Shining chitinous black legs scuttled along silken threads through the darkened inner walls of the mansion. Ruby red eyes shimmered in the darkness as the spindly appendages gently ran along the strands of web, feeling them eagerly for any trace of movement. A low twanging *thrum* echoing across the strand caused the web’s owner to perk up in excitement; sensing prey she cackled excitedly as she raced along the webbed highway she’d painstakingly built over years of delicate labor.

She emerged from a small vent on the ceiling of the mansion’s library, licking her lips eagerly as she thought of the meal waiting for her. The bright gas lamps the humans had installed always drew the insects better than any candle, and when she’d realized this she’d capitalized on it, spinning delicate and nearly invisible strands around the glass ceiling fixtures. Bugs were dumb, they’d flutter in to look at the light, then stick themselves… in their struggle they’d only become more stuck, wrapping themselves up nicely until she came to feed.

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she saw her latest prey, a quivering pair of wings fluttering pathetically as its legs became more and more stuck. Her legs lifted up, readying to wrap it up more, when the sound of crying hit her ears.

“Gods dammit,” Cordelia sighed angrily, scuttling back a few paces. Bugs didn’t cry, true bugs anyway, so that meant that her latest capture was a familiar face.

“Cordy!” The frightened moth girl wept, “I’m stuuuuckkk!”

“Bliss! I told you to stop fluttering around this light!” The arachne said angrily. She crossed her arms, the humanlike appendages showing her disapproval as the long black arachnid ones on her lower body began the work of tearing the poor moth-girl free.

“It was just so pretty!” she protested, squirming even as the pointed ends of Cordelia’s legs began slowly cutting the thread away. “This is the only light that’s on in the house at night now!”

The last strand was sliced apart, letting the white-haired girl flutter free with a squeal of excitement. Her patterned wings fluttered behind her so fast that they blurred, and she hovered along Cordelia’s thread with a sheepish smile on her face.

“T-Thanks Cordy,” Bliss muttered, “I’m sorry I messed up your web…”

“I’ll just re-spin it,” she sighed, scurrying back towards the vent. She paused, thinking over what the moth had said. “You said a new human moved in?”

“Oh yeah,” Bliss said excitedly, “I think he’s the old guy’s grandson or something? He’s a cutie, and I think he knows magic too!”

“Whatever,” Cordelia shrugged, “just stay away from him. Humans aren’t nice Bliss, they’ll try to squish you.”

“Nobody ever tries to squish me!” Bliss said eagerly, “I’ve even talked to the humans a few times, the ladies who clean mostly, but one time the old master said hi to me!”

“Good for you Bliss,” Cordelia said dismissively. She glanced at the moth girl a moment, as she looked almost human, though with a pale complexion and deep black eyes. The white fuzzy antennae and folded wings on her back didn’t seem to upset the bigfolk. For reasons Cordelia didn’t fully understand, humans found the moth girl cute, and didn’t react with the overt hostility they seemed to reserve for an Arachne. One of the harsh lessons she’d learned in her youth was that humans feared her, a silly thing given how much larger and more powerful they were, but there it was. She couldn’t even cross the floor or the ceiling with humans in the room without drawing shrieks and even outright violence from them.

“Cordy maybe you should just try introducing yourself to one?” Bliss said hesitantly, “I mean you’ve lived in a human’s house for your whole life now…”

“I’ll pass Bliss,” she sighed, “I don’t feel like being smeared across the bottom of a boot. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check my other webs. Maybe I’ll see the new human…”

…

Cedric sighed happily, flipping through one of his late grandfather’s rare volumes on spellcasting as he read in the expansive king sized bed of the master bedroom suite. He snapped his fingers, causing the small orb floating over his head to brighten slightly as his magic flowed into it.

He’d inherited the mansion - and more importantly the impressive library - shortly after his graduation from the Imperial Mage Academy. It had put a damper on the festivities, he’d been close with his grandfather and had followed in the man’s footsteps, but as grief had subsided he’d been excited to find the family mansion had been left to him.

There was a knock on the door, and he frowned, putting the book down for a moment. “Come in!” he called.

One of the maids, still in uniform, hesitantly entered the room. “Sir, I’m sorry it’s late, but a message arrived for you by horseback, it’s got your cousin’s seal…”

“Very well,” he said, defeated. He held out a hand as the maid approached and handed him an envelope. He rolled his eyes at the ornate eagle engraved seal stamped on the front. “Gods look at it,” he chuckled, showing the maid, “Steffanie always had a taste for the dramatic…”

“She er… certainly seemed temperamental,” the maid said hesitantly, “when she visited.”

“I’m sure she was awful to you,” Cedric muttered, causing the maid to flinch.

“I couldn’t speak so poorly of one of the late master’s guests,” the maid said hurriedly, “much less one of your family members-“

“I’ll just have to speak poorly of her for the both of us,” Cedric chuckled. “Rest easy, she won’t be your mistress and I don’t plan to have her as my guest.” The sudden look of relief the maid had told him he was making the right decision, and he smiled. “Why are you still here?” he asked suddenly, “it’s a holiday feast this weekend, isn’t it?”

“I just wanted to make sure the new master of the house had everything in order before the staff left,” she said with a small nod.

“You’ve all been wonderful,” he said with a reassuring smile, “please enjoy the feast. Don’t worry about me, I’ll still be here in a few days!”

“Of course master Cedric,” she said with a quick bow.

She turned to leave, giving Cedric privacy as he tore the envelope open. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he began to read the letter from his distant cousin.

Cedric,

I have been informed that you have somehow weaseled your way into inheriting grandfather’s mansion, an estate which you know rightfully belongs to ME. If you do not vacate the premises by the time I arrive for the feast day then I will be forced to remove you. Be gone and be sure that you haven’t touched even one of his books!

Dearest Regards

Your beloved Cousin Steffanie

“Beloved cunt is more like it,” he muttered, wadding up the letter. Come and “remove” me Steffanie, you’ve no legal case and you know it…

He returned to his book, then sighed, deciding that he’d had enough of magical theory for the evening. Closing the volume, he placed it on his nightstand, reaching for his copy of Elric Far-Traveled, a ribald adventure tale he was revisiting. He settled in for a comfortable evening of reading.

…

Cordelia scowled as she watched another moth, a normal one, bump into the gas lamp in the library. If Bliss hadn’t gotten herself snared I could be eating right now… With an angry sigh and a hungry belly she retreated back into the vent. Scurrying along she paused as she saw another trail of light entering through one of the steel grates. Another light lit at this hour? She crept up to it and peered down, realizing it was the master bedroom. That must be the new human, she thought, observing the young man reading below. The moth was right… he is easy on the eyes. He had a mess of red hair that stuck out from his nightcap, and a boyish face, one that she let her gaze linger on a moment.

