Danielle’s POV
*****
Could someone file a police report about a potential cloaked stalker who also happens to be able to disappear?
No?
At this point, I was running out of ideas as I paced back and forth in my nail studio.
It’s been hours since I saw the cloaked figure.
Simon had obviously given up when he saw I wasn’t willing to talk to his ass—especially not after that mysterious encounter.
So I was left to mope around like a crazy person.
People who’d witnessed the drama with Simon probably thought I was freaking out about his visit.
“Uhm, girl?” Kimberley’s hand around my elbow startled me enough for me to jerk away from her immediately.
“Oh my God, what’s up with you?”
She’d come not too long ago after I texted her about the Simon situation.
I didn’t even get to partake in all the curses she rained on him because my mind was elsewhere.
And she’d clearly noticed.
“I–I’m sorry, babe.” I rubbed my forehead.
“My… head was just somewhere else.”
“Yeah, duh.” Kim placed a concerned palm on my shoulder.
“Talk to me, babe. Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that son of a bitch. Honey, you can’t keep giving him power over your mind.”
I blinked at her without saying a word.
Ugh, Kim.
If only you knew.
Where do I even start if I wanted to tell her about the cloaked person?
Oh, Kim—you know when you searched for me at the club?
I was actually being railed in the alleyway by a six-armed stranger.
Ou, and he’s been visiting me for a couple of nights before that.
And I’ve been letting him.
Fuck me, that is.
Oh, and of course he’s some kind of god and is also the pet spider I got.
She would probably call for an intervention on my behalf if I said any of that.
“It’s…” I managed to speak again.
“It’s not about Simon. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“That face doesn’t exactly scream ‘fine’ to me.”
“You know I’ve got a resting bitch face.”
Shit.
I almost hated how well she could read me.
Fortunately, she didn’t pry any further and asked me to help her pick colours for her next nail set.
As I did that, something crossed my mind.
The last night I saw Anzari, just before I blacked out, I heard a voice.
Masculine.
Oddly amused.
Speaking to Anzari as though fucking a woman in an alleyway wasn’t grounds for a public indecency charge.
I didn’t get to see who the person was though.
Or at least, I don’t remember seeing him.
But with this cloaked person, I couldn’t help but wonder…
‘Fuck this.’ I thought when Kim wasn’t paying much attention to me.
‘I can’t continue pretending like something ain’t right.
I’ll get Anzari to talk to me.
Somehow.
Even if I’ve got to starve his hairy spider ass.’
★★★★★
Later that evening I was drained by the time I got home.
Before leaving the studio with the last of my girls, I crossed over to the sidewalk I’d seen the cloaked person standing at.
I waited like I expected them to appear right then again.
Sadly they never showed up so I just had to give up.
Dropping my keys on the dining table after turning on the lights, I strode over to the kitchen.
I made myself a relaxing cup of tea and took a sip.
“Alrighty,” I sighed, eyes sweeping to the stairs.
“I’ll just tell him a friend of his or whatever was at my work. He should show himself eventually, right?”
I drank the tea halfway before walking to the staircase.
When I got to my bedroom my gaze almost immediately swivelled to the terrarium.
However, I froze in my tracks at what I saw.
Not only was the lid opened and set aside.
But Bobby was nowhere to be found.
I rushed to the damn thing, hoping maybe he was hiding behind a piece of wood.
That proved fruitless.
“Fuck.” I hissed, getting back to my feet.
“No, no, no… Bobby?! Bo—Anzari, where are you?! First the days of ghosting and silent treatment. Now this?”
No response.
With desperation, I checked under the reading table.
Then my wardrobe.
Then behind the wardrobe.
I even flung my pillows aside just in case.
Still nothing.
He couldn’t have crawled far, right?
Crap.
I was talking about a literal god here.
Who knows if he disappeared?
“This isn’t fair.” I didn’t know when I snapped, rushing out of the bedroom.
“All I ever wanted was a pet. One I didn’t need to get too attached to.”
I scanned the walls in the hallway outside.
Again… nothing.
“I didn’t ask for a six-armed man, god… whatever you are. I didn’t ask for any of this, Anzari! So you don’t get to just swoop into my life, make me question my sanity and then disappear like some unfortunate Tinder date.”
After opening every room in the hallway with no luck I went back to the living room downstairs.
I’d barely gotten to the last step when I felt something.
The hair on my skin stood on end as chills shot down my spine.
The lights flickered, adding to my unease.
I should’ve probably run back upstairs and called the police.
Screamed out for my neighbours from my bedroom window.
Yet I did none of that.
Instead I slowly, carefully headed for my kitchen.
Not for tea this time.
Instead, I grabbed a knife I got recently, raising it a bit as my eyes moved around anxiously.
“Whoever you are,” my voice came out shaky, “show yourself. Or better still, get the fuck out before I do something we’ll both regret.”
The lights flickered again.
With my heart in my throat, I turned the knife toward one of the living room windows.
I thought I saw a shadow move past there.
What I didn’t expect was someone standing there as though they’d been around all this time.
Watching.
My grip around the hilt tensed.
“W–Who are you?”