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

The sky darkened into purple as Hunter twisted the faucet handle at the side of the house off. He stared with exhaustion at the green hose, winding its way through the grass like a snake, and decided that tonight he didn’t feel like coiling it up and replacing it in its metal holder. Darkness was coming too soon.


In the kitchen Hunter tossed his gloves off and washed his hands, splashed his face, dried off, and then wondered what he would do with his evening, which stretched before him, empty. He went upstairs, started the shower, and while he waited for the water to heat, listened to the familiar sounds he heard each night: cicadas, frogs, and crickets. They were soothing. He undressed and stepped under the spray, washing the sweat and grime of the day down the drain.


Chapter 81