Cordelia had been mostly indifferent to the old master of the house; unlike Bliss she never bothered trying to talk to a human, as it was too risky, though she was certain the old master had spotted her once or twice and ignored her. Whatever her thoughts on the old wizard, she had enjoyed the man’s taste in books. She’d spent countless hours dangling just out of sight over his shoulder, reading along with him. She squinted, making out the volume in the new human’s hands.

Elric Far-Traveled? She felt excitement well within her. Adventure tales were her favorite, and she eagerly scuttled out of the vent and along the ceiling, eager to get in a good position to read along with the handsome young human. When she felt she was in the best position she slowly attached a strand of thread to the ceiling beam, then slowly, carefully, she lowered herself down, her spider legs splayed for balance as she grew closer and closer.

She sighed happily as she rappelled down just over the young man’s shoulder, resting maybe a foot over his head where she could see the printed words on the page by the warm glow of the gaslamp. This was where she felt happiest, reading of faraway places and adventures… though she felt herself growing impatient as the human lingered on a passage.

Come on, turn the page! She thought angrily, I need to know who killed Asmodean! The murder mystery involving the titular hero’s old rival had consumed far too much of the book already in her opinion.

Maybe I should say something to him? She thought. Bliss talks to humans sometimes, maybe it would be nice to talk to someone about books, about things? It would be nice to talk to someone other than the moth… in truth she’d hoped for years to run across another Arachne, or bugfolk - even a fairy wouldn’t be objected to - that had read some of her favorite books, but few of the smaller creatures of the world concerned themselves with such things. She sighed loudly.

Cedric’s ears perked up at the sound. “Who’s there!?” he said, looking around fearfully.

I forgot, the old master was almost deaf, Cordelia realized in horror, the new human can hear me!

Cedric slowly gazed up, and then felt his heart leap as he saw the hanging spider, legs outstretched. With a shout he leapt out of bed, tossing the book upwards. Cordelia cried out in terror as her thread was severed, and her legs flailed as she tumbled through the air to the bed.

“WAIT!” she screamed, cut off with a grunt as she hit the soft blankets.

Oh gods it’s hideous! Cedric thought in panic as he saw the spindly legs struggling for purchase. He quickly reached for his slipper, holding it up and bringing it down on the bed with a snarl.

Cordelia’s eight eyes went wide and she shrieked in horror as she scuttered out of the way, feeling the tremor as the footwear slammed into where she’d been just seconds before.

“OUT!” Cedric roared, “GET OUT YOU DISGUSTING VERMIN!” He threw the slipper next, slamming into the bed and causing the spider to tumble down the side of the comforter and onto the carpeted floor.

Cordelia quickly righted herself, feeling the burning in her abdomen as her legs raced as fast as they could away from the enraged human. Tremors rocked the floor as he pursued her, this time lifting the book in his hand. Her face paled as she realized that the heavy tome would prove a much more dangerous projectile.

“DIE!” he shouted, lifting it over his head triumphantly.

Cordelia whimpered in fear one final time as she coiled her eight arachnid legs beneath her and leapt, feeling the rush of air behind her as the book roared to the floor just a second before she cleared the floor vent.

Safe, she realized, her chest heaving as she took a minute to get her bearings, I’m safe, I got away…

“Spiders,” Cedric growled, “of course this old house would have such disgusting creatures…” He shivered, he’d always had a mild case of arachnophobia, and other recruits at the imperial mage academy had often teased him by slipping fake spiders - in some cases real ones - into his bedding or clothing. He quickly chanted a seeking fireball, watching the tiny spark form on his fingertip, ready to seek out and find the despicable creature, but as he released it the fire simply fizzled out. He frowned a moment, then put the failure of the spell down to nerves. With a sigh he went to retrieve the book he’d thrown.

Inside the vent Cordelia felt tears well up in her lower two eyes, the most human of them. The shock of going from a nice evening of reading to running for her life had taken their toll, and as she sat in the dark, hungry and lonely, she fought to keep from crying.

…

Cedric tossed and turned, sleeping fitfully as his dreams were consumed with spindly legs, webs, and of course venomous fangs. The spider had been a small thing, no bigger than a coin, but it had unnerved him to find the creature so close to his bed.

Probably poisonous, he thought, opening his eyes in the dark, yes… definitely, they’re all poisonous! Hateful little creatures…

He shivered, feeling the cold air blow across his cheek as he hugged the blankets closer to himself.

Wait… cold air? He sat up, looking to his window, open and with the curtains billowing in the night wind. The soft light of the waning moon outside gave him enough light to guide him to the threshold, and he closed the window angrily, locking it.

Wind must have blown it open, he thought, feeling the hair on the back of his neck raise, wait… no!

He whirled around, muttering a quick spell and flourishing his hands. The gaslamps on either side of his bed roared to life, bathing the room in light and revealing the black cloaked figure at the edge of his bed. With a growl he felt magic course down his fingers, sending bolts of lightning flying at the assassin.

“A mage? How delightful!” a woman’s voice called out as the blurred figure easily moved out of the way. She threw back the black hood, revealing a pale woman’s face. She had jet black hair, glowing red eyes, and a pair of fangs that glinted in the low light as she smiled.

“Vampire!” he shouted, tracing a holy symbol in the air. The god’s sigil glowed in front of him, causing his assailant to hiss and step back. “I assume I can thank my cousin Steffanie for your presence?” he sneered.

“Clever little spellslinger,” the undead woman chuckled, “I’m Zada Frostfall, have you perhaps heard of me?”

Cedric paled, the vampiric assassin was a favorite of corrupt nobles and criminals in several countries. Rumor had it even the dwarven master engineers and elven archmages feared a visit from her, whatever else his cousin could be accused of, being cheap evidently wasn’t one of her sins.

“I-I won’t go easy!” he croaked, tracing the patterns in the air and preparing a volley of fireballs.

“I figured as much, but unfortunately for you I’m quite the battlemage,” the vampire giggled. He watched in horror as she waved a hand, causing each of his glowing points of light to wink out before ever catching fire. “Now then,” she said, strutting towards him, “let’s talk about how you die… ” She pulled a string on the robe, causing it to flutter away from her, revealing a tight black leather outfit stretched thin over a wide pair of hips. Cedric felt his heart flutter as his eyes landed on her pale breasts, pushed up by a revealing corset. “I like to give young men something nice to look at before they go,” she said, teasingly blowing him a kiss.

