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“
I’m
sorry, but I’ve waited too long for you.”

“
Well,
I’m not ready for this.” She hoped he’d buy into
the lie. She quickly put on her robe and crossed her arms stubbornly
across her breasts. “You need to leave now.”

“
What
do you want from me?”

“
What
the hell do you want from me?” She challenged.

Gwar
seemed disappointed and frowned. “I’ve displeased you.”

“
Well,
how the hell do you expect me to act when you appear in my room out
of the blue demanding we fuck. I’m not a sex object.” She
snapped.

He
took a step toward her. “But, you were enjoying yourself.”

Embarrassment
singed her face. “Yes, I did enjoy myself. I let my body make
my mind up for me. I don’t even know you and I’m not into
flings.” She said, suddenly wishing that they’d met under
different circumstances. He did seem likeable, after all.

He
seemed genuinely puzzled. “Ask you out?”

“
Yes,
like on a date. You know, watching television, the movies, a fine
restaurant. Maybe even a stroll on the beach.”

“
Ah,
I see.” A smile curved the edge of his lips.

She
fidgeted while trying to make sense of her situation. Apparently the
man had to be telling a truth about being a spider. There was no
other explanation for him suddenly appearing in her room. She and
Harrison lived on the fourth floor and the only entrance were the
door in the living room and the balcony.

“
Abigail,
I can’t just leave you.” Gwar insisted.

“
And
why not? She demanded. “I’m sure you could have any
woman you want.”

Dammit,
if he wanted her, he’d have to prove it. She had had enough of
men using her. Immediately, her mind was drawn to the past and she
was okay with being alone. This had been her mistake, always settling
on the man’s terms.

“
I
don’t want just any woman, I want you.” He said in a
deep, demanding voice.

“
Well,
you’re going to have to prove it.”

“
How?
I’ll do anything you want.”

“
First
of all, I need you to leave the same way you came in.” She
hated spiders, but needed to see if he was telling the truth about
who he was. “If you want me, you’ll need to do some leg
work to get and keep me.”

Gwar
sighed and slumped his shoulders. “I will return for you.”

With
that, he disappeared into thin air, in his place was the spider. It
quickly scuttled across the carpet, to the baseboard of the wall and
disappeared.

“
You’ve
got to be fucking kidding me.” Abigail gasped in disbelief and
sat on the side of the bed. Several minutes later, she continued
staring at the space where Gwar, the spider had disappeared. He’d
been telling the truth the entire time.

She
sighed and rubbed her clammy hands against the robe while trying to
wrap her mind around everything that had just occurred. She was torn
between reality and fantasy. The mysterious man-spider mystified her,
and a shrill of excitement ignited within. Call it curiosity, but she
needed to see this through.

A
myriad of emotions and questions rolled through her. Did all spiders
morph into fine hunky specimens, or did she just hallucinate? After
donning a pair of cut-off shorts and a black boat neck t-shirt,
Abigail began working on her projects.

Several
instances, she caught herself staring off into space, her mine
wandering to the strange mutant of a man she’d encountered in
her bedroom. Clearing her mind had been a task, but she managed. On
occasion, she caught herself smiling as she recalled her brief
encounter with Gwar.

*
* *

Gwar
morphed from spider to man once he entered Arachnocadia and headed
straight to his lair. He groaned out of embarrassment when Slayer
approached him. The man was now dressed in his silk black leggings
and tunic and wore a shit-eaten grin on his face.

Off
to the right, several of his warriors engaged in hand to hand combat
in their human form. Gwar frowned because he longed for so much more
than this life.

“
Well,
lover-boy, how did it go?” Slayer whacked him on the back and
smirked.

“
Go
to hell, Slayer.” Gwar snapped as he continued through the
grand hall to his bedchambers. He needed to dress and perhaps sulk in
his chambers away from everyone.

“
C’mon,
this is just between me and you. What happened?”

“
I
don’t want to talk about it.” Gwar said in a low voice
and gritted his teeth once realizing his old friend was following him
to his chambers.

“
I’m
not going anywhere,” Slayer announced.

Gwar
rolled his eyes as he opened the heavy door. “Very well.”
Once inside, Gwar quickly dressed in a black silk tunic and leggings.
Aggravated at the way things had went with Abigail, he ran his
fingers through his hair.

“
I
should have listened to you.” He admitted before leaning
against one of the large marble pillars next to his bed.

The
blond man grinned. “She wants you to woo her, doesn’t
she?”

“
Yes.”
Gwar admitted. I’ve never wooed any woman in my entire
existence.”

“
You
should have just went off into the catacombs and paired up with a
Mairachanid.” Slayer admitted. Our females aren’t much
for committing.”

“
Mairachanid’s
are so damned soulless and temperamental. I’ve not been
attracted to one in centuries. Truth is, I’m unhappy with
everything in my life.” Gwar admitted wearily. Slayer, I’m
just tired.”

“
Well,
I can see that. You, my friend, have not experienced happiness in a
long time. What makes you think a human can turn your world around?”

