Free A Hint of Frost: Araneae Nation ( Book One) by Hailey Edwards Page A

chance to learn our ways, our home, our clan, and this was how they repaid us.
    I blamed the biting winds for the tears blurring my view of the landscape as I sealed the hatch. Wishing for better concealment for the entrance, I trusted Henri to have locked his end.
    As I glanced away, a quick glint caught my eye. The length of my arm away, I spied a button covered by gold fabric shining in the sun. I picked it up gingerly and turned it in my hand. It was cold, which felt too final somehow. I didn’t like it. Before appraising it again, I warmed it in my fist, squeezing until the pointed edges bit into my palm.
    Hidden in the pattern were Pascale’s initials. This button had come from her coat. I knew, because the work was mine, and I’d given her the coat as a gift. The addition of her initials had struck me as a perfect way to nudge my extravagant design into excess. Rubbing my thumb over the top of the button, I recalled there were more than a dozen sewn up either side. How clever I’d imagined myself to be at the time, before I’d worn my fingers raw with all the intricate detailing.
    How clever I’d always imagined myself to be. I supposed it was time I proved it.
    On closer inspection, the button appeared to have popped off her coat when she crawled from the hatch. Or at least that was my assumption based on the frayed bit of string stuck to its backing. After that, it must have rolled to its final resting place, where I’d found it. When I shifted to search for more clues, I was rewarded by the glittering appearance of frost footprints.
    Where dew had settled on dead grass, hints of ice had formed. Amid the sparkling blades, footprints identical to mine had crushed a clear path leading toward the old vineyard. Heart in my throat, I shoved to my feet and followed. Faster and faster, I trailed after my sister. Rational thought fled as her strides grew longer and I struggled to keep pace. Had she been chased? Why had she run? Lungs screaming for mercy I refused to grant, I pushed harder until I’d cleared the vineyard and reached a small hill dappled with trees. I shivered, unable to resist the urge to turn.
    Here, my view of the vineyard was unobstructed. Here, I had a perfect view of the hatch.
    When I glanced down, the single set of footprints had vanished into the trees. Though my pulse still raced with the urge to chase the ghost of my sister’s presence, entering the forest alone was insanity. True fear for Pascale mantled my shoulders, dropping me to my knees in the grass.
    Hard evidence crushed any doubt I’d had her note wasn’t written in earnest. Kellen must have exited another tunnel, and they’d used this spot for meeting. She’d gone with her Theridiidae.
    Gods have mercy on her.
    “What are you doing so near the wall?”
    A Mimetidae warrior stood to my right with his hand on the hilt of his sword. I gained my feet in an instant. He wet his lips, and the sheen of moisture froze there. His eyes were curious, but his hunger was unmistakable. I saw now I’d been foolish to wonder at Rhys’s hungers. He had never appraised me this way, as if I were…edible. All at once, I was both relieved and unsettled.
    Fingers numb, I readied a thread. Or I hoped I did. I couldn’t risk a glance to be sure.
    “I came in search of my sister.” No harm in an honest answer.
    “You’re the Maven Lourdes.” He sounded thoughtful. “Rhys said we were to find your missing sister and return her.” He assessed me. “I’d wager by the dirt on your clothes and face, you sneaked past our guards somehow.” His eyes glittered. “I’d bet your partisan has no idea you’re up here, alone with the likes of me.” He laughed. “Shame what the Theridiidae did to you. I bet Rhys will mourn you right proper when I drop the remnants of your body at his feet.”
    His was not subtle as far as threats went, but his bald statement made it most effective.
    “The Theridiidae are archers. They use poison-tipped darts.” I