“A-A shame to kill such a lovely woman!” he stammered, pointing at her again. A bolt of lightning leapt out of his fingertip, striking the woman directly in the chest. She didn’t even flinch, just sighing and rolling her eyes as the magical attack fizzled in front of her.

“Cute,” she mocked, “cute… yes, you should die being cute.” He wanted to scream as her finger traced along his cheek, but his voice failed him, “I’m guessing you didn’t get a lot of attention from girls when you were younger, spellslinger?” she embraced him like a lover, causing him to flinch as she grinned down at him. She was nearly a head taller, and he nearly fainted when she cupped his bottom, roughly squeezing it.

“I-I did fine with women!” he lied. He closed his eyes and began whispering a new spell, one which would set them both aflame, it would kill him too, but it was his only hope.

The spell was cut off by a sensuous kiss, causing him to yelp in surprise as the pale woman’s tongue forced its way into his mouth. Her hands explored his body, and he felt her iron grip circle his wrist, bringing his fingers up to her ample breast and clasping them against her soft flesh.

“W-What in damnation,” he stammered, looking at her wide eyed as she just grinned down at him… grinned further down at him.

“I’m shrinking you with my kisses,” she explained, licking her lips and giving him a good view of her pointed fangs, “I thought about just drinking you, but it gets so old . I want to do something fun, something kinky. ”

“I can counter the elven shrinking spell,” he sneered, “it’s just a matter of-“

He was cut off as she lifted him off the ground, pulling his lips to hers again. He melted into the kiss against his will, feeling a warmth race along his body as arousal built in him. He blinked as she pulled him away again, looking up at a woman who now stood twice his height who held him like a treasured stuffed toy..

“I can make my own shrinking spells without copying that overdone knife ear trash,” the vampire giggled, “and isn’t this method of dwindling away so much more fun?”

“W-What are you going to do to me?” he asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know, stomp on you maybe?” she said offhandedly, tapping her shiny black heels against the carpeted floor, “maybe pull your arms and legs off? I mean the possibilities are endless, aren’t they?”

“Whatever she paid you-“

“Hush darling,” she said, pulling him up into another kiss. He felt her lips stretching against his own, and this time his clothes began to slip against his skin as he became too small for his pajamas to stay on. His nightcap fell away first, and after a few minutes the grinning vampire looked down on the heaving naked mage in her grip, now a mere foot tall.

“Please,” he begged, “don’t…”

“Awww, look at this little thing,” she giggled, leaning forward and glancing at his manhood, “it’s so hard… but so tiny! ” she looked back up at the burning red face of the mage, “oh don’t feel bad, I’m sure when you’re at your normal size it’s… serviceable.” She sighed, “there’s nothing left you can do, just enjoy my kisses as you shrink away, okay? This is the end… but it doesn’t have to be entirely unpleasant, now does it?”

The next kiss enveloped his entire face, and as her tongue crawled forward this time it was a vast slimy tentacle that wrapped around his head, teasing him and tasting him as he dwindled away. This time he managed to keep his eyes open, looking up at the statuesque woman’s face in horror as it grew, going from the size of a horse carriage to the size of a house.

“You’re as small as a mouse Cedric,” she taunted, cupping him in her hands as she sauntered through his room. He felt himself buffeted against the soft pale skin of her fingers, desperately trying to think of any way out of the nightmare he’d found himself in. “Let’s get really wild with it,” Zada said in a low voice, “what if I made you a little smaller, then crushed you between my breasts?” she gestured at them, running her free hand between them and then teasingly pushing them together, “what do you think? Your whole life… just one little red splotch between my tits?”

“You’re insane!” Cedric cried.

“And you’re no fun,” Zada sighed, “now come here, pucker up boy, I don’t give half assed kisses.”

He tried to scoot backwards, but the vampire’s lips descended on him again, this time the soft pillows enveloped his entire body, the silky texture enveloping his skin and causing him to gasp as they shifted against his naked skin. He felt himself getting ever smaller, the pillowy masses growing as her kiss swept his size away, leaving him no larger than a sesame seed. He stuck to her lips for a moment, the tiny amount of her saliva adhering him to them like glue, but as he struggled he peeled off, tumbling back what seemed like a dozen feet into the soft mattress of her palm once again.

“Wow,” Zada breathed, “I’ve never made someone this small before…” her fingernail came down, gently poking him and knocking him over. He snarled and raised his fists, but the cliff wall of her fingernail easily pushed him around her hand, rolling him like an ant as she played with her victim.

Cedric watched in horror as her finger curled back, then with a rush of air and speed so quick it blurred the massive digit she flicked him, as she would a grain of salt. He screamed in pain as her fingernail made contact, the tiny gesture nearly breaking every bone in his body as he was launched across his bedroom. The air stung his eyes and he flailed madly, trying to stop himself.

His journey came to an end as he felt something slam into his stomach, something that at first felt like a rope, but as it stretched, then snapped back into place he realized it was something far worse. He blinked in horror as the world came back into focus, the sticky strand holding him in place easily.

A spider web, he thought, his heart pounding, I-I’m in a spider web!

“No,” he whispered, flailing madly, “no not this! Please!” The enormous pale face of the vampire came down close to him, a moon sized smug grin dominating her features as she giggled at his plight.

“Don’t struggle, you’re only making it worse!” Zada teased. She was right, his arm was stuck now too, and as he twisted desperately to try to free himself he felt his leg catch on another one of the strands. “Oh my poor little fly,” Zada giggled, “it seems there won’t be any escape for you…” she glanced down at the funnel at the end of the web, and Cedric’s gaze went with her. “I like this ending for you,” she decided, standing up and towering over him and the webbing like a sinister mountain, blocking out the gas lamp’s glow, “no big magical duel, no final defiant words… just a pathetic little bug waiting for his painful death.” She licked her lips playfully, “you know how spiders kill their prey right? Even as a vampire I find it rather distasteful…”

“PLEASE GET ME OUT OF THIS!” he howled, putting all of his strength into one final struggle.

“No,” she sighed, waving dismissively, “I think I’m going to let nature play out, it looks like all your fussing has attracted a friend!”

A series of shiny black chitinous legs could be seen at the edge of the funnel, and Cedric’s voice cracked as his screams ceased and his face went pale. He felt his heart hammering in his chest as those spidery legs tapped the webs, seemingly testing them for his presence.

“Ugh,” Zada muttered, “I don’t know if I’ve got the stomach for this one… I’ll be back in a few hours to see if there’s anything left… Have fun with your new friend!” with a final wicked laugh the vampire strutted out of his room, closing the door behind her.

