The monster’s tentacles are everywhere—around my waist, between my thighs, and circling my breasts.

I slip my fingers beneath the appendage to dislodge its grip, but it tightens. It looks like he wants an answer to his question. The clouds concealing the moon part, flooding the room with silver light. I follow the tentacle to find his shadowy outline. Do me a favor.” “Yes?” I whisper as we approach the gates. “Next time you’re in the clutches of a psycho and you see someone sneaking up on him, don’t act surprised.” My jaw drops.” My gaze whips around the room. All I see is the dark. Either he disappeared the moment the clouds covered the moon or this monster really is made of shadows. He pulls me away from the rift in the air and loosens the tentacle gag a little further. “Explain.”Before he can retaliate, I swing my legs out of the bed, only for a tentacle to curl around my waist like a whip. Panic spikes in my heart, pushing me into action. There’s no way I can let a strange man, let alone a creature of unknown origin, put anything inside my body. I woke up in the middle of the night to find a dark figure standing at the foot of my bed. He claimed to be my soul mate, but I’m calling BS. Dating apps are okay, but most of the guys there are either players, time-wasters, or catfishers. And then there are scammers like the Tinder Swindler.

Heat floods the room, explaining why I’d woken up feeling too hot. He must have brought it with him when he entered through the portal. The air becomes acrid with a suffocating scent of sulfur. My eyes itch, then they water, then it feels like tiny claws are scratching my throat. I blink over and over, coughing, choking, gasping for air. I’ve never tasted anything finer,” he replies with a low moan that makes my nipples tighten. “Where can I find more?”What lies beyond my room is a landscape of volcanoes and fire. I would call it hell but even demons might find it inhospitable. Please,” I say through the gag. This time, the tentacle around my mouth loosens to allow me to make a sound. With all my spare time spent painting watercolors in the hope that one of them will sell, it’s near impossible to meet decent men. I woke up in the middle of the night to find a dark figure standing at the foot of my bed. He claimed to be my soul mate, but I’m calling BS.When I told him to get out, he sprouted tentacles.I tried to run, of course, but he caught me around the w...