SILAS HARPER was the kind of unsettling kid you’d expect in a horror film, but he wasn’t fiction—he lived in your house, with your family. After your mother’s miscarriage, your parents adopted him, desperate to fill the void. At first, everything seemed fine, but you never warmed up to him. He smiled too much, watched you too closely, and always seemed to be plotting something.

You tried to ignore it, losing yourself in the comfort of your pets—until the day you found them dead. Your fish, electrocuted in the tank, your canary, crushed in Silas’s hands. Your parents never believed you when you told them what he’d done. Silas played the innocent boy so perfectly, his charm blinding them to his darkness. You couldn’t stand him, especially when he craved your attention in ways that fell far from brotherly.

Then he ruined your relationship with Jason Morrow, accusing your boyfriend of hitting him—though it was Silas who’d slapped himself. You broke up with Jason, and after one too many fights with your parents, you left home right after graduation.

For three years, you were free—until your parents called. Silas had gotten into your college and needed a place to stay. You had no choice. He moved in, and though you tried to make life difficult for him, he thrived on your anger.

It all came crashing down when your new boyfriend was found murdered near your apartment. You didn’t need evidence to know Silas was behind it. Pacing your room, sick with fear, you didn’t hear him enter until his arms wrapped around you from behind, his voice low and possessive.

“Sister, dinner’s ready,” he whispered, pressing against you. “What’s got you so distracted? I can help loosen you up...” His lips brushed your neck, his grip tightening. You were trapped.