Cedric muttered spells, incantations, and finally prayers, watching with increasing despair as his magic fizzled out along the web that had caught him. There was nothing to do but wait for the end…

…

Cordelia watched the pale woman leave the bedroom. She hadn’t caught most of the conversation she’d been having, or who she’d been talking to, but something was caught in the corner web and her stomach was empty enough to bring her back to the scene of the earlier evening’s humiliation. As soon as the woman was gone she eagerly scuttled out along the web, grinning wickedly as she flourished her wrists, preparing strands for her dinner.

“Oh gods!” Cedric gasped.

Cordelia halted, looking down in confusion at her capture, that’s not a bug… no, that can’t be, is that… It was the human, the same redheaded human who had thrown slippers and books at her earlier, the same human who owned the house, the same human who had evidently fallen quite a few links down the food chain. She felt a smile slowly stretch across her features, and she felt suddenly giddy.

“Hi human,” she said in a husky voice, leaning down over him. “Remember me?”

Cedric’s heart was pounding as he looked up at the creature. Her lower half was a terrifying spider, but her upper half was a beautiful woman’s… with a slender waist rising from the arachnid form which gave way to an ample pair of breasts barely contained by a spun thread top made of the same webbing that held him in place. She had a face that almost would have looked kindly, if not for the smug grin, and long pale hair that hung around her shoulders as she leaned over him. The eyes were her most striking features, two red ones where he’d expect a human’s, and six smaller ones around her forehead, gleaming like rubies.

“I-I can’t say we’ve met,” he stammered. An Arachne… she can’t be bigger than a penny! Tiny though the spider woman was, she towered over him like a house, a cruel reminder of just how much size he’d lost.

“Let me refresh your memory,” she snarled, “out, get out you disgusting vermin?” she mocked his voice, finishing with clapped hands for emphasis, mimicking the book he’d hurled at her.

He paled, “t-that wasn’t an Arachne, it was just a normal spider! I’d never try to kill a demi-human, honest!”

“Look closer next time,” she muttered angrily. She reached down for him, slowly pulling his body free of the webbing. Her fingers wrapped around his naked body, pulling up closer to her blood red eyes, the more human two lighting up with excitement as she licked her lips. “You’re not going to make much of a meal, but there is definitely an appeal to this… the great master of the house, who thought he could squish me, squirming delightfully as he slips down my throat.”

“Wait, you can’t just eat me, I’m… I’m a person!” he protested.

“A person who has no problem squishing another person because he got a little startled,” she retorted, “and in case you haven’t noticed, you’ve just moved from apex predator, ruler of the world, to the very bottom of the food chain. Honestly, if I don’t eat you, someone else will within a few minutes.” Her stomach growled, seemingly in agreement.

“But-“

“Another fun part of being a bug is that you get webbed up like one,” Cordelia said, lifting her free hand over him. Webbing rained down from her wrist, tracing over him and muffling his cries as she easily wrapped him tightly up in a cocoon. Cedric felt the sticky material press his arms and legs together, quickly drowning out the light and leaving him in darkness as it covered his eyes. He tried to cast a spell as his heart raced, but every spark of magic he managed to draw to himself just dissipated, sliding along his silken prison.

Her thread absorbs and disperses magic, he realized, I’m helpless!

Cordelia hummed to herself as she looked at the squirming little ball of thread that was the human, he really does look like a fly, she giggled. She weaved a few more threads, creating a necklace out of the webbed cocoon and slowly placing it over her head. As the trapped human’s muffled cries for help tickled her breasts, she couldn’t help but think on how he was right around the size of a male Arachne, and he’d have made a handsome one at that. Maybe I should see if he’s up for a little fun before dinner…

As she scuttled back into the hollowed walls Cordelia’s elation at capturing the human began to subside, and she began to think more carefully. She stroked her precious captive, causing the silk cocoon to squirm pathetically as the human fought feebly against her threads. They reached her “home,” a webbed hollow in one of the ceiling boards above the library, and she gleefully stuck him against the wall. Carefully, she extended a claw, slicing through the front of the webbing and revealing the naked little human again, leaving him stuck to the wall of her sanctuary. She slowly traced a finger along her webbing, causing some of the ambient magic it had absorbed to glow, giving them light.

“Now I wonder how this happened,” Cordelia mused, stroking her chin as she enjoyed the quivering human’s fright. Every one of his motions could be felt down to the tips of her legs as it vibrated her web, if she concentrated she could even make out his heartbeat, racing like a fieldmouse.

“T-That vampire,” Cedric stammered, “she put a curse on me!”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter,” Cordelia said, waving dismissively, “you’re small now, that’s what’s important.”

“Doesn’t matter!?” Cedric balked, “s-she’s going to help my cousin steal my inheritance, she-“

“Cedric,” Cordelia chuckled, “all of these human affairs, inheritances, assassins, none of that is important to you anymore, you’re a bug. ” She gently tapped the center of his chest, running a finger nearly as wide as his torso down his body and causing him to shiver in his webbed bondage. She leaned forward and inhaled, grinning at his fearful expression, “you’re a bug that smells good by the way…”

He really does smell good, she realized, but not good in a way I want to eat… more like he’s good in a way… she chuckled to herself, blushing slightly, having the handsome little man at her mercy was stoking a different sort of hunger. She let her gaze drift down between his legs, biting her lip as she realized he was… excited.

Oh gods, she’s seen my… he gulped nervously as the spider-woman’s smug grin grew wider, her carriage sized face coming even closer to him, letting him feel her warm breath as the low light glinted off her small fangs.

“What’s this?” she asked playfully, reaching a finger out and poking his erection. He winced slightly, trying to keep his composure. “Do you perhaps like what you see, human? Am I less disgusting up close?”

He gulped, “y-yes, the illusion you’ve chosen is very appealing.”

She frowned, “Illusion?”

He rolled his eyes, “drop the act spider, I know you can’t possibly really look like that, the form you chose is fairer than any of the village women or even the girls I met back in the capital.”

Eight eyes blinked, and Cordelia giggled, “there is no illusion human, while I can redirect magic with my webbing such things are beyond me… now are you just flattering me in hopes it will save you? Or did you mean it?”

“I-I meant it,” he stammered, gods this might be a way out, I’ve got to keep her talking!

Cordelia felt his beating heart along the threads that traced down to her spiderlike legs, if he was lying it wasn’t changing his heart rate. She stared at him a minute, thinking. Suddenly the idea of simply eating the little human was less appealing.

