After three years with gentle, dependable Eric, Anya thinks moving in together is the start of their future. Then she discovers a locked room filled with drawings of herself sleeping, crying, pregnant—and dead. A faceless six-limbed figure appears in every picture. The evidence keeps pointing back to Eric: bloody footprints, secret photographs, missing jewelry, and security footage of him watching Anya sleep. But the man Anya knows still respects her boundaries, protects her, and seems genuinely terrified by what is happening. When six black tentacles finally tear from Eric's back, Anya learns the truth is worse than simple possession. The creature protects her, knows their shared memories, and wants to "keep her close." Now Anya must discover whether Eric is trapped inside the monster—or whether the monster has always been part of the man she loves. The closer Anya gets to the answer, the more dangerous intimacy becomes. Because if Eric is still in there, loving him may be the only way to reach him. If he isn't, getting close may be exactly what the monster wants.
After three years with gentle, dependable Eric, Anya thinks moving in together is the start of their future. Then she discovers a locked room filled with drawings of herself sleeping, crying, pregnant—and dead. A faceless six-limbed figure appears in every picture. The evidence keeps pointing back to Eric: bloody footprints, secret photographs, missing jewelry, and security footage of him watching Anya sleep. But the man Anya knows still respects her boundaries, protects her, and seems genuinely terrified by what is happening. When six black tentacles finally tear from Eric's back, Anya learns the truth is worse than simple possession. The creature protects her, knows their shared memories, and wants to "keep her close." Now Anya must discover whether Eric is trapped inside the monster—or whether the monster has always been part of the man she loves. The closer Anya gets to the answer, the more dangerous intimacy becomes. Because if Eric is still in there, loving him may be the only way to reach him. If he isn't, getting close may be exactly what the monster wants.
