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

Hunter relaxed against the leather seat and closed his eyes.


Hunter jerked awake when he heard knocking. Opening his eyes, he saw Ian stooped down, staring in at him through the car window. Hunter rubbed his eyes and sat up straighter. Ian’s voice came to him, muffled by the glass.


“Look at you, all wired up about seeing Beaumont House and you can’t even stay awake long enough to have a look.” Ian laughed, walking away from the car.


Hunter glanced around and saw nothing but trees: elms, birches, and maples, all wearing brilliant autumnal colors. Wind gusted and sent a shower of leaves down on the windshield of Ian’s Jag.


Hunter got out of the car. The air here was much cooler than it had been in Evanston; he hugged himself. The wind rustled the treetops. “Ian, what’s going on? If this is some kind of trick, I’m not amused. You’re not going to deter me.” Hunter searched in vain for signs of a house.


Chapter 17