“T-The most beautiful treasures hide in the darkest caves, I suppose,” Cedric said with a weak grin.

Cordelia snorted with laughter, “you stole that from Elric Far-Traveled, the chapter with the glittering caverns.”

“ You’ve read Elric Far-Traveled?” he asked, astonished.

“Over your grandfather’s shoulder,” she said with a smile, “he was quite fond of it.”

“What’s your name?” Cedric asked suddenly.

“Cordelia,” she replied.

“Well ah, Cordelia,” he began hesitantly, “I’m sorry I… reacted poorly when we first met… if you want, you can read with me any time…”

Gods, I think he really means that, she chuckled to herself, “All well and good, but you’re not going to be in a position to be turning pages anytime soon, or have you forgotten your predicament?”

She reached out to him, closing her hands around him and pulling him free of the webbing. With a few quick flourishes of her fingers she attached new threads to him, binding his arms and legs once more and carefully suspending him by a single thread stuck to his back. She held him above her face, taunting him as he swayed like a pocketwatch.

“A-Are you still going to-“ he stammered, but he couldn’t finish the sentence.

“I think the moment for eating you has passed… for now,” Cordelia drawled, “you’re too amusing of a fly to waste on a quick snack… but perhaps you could entertain me in a different way?”

“L-Like talk to you more about the book?” he asked hopefully.

“No,” she said simply, she thought a moment, then smirked, “well, not right now… perhaps later it would be nice.” Instead, she reached up to touch his manhood, poking proudly through the webbing she’d spun over his body, “you are remarkably similar in size to a male of my own race, human… and it’s been a very long time since I’ve enjoyed one.”

His heart picked up again, and in spite of everything it seemed that his erection throbbed almost painfully as he looked at the alluring woman who literally held his life by a thread. He licked his lips nervously as he looked down at her lower half, the arachnid lower half dancing excitedly as she awaited his answers.

It’s been a long time since you’ve enjoyed a woman too… she is beautiful, and it’s not as though you have a girl you fancy anyways. He almost laughed, gods, what an insane day, reduced to the size of an ant and held captive, and now propositioned, by a gods-damned spider…

“Come on,” Cordelia taunted, running a hand over her breasts, squeezing them teasingly, “what would Elric do in the face of a ready and willing woman?”

“Er… I’m not Elric,” he chuckled nervously, “but… yes, I’m yours for the night.”

“Good boy,” she purred.

He felt a sharp tug on his back, and he was lifted bodily above Cordelia’s face as she licked her lips and slowly opened her mouth, a wet and waiting cavern with a tongue that lolled out like a royal carpet between her thin fangs, welcoming him in.

“W-wait!” he shouted, squirming as he was lowered in.

The rumble of the arachne’s giggle was his only response, and the humid air of her breath washed over him as he was lowered down past her lips. He struggled again, but her thread held him easily as he descended down, nearly touching her tongue.

His world blurred and he felt the same tugging motion against his back as she jerked her wrist upward, pulling him free of her mouth like a yo-yo as her lips quickly snapped shut just below him.

“Oops,” she teased, “almost ate you…”

She opened her mouth again, slowly lowering him down a second time. He felt his heart race as he passed her lips, this time his body set directly on her tongue, the slimy appendage soaking him with spit even through the silk wrappings. He felt panic as her mouth started to close, but again he was jerked upwards, springing out of her mouth at the last minute before it snapped shut.

“So close!” she laughed, “and I got a taste that time…”

Cedric blinked, trying to get his bearings as he twirled pathetically in the air, “I-I don’t understand-“

“One more time,” she promised, slowly letting him descend again.

This time those pouty lips sealed shut behind him as soon as he dropped below them. Instead of remaining still, her mossy soft tongue gently rolled him over, swirling him around the inside of her mouth like a hard candy as her sticky saliva drenched him.

“Oh…” he thrashed as her tongue found his manhood, still poking out from the cocoon of thread she’d wrapped him in. Slowly and deliberately it seemed to drag itself across him, each motion causing him to wriggle like a hooked worm in the silk bonds as she teased him. He’d never felt so helpless, or aroused, and the arachne’s moan echoed around him like thunder as she savored his taste and continued to torment him.

The warmth of her breath seemed to build around him as his climax neared, and while his muscles spasmed and quaked, he still couldn’t do more than flop uselessly. Her tongue easily followed him around the confined space, giving him no mercy as she relentlessly teased him, each gentle flick rocking his entire body and causing him to thrash in a way that seemed to please his captor.

He shouted into the darkness of her mouth as he came, spraying his seed more vigorously than he ever had before, coating the tongue that had so eagerly tormented him. The Arachne moaned with pleasure, vibrating his entire body as she tasted his offering, enjoying and savoring the intense flavor.

Suddenly he felt a vacuum forming around him, and the wave of saliva started to rush him back as her tongue tilted. Cedric screamed in surprise as he was dragged downward, the sticky tide of Cordelia’s spit washing around him like an ocean wave as she swallowed. For the briefest moment he thought she’d decided to eat him after all, but as her mouth opened and light streamed back into his eyes, he realized that the thread around his back had held him anchored, preventing him from disappearing down her throat with his cum when she’d swallowed.

“Delicious,” she purred, slowly lifting him up and letting his soaked form dangle in front of her face again. “Did you enjoy yourself, human?”

“Yes,” he gasped, blinking her spit out of his eyes as he struggled to catch his breath, “I don’t think anyone’s ever… well nobody’s done anything like that with me.” His heart was pounding, the thrill of wondering if she was really about to swallow him had been… intoxicating, it was intoxicating…

“What a brave little bug,” she giggled, “being in my mouth really does suit you, doesn’t it?” She flicked her wrist sharply upwards, causing him to jolt up into her outstretched hand, which closed around him again. “Now it’s my turn.”

He was lowered down her body, the immaculate and immense breasts towering around him like mountains as he passed along her toned and exposed belly. His destination was just above where her more human upper half met her arachnid lower, where a set of woven garments stretched just around her hips. With a flourish she reached down and tore them away, revealing her glistening slit. She ran her fingers through the small patch of hair that grew over it as she parted her lips, exposing the wet pinkness beyond to the amazed human.

“C-Cordelia?” he stammered, his heart hammering as he stared down the waiting tunnel.

“Be sure to squirm for me,” she sighed, bringing him inside herself.

Cedric’s shoulders were enveloped by the slick, yet powerful walls of Cordelia’s womanhood. His arms and legs were still bound by her thread, but the muscles around him seemed to draw him in, molding around him and pulling him further inside her with each of the arachne’s breath.

