This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice.

The ancient garden bloomed only under moonlight, and Lyra had discovered this secret purely by accident. She had been running from yet another failed courtship arranged by her well-meaning but persistent aunt when she stumbled through the wrought iron gates that shouldn't have existed behind the old Thornfield manor. In daylight, that corner of the estate showed nothing but wild brambles and forgotten stone. But as the full moon crested the horizon, the thorns parted like curtains, revealing pathways lined with flowers that glowed with their own ethereal light.

Lyra pressed her hand against her racing heart, still breathless from her escape. The silk of her evening gown caught on a luminous white rose, and as she carefully freed herself, the bloom pulsed brighter at her touch. She had always been different—able to sense things others couldn't, drawn to moonlight in ways that worried her family. But this garden felt like coming home.

'You can see it too.'

The voice came from behind her, deep and warm like aged honey. Lyra spun around, her auburn hair catching moonbeams as it flew about her shoulders. A man stepped from the shadows between two towering silver birches, and her breath caught for an entirely different reason.

He was beautiful in the way of carved marble brought to life, with angular features softened by dark hair that looked almost black in the moonlight. His eyes held depths she couldn't fathom, and when he moved, it was with a grace that spoke of more than mortal heritage. He wore clothes that seemed to belong to another century—a midnight blue coat with silver embroidery, fitted trousers, and boots that made no sound on the gravel path.