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

Hunter shed his clothes as he mounted the back stairs, letting the muddy garments fall where they may. He could put them in the laundry later. After all, who was here to criticize his housekeeping? Naked, he strode the short distance to his bedroom and went into the bathroom, where he switched on the shower and waited until it was steaming, then stepped under the spray. He reveled in the feel of the hot water beating down on his head, washing mud and bits of grass down the drain. He looked down at his hands and saw they were red and abraded from his fall.


The shower handles squeaked as Hunter shut off the flow of water. While the showerhead dripped its last few dribbles behind him, Hunter stood, listening. The silence of the house was disturbing. No longer did he hear the sound of the rain beating on the roof, nor the wind or the chirping of birds outside. He didn’t even hear the perfectly normal and mundane creaks of the old house.


Chapter 87