Anzari’s POV
*****
He had witnessed kingdoms rise and collapse beneath the weight of their own greed.
Yet somehow, watching Danielle lament over a faithless male irritated him more than all of them combined.
Not that he was judgmental of her or anything.
On the contrary, his irritation was fixed on this Simon fellow.
And he couldn’t understand why.
Why should he care enough about this human woman that he’d consider getting rid of those who torment her?
He thought about all this as he caught Danielle right when she was about to collapse to her bathroom floor.
The shower above them trickled water on her naked form.
His eyes wandered over her body—from her full bosoms to the heavy curve of her hips.
Beautiful… at least when compared to most mortals he’s laid his eyes on.
So why would anyone in their right mind be unfaithful with her?
After weighing his options, he decided to take her to bed—not before washing her and then drying her with a towel.
Settling her under the sheets, he stood, his shadow looming over her like a cloak.
Her black hair spilt behind her head like ink.
She looked so… peaceful.
“Rest well, Danielle.” He muttered, his head turning to the small glass enclosure she’d kept him in since yesterday.
Just before he could shift back into his spider form, he heard something that made him stop instantly.
“Anzari.”
His eyes slid back to her.
She stirred, her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
Still asleep.
But apparently in a dream.
He squinted as she swung her head left and right, as though struggling to search for someone.
For him.
“Shh.” He leaned down, pressing a finger on her forehead.
“Sleep…”
His silver eyes glowed.
Slowly her breathing relaxed, her previously restless eyelids following suit.
He found himself smiling at the way she subconsciously hugged her pillow as she settled into slumber.
For thousands of years, he’s seen, manipulated and used human desire in a plethora of ways.
He understood the mortal concept of want more intimately than most other gods out there.
Still—it’s been so long since he’s seen any as strong as this one woman.
Although that could be due to the fact he hasn’t visited Earth in millennia.
Until now.
He stepped back, angling his head to her bedroom windows.
The glow in his eyes shifted.
Several silver threads flickered to life out of Danielle’s chest.
Fate threads.
Each one connecting her to another human out there.
From her child.
To her mother.
And particularly two people who made her miserable today.
The other threads faded out of his vision as he focused on the ones connecting her to the faithless male and the new female he had with him.
“There you are,” A few thoughts crossed his mind as his eyes followed the threads, watching how they swirled around each other.
Danielle won’t like any of those thoughts.
Taking one last look at her, he strode calmly to the window, observing how the threads led off to another part of the city.
A black cloak appeared over his body as he opened the window.
Then his six arms turned to two.
Experience had made him note humans don’t take kindly to seeing him with all six.
Annoying since those from a millennium ago revered him for them.
With a single leap, he was gone, disappearing into the shadows at the ground level.
★★★★★
Humans had somehow made the world louder during his absence.
And brighter.
So much brighter.
Why did every mortal insist on illuminating their homes like miniature suns?
Why were their glass towers lit up at night like beacons to the heavens?
These were questions that drifted past his mind as he darted from one shadow to the other, all while following the two fate threads.
Soon enough he got to a point where the threads stopped.
A structure humans called a two-storey building, last he heard.
The lights were still on in some rooms and when he listened hard enough he could hear the faint laughter of a woman.
In a blink he sauntered to the front porch, creeping past a small space in the door in his spider form.
“God, she’s so pathetic.” The woman kept on laughing, stepping into the living area with a plate of something steamy.
“Did you see the way she glared at me when I held your hand?”
Anzari took her in from the wall he stood on.
She was a pretty female, he’ll admit.
But her figure was slimmer than Danielle’s.
Not to mention her long hair was a shade of blonde that clearly didn’t occur naturally in women of her skin colour.
Other than looks, the sheer fact that she was sitting here judging a woman she’s already put through so much pain heightened his irritation.
Beside her was none other than the unfaithful male.
Rosy white skin and drowsy eyes were the first thing Anzari noticed in him.
He wore a grey t-shirt that hugged his puny muscles.
When he witnessed him belch after gulping a bottle of alcohol, Anzari understood instantly that there were levels to his irritation.
And right now he might’ve gotten so close to the absolute highest.
‘Danielle really fell for… this?’ he thought to himself, trying and failing to see the appeal.
Simon swerved his head to the female and chuckled.
“I saw,” he exhaled through his mouth.
“Danielle hasn’t changed one bit. My presence still makes her shake.”
“Too bad for her.” The female whose name Anzari couldn’t remember, leaned closer to the man, placing her polished fingers on his chest.
“You’re mine. She had her shot and blew it.”
If he weren’t a spider right now Anzari would’ve probably laughed.
How deluded could these two be, talking about Simon like he was some ancient treasure worth fighting for?
As expected, Simon’s expression brightened with pride.
“Exactly, baby.” He reached for the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss.
“Danielle is so fucking boring. Always on about her dumb business like we all don’t work.”
He deepened his kisses, drawing out a moan from the shameless female.
“You? You’re feisty. Always there where I need you… by my side where you belong.”
Once again the spider god found himself getting more irritated.
A part of him almost felt bad for the female.
Almost.
Because all this Simon fellow explained sounded so close to a puppet.
Too bad she was so foolish to see that.
Before long the two began kissing harder, the female climbing Simon’s legs and rocking against him like a feral beast in heat.
Anzari had seen and heard enough.
Danielle’s kind heart might be left distraught if he got rid of the father of her child.
So rather than eliminating him he opted for something else.
His eight eyes ignited like cinders.
A curtain dangling over the entrance of a room in the living area sparked with flames.
Small and negligible at first.
Until they began spreading, consuming the whole thing in a matter of seconds.
The female was the first to notice.
“F–Fire! Jesus, there’s a fire!”
By the time the two of them got off the couch the flames had already spread, lighting up a carpet close to the kitchen.
Simon rushed over and splashed his beer on it.
Useless—just like him.
Anzari slipped out of the house as the flames roared, choking up the living room in smoke.
The shameless pair darted out a minute after when they realised they couldn’t stop it.
“My house!” Simon screamed into the night, alerting neighbours.
“Somebody help! Shit!”
As people gathered, either bombarding Simon and the female with questions on how it started or making calls to officials who could come help—the spider god watched from the shadows across the street.
His lips curved as he shifted back into his human form, the wind carrying his cloak.
“A well-deserved conclusion…”