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

Ella had just begun her rendition of “Blue Skies” when Hunter stopped unpacking dishes because he heard a loud crash come from the foyer. He cried out and almost dropped the plate he was wiping off. He cocked his head to listen more carefully. The crash, like glass shattering, still echoed.


Hunter shook his head. Had he really fled the crimes of the city? Was his first intruder already here? He set down the plate and the rag on the counter. Cautiously he made his way to the foyer, peering first around the edge of the doorway.


But a gust of cold wind chilled him as he stepped into the foyer. The large double doors stood wide open; already snow had blown in across the floor. A ceramic vase Nana had brought back from a trip to Thailand lay shattered into tiny pieces in the middle of the floor. The deep violet and yellow stood out in sharp contrast to the pale marble. The glass in the chandelier tinkled in the wind rushing in from outside.


Chapter 42