Completely unaware of a woman in another world's strange thought about him, Desmond was busy having his own strange thoughts. "Well, there, you have a way to overcome arachnophobia." Desmond thought humorously as he looked at the naked woman next to him.
Araksia, a member of the Tremor clan and half-spider woman, had been the mate Desmond had shared his bed with for the past five hours. Seeing the woman who now looked 95% human instead of the anticipated 50%, Desmond thanked the gods he didn't believe in.
Although falsely grateful for his luck, Desmond's expression was neither that of a happy man nor that of someone who had just had a good time with a lady. Had she been here to see it, Claire would probably have recognized the coldness in Desmond's eyes now.