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 tensed as he thought he felt a finger trace a line along the back of his neck. He whirled around to confront the guy, but the stranger stared up at the ceiling when Hunter turned, his hands folded almost demurely in his lap.


Hunter wished he had just walked home. What with waiting for the train at the Davis station, the several stops, and his multi-block walk home after the ride, he probably wasn’t saving any time anyway.


Had the guy really touched him? Or did he just imagine it? Maybe it was a bug or something. He slapped at the back of his neck and then felt stupid for doing it.


None too soon, the train slowed, squealing, and finally stopped at a very deserted South Boulevard station. Hunter prayed the man was heading on to make a connection with the Chicago trains at Howard Street.


He got up quickly and exited the train.


Chapter 24