Anzari’s POV
*****
This was getting incredibly old.
Not the sex.
Definitely not Danielle as a person—whatever that means.
But the part where he always leaves her be after they’re done, reverting to his spider form and ignoring all her attempts to talk.
His transformation into his humanoid form wasn’t tied to nighttime.
Yet he kept it that way because in his head he was protecting her.
This IS protection.
The longer he stayed outside this puny arachnid body, the more likely he was to attract divine pursuers from far and wide.
Kelchak found them because of her skills as a goddess of the hunt.
But before her, there had been Zakar who warned him to begin with.
Who’s to say others out there won’t start gradually finding him with the same methods the chaos god used?
‘She thinks this is neglect.’ He thought, staying calmly in the glass box Danielle had left him in.
‘But this is necessary.
For both of us.’
An odd knot tightened in his teensy chest.
It was an emotion of sorts.
One that made him feel… bad.
Ignoring it, his thoughts swerved to something else.
The incident last night.
He released himself inside a woman for the first time in his life.
Anzari has been to Earth numerous times before taking a break from the planet millennia ago.
And during those times he’s indulged in his fair share of debauchery.
Women of all kinds practically threw themselves at him.
It’s always been that way—his six arms were never a problem.
If anything they made him more enticing to them.
The point is, during all these encounters with women—mortal and otherwise—he has never once gotten carried away enough to release his seed in one.
Not even ONCE.
The fact that it happened last night was haunting to say the least.
As if that wasn’t enough of a bother, for the first time Danielle didn’t fall into a deep slumber after their night of pleasure.
He’d made her orgasm thrice… yet she was up to get that flat glass device of hers mere minutes after he’d finished.
This was no longer the case of her being ‘different’.
There was something fundamentally wrong here.
And he couldn’t help but wonder if the two incidents were connected.
She’s been out of the house for a while now—so that means he could go ahead with something he’d planned to do since the fight with Kelchak last night.
An ominous glow surrounded the little spider in the terrarium.
It disappeared—soon reappearing on the ground outside of it.
Then in the next second Anzari regained his humanoid form, letting out a relieved breath when he clenched all six of his hands.
Her scent—lavender, citrus and honey with a faint sweetness he couldn’t quite name—was still strong here.
He switched his attention from that to the full-body mirror at a corner of the bedroom.
Once he got in front of it he sighed.
Anzari lifted two palms, pressing them together in front of his chest.
Another pair made a mystical symbol above his head.
The final pair intertwined below his core.
“I, Anzari, god of fate and desire,” he began, his eyes glowing, “stand before this reflective surface. By divine truth and ancient covenant, let distance bend and reflection become passage. I call upon the one whose image I seek.”
Total silence.
Nothing happened at first.
Until a gentle ripple spread through the mirror’s surface like water.
A faint silver glow covered it—then within a few seconds, Anzari’s reflection shifted into someone else’s.
A beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early forties in human years but was actually far older than he was.
She had long silver hair and lustrous white skin.
Her eyes glowed with a violet light like twin stars.
Upon taking a closer look, it was easy to notice constellations flowing within her irises.
She wore a purple robe with ancient runes sewn across it.
Anzari bowed his head only slightly.
“Lady Noctura,” he lifted his eyes after a pause.
“Greetings, goddess of magic and witchcraft.”
Noctura’s expression was painfully neutral.
Those eyes pinned on Anzari, scrutinising the spider god so hard he was forced to look away a couple of times.
Only when she’d observed him to her satisfaction did she speak.
“Did you summon me to read out titles I’ve had for generations?” Her voice was silvery but elegant, chiming into the room like bells.
Anzari nearly bit his gum.
“That’s just part of the summoning ritual, lady—”
“It’s not always necessary to physically state the titles of the deity you’re summoning,” Noctura looked like she was going to roll her eyes.
“A detail you would’ve known if you took those arcane classes seriously.”
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Soon, however, Anzari’s lips curved.
“Always a pleasure to see you, aunty.”
This particular goddess was his father’s half-sister.
And also one of the only deities he could say he was actually close to before he escaped.
“Hmph.” Noctura harrumphed.
“I wish I could say the same.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I absolutely do. Tell me, Anzari. What makes you think I won’t just report you to your brother right now?” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Anzari took a heavy breath.
Good question actually.
Luckily he had a decent answer.
“Because,” he cleared his throat, “I trust you. And I doubt you’d think I would do something as cosmically stupid as murdering my own father. Especially when I was the rightful heir anyway.”
Those starry orbs narrowed.
In a few beats, they softened—just a little.
“Idiot.” Noctura shook her head.
“Trust shouldn’t be enough for you right now.”
“I know, Aunty.” Anzari managed a smile, noticing the faint hint of grief on her face now.
“How have you been?”
If anyone should get really affected by his father’s death it would be her.
“Don’t ask me that,” her eyes diverted for a moment.
“Not with the man who saved my life being dead. How can I be anything but devastated?”
Anzari let her take her time to collect herself.
When she finally brought her eyes to him again, he muttered.
“Believe me when I say I understand your pain better than anyone,” he folded his arms in front of his chest.
“Actually I contacted you because I need your help. Specifically with a cloaking ritual for my current hiding space.”
Noctura’s gaze lingered on him for several long moments.
For the first time since the connection formed, hesitation crossed her face.
“I do know of one,” she admitted at last, her voice quieter than before.
“An old concealment rite dating back to the First Weaving. Properly performed, it won’t merely hide a structure from divine senses. It’ll convince the world itself that the place isn’t worth noticing.”
Anzari straightened almost immediately.
“That will suffice.”
“It isn’t that simple,” she cut in.
“The ritual demands the blood of the deity seeking concealment. Not a drop. A considerable amount.” Her violet eyes searched his face.
“You’ll have to draw the sigils yourself, anchor them into every corner of the dwelling and complete the final incantation before sunset. I’ll prepare the details and deliver them through this channel before dusk.”
Relief washed through him.
“Thank you, aunty.”
“You’re thanking me too soon.”
His smile faltered.
Noctura lowered her gaze, as though choosing her next words with immense care.
“Kelchak may have failed to capture you,” she murmured, “but she succeeded in doing something else before… whatever happened to her.”
Anzari’s expression hardened.
“She sent word back to the Pantheon.”
Silence swallowed the room.
“She reported the existence of a mortal woman you’ve grown close to,” Noctura continued grimly.
“So when next they come, they won’t be searching for you alone anymore.”
A heavy pause settled between them.
“They’ll be searching for her too.”