H. Mallory - Ghouls Rush In

I was beyond exhausted. It was as if the lack of sleep, the worry, and the anxiety that had been culminating for the last three days, and now the intensity of this exorcism, had finally come to a head.

“Incroyable ! ” Drake sounded inside my head, so I immediately thought the words that would shut him out. I couldn’t deal with him at the moment.

“Peyton, I want you to promise me that you aren’t gonna shut me out again,” Ryan said as we started for the guest bedroom where I wanted nothing more than to relax against his chest and feel his large, powerful arms around me. “If I hadn’t randomly shown up, you would’ve gone through all that yourself,” he said, eyeing me warily. The thought was enough for my heart to suddenly ride into my throat.

“I’m so glad you decided to come over when you did,” I answered honestly.

He tipped my chin up and smiled down at me. “We’re supposed to be in this together from here on out, right?”

I nodded and then sighed. “I promise I won’t shut you out again.”

“Good,” he said and hugged me tightly as he kissed the top of my head. Even though I still hadn’t worked up the cojones to tell him I was possessed with Drake’s spirit, I made myself the promise that I would do so tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to enjoy the fact that for the first time since I’d taken residence in my house, it was spirit-free.

Or so I hoped.

The story of the Axeman is based on a true crime spree that occurred in New Orleans at the beginning of the twentieth century. Accordingly, I’ve used many of the actual names of those involved in the original crime. As this is a work of fiction, some of the circumstances surrounding those involved are fictionalized.

To my husband and son: Thank you for all your support and patience.

To my mother: Thank you for always being the first set of eyes on all my books!

To my editors at Montlake, Kelli Martin and Maria Gomez: Thank you for your guidance and your constructive criticism.

To my agent, Jane Dystel: You’re awesome!

To all my readers: Thank you all so very much for your continued support. I wouldn’t be here without you!!

A New York Times bestselling author, H.P. Mallory began her writing career as a self-published author. She’s a huge fan of anything paranormal, and anything ghost or vampire related will always attract her attention. Her interests are varied but aside from writing, she’s most excited about traveling. She’s very fortunate to have lived in England and Scotland, both places really having a profound effect on her books. H.P. lives in Southern California, where she is busily working on her next book! Please find H.P. on the web at: www.hpmallory.com