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 as time passed, so did the sting of Jay’s betrayal. He was not the person Hunter thought he was, so the person Hunter had fallen in love with was imaginary. And money was just that—money. He could have used it to renovate the flora-choked surroundings of Beaumont House, but there was still money left. And if he left the house surrounded by overgrown trees and other foliage, so what?


What got him out of bed was once more the thought of escape. Away from memories of Nana. Free from recollections of how he had made a complete fool of himself with Jay. What got him into the shower, shaved, and eating again was the thought of solitude.


And now, on this morning, he decided to do whatever it took to get into Beaumont House before the first snow fell.


With his new resolve, Hunter’s appetite returned. He made a quick run to the Whole Foods in downtown Evanston and came home laden down with shopping bags.


Chapter 38