Something even stranger than usual is haunting the enchanted forest next to magical Hawthorn College. To save the forest and the school, a runology professor teams up with the off-limits, single dad park ranger heating up her dreams.

Professor Dahlia Hawberry is living an academic’s nightmare. Inspiration for her research into runes, sigils, and spells has dried up, leaving her with a gaping hole for her looming tenure application. But when park ranger Rory Farrell shows up to her office hours with an intriguing mystery to solve, Dahlia jumps at the chance to study something new.

Rory has been a little preoccupied lately, between his new job in the Wilds and the daily trials of life as a single dad. He thought he understood the monsters of the forest, but there are clear signs of something darker lurking in the shadows—strange fog, bolder fantasmia, and bizarre dreams and visions troubling visitors.

As Dahlia and Rory work together to understand the volatile magic in the Wilds, their friendship begins to shift into something more—and something inconvenient. Neither of them wants to risk their new friendship on a relationship. After an almost-kiss and a monster attack, they are both plagued by dreams and nightmares featuring each other that seem to signal they’re meant to be...but is it just another trick of the Wilds?