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

There was nothing. Hunter felt both exhilarated and disappointed. He needed to fight this thing now. He feared he wouldn’t have this much courage and conviction again.


He closed his eyes, willing it to come to him.


It wasn’t long before he heard a throaty whisper, ripped straight from hell.


In spite of all his determination and in spite of all Naomi had told him, Hunter stiffened, frozen, unable to respond.


Hunter bit his lower lip so hard he tasted his own blood. Wincing, he forced himself to struggle to an upright position. His eyes were adapted to the dark by now, yet he couldn’t see anything unusual or different in the room’s shadows.


But he could smell. The distinct odor of something rotting rose up. Hunter’s nose crinkled as the smell of meat gone bad surrounded him, almost like a second presence in the room. He wanted to gag.


Hunter peered harder into the dark, hearing a soft, throaty chuckle.


Chapter 77