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

With a crash his bedroom window blew open, unleashing a rush of brutally cold air into the room. The curtains billowed outward with the force of it. Hunter smelled the snow. He jumped from the bed, slammed the window shut, and turned the lock.


He stood there beside the cold glass feeling paralyzed. His face was slick with cold sweat. He trembled. It felt as though his heart would either beat right through his chest or would give out completely. Covering the distance from the window to his bed seemed a journey beyond his ability.


Then it began. Laughter. Softly at first, a demonic rasp filled the room. The laughter grew in intensity and volume, booming until Hunter had to cover his ears, sinking along the wall to the floor, his legs refusing to give him any more support. Strange how he wanted to do nothing more than scream until his throat burned but seemed unable to remember how.


Chapter 48