnels to this room, where we gather in the evenings.”

  “Interesting.” He lifted a book, and the spine he stroked might as well have been mine.

  As he set it aside, I shivered and asked, “Is the Mimetidae clan home much like this?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” He took a step, as though curiosity had compelled him forward, before he caught himself and waited for me.

  I tried to see the space as he would, but all I saw was home. “Is your nest so different?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t elaborate, only stared at the floor as though he were lost in thought.

  I touched his arm and was rewarded with a sizzle beneath my skin. He jerked as if he’d felt it too. It must be the venom. “You can wait here if you like. I’m sure you’ll find spinning tedious.” I gave him an easy way out. “Guests often find it monotonous, so I understand if—”

  “You love it.” He scanned my face. “Don’t deprecate what you’re passionate about.”

  “I’m Araneidae,” I said by way of explanation. “It’s all I know.”

  “Your face lit up when you mentioned it.” He trailed his fingertips across my cheeks. “That’s more than duty, that’s dedication, pride.” His voice rang with approval, and the tightness in my chest eased. “I’m going to watch you work.” He made it a statement of fact. “I need to learn your home so I can better protect you within it.” His expression turned regretful. “I’ll also need to see your parents’ rooms as soon as possible. I doubt any evidence survived, but I’ll still want to do an inspection.”

  “I wondered when you’d get around to asking.” I rubbed my hands together, a nervous habit learned from a lifetime of staving off the winter’s chill. “The room’s been sealed since…” My chest ached. “I sealed it last night.”

  “You did well.” He took my hands in his, stared at them. “Few would have thought of it.”

  “I knew what had been done. Her hand—”

  He pressed a broad finger to my lips. “We’ll not speak of this here.” His gaze cut to either side of the room. Seeming satisfied, he bent to my ear. “Does anyone know of our arrangement?”

  I shook my head no. There was only him and me and Isolde in on my suspicions.

  “Good.” His nearness intoxicated me, left me lightheaded long after he’d withdrawn. “Let’s get you to the spinning room.”

  Once he took my arm, he must have realized he didn’t know the way. He hung back and let me take the lead. We didn’t have to go far. As we walked, I was struck by how well my arm fit in his, as if his elbow had been notched with me in mind. My steps slowed as we reached the spinning room. How potent his venom was to numb today’s horrors with a prick of his fangs.

  Or maybe that wasn’t right. Perhaps not the venom itself, but the male it attached me to. I drew on his strength, eager to share some part of my burden and grateful our bond allowed for it.

  If that were the reason I could walk and talk as though I weren’t shattered, terrified and more intrigued than I had any right to be for a male I shouldn’t want, then I wished I could share his soothing effect with others. Except the thought of sharing Rhys twisted my gut into knots.

  Nudging him aside, I cracked the door, bracing myself as delighted squeals enfolded us.

  Before I could blink, my youngest brother crashed into me. I would have fallen if not for Rhys. I expected annoyance at Channing’s exuberance, but Rhys held a steadying hand at my back.

  “Lori, Lori, Lori.” Channing grabbed my shirt and climbed until he sat upon my hip. Bless his child’s heart. His nursemaid hadn’t broken the news to him about our parents yet.

  “Oomph.” As I adjusted his weight, I was saddened to realize he would outgrow me all too soon. “Are you sure you don’t weigh more today than yesterday?” I kissed his round cheek.

  “Nah-uh.” He squirmed, peering over my shoulder owlishly until I turned. “Who’s that?”

  “I’m Rhys.” Rhys stuck out his hand, and my brother bounced all the harder as he took it.

  “I’m Channing. Lori is my big sister. I ha
ve another sister. Her name’s Pascale. She cries a lot. Don’t know why. Maybe because I wouldn’t share my licorice with her, but Father said—”

  “Hush, Channing.” I slid him down my leg, but he kept hold of Rhys’s hand. I hid my smile when Rhys exhibited the first stirrings of alarm once realizing Channing was stuck to him.

  The tyke crawled up his leg, as he’d done to me, and settled himself on Rhys’s hip to better finish their conversation. My partisan’s wide eyes swung toward me, their message clear. What do I do with him? A tap on my shoulder dragged my attention from Rhys’s consternation.

  “I wondered when you’d return.” My middle brother, Henri, embraced me.

  Momentary regret filled me that my family hadn’t been present for the binding ceremony. I would have welcomed their support, but I’d deemed it too dangerous, asking instead that they remain holed up in the nest where they could lose enemies in the crisscrossed tunnels that ran like underground mazes beneath the city. The sanctuary was aboveground and too exposed for my taste. I reasoned if Rhys and my union lasted through the new moon, it would be safe enough they could attend our thread binding then.

  “We came as soon as we could.” I flushed once spotting Henri’s impish grin. “Hush to you too.”

  “And me? Am I to hush as well?” My oldest brother, Armand, bussed my cheek.

  “It depends.” I hit his shoulder, rocking him back. “Can you behave?”

  His eyes twinkled, amethyst and arresting. “Never.” He sidestepped me, casting Rhys a calculating glance. “I’ve heard of you, Rhys the Cold. Your reputation precedes you.”

  Rhys the Cold? I arched an eyebrow in his direction, which he ignored. Whenever Isolde visited with Mother, our males had entertained her entourage. No doubt the Mimetidae told tales of their fiercest warriors. But cold? Rhys ran hot as far as I could tell. Still, what did I know of him?

  Not much, I admitted. Isolde’s visits were rare. I remembered only a scant few.

  Most of her interaction with Mother had come through letters, and never once had Isolde’s paladin or sons entered our city. Theridiidae were too territorial. They viewed any males from rival clans to be a threat, and since they viewed any clan as rivals for their position, they made socializing impossible. Even business appointments, such as armor fittings, had suffered.