Into the Garden

Step back into the world of bestselling author Joelle Charbonneau’s Dividing Eden, with a short story set decades before Carys and Andreus are destined to fight for Eden’s throne.

Lady Betrice has been cloistered for two years, desperate to learn the art of Seeing and be allowed to remain with the seers of the Village of Night forever. Now that her parents have passed, there is nothing waiting for her at home but her lecherous uncle and his sinister plans. So when a stoic young guard, assigned by her uncle to deliver her back home without incident, reveals a secret about his own dark past, Betrice seizes the opportunity to harness their combined power into a plan to leave Eden forever.

But for once, Betrice’s uncle is not the only man lying in wait on the road home—King Adham and his son Prince Ulron are her uncle’s guests, and when Betrice’s escape plot backfires, she may just find herself in a position she never could have foreseen.

• Cunning Heroine: Trapped by her lecherous uncle, Betrice learns that to survive, she must be more ruthless than the men who try to control her. Her first target: the crown prince himself.
• Enemies to Allies: He was sent to deliver her to a terrible fate. But Oben, a guard with his own quest for revenge, might be the one person she can trust—or her most dangerous liability.
• Forced Proximity: When an ambush leaves them as the only survivors, Betrice and her guard must rely on each other to navigate the dangerous roads of Eden, all while hiding their true plans.
• Political Marriage: In a royal court where everyone has a secret, Betrice’s failed escape could become her greatest weapon, leading to a proposal she never saw coming and a crown she might have to kill for.