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

It’s just that kind of thinking that will get you nowhere.Hunter walked across the room and lay down on the bed. He at least felt a small sense of security and warmth as the wind outside picked up, howling. He glanced over to see the first snowflakes begin to fall. He closed his eyes, feeling the sense of numbness so familiar to him after Nana had died and Jay had betrayed him.


And then he sat up. No! I won’t do this to myself. I won’t deal with things by placing myself in a cocoon. If I’m going to make this work—and I am—I need to be strong. And I need to fight back, especially if there’s something or someone trying to steal what little peace I have left away from me.


Hunter rewarded his resolution with another shower, this one hot and steaming and long. He tried to wash away the feelings of guilt, shame, and despair that had driven him here and rid himself of the disquiet that had so upset his first day.


Chapter 46