“Oh yes…” she sighed, letting herself lean back into a hammock of her webbing, “keep going human…”

Cedric shifted his shoulders, and was rewarded with a quivering earthquake from the flesh around him, and the musky tang of her womanhood seemed to intensify, filling his nose and bathing his senses. With a grin he did all he could to squirm for her, struggling for breathing space as the warmth of her womanhood wrapped around his body, eagerly clamping around him as the spider-woman’s pleasure intensified.

Come on, he thought, desperately as his muscles ached and his lungs burned, I can’t keep this up much longer! Cedric started to wonder if her mouth was the safer place to be as the pressure around him intensified. He thrashed as well as he could, forcing himself deeper down the silky tunnel and enjoying the roaring moans overhead and the thundering drumbeat of her heartbeat as it quickened.

“GODS ABOVE, KEEP GOING!” Cordelia cried, fingering herself furiously as her tiny human lover drove her closer to the cliff’s edge.

I’ve got to hurry, he thought, gritting his teeth and putting all of his energy into one final bout of thrashing. Cordelia shrieked a final time, and the last of his air was swept away as she came, flooding him and filling his mouth and lungs with the sticky sweet cum. Gods, I’m going to drown- He felt himself tugged backwards, slipping out of her womanhood with a slick *pop* as she casually pulled the tether of webbing she’d attached to his back.

“Good job Cedric,” she panted, grinning at him as he swayed back and forth in front of her.

“Glad to hear it,” he sputtered, spitting out another mouthful of her womanhood’s juices. The smell on his skin was overwhelming, and enticing even now. A sudden thought struck him, a thing he’d heard once about spiders in school… “Do you er… what happens to your mate after we…”

Cordelia giggled. The rumor that Arachne ate their mates following lovemaking was so pervasive that even some male Arachne believed it. It was ridiculous of course, but it was funny, and few female Arachne disputed it.

“Oh, that’s only if you do a bad job,” she said with a wink, “so you have nothing to worry about.”

“G-Great!” he said with a weak smile.

“Just rest now,” she said softly. She brought him close to her, slowly wrapping him in more webbing, coating him with the material again until it hugged and cradled him like a sleeping bag. As she had before she tied a thread to his shoulders, creating a necklace of his prison and slipping it over her head. This time she had left his head free, allowing him to see the hill sized breasts on either side of him as he slipped deep into her cleavage.

The weight of everything that had happened began to crash down on him at once, and feeling the warmth of the spider-woman’s chest and the silky bindings she’d wrapped him in, he realized that he felt oddly comfortable… safe.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” she said quietly, reaching down to stroke his wrapped body with her fingertip.

“It is pleasant,” he admitted.

“I’ll take very good care of you,” she said, smiling as she leaned back in her webbing, “I can get human food for you from the kitchens… I know a moth-girl, Bliss, she can probably fetch us some cake crumbs.” She paused for a moment, “you might have to let her play with you a bit in exchange.”

“Great,” Cedric chuckled. “Well, I suppose someone who can fly might be useful in helping me get back to full size…”

“And why would you want to do that?” Cordelia asked.

“Because…” Cedric thought a moment, “well my cousin, she’ll inherit the house, and-“

“You’re not part of that anymore,” Cordelia sighed, “you’re small Cedric, not even a bug, a bug’s plaything, a bug’s meal if you’re unlucky.”

“I’ve got to try,” he insisted, “after all, what would Elric Far-Traveled do?”

“He’d find a way to regrow himself and save the day,” Cordelia sighed, and he’d help a fool of a human in over his head… She gripped her little prize absently, enjoying the way he felt in her grip, bound tightly in her webbing and kept close to her. I can enjoy keeping him for tonight at least…

…

“Cordy!” Bliss called, buzzing up to her hideaway excitedly. She flew through the small hole in the ceiling, almost imperceptible to larger eyes, and leapt into the glowing nest of webbing. “Cordy I’ve got big news!” The moth girl stumbled as she tried to hold all the cake crumbs in her arms.

“What!?” Cordelia called groggily, rousing herself from sleep. Between her breasts her human dangled, still asleep in his tight confinement.

“There’s a vampire lady in the house!” the moth girl said, practically bouncing with excitement, “a-and I think she killed Cedric!”

“Oh she didn’t kill him,” Cordelia chuckled, poking her prize a few times, causing the shrunken human to groan and begin to twitch as he woke up.

“Wait…” Bliss’s black eyes went wide as she leaned forward, “I-Is that…”

“Cedric, this is Bliss,” Cordelia said proudly, holding up the webbed human like a prized piece of jewelry, “Bliss, Cedric.”

“You caught the master of the house!?” Bliss said excitedly, “oh this is so cool Cordy! Our very own pet human!”

“I’m not going to keep him as a pet,” Cordelia explained, slicing the webbing free and letting Cedric tumble into her palm.

“You can’t eat him!” Bliss said, panicking. “Please don’t eat him, Cordelia, he’s so cute!”

“I’m not going to eat him!” she snapped.

“Uh, excuse me,” Cedric called, “Bliss was it?”

“Yeah?” the moth girl asked, cocking her head.

“I think I can undo my er, condition, but I’m going to need some help,” he explained, “in particular I need to be able to reach my grandfather’s mirror in his old study.”

“I don’t have any webs there,” Cordelia said, crossing her arms, “and I don’t like the idea of crossing that much open ground.”

“I can fly you there!” Bliss said excitedly, “the vampire lady is just lounging around in the bar downstairs.”

“Probably drinking the good liquor while she waits for my cousin,” Cedric muttered.

“So what’s so special about this mirror?” Cordelia asked, “I take it you don’t want to fix your hair in it?”

“It’s a spell-mirror,” he explained, “it’ll let me see, feel, the enchantments on me, maybe come up with a counter or even reverse it.”

“I think I’ve seen it before!” Bliss said eagerly. “I can fly you right to it!”

“Bliss, I expect you to take very good care of my human,” Cordelia said sternly, “I want him back in one piece!”

“Oh, he’s your human now?” the moth girl asked, crossing her arms as her wings fluttered behind her, “that’s not fair Cordy, you can’t just call dibs on the only tiny human!”

“Uh, well I’m not really anyone’s human,” Cedric protested.

“He got caught in my web so he’s mine,” Cordelia retorted.

“ Cordy !” Bliss whined.

Cordelia huffed, “Bliss we don’t have time for this, if it’ll speed this along then sure, you can play with the human after you help him find his mirror.”

“Now wait a minute-“ Cedric shouted.

