Hunter Beaumont doesn't understand his grandmother's deathbed wish: "Destroy Beaumont House." He'd never even heard of the place. But after his grandmother passes and his first love betrays him, the family house in the Wisconsin woods looks like a tempting refuge. Going against his grandmother's wishes, Hunter flees to Beaumont House.<br><br>But will the house be the sanctuary he had hoped for? Soon after moving in, Hunter realizes he may not be alone. And who -- or what -- he shares the house may plunge him into a nightmare from which he may never escape.<br><br>Sparks fly when he meets his handsome neighbor, a caretaker for the estate next door, but is the man salvation...or is he the source of Hunter's terror?

A Demon Inside

But what else could he do? He followed the McCarthys over to where Nana lay. He felt dizzy as Mrs. McCarthy marveled at how good she looked, how beautiful. And when Mr. McCarthy agreed, saying “how fresh” Nana looked, Hunter was sure he would vomit. He tried, with force of will, to hold down the acid bile at the back of his throat. He realized Mrs. McCarthy was speaking to him.


“Aren’t you going to look at her, dear?”


Hunter met Mrs. McCarthy’s questioning gaze, noticing cataracts clouded her blue eyes. It was creepy. He tried to turn his head and saw his grandmother’s body in his peripheral vision. He couldn’t force himself to turn his head. Why did they think he had to look at her again?


“What’s the matter, son?” Mr. McCarthy asked.


Chapter 7