“
It’s
not the fact that she’s a human, it’s
who
she is.” Gwar smiled as he recalled his abrupt contact with
Abigail. “She’s funny and feisty. Oh and she knows what
she wants. Abigail is innocent, yet she’s a fighter, if you can
understand that. She also stirs something here.” He tapped his
chest.

Slayer
waved his hand in front of Gwar’s eyes. “Yeah, I see what
you mean. I haven’t seen you smile like this in centuries.”

“
She’s
my better half, but she doesn’t know it.” Gwar crossed
his arms. “If only I could make her see what she means to me.”

“
Well,
you’re going to have to take some of your wealth and cash it
into the human realm. Oh, and might I suggest you knock on the door
in your human form to take away the creep factor, you know.”

“
I
fucked up, I know.”

“
Stop
being so hard on yourself. You’re overly eager, but things will
look up.”

“
If
and when I decide to take my place in the human world, you’re
to take over down here.”

“
Don’t
say that Gwar.”

“
I’m
serious Slayer. I’m tired of this existence. There has to be
more than this.”

“
I’ll
support you in whatever decision you make, but you do know once you
decide to shed your immortality, you’ll never be able to
return.”

“
I
know that.”

“
You’ll
grow old and will die one day.” Slayer warned.

“
I
don’t care.” Gwar paced, looking around his darkened
chambers. Gently he ran his hands over the silk covered slate walls.
He knew he wouldn’t miss this dimly lit world.

“
And
I’ll be losing a brother, but you must do what it takes to make
you happy.” Slayer sulked.

Caught
off guard, Gwar spun around. Pain welled in his friend’s blue
eyes and he almost couldn’t bare it.

“
Shed
your immortality with me.”

Slayer
shook his head, and swiped his long blond mane away from his face.
“I’ve lived temporarily in their realm and I didn’t
like it. I love women too much and want to have my cake and eat it
too.” He said with a grin.

“
Well,
that’s no longer the life for me.”

“
I
can see that, but are you sure this is what you want?”

Gwar
sighed. Now he had to tell his old friend the truth. “Arachnianne
sensed my unhappiness and approached me about Abigail during the war
party. She says our destinies are intertwined, so that’s the
real reason Abigail’s house became my territory.”

“
Oh,
I see. Something you failed to tell me.”

“
At
the time it was not necessary. When I step down, you’ll
automatically become the ruler of Arachnocadia. ”

“
Ruler
of Arachnocadia.
I
could get used to that and the major perks it comes with.”
Slayer said slyly.

“
I’m
sure you’ll get more from your reign than I ever have.”

Chapter Five

Abigail
returned home after several long meetings with her clients. Her
shoulders ached from carrying around her laptop and purse.

“
Harrison?”
No answer. These days her roommate spent most of his time at
Caroline’s. With a sigh, she closed the door behind her,
flicked on the lights and dropped everything on the couch. Kicking
off her high-heeled sandals, she stretched. She sat on the sofa and
massaged her temples when suddenly a knock came at the door. “Who
is it?”

“
Gwar.”

Immediately,
she jumped to her feet. “Gwar?”

A
shrill of excitement filtered through her being and goose bumps
raised on her flesh. It couldn’t be…or could it?
Curiosity filling her she walked over to the door.

“
Please
let me in Abigail.”

Slowly
she opened the door to find the man she’d seen a few days ago
swathed in loose fitting black silk button down shirt and black
jeans. He looked just as good in clothes as he did naked. In one
hand he held a box of Godiva chocolates and in the other, a large
bouquet of sunflowers, roses, swaddled with baby breath.

He
smiled nervously. “Can I come in?”

Speechless,
she gestured for him to come in. “Wow.” She exclaimed as
she closed the door.

“
If
that’s a compliment, I’ll take it. These are for you.”
He handed her the flowers and chocolate.

“
Aww,
Gwar.” She sniffed the roses. How did you know I love
sunflowers and roses.”

“
I
know you.” He assured her.

“
Yeah,
the spider thing the other day.” She chuckled softly as she
took her gifts into the kitchen. Sensing his reluctance, she beckoned
for him to follow. “I won’t bite,” she said with a
laugh.

“
I
must apologize for the other day, I was wrong.”

“
I
just don’t know what to say,” she admitted as she
retrieved a vase from beneath the sink and filled it with water.
Gently she placed them in the vase. “Fits perfectly. Thank you
Gwar.”

“
You’re
welcome.”

“
What’s
up with you?” She asked. “You seem much different from
the last time we met.”

“
I
want to live up to your expectations Abigail.” His eyes
narrowed. “I told you, I’ll do anything to prove myself
to you and I want to know the woman who has captured my interest.”

“
Surely
you’ve captured the interest of many women.” She retorted
with a quick roll of her eyes.

“
I
don’t see any other women. Only one piques my interest.”

“
All
this for a quick roll in the hay?” She asked.

“
No
Abigail, there’s much more to it than that.”

“
So
you mean, you’re not going to try and bed me down tonight?”

“
I
apologize for my behavior, I wish I’d broached the subject
differently, but I can’t change the past. If you let me, I’d
like to show you a good time tonight. Maybe a movie?”

“
To
tell you the truth, I’d rather stay in.”

“
Oh.
Should I go?” The disappointment in his voice touched her.