“Yay!” Bliss squealed. Her hands darted out and snatched the naked human out of Cordelia’s hands. Cedric wanted to protest more, but he found himself lifted up into the moth girl’s fluffy white hair, a lustrous soft forest that seemed to swallow him up.

“Just relax,” she said, “I’ve got you!” Her feathery antenna moved upwards, pushing him further into her shimmering mane, tickling him as they withdrew. The hair grew so thick that he found he couldn’t move, and he was held in place comfortably as she lifted off the ground, hovering towards the entrance to Cordelia’s home.

…

Zada chuckled to herself as she poured another expensive bottle of wine. The little whelp’s cousin would be along the following evening with her payment, and then she’d be on to her next job. She swirled the drink, downing it with relish as she strutted through the mansion.

I really should have stayed to watch him die, she thought, no, he was gone from the web… the spider no doubt enjoyed the little meal he made. She shuddered, as much as she enjoyed the ignoble end she’d left the poor boy to, she simply couldn’t stomach spiders. The last thing she wanted to do was watch one at work. Well, his cousin said to make it a slow death, I’m sure that she’ll be satisfied.

A moth fluttered by her, no doubt drawn by the lamp she’d lit to read the wine labels. She waved it away absently, not paying it any mind.

…

Cedric’s head poked out of the fluffy white mane of Bliss’s hair, and he scowled as he saw he was right. The colossal assassin was pillaging his grandfather’s well curated wine collection, and judging from the empty bottles she’d claimed many victims already. Luckily, she didn’t seem to notice that the moth that fluttered by her face was more than a mere bug.

“Hold on!” Bliss called, tightening her hair around the human as she dove, riding the air currents and fluttering into the study. He gasped as the smooth silvery hair moved against his body, the long prehensile threads feeling like an angel’s kiss on his skin as the moth-girl fluttered upwards towards his grandfather’s old desk.

Bliss giggled, evidently aware of the impact her mass of prehensile hair was having on the tiny human carried within it. Cedric gasped as the soft strands coiled around his manhood, gently stroking up and down and causing him to grit his teeth as the impossibly soft material toyed with him.

“Almost there,” Bliss teased, slowly hovering down to the desk. Her silvery hair shifted, drawing him forward and tossing him down into her waiting hands.

Cedric blinked a minute, “R-Right,” he said, trying to ignore how aroused he still was as the moth-girl’s soft hands cradled him, “we should probably-“

“Did you want to finish?” she asked gleefully. She leaned in closer, her black eyes showing his reflection as she took him in.

“I uh…” he blushed.

“Come on, I love seeing you play with it!” Bliss giggled.

“Wait,” Cedric said, his brow furrowing, “what do you mean-“

“You know, your fun-stick.” Bliss said excitedly, “You rub it in the bath, in the bed, and that one time in the kitchen!”

Cedric’s face was beet red, “Y-You saw that!?”

“I was on the wall,” Bliss said casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, “it always gets me going too…” she jokingly fanned her face, “you’re such a cute human, but I never got to watch you pleasure yourself up close like this…”

“I uh…” he gulped, “I don’t know what to say…” how many of these demi-human insect girls have been watching me rub one out!? Idly he wondered if Cordelia had ever spied on him while he’d relieved himself.

“Oh, you’re nervous,” she said, a tint of red coming into her pale cheeks, “could… could I do it!?”

Cedric swallowed, the first twenty years of life and women will barely talk to you, and now you’ve got two demi-humans throwing themselves at you in the same day? He looked up at the moth-girl, after his experience with Cordelia he had less reservations about a larger partner…

“Sure,” he said, smiling and giving her a thumbs up, “you can er, do it, if you want.”

“Yay!” Bliss squealed. She leaned her face into him, bringing him up to her enormous smile. For a moment he thought she was going to bring his manhood up to her mouth, but her feathery antenna came down instead.

“What are you… oh…” he shivered as the fluffy appendages tilted down and began rubbing over his manhood.

“Oooh, you smell yummy! ” Bliss teased.

Cedric bit his lip as the moth-girl’s face leaned in closer, filling his vision as her antennae continued to toy with him. His head lolled back, and he grunted as the silky strands curled around him, squeezing and slowly milking him to climax. His hips bucked, and he grunted as he sprayed his seed across the soft appendages.

“Eeeeeewww!” Bliss giggled, “you’re getting your goo all over them!”

In spite of her protests she didn’t stop, and Cedric collapsed into her hands with a pleased sigh as the silky antennae finished their work.

“Gross!” the moth-girl laughed, bringing one of the antennae down to her mouth. She gently darted her tongue out to taste the sticky seed that he’d sprayed on them, “mmm…” she muttered, “okay, maybe cleaning them won’t be so bad… How are you doing,human?”

“Blissful,” he said dreamily.

“Well here’s the mirror you wanted,” Bliss said, slowly setting the tiny human down on the desk.

“Right,” Cedric muttered, swaying as he crossed the wood. He frowned as he looked down at the grain, leaping across a small gap. At this size even the grain of the wood on his grandfather’s old desk presented an obstacle. If there’s any wisdom your spirit has left for me Grandfather, now’s the time, he thought, looking up at the mountainous mirror before him.

With a sigh Cedric sat in front of it and concentrated. A moment later he began to see the thin glowing lines of the curse around his body, like intricate knots, threaded within one another in a maze that seemed too complex to comprehend. With a deep breath he began to trace them and their origins.

…

Bliss’s patterned wings fluttered too fast to see as she hovered the limp and tired human back up to Cordelia’s hideaway. The Arachne crawled out to meet them, looking with concern at the exhausted human.

“Is he okay?” she asked, “Bliss, I said you could play with him, not ravage him!”

“This wasn’t me!” the moth-girl insisted, “it was that mirror, he’s been staring into it all day!”

“Well?” Cordelia asked, causing the human to sit up in the moth-girl’s hands, “did you find what you needed?”

“Yes,” Cedric muttered in a tired voice, “I think I’ve memorized every aspect of her curse… I can’t undo it yet, but I think I can perform it, I can attach the ability to someone else. My problem is I can’t match her spell for spell, she’s a far more powerful mage than I am at my best.”

“So what’s your plan?” Cordelia asked, “you’re so small she won’t even notice any of your spells…”

He sighed, “before we go any further, is there by any chance another demi-human living in the house I didn’t know about? Ideally one with instantly lethal venom?”

“Nope, we’re the only ones I’m pretty sure!” Bliss said excitedly.

“My venom will kill a human,” Cordelia said hesitantly, “but it will take hours… days maybe, and I’ve no idea how a vampire will react to it.”

