Hi, I'm Ellie, no one knows my secret, not even mom or dad. I'm an only child, but guess what? Everynight, I hear footsteps, but they're not mom, or dads, in fact, her's are light, like a little girl. Now you might be wondering how I know it's a girl, well, every now and then, I see a glimpse of her, but not all of her, you may think that, but no. I feel like she is watching me all the time, or protecting me. The only people who ever liked me are mom and dad. I don't even know anymore! Who would ever like a mess?
Antique store owner Liz brings home a Victorian taxidermy hound from auction, unwittingly unleashing dark forces on her wife and son.
*****
Nat Loman has finally married the love of her life, Liz, and is getting used to her role as stepmother to Liz's 5-year-old son, Liam. The Loman family runs a bustling antique business so they attend a sale where a striking, black taxidermied hound is up for auction. Liz picks it up for the business, but it ends up being stored in their home, where Nat notices strange things occurring. She quickly discovers the past residents had died violently. Then she hears from a friend about the myth of "the devil's dog", a hound that perches in the shadows, tearing families apart from the inside. Soon, people around the Lomans are dying, and Liz is changing, darkening. It's up to Nat to save the woman she loves from the darkness closing in, and to save Liam from danger no matter what she has to sacrifice.
[[Winner of the 2018 Wattys "Hidden Gems" category]]
[[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]