The House by Christina Lauren is one of this Fall’s best books. Read our exclusive excerpt to see why.

The House tells the story of Delilah Blue, a girl who returns to her small Kansas hometown after spending years at boarding school. Delilah becomes instantly smitten with the town’s outcast, Gavin Timothy. He lives in a strange house on the outskirts of town. Delilah is drawn to the house but Gavin warns her to be careful.

Last week we revealed an excerpt from The House that introduced the main characters of the story. Now you get to meet the house itself! This passage is pretty creepy and for those who don’t like spiders beware.

Excerpt from ‘The House’ by Christina Lauren

Something was wrong.

Delilah opened her eyes with a start, wondering what woke her up in the first place. She blinked into the darkness, her eyes slowly focusing on the bleary shapes surrounding her, on the flickering candle next to the bed.

Though Delilah could only imagine having slept for a few short minutes, the candle had practically burned itself out. It had been yellow—she was sure of it—but now bloodred wax slid down over the candleholder in smooth rivulets.

The flame had dimmed, flickering slowly in the still air, and out of the corner of her eye she could see something moving along the wall.

Delilah strained to make out the shape.

The faint pattern inside the wallpaper seemed to stir, the edges becoming blurry before sharpening again. She blinked several times, certain she had to be seeing something that wasn’t there. The pattern looked like spiders. Only a few at first, but then more and more, so many that the wall seemed to undulate with them. Their legs were thick, covered in coarse hairs, and their bodies were so plump and round that it turned her stomach with an instinctive panic.

“It’s not real,” she whispered, closing her eyes tight and hoping she could wake from whatever nightmare she was having. A flash tore through the room, and Delilah gasped, blinking up to where lightning streaked across the ceiling.

“It’s not real.”

Delilah’s heart raced, the sound of her own pulse roaring in her ears. She tried to push up from the bed, but her limbs seemed locked in place, her mind unable to fire the impulse needed to move.

Spindly legs carried hundreds of black bodies skittering across the wall, so many that she could hear them. They moved in waves, scattering this way and that, finally arranging them¬selves into what appeared to be words.

BUT
HE’S
OURS

Check back next week for another excerpt that shows just how much control the House has over Gavin.