“Ah, well nothing worth doing is easy I guess,” Cedric chuckled tiredly. I’ve got to take down one of the world’s most dangerous assassins at the size of a mustard seed, with no allies except a bug and a spider… “Here’s what we’re going to do…”

…

Zada yawned as the sun went down, pulling the blankets off herself and levitating out of bed and onto the floor. She’d enjoyed her brief stay at the mansion, but with Cedric’s cousin Steffanie arriving this night with her payment, she’d be on to other jobs.

She blinked as something fluttered in front of her vision, a moth, damn bugs, she thought irritably. She swiped at the creature, which easily evaded even her advanced reflexes. For some reason this particular insect just wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Hi!” a tiny voice squeaked, causing Zada to go tense. Her eyes focused on the bridge of her nose, where the moth, no, the moth-girl fluttered excitedly.

“Who the hell are you!?” Zada snapped, “out of my way bug or I’ll-“

She was cut off as Bliss planted a kiss on the tip of her nose.

“Bye bye!” the moth girl waved.

Zada didn’t have time to question what the bug meant, she felt a buzzing sensation up her arms and the world blurred as she shot downward.

…

“It worked!” Cedric called excitedly. He was perched on Cordelia’s abdomen, watching as Bliss ambushed the vampire using the same cursed kiss that had been performed on him just days before. He’d increased the power on it dramatically, and by the time the vampire struggled to her feet, she was just like him, ant sized.

“W-What is this!?” Zada sneered, forming fireballs in her hands as she whirled around, looking at the gigantic world around her. “How-“

Threads leapt out at her, and she cried out in surprise as her fireballs dissipated, the magic being swallowed up by the enchanted thread of an Arachne. Her eyes went wide as she saw a towering spider scuttling towards her, no, not a spider…

“ARACHNE!” Zada hissed, “if I cannot cook you with a fireball, then I’ll simply tear you limb from- AH!”

Her rant was cut short as Cedric extended his hand, sending an arcing bolt of lightning right into the vampire’s chest.

“She’s down!” he called, “quick, web her up!”

Cordelia’s hands blurred as she spun web after web, tying the vampire in silky bindings as she struggled beneath the pair. She took no chances, doubling, then tripling the amount of webbing she’d have used for a bug, or a human like Cedric. Finally the quivering ball of webbing went still as the vampire’s strength was exhausted.

“Did you get her?” Bliss asked, fluttering down to them.

“Not even one of the undead is busting out of there,” Cordelia said, nodding towards the cocoon.

“Hey, if I kiss one of you guys will you shrink?” Bliss asked, giggling as she fluttered over them and blew Cedric a quick kiss.

“Probably,” Cedric admitted, “but please don’t, I’m confident I can regrow myself with enough meditation, but let’s not complicate it by shrinking me further.”

“Okay…” Bliss said mischievously, fluttering towards the Arachne, “but what about-“

“Don’t even think about it!” Cordelia snapped.

…

Steffanie hefted her bag of clothing, pushing her way into her new mansion with a huff. The vampire was supposed to be here to help her carry her things in, though the night was young yet, perhaps the creature hadn’t yet stirred.

“All mine,” she said with a sigh, putting her hands on her hips and looking around the opulent mansion. A sight worth murdering a little shit of a cousin over…

Her nose wrinkled a moment as a bug fluttered in front of it, “Shoo,” she muttered, raising her hand to wave the moth away.

There was a sound like smacking lips, a kiss, and then the world rushed around her, causing her to scream in panic. Her clothes billowed around her as she shrank, and a moment later she was looking up at the now much larger mansion entryway in confusion as she stared out from the top of her own pooled dress.

“Hello Steffanie,” Cedric called.

She looked up, her heart catching as she saw an enormous spider descending from the ceiling on a thin thread, her cousin atop its back. As it got closer she saw it wasn’t a mere spider, but an Arachne, with ruby colored eyes glinting mischievously as it lowered over her.

…

Cedric sighed, straightening his jacket as he walked into the guardhouse of the village below his grandfather’s mansion.

“Why hello Cedric,” the sheriff, a middle aged pot-bellied man in iron armor called, “what can I do for you?”

“Two prisoners,” Cedric said, hefting a clear terrarium up onto the sheriff's desk.

The man frowned, peering into the glass case. Inside was a spiderweb woven between a pair of sticks, with two small cocoons inside. As he watched they shook slightly, and he could make out the barest muffled cries for help.

“The vampire Zada Frostfall, and her client my cousin Steffanie,” Cedric explained.

“The Vampire Zada Frostfall?” the sheriff repeated incredulously, “i-in there?” he tapped the glass terrarium, where the webbed prisoners squirmed again, sending vibrations along the silken strands..

“I’d recommend finding a fairy or other smallfolk to question them,” Cedric chuckled, “the webbing should hold them secure. Let me know if you have any questions.” With that he turned to go, leaving the stunned guards looking at the glass case.

…

Cedric nestled into his bed after his bath, a fresh robe on and his copy of Elric Far-Traveled sprawled before him as he bathed in the soft glow of the bedside gaslamps.

“Ehem,” Cordelia coughed loudly.

He sighed and glanced up at the tiny spider, suspended from the ceiling by a webbed thread just over his shoulder.

“I’m not done with this page,” he protested.

“Read faster!” she said, crossing her arms.

“I’ll read at my own pace,” he chuckled, turning back to the book.

“If you read too slowly I’ll get bored,” she warned, “and if I get bored… Oh Bliss?”

A flutter of motion caught his eye as the moth’s wings flew in front of his eyes, causing him to blink and lean back. Before he could react the moth was landing on his forehead, giggling and giving him a quick kiss.

She still has the kissing enchantment on her! He realized too late as the world spun.

“Bliss!” he shouted angrily as his clothes flew around him and the book tumbled to the bedspread. He looked up at the now immense room as his shrinking ended, and made eye contact with the grinning form of Cordelia as she lowered the rest of the way down, her eight spiderlike legs coming down on all sides of him like the black bars of a cage.

“I got him Cordy!” Bliss said eagerly, landing behind her.

“That you did,” Cordelia laughed, stroking her chin smugly as she looked down at the human, now returned to the size of an ant. “Are you ready to entertain us for the night my little bug? Remember, if you don’t do a good job…” she licked her lips playfully.

Cedric just chuckled and rolled his eyes, “don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten my spot on the food chain.”

Webbing felt around him, sticking to his arms and legs as the Arachne jerked him up roughly, maneuvering his body like a puppet while the moth looked on and clapped eagerly.

It’s not so bad, being tangled up with these two, he thought as he readied himself for a night of the pair’s games.