Born for the stage. Lured by the forest.

 

Cadence Lavigne has been the principal ballerina for Footlights Theater Group for fifteen years, but at age 30, mysterious symptoms lead to an epic collapse on stage. In the spotlighted aftermath, her expertly crafted mask begins to crumble alongside the career she’s dedicated her life to. All the while, her old dreams of mystical creatures and darkness are resurfacing.

 

Addax Nightingale has spent most of his adulthood running from the past and the shadow in his nightmares. Cursed to live a loveless life, he’s just returned from his travels—again—to his coffee shop where he imbues drinks with his healing magic. He tells himself everything will be fine…except the sentient cottage he’s been avoiding is calling to him more insistently than ever before.

 

When Cadence’s best friend convinces her to take a hiatus at her family’s home, impossible things begin unfolding. Objects move on their own, wild critters wander inside, and the forest calls to her, luring her in more each day. Her health continues to decline, complicated by the avoidant, secretive man who winds up at the cottage with her. Together, they must learn to open their hearts again, or let the shadows of the past destroy them.