Danielle’s POV
*****
“Good night, Danielle!”
“Good night, Ma’am!”
I barely heard the greetings of my employees as I left Vesper Nails early that evening.
The sun wasn’t even completely down yet.
But all my thoughts could dwell on was the case with Simon.
And the fact that I was being watched.
Whoever this person who gave Simon dirt on me was they knew way too much for someone merely making a neighbourly observation.
With everything that has happened, I won’t be surprised if that bastard was paying someone to spy on me.
And boy, if I could find out who it was?
It might be the first evidence I can pull up to prove that Simon Carter was a fucking psycho.
I made my way toward the entrance of my house after stepping out of my car.
Home… didn’t feel like home anymore even as I approached.
If anything it felt like I was in a cage being observed by heaven knows who.
When I got to the door, I took glances to my left and right.
Then I swept my gaze behind me.
Nothing.
Other than a woman taking her dog for a walk across the street and an old man striding the pathway leading to his house, a bottle of beer in his grasp.
No signs of anyone peeping through windows or spying on me at all.
I heaved when I got inside, heading straight for the kitchen.
I’d be lying if I said this whole thing with Simon wasn’t draining the heck out of me.
I’d sobbed harder today than I did during the divorce.
After making some toast, I waltzed to the living room window.
Taking yet another scan of my surroundings.
Yep.
Still no signs of anything suspicious.
“Should I hire a private investigator at this rate?” I took a bite from my toast, savouring the cheese melting on my tongue.
“Mhm… who’s to say Simon isn’t using one himself?”
Nothing but silence answered me.
I swerved away from the window when I noticed something that made me slow down.
First off my grandmother’s carpet was spotless.
To add to that the blackened spot left behind by the barbequed goddess last night was gone.
Before I left the house this morning I’d been wondering how I would get to cleaning it with Anzari back in his spider form. Find the original chapter at g.com.
A small smirk curved the corner of my lips.
“That six-armed jerk.”
Taking another bite from my toast, I almost ran to the stairs.
Whether he’d reverted to his spider form or not I felt the need to thank him.
As I walked down the hallway leading to my bedroom, goosebumps popped up across my arms, an icy chill brushing the back of my neck.
My brows knitted at that.
Okayyy… not the oddest thing I’ve felt during the past week.
But that was weird.
“Bobby,” my voice was a few octaves away from being a yell when I finally got into my room.
“Oh, or should I say Anzari? Whatever man, I just came here to say I noticed what you did in the living room.”
My neck snapped toward the terrarium.
“Thanks for cleaning up your mess—what the?”
My heart skipped.
The terrarium sat exactly where I’d left it this morning.
Except now it was empty.
The half-eaten toast nearly slipped from my fingers.
“Bobby?”
I took another cautious step forward, peering through the glass as though he’d somehow become invisible.
Still nothing.
“What the hell?”
A nervous laugh escaped me.
“Okay. Funny joke.”
I looked around the bedroom, expecting to find him perched on a wall or hanging lazily from the ceiling like the dramatic little menace he was.
Yet I still found nothing.
A strange pressure settled in my chest.
For fuck’s sake, this was exactly what happened last night.
He’d vanished.
Then that psychotic huntress goddess came crashing into my house trying to turn me into roadkill.
“Nope.” I shook my head hard enough to make my ponytail swish behind me.
“We’re not doing that tonight.”
Toast still clutched in one hand, I searched around the reading table the terrarium rested on.
Books.
A scented candle.
My reading glasses.
But no sarcastic spider god.
My pulse quickened. The source of this chapter is g.com.
I was just about to leave when my head spun to my bedroom window.
Don’t know if it was by instinct but I got there and gently pulled one side of the curtain aside, scanning the neighbouring houses.
Sadly, I once again didn’t catch anyone suspicious.
Just ordinary people living ordinary lives.
A teenager dragged a trash bin toward the curb while somewhere farther down the street a lawn mower hummed to life.
Nobody stared back.
Nobody looked even remotely interested in my house.
“Maybe I’m just paranoid.”
Even so, I let the curtain fall shut again before drawing both panels completely closed.
If someone really had been watching me all this time… They’d have one less window to peek through.
“Anzari,” I muttered under my breath as I headed back toward the hallway and started down the stairs.
“You’d better not be pulling another disappearing act tonight.”
★★★★★
When I got downstairs I half expected another god to jump out of the shadows and skin my ass.
Of course, that didn’t happen.
Dragging myself to the kitchen again, I set aside the rest of the toast on a plate before walking to the back door.
That’s when I heard it.
Low mumbling, as though someone were talking to themselves.
And not just anyone either.
I opened the door without thinking, stepping out into the fenced backyard.
I’d barely shut the door behind me when I saw him.
Anzari, with his back facing me while he squatted in the sand.
All six of his arms moved in perfect rhythm as they carved strange symbols into the earth.
And fuck—he was shirtless, the only piece of clothing being a pair of black pants.
“What are you—?”
The question hooked in my throat, my eyes widening.
He’d just risen to his feet with a slowness that made every cell in my body scream with unease.
Then he angled his head toward me.
Those silver eyes glowed with a light I’ve never seen in him before.
With his gaze still glued on me, he pulled out a dagger.
The blade gleamed under the dusk light as his fingers curled tight around the hilt.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